The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[freefall_junkie]

Quick brain dump after a test drive today at Parks Lotus in this lovely Magma car on Touring suspension.

For context I have owned 2 Elises , 2 Exiges, a Caterham (an honorary Lotus, obviously ), and over the years I think I have driven pretty well every variant of the Evora except the 430, either on test drives or cars belonging to friends. The demo was a 45 minute drive on a mix of urban and rural roads. Roads were wet, and I was trying to keep to the 4k running in limit so certainly wasn’t pushing it.

Interior. It looks great and is beautifully finished, but there are a couple of issues. I am not a fan of the squared wheel, but the bigger problem is the seats. I was hoping I would like them more on the drive than sitting in the showroom last week, but sadly not to be. Comfort was reasonable but the head rest is a bit too low for tall drivers, I’d prefer the base to go lower, and the side support could be better. Not a deal breaker, but the seats in my daily BMW 320D M-sport are far better, and that really shouldn’t be the case. If only Lotus offered the option of some simple, lightweight, low set, manually adjustable buckets.

Gearchange. Lovely, mechanical, rifle bolt action, with a nice short throw. Improved over the Evora or V6 Exige, but still requires a firm hand and I did miss a couple of shifts to start with.

Drivetrain. Lots of low and midrange grunt with a completely linear delivery, but obviously can’t comment on the top end. Sounds fantastic in Sport mode with nice burbles on the overrun, but definitely not as loud as an Evora 410.

Brakes. Felt a bit grabby and over-servoed at first, but I was getting used to them by the end of the drive. Personally, I would prefer less assistance.

Steering. For me the steering feel is the very essence of what makes Lotus cars special, and on this count the Emira is just superb. The steering is brimming with feel giving a lovely connection to the road, yet never feels twitchy or nervous. I loved it.

Dynamics. Hugely impressive -the famous Lotus chassis magic definitely seems present and correct to me. The car feels taught, responsive, and seemed to flow brilliantly through the corners over some very pockmarked and uneven surfaces. The Touring chassis in no way feels soft, but the ride quality is excellent. I have ordered Sport, which obviously I would have liked to test, but I am pretty happy with my choice as the ride would have to be dramatically worse than the Touring car to be in any way unacceptable.

Overall. For the naysayers who think that Lotus has sold out and made a dumbed-down car for the masses, I am delighted to say that, as a serial Lotus owner, it felt like a proper Lotus to me. Even on this short drive it felt like a truly special, engaging sports car. Dynamically it will feel very familiar to anyone who has driven an Evora 400 or 410 (a very good thing in my book), but you have those supercar looks and a much better finished interior, all for £15k less than the Evora 410 was back in 2018. Apart from those mediocre seats, it’s a winner

 

[freefall_junkie]

A couple more thoughts on the Emira having digested my test drive overnight.

First, with everyone understandably focusing on the customer experience, or lack thereof, I don’t think enough credit has been given to Lotus for the engineering purity which underpins the Emira. The steering feels as good as it does because Lotus stuck to their principals with hydraulic power assistance. Almost every other manufacturer including Porsche has long since moved to EPS, sacrificing steering feel in the name of some marginal gain in emissions.

Similarly, I think credit is due to Lotus for sticking to their guns on passive suspension, probably against the expectations of a large chunk of the potential market. When the Emira both rides and handles as well as it does, you really have to question the need for the complication active dampers. Of course, one of the reasons the passive set up is able to work so well is that super stiff bonded aluminium chassis, combined with the lovely (and no doubt expensive) cast aluminium double wishbones all round.

Finally, I didn’t drive the car at all hard yesterday due to the conditions and the running in rev limit, but it still felt really engaging to drive. So many modern performance cars are very competent yet dull unless you are ragging the nuts off them, a friend’s Golf R I drove recently being a case in point. The Emira has retained the long standing Lotus tradition of feeling special and involving even at moderate speeds, and to me that is important.

 

[BeHappy]

A couple more thoughts on the Emira having digested my test drive overnight.

First, with everyone understandably focusing on the customer experience, or lack thereof, I don’t think enough credit has been given to Lotus for the engineering purity which underpins the Emira. The steering feels as good as it does because Lotus stuck to their principals with hydraulic power assistance. Almost every other manufacturer including Porsche has long since moved to EPS, sacrificing steering feel in the name of some marginal gain in emissions.

Similarly, I think credit is due to Lotus for sticking to their guns on passive suspension, probably against the expectations of a large chunk of the potential market. When the Emira both rides and handles as well as it does, you really have to question the need for the complication active dampers. Of course, one of the reasons the passive set up is able to work so well is that super stiff bonded aluminium chassis, combined with the lovely (and no doubt expensive) cast aluminium double wishbones all round.

Finally, I didn’t drive the car at all hard yesterday due to the conditions and the running in rev limit, but it still felt really engaging to drive. So many modern performance cars are very competent yet dull unless you are ragging the nuts off them, a friend’s Golf R I drove recently being a case in point. The Emira has retained the long standing Lotus tradition of feeling special and involving even at moderate speeds, and to me that is important.

Thanks for your thoughts on demo ride are we been told not to rev it over run in ? or was that just your personal decision

 

[Green]

Thanks for your thoughts on demo ride are we been told not to rev it over run in ? or was that just your personal decision

I hit the rev limiter briefly forgot I was not in r8 at 8500 rpm.

 

[freefall_junkie]

Thanks for your thoughts on demo ride are we been told not to rev it over run in ? or was that just your personal decision

Just requested to keep it below 4k most of the time as the car is still running in, which seemed reasonable enough to me. I think all the drives are being tracked by Big Brother at Lotus HQ

 

[Exige2000]

Quick brain dump after a test drive today at Parks Lotus in this lovely Magma car on Touring suspension.
View attachment 10628

For context I have owned 2 Elises , 2 Exiges, a Caterham (an honorary Lotus, obviously ), and over the years I think I have driven pretty well every variant of the Evora except the 430, either on test drives or cars belonging to friends. The demo was a 45 minute drive on a mix of urban and rural roads. Roads were wet, and I was trying to keep to the 4k running in limit so certainly wasn’t pushing it.

Interior. It looks great and is beautifully finished, but there are a couple of issues. I am not a fan of the squared wheel, but the bigger problem is the seats. I was hoping I would like them more on the drive than sitting in the showroom last week, but sadly not to be. Comfort was reasonable but the head rest is a bit too low for tall drivers, I’d prefer the base to go lower, and the side support could be better. Not a deal breaker, but the seats in my daily BMW 320D M-sport are far better, and that really shouldn’t be the case. If only Lotus offered the option of some simple, lightweight, low set, manually adjustable buckets.

Gearchange. Lovely, mechanical, rifle bolt action, with a nice short throw. Improved over the Evora or V6 Exige, but still requires a firm hand and I did miss a couple of shifts to start with.

Drivetrain. Lots of low and midrange grunt with a completely linear delivery, but obviously can’t comment on the top end. Sounds fantastic in Sport mode with nice burbles on the overrun, but definitely not as loud as an Evora 410.

Brakes. Felt a bit grabby and over-servoed at first, but I was getting used to them by the end of the drive. Personally, I would prefer less assistance.

Steering. For me the steering feel is the very essence of what makes Lotus cars special, and on this count the Emira is just superb. The steering is brimming with feel giving a lovely connection to the road, yet never feels twitchy or nervous. I loved it.

Dynamics. Hugely impressive -the famous Lotus chassis magic definitely seems present and correct to me. The car feels taught, responsive, and seemed to flow brilliantly through the corners over some very pockmarked and uneven surfaces. The Touring chassis in no way feels soft, but the ride quality is excellent. I have ordered Sport, which obviously I would have liked to test, but I am pretty happy with my choice as the ride would have to be dramatically worse than the Touring car to be in any way unacceptable.

Overall. For the naysayers who think that Lotus has sold out and made a dumbed-down car for the masses, I am delighted to say that, as a serial Lotus owner, it felt like a proper Lotus to me. Even on this short drive it felt like a truly special, engaging sports car. Dynamically it will feel very familiar to anyone who has driven an Evora 400 or 410 (a very good thing in my book), but you have those supercar looks and a much better finished interior, all for £15k less than the Evora 410 was back in 2018. Apart from those mediocre seats, it’s a winner

Thank you for your test drive report , i hope i can give as detailed report as yours on my test drive later on November 26th , i have also owned a few lotus cars and also tall so fingers crossed seats are not a problem.

 

[Jimblob]

Just completed my test drive at Caffyns in Sussex. The car was in Goodyears but with sports suspension.

Overall 9/10. I have to say that the car does look and drive fantastic - I’m 100% committed.

It’s a fantastic sports car. It may look a little like a super car but it definitely isn’t one… there’s a reason why it’s “only” £80k not £140k+ but that shouldn’t take anything away from what Lotus have done. You generally get what you pay for but in my mind you get a fair bit more esp in the looks department.

Car drove brilliantly on the wet but drying road.

Everything worked, not a failed switch or action anywhere. The peddles are perfect, good for heal and toeing (or my attempts at least), stearing is great, engine noise was very present (but I like that), gear shift direct and precise (I didn’t miss a shift), throttle light and responsive (didn’t stall).

The car was on sports suspension which was good and I would have been happy if I had specced this… but ultimately it was a little firm for my liking and I’m glad I’ve gone with touring suspension. The exhaust was more noticeable at slow speeds but I think I’ll be doing a back box bypass so I wasn’t overly concerned with that.

The dealership were great and very welcoming.

Can’t wait for mine.

 

[Davependo]

Had my test drive at Central Lotus (Nottingham) this morning.
Stunning car, great build quality, sports suspension isn't an issue on UK roads. Fast enough for me and holds the road like it's on rails.
The only criticism is the handbrake. You have to release it manually every time. Even my Peugeot 308 automatically releases when you set off. Not a big issue, I know.
The blue car is the demonstrator. The yellow one is their 1st customer sale car.
A great family run dealership. Would recommend

 

[Tonyshepp]

Had my test drive at Central Lotus (Nottingham) this morning.
Stunning car, great build quality, sports suspension isn't an issue on UK roads. Fast enough for me and holds the road like it's on rails.
The only criticism is the handbrake. You have to release it manually every time. Even my Peugeot 308 automatically releases when you set off. Not a big issue, I know.
The blue car is the demonstrator. The yellow one is their 1st customer sale car.
A great family run dealership. Would recommend

Did any of the route include fast dual carriageways and/or B roads?
When i visited Central the other day the road coming out of the industrial estate had some real jarring pot holes in my M3

 

[JimH]

Had my test drive at Central Lotus (Nottingham) this morning.
Stunning car, great build quality, sports suspension isn't an issue on UK roads. Fast enough for me and holds the road like it's on rails.
The only criticism is the handbrake. You have to release it manually every time. Even my Peugeot 308 automatically releases when you set off. Not a big issue, I know.
The blue car is the demonstrator. The yellow one is their 1st customer sale car.
A great family run dealership. Would recommend

Sounds like some more agent training is needed……

 

[Davependo]

Did any of the route include fast dual carriageways and/or B roads?
When i visited Central the other day the road coming out of the industrial estate had some real jarring pot holes in my M3

Hi Tony,
I don't know Nottingham very well (and don't wish to, horrible place to drive), so not sure where we went.
It had a good mix, with dual carriage way and some nice country roads. You get the opportunity to 'test' the car.
Attached is what my Google time line made of the route, which won't be exact, but gives you an idea.

 

[Davependo]

Hi Tony,
I don't know Nottingham very well (and don't wish to, horrible place to drive), so not sure where we went.
It had a good mix, with dual carriage way and some nice country roads. You get the opportunity to 'test' the car.
Attached is what my Google time line made of the route, which won't be exact, but gives you an idea.View attachment 10688

It's the loop at the bottom. The other bits are me driving in and out.

 

[DF_Toronto]

I love the car but I think some are getting ahead of themselves on the interior/infotainment. It’s a huge step up for Lotus, it’s more minimalist than some of the comparisons which I think is appreciated if you’re more of a purist. Very practical with the buttons and knobs you want and not being overly cluttered like Aston/Vette. I think a better comp is it’s on par with a specked out modern Japanese/Korean car, with the finish and material quality of the Germans (Porsche/Mercedes).

It wasn’t planned but I was in my friends brand new Vantage 2 days after my test drive. The interior of the Vantage “looks” more expensive but I’d honestly rather have the Emira and if you picked up 99% of the ppl on the street who aren’t car nuts and offered them a ride in both cars I’d bet money they wouldn’t question you for a split second if you told them they both cost the same.

What I find unique about the Emira compared to the Aston/Corvette etc. is it’s a more fun engaging and tactile car to drive, and with that you expect to sit low with poor visibility and have a bumpy ride. However that’s the case on the competition cars while the Emira feels like more of the proper sports car with your hands on the controls, but also provides a more comfortable driving/passenger position with great visibility and road trip comfort you’d expect in a non-sports cars.

 

[VL3X]

A friend who owns a 992 GT3 and has plenty of track experience recently drove the Emira and told me, "The GT3 has the best electric powered steering on the planet, but the Lotus [Emira] feels more direct and real. I can feel the front camber and geometry change with the steering input."

 

[Tonyshepp]

It's the loop at the bottom. The other bits are me driving in and out.

Decent route Dave.

 

[Leonard]

Had my test drive at Central Lotus (Nottingham) this morning.
Stunning car, great build quality, sports suspension isn't an issue on UK roads. Fast enough for me and holds the road like it's on rails.
The only criticism is the handbrake. You have to release it manually every time. Even my Peugeot 308 automatically releases when you set off. Not a big issue, I know.
The blue car is the demonstrator. The yellow one is their 1st customer sale car.
A great family run dealership. Would recommend

Could you notice any difference in quality between the demo car and the customer one?

 

[Beady]

Had my test drive today at Silverstone. Magma Red, Touring Spec, goodyears.

My Emira is due for Jan build/ Feb delivery.

I arrived in an S1 Elise but my recent cars include a launch Evora, Evora S and most recently Evora 400 - so my real comparable is against an Evora 400.

Looks are very supercar and the ultimate accolade was getting a thumbs up from a guy in a 911 GT3 who went past me on the dual carriageway. This car will turn heads.

Quality good, no obvious problems, although behind the mesh around the exhaust tailpipes looked messy with some unsightly insulation visible (very Lotus).

Seats very comfortable - to be honest I found them slightly too soft / padded / comfortable for a Lotus. I would be happier with something a little firmer (but remember I arrived in an Elise)

I really didn't like the colour but that's a personal opinion.

Mainly quiet, fast(ish) country roads and a short dual carriageway. Car in Sport mode throughout and roads dry although a little greasy.

Very quiet and refined on the dual carriageway and I didn't notice any wind noise - perfect daily driver.

Exhaust noise (in sport mode) was too quiet (400 much better)

Power is ok, adequate at best but it did feel fast enough for the road, but no "wow" factor. As somebody else said, this is why its £80k not £100k+. However it does pull well in all gears throughout the rev range.

I hit the rev limiter twice in 3rd gear when I wasn't expecting it - there is no real noticeable top end 'crescendo' to the power / noise that instinctively tells you to change gear. I guess I was going faster than I realised - the car carries speed easily.

Brakes amazing

Gearbox / change - ok. Not amazing, not bad. A bit notchy but nothing of concern. Again no different to a 400. Gear ratios suit the car well.

Handling - great (as you would expect). I found the touring spec very compliant. However again it felt softer than a 400 and again a bit too soft for me. However I think

I have selected Sport in my spec and I am happy with the choice, although it would be helpful to test a Sport car in comparison.

In summary - its a great car but I was a little underwhelmed. It is very much an Evora 400 in a new dress and much nicer interior

If I still had my Evora 400 i would struggle to justify the uplift to change. The Evora 410's are currently around £60-65k on a 19/20 plate so a 15-20k uplift for a brand new Emira just about makes sense but if the 410s were closer to £55k then I think a 410 would be a much more attractive option.

Before this drive I was 50/50 on whether I would proceed with the purchase and that has not changed - if anything I am moving more towards pulling the plug and coming back in a couple of years. I have spent the last hour browsing Astons and Mclarens at just a little bit more money, which tells you everything.

In the short term i will stick with the deposit as i don't need a sports car in Winter and will review in Jan/Feb when I need to make a decision. If used prices start (continue) falling then will probably bail out and if I had to decide today I think I would probably pull out.

 

[Lots_Of_Trouble]

Had my test drive today at Silverstone. Magma Red, Touring Spec, goodyears.

My Emira is due for Jan build/ Feb delivery.

I arrived in an S1 Elise but my recent cars include a launch Evora, Evora S and most recently Evora 400 - so my real comparable is against an Evora 400.

Looks are very supercar and the ultimate accolade was getting a thumbs up from a guy in a 911 GT3 who went past me on the dual carriageway. This car will turn heads.

Quality good, no obvious problems, although behind the mesh around the exhaust tailpipes looked messy with some unsightly insulation visible (very Lotus).

Seats very comfortable - to be honest I found them slightly too soft / padded / comfortable for a Lotus. I would be happier with something a little firmer (but remember I arrived in an Elise)

I really didn't like the colour but that's a personal opinion.

Mainly quiet, fast(ish) country roads and a short dual carriageway. Car in Sport mode throughout and roads dry although a little greasy.

Very quiet and refined on the dual carriageway and I didn't notice any wind noise - perfect daily driver.

Exhaust noise (in sport mode) was too quiet (400 much better)

Power is ok, adequate at best but it did feel fast enough for the road, but no "wow" factor. As somebody else said, this is why its £80k not £100k+. However it does pull well in all gears throughout the rev range.

I hit the rev limiter twice in 3rd gear when I wasn't expecting it - there is no real noticeable top end 'crescendo' to the power / noise that instinctively tells you to change gear. I guess I was going faster than I realised - the car carries speed easily.

Brakes amazing

Gearbox / change - ok. Not amazing, not bad. A bit notchy but nothing of concern. Again no different to a 400. Gear ratios suit the car well.

Handling - great (as you would expect). I found the touring spec very compliant. However again it felt softer than a 400 and again a bit too soft for me. However I think

I have selected Sport in my spec and I am happy with the choice, although it would be helpful to test a Sport car in comparison.

In summary - its a great car but I was a little underwhelmed. It is very much an Evora 400 in a new dress and much nicer interior

If I still had my Evora 400 i would struggle to justify the uplift to change. The Evora 410's are currently around £60-65k on a 19/20 plate so a 15-20k uplift for a brand new Emira just about makes sense but if the 410s were closer to £55k then I think a 410 would be a much more attractive option.

Before this drive I was 50/50 on whether I would proceed with the purchase and that has not changed - if anything I am moving more towards pulling the plug and coming back in a couple of years. I have spent the last hour browsing Astons and Mclarens at just a little bit more money, which tells you everything.

In the short term i will stick with the deposit as i don't need a sports car in Winter and will review in Jan/Feb when I need to make a decision. If used prices start (continue) falling then will probably bail out and if I had to decide today I think I would probably pull out.

I'm there tomorrow too.

I'm also looking at the black evora they have there as I'm considering that as an option if I'm underwhelmed by the Emira.

Would you go for a 400 again Over an Emira?

 

[Leonard]

Had my test drive today at Silverstone. Magma Red, Touring Spec, goodyears.

My Emira is due for Jan build/ Feb delivery.

I arrived in an S1 Elise but my recent cars include a launch Evora, Evora S and most recently Evora 400 - so my real comparable is against an Evora 400.

Looks are very supercar and the ultimate accolade was getting a thumbs up from a guy in a 911 GT3 who went past me on the dual carriageway. This car will turn heads.

Quality good, no obvious problems, although behind the mesh around the exhaust tailpipes looked messy with some unsightly insulation visible (very Lotus).

Seats very comfortable - to be honest I found them slightly too soft / padded / comfortable for a Lotus. I would be happier with something a little firmer (but remember I arrived in an Elise)

I really didn't like the colour but that's a personal opinion.

Mainly quiet, fast(ish) country roads and a short dual carriageway. Car in Sport mode throughout and roads dry although a little greasy.

Very quiet and refined on the dual carriageway and I didn't notice any wind noise - perfect daily driver.

Exhaust noise (in sport mode) was too quiet (400 much better)

Power is ok, adequate at best but it did feel fast enough for the road, but no "wow" factor. As somebody else said, this is why its £80k not £100k+. However it does pull well in all gears throughout the rev range.

I hit the rev limiter twice in 3rd gear when I wasn't expecting it - there is no real noticeable top end 'crescendo' to the power / noise that instinctively tells you to change gear. I guess I was going faster than I realised - the car carries speed easily.

Brakes amazing

Gearbox / change - ok. Not amazing, not bad. A bit notchy but nothing of concern. Again no different to a 400. Gear ratios suit the car well.

Handling - great (as you would expect). I found the touring spec very compliant. However again it felt softer than a 400 and again a bit too soft for me. However I think

I have selected Sport in my spec and I am happy with the choice, although it would be helpful to test a Sport car in comparison.

In summary - its a great car but I was a little underwhelmed. It is very much an Evora 400 in a new dress and much nicer interior

If I still had my Evora 400 i would struggle to justify the uplift to change. The Evora 410's are currently around £60-65k on a 19/20 plate so a 15-20k uplift for a brand new Emira just about makes sense but if the 410s were closer to £55k then I think a 410 would be a much more attractive option.

Before this drive I was 50/50 on whether I would proceed with the purchase and that has not changed - if anything I am moving more towards pulling the plug and coming back in a couple of years. I have spent the last hour browsing Astons and Mclarens at just a little bit more money, which tells you everything.

In the short term i will stick with the deposit as i don't need a sports car in Winter and will review in Jan/Feb when I need to make a decision. If used prices start (continue) falling then will probably bail out and if I had to decide today I think I would probably pull out.

Without having driven it you have reflected my own thoughts (quel suprise i hear you all say).
Even just sat in the Emira and then a GT410 I felt that the Evora was the better drivers car. I do look fwd to comparing the two on the road however.

 

[Evotion]

I will say this once again...

If you come out of an Elise, Exige and expect anything like that in the Emira, you will be VERY disappointed.

If you come out of an Evora you will be somewhat disappointed.

Think of the Emira as a new car from a whole new manufacturer.
It is a heavy, not that fast car that happens to be beautiful, comfortable and still sporty.

It is about the mentality getting into it.
I thought it was AMAZING for what is was actually trying to be. I stand by that. Lotus hit the mark 100% - just that the mark is not a bullseye for some.

Basically, it is not a car for Lotus fans but a superb car for car fans.