The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[Leonard]

Central Lotus test drive today just after Tony and before Leonard who I had a brief chat with before leaving. My impressions on the car where a lot better than I thought they where going to, my current car is a Evora GT 410 sport having owned numerous Lotus cars in the past.
Thinking the driving experience was going to be like the Evora, well it’s totally different and in a very good way for me sports settings was always going to be the way to go having been more than happy with setup on the Evora the Emira is definitely better sprung car and really surprised me how it coped with broken bad road surfaces. Build quality is in a different league, seating position was spot on for me far better than the Evora which you sit to high and feels a more special place to be sat in. Gear change better and less transmission noise than the Evora, performance hard to judge with the weather conditions but felt very similar to the Evora the biggest thing that surprised was the sound obvious not as loud as the 410 but a a far better sounding exhaust note with the valve closed and open. So my deposit definitely stopping where it is and looking forward to collection.View attachment 19688View attachment 19689View attachment 19690

Was very nice to have met you briefly and to get your feedback coming from the 410. Just goes to show how different we all are in regards to what we like.
I forgot to ask you if you were selling it It looked LOVELY, please don't let BCA have it a trade price
PS please let people know I am not grumpy

 

[1stczechemira]

Had my test drive today at Central. Shortly after Tony had spun it... The weather had got worse by this point, so that kind of set the tone for the drive, especially as Tony had left the mileage on 666 as well
Central Nottingham are great (recommended), really customer centric and their test route was perfect balance of city driving, dual carriage way and twisty B road.
The Emira driving position was great, pedal positioning was close but acceptable in a Sports car, I wore my size 9 Vans Boots and didn't have any issues. Set up perfectly for heel and toe but as DrD mentioned the over servoed brakes make it hard. I had one go and then didn't want to shame myself further so left it for the rest of the drive Possible that the brakes may bed in a bit, but I wouldn't be 100% on this. They were VERY good though once you got used to the pressure required.
I felt immediately at home in the car, I was worried it may feel a little wide, but it shrinks around you and there were zero issues in town and busy traffic
Visibility was almost on par with my Yaris, which sounds unlikely, but the Emira has a similarly shaped glass canopy strangely! So basically great. Rear view camera also good.
Steering is razor sharp with good feel. At speed it was lighter than I expected and I'm yet to decide if this is good or bad. Just not what I'm used to I guess.
Sports suspension. SPORTS? If I hadn't known before hand I'd have thought it was Touring. I didn't think it was overly firm at all, it flattered the car and it felt very controlled on all surfaces. So now I'm second guessing my choice of Touring. But it could all be different on my local roads on the Peak
I can't really comment on performance as I didn't get to stretch the car at all, what with commuter traffic and standing water everywhere. It didn't feel like I had a lot of power under my right foot, but will reserve judgement. I'm fortunate enough to have another test drive in 2 weeks so hoping conditions will be better.
KEF stereo was OK once you connected a music app and fiddled with the settings. Still not mind/ear blowing but perfectly adequate (depending how much it costs as an extra)
Quality of the demo car was OK, but the yellow customer car in the showroom was significantly better which bodes well. Bonnet strip was perfect as were the door and rubber carpet seals
I worry a little about the panel gaps. Some are quite large, others are non existent especially on the bumpers and I'd be amazed if these didn't rub and cause paint issues in the future.
The interior fit, finish and feel is not as good as Porsche fit and finish but felt acceptable. However I will be interested to see how well it ages.
The infotainment and dash was a big disappointment to me. I just found the whole thing incredibly fussy for a car of this type. Maybe im just too old at 48!?
The main screen wasn't bright enough, was a little laggy and you really shouldn't have to access a sub menu to put your heated seats on....
Steering wheel felt good, nice size and square bottom didnt overly concern me. But again overly fussy with the haptic buttons.
The seats are not great which is a shame after all the changes Lotus have made. Biggest issues are the lack of lateral support and the headrest is too low. Im only 5'9 so dont know how you rall fellas and lasses cope. My Yaris seats are better and they are the weakest part of that car.
So my overall first impression is a genuinely positive one. Lotus have certainly hit the mark in making this car accessible to the masses. You could easily daily it and when the auto versions come out and the i4 in particular it will be a really great daily.
But does it feel special enough for a weekend car is the question?
I'm looking fwd to my second test drive to see if it comes alive when you really get to press on in it.
However in the meantime I'm going back to Central to try out their Evora GT410 (with no test drive restrictions...).
Just sitting in the Evora felt right in a way that the Emira didnt. I didnt find the Evora any harder to get into. The seats were a LOT better, the steering wheel felt better, gauge cluster was lovely and simple, it had buttons for heated seats and climate.. and you can have android car play on the Alpine head unit which is all anyone needs.
There was more room behind the front seats suprisingly as well!
Without driving it I know it will sound better. I know it's more powerful and lighter. The handling will be similar to the Emira. It's got carbon bits.... and it's 20k cheaper.
Plus being the last of the model line it will have all the kinks ironed out (or i will atnleast know about them upfront!), unlike the Emira.
All in all I think it's probably worth a look

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@Leonard: Thank you very much for your review! I was especially looking forward to your review.

The Emira will appear faster with increasing mileage. The car you tested only had 666 miles, that's around 1000 kms, my Emira now has around 2300 kms and it's noticeably more agile again and the sound is better too.

Another thing that you will never find out in a short test is the behavior of the car at higher speeds, the car holds on the road better and better at increasing speeds (160 km/h and more - the question is also whether it is possible to drive like this in the UK, I live close to the German Autobahn). The aerodynamics of the Lotus are very good indeed.

The sports chassis is really not hard, you felt that well. My dealer says that only with the sport chassis is it a real Lotus. But I admit, the Emira is not a daily car for me.

 

[For the drivers]

Was very nice to have met you briefly and to get your feedback coming from the 410.
I forgot to ask you if you were selling it It looked LOVELY, please don't let BCA have it a trade price
PS please let people know I am not grumpy

No not grumpy at all and ditto great to meet you, obviously didn’t know it was you till I have just seen your review on your drive

 

[Leonard]

@Leonard: Thank you very much for your review! I was especially looking forward to your review.

The Emira will appear faster with increasing mileage. The car you tested only had 666 miles, that's around 1000 kms, my Emira now has around 2300 kms and it's noticeably more agile again and the sound is better too.

Another thing that you will never find out in a short test is the behavior of the car at higher speeds, the car holds on the road better and better at increasing speeds (160 km/h and more - the question is also whether it is possible to drive like this in the UK, I live close to the German Autobahn). The aerodynamics of the Lotus are very good indeed.

The sports chassis is really not hard, you felt that well. My dealer says that only with the sport chassis is it a real Lotus. But I admit, the Emira is not a daily car for me.

Thank you, I'm certainly no driving god just a keen enthusiast. DrD review was perfectly summed up and I think I will echo most of his thoughts regards performance when I get to drive the Emira again. You are totally correct though, you cannot get the full feel of a car in just one test drive. You need to live with it.
I know I've been critical of Lotus (and rightly so id say) but they have created an amazing car and I have no qualms in saying that. They should be very proud and I'd be very happy with an Emira.
My circumstances have changed a little though and I have a new daily coming next month so I just need to weigh up quickly if the Emira is everything I want from a weekend car. Hence the Evora and Alpine test drive to put it all into context. And now it is definitely a weekend car the Spyder 🕷 does make a good case for itself also..

 

[Lotustoronto]

@Leonard YES! - I knew you would have enjoyed the Emira. It has a special feeling to it that no other sports car in that price point can replicate. I think from reading your review you had a smile during that test drive the whole time. Infotainment - just use apple car play. Fixed. I think we will see a little less grump in your posts (except on Lotus CS )

@For the drivers - Thanks for the back to back review with your Evora!
@1stczechemira - Thanks for the 2300 km update - I figured the Emira would open up a bit more once fully broken in.

@TomE - I condensed 3 different posts just for you Tom! Leonard doing an Emira test drive is too good not to comment on. HAHA.

 

[Magicman]

With all these central drives we might have quite an emira presence in the Notts area

I think I'll manage to resist the pull towards a 570 and unless the price or Apr increase I'm still in.


Interesting talking to a colleague at work today, he'd visited Alpine in Manchester last weekend (lives Notts) and they suggested meeting him in the peaks and letting him take the car for a few hours for a test drive

 

[1stczechemira]

Thank you, I'm certainly no driving god just a keen enthusiast. DrD review was perfectly summed up and I think I will echo most of his thoughts regards performance when I get to drive the Emira again. You are totally correct though, you cannot get the full feel of a car in just one test drive. You need to live with it.
I know I've been critical of Lotus (and rightly so id say) but they have created an amazing car and I have no qualms in saying that. They should be very proud and I'd be very happy with an Emira.
My circumstances have changed a little though and I have a new daily coming next month so I just need to weigh up quickly if the Emira is everything I want from a weekend car. Hence the Evora and Alpine test drive to put it all into context. And now it is definitely a weekend car the Spyder 🕷 does make a good case for itself also..

You are definitely right that the Emira is an amazing car. Perhaps the best brand new sports car in the given price range.

Of course, I understand that the Emira may not fulfill everything you want from a weekend car. That said, it's perfectly fine. And be sure to let us know what you end up choosing as your weekend car!

 

[Yobro24]

On the last leg of the journey I managed to lose the back end on a roundabout and ended up 180 degrees from where I started

Did you have the traction turned off? I am surprised and disappointed if it was on and you lost it without excessive provocation.

 

[lion shf]

Several pages of greatness, well done boys.

 

[Leonard]

You are definitely right that the Emira is an amazing car. Perhaps the best brand new sports car in the given price range.

Of course, I understand that the Emira may not fulfill everything you want from a weekend car. That said, it's perfectly fine. And be sure to let us know what you end up choosing as your weekend car!

The i4 with some decent sports seats and at the lower price point will be a total winner I'm sure of it.

 

[1stczechemira]

...
I wont speak for Tony but wonder with it being so wet and very slow speed it just let it go too far to recover.
...

This reminds me of the behavior of my Mustang 5.0 GT Convertible. Until now I thought Emira had better manners.

 

[1stczechemira]

The i4 with some decent sports seats and at the lower price point will be a total winner I'm sure of it.

If you don't specifically want a manual, then you're definitely right. I hope the i4 will be available SOON.

 

[lion shf]

The i4 with some decent sports seats and at the lower price point will be a total winner I'm sure of it.

This. I’m wanting a car but can’t move til I drive the 4. I’m ANXIOUSNESS

 

[Tonyshepp]

The traction was fully on and I was in second and didn’t boot it with full lock on. There was no indication it was going to slip , it just happened.

 

[Duncx]

Today I've had a test drive at Oakmere Lotus (Prestbury) in the UK. I've posted these words on a couple of other forums but this seems to be the biggest and best collection of test-drive reviews so I thought it worth a quick C&P - apologies if you've seen it already

Road conditions for the test drive were rubbish; raining, poor visibility, low light, loads of traffic, headlights reflecting off the soaking roads - I'm sure you get the idea

First, looking at it parked outside in the rain. Verdant Green wouldn't be my choice (too dark for me) but there's no doubting that the thing looks great. Parked amongst other cars it doesn't look too big, if anything it's the perfect size to carry off its 'supercar' looks. The Dark Verdant is actually a little bit more green than I was expecting. I've heard others say it's almost black but even in such dull conditions you could easily see the dark green hue coming through, sort of a BRG hiding in there somewhere. For me though it needs the yellow, red, blue or silver/grey to show off the curves to their full effect - clearly this is a very personal choice.

The door handles seem a bit gimmicky, they look good when they are closed/flush and they worked perfectly, but I'm not sure that I wouldn't get a bit fed up with them long term? The door opens easily (of course) and closes with a nice 'thunk', giving the impression of high quality. You still have to swing your leg over the sill as you get in but it's dead easy (even the passenger side!) and the sill height/width just leaves that tiny bit of drama as you slide in - a nod to the 111 chassis I like to think.

Interior felt/looked good quality, a nice place to be, and for me the seats were super comfy. I have to admit that the electric adjustment makes finding the perfect position very easy. I felt that the seat height is about right for driving, although at 6'3" and with the driver's seat on the lowest setting I only had about 1" maximum spare above my bonce so no room for a helmet, not that it bothers me. View through the windscreen is great, very good road visibility and I could see the top of each front wing for placement of the car. However, I couldn't see any of the bonnet (disappeared below the dashboard) so I'm not sure how much of the wings 'vertically challenged' drivers would be able to see? View through the back window is pretty good when using the rear view mirror, although not of much use for parking/reversing. The reversing camera seems to work brilliantly though, very clear and a decent sized image on the screen.

Driving..... remember that this is on a set route, with someone sitting next to you, and all the details of the drive are collected by Lotus. It was a mixed route of 30/40/50/70 mph limits and I stuck within them at all times. This car is SO easy to drive! For some reason it doesn't feel that wide on the road, the steering is lovely, the brakes are perfect (I've read some find them too sharp, I don't agree), the visibility is great, the gearbox is smooth, the clutch is not too heavy and the bite was just right. Can you tell, I'm genuinely amazed at how 'friendly' this thing is! This particular test car is on Sports suspension and for me, across all of the potholes, lumps and speedbumps etc, that's just perfect. No way is it harsh or fidgety, it's still a classic Lotus ride with just the right amount of road surface feedback - touring is definitely NOT for me.

A word on the dreaded V6 gearbox/clutch noise, a pet hate of mine. I could hear it a tiny bit, nowhere near as intrusive as on the V6 Exige, maybe down to better soundproofing? Unlike on the Exige, it didn't bother me in the slightest. Time will tell if some people get cars that are noisier in this department than others.

A few points some people may see as negatives - it's not particularly fast at lower revs (it's not a torque monster) and it's not got the 'howl' of a 400/410. I would say that it's fast enough and that the exhaust is perfect for everyday use, still a nice engine note and it still gives the odd 'pop' on changing down. Evora 400/410 owners (and Exige owners) may be a little disappointed with the outright performace, although I can't be sure because there was not really any chance to drive it 'properly'.
When we opened the tailgate to look inside the boot (it was raining remember) a fair old slug of water cascaded down from the bottom of the tailgate and splashed down through the engine compartment, a small amount even splashing into the boot. The tailgate design obviously collects a small 'pond' of water at the bottom - what will happen if the car is kept outside and this is a regular occurrence, with possible freezing of the 'pond' in winter? Is this going to cause paint (or other) issues?

Conclusion...It's a REALLY nice car. It's not as hardcore as an Elise or an Exige (maybe not even an Evora?) , but it's very much a genuine fun (Lotus) car that's near perfect for daily use.

I loved it, but questions for myself are .... will I go through with it and will it be a V6 or an i4? I had ruled out the V6 because of the hateful gearbox/clutch noise in the Exiges I've previously owned, but if they are all like this test car then that's no longer a problem - and it's a MANUAL!!!!!!

P.S. Oh, infotainment etc I hear you ask? Dunno, I don't give a monkey's about any of that stuff so I didn't test it at all

 

[DrD]

Dr.D: between the Porsches you have (or have had), which one(s) was more fun to drive and comparable to the Emira?

As to the price, I agree. This was something I mentioned and feared a while back: if the Emira was phenomenal and outperforms cars in its league, then it is a great buy at $110K after taxes and fees for FE V6. After the test drive, I was left wanting more as well and did not think it’s worth $110K (US; possibly more after FE batch). Will need to drive it a bit more extensively vs the 10-15 minutes that we had few weeks ago. Gorgeous looking car for sure and it’s pretty fun.

I've had 2 Cayman S' a 2009 987 Gen 2 PDK, and a 2014 981 PDK. I've also been fortunate enough to own a 991.1 911 GTS. I've also had a fair amount of track time in a 991.1 GT3 and GT3 RS. All PDK unfortunately.

On a quick tangent - I personally don't think comparing any gearbox' has any merit for me personally - if a certain choice adds to the experience, I'm all for it. The porsche PDKs were phenomenally good and lightyears ahead of the emira's manual in tech. Did I enjoy the manual in the emira, and did it add to the experience to make it even better for me? 100% yes, the specifics of speed of change, notchiness etc... weren't of meaning to me when I slammed into the next gate and felt a smile grow on my face. Likewise, rowing down through the gears and blipping, pretending I'm a PDK myself. Just a shitter human version of it.

As far as "specialness" is concerned. The 911 made you feel all the tingly sensations, both when driving slow and pushing hard; When looking at it and when sitting in it. However, it wasn't as rewarding as absolutely thrashing the '14 Cayman S. The Cayman was half the price, less powerful and arguably less special looking; but the old cliché of the car being an extension of you, really rang true with it. The feelings you got through your butt, through your arms, it was all very very intuitive. It always felt the car revolved around you, movement happened from your seat. The 911 never had that connection for me, drove exceptionally well, but something was just missing - not for the lack of theatre.

The Emira gets that "feel" absolutely nailed. It brings back all the same feelings that I sometimes felt were lacking in the 911, that were there in the Caymans. I'd argue that it has more of that touchy feely-ness in the chassis, the Hydraulic steering is lovely. However where all of the porsches take a country mile lead in how special they make you feel... is in that engine and gearbox - especially the 911 GTS engine. 3.8 Naturally aspirated, the induction noise from that was intoxicating. Pops, crackles, all organic. It made you giggle like a school child.

The engine was special in the 911 and it was gorgeous to drive. The Cayman was an even better drive with a nearly 9.5/10 as good engine. The Emira is arguably better to drive, but the powertrain really lets it down. Porsche brakes are in a different league to the Lotus too. Some things are more tangible than others, like the engine and brakes; but as a total sum of it's parts, the Lotus albeit better in someways, just isn't as special.

I think is potentially a good thing though - it's so much fun to drive, that for most people the negatives will be heavily outweighed by the fun factor. If you don't drive your car above 8/10ths, then the emira is brilliant.

Admittedly, better than all of the above, the 570s I had around track. I split my day between that and a 720s. The 570 was otherworldly in every positive sensation I've described above. Shame about the reliability costs and concerns. 720s was quicker in every measurable way, the 570 was more fun (don't get me started on the hydraulically linked anti roll bars vs orthodox....)


The be all and end all for me, the big reason I hesitate, is because that Cayman S was £40k at the time I had it, the 911 GTS was £75k, the Emira at £80k (despite it's outrageously gorgeous looks), does not make me feel more special than either of those two, despite being fun enough to drive. Is it worth more to me personally than the other two, no I'd say probably not. Is a Mclaren at maybe £10k more (and substantially more running costs) be worth it over any of the above cars... probably yes?


I had a beat up old caterham, the wipers would literally stop working sometimes, you'd have to physically reach over the windscreen and manually give them a nudge to start them up again. It was a tin can, either blisteringly cold or having 90 Deg air blasting at you. Compromised in every single way. But god damn did that thing make you feel special. And it was 20k. Do you get a 50k Tesla and a 20k Caterham and keep 10k pocket change? Who knows...

You can see what I want from a car... I know that may not be as important to others, and I hope they're not even remotely swayed by my thoughts.

 

[lion shf]

I've had 2 Cayman S' a 2009 987 Gen 2 PDK, and a 2014 981 PDK. I've also been fortunate enough to own a 991.1 911 GTS. I've also had a fair amount of track time in a 991.1 GT3 and GT3 RS. All PDK unfortunately.

On a quick tangent - I personally don't think comparing any gearbox' has any merit for me personally - if a certain choice adds to the experience, I'm all for it. The porsche PDKs were phenomenally good and lightyears ahead of the emira's manual in tech. Did I enjoy the manual in the emira, and did it add to the experience to make it even better for me? 100% yes, the specifics of speed of change, notchiness etc... weren't of meaning to me when I slammed into the next gate and felt a smile grow on my face. Likewise, rowing down through the gears and blipping, pretending I'm a PDK myself. Just a shitter human version of it.

As far as "specialness" is concerned. The 911 made you feel all the tingly sensations, both when driving slow and pushing hard; When looking at it and when sitting in it. However, it wasn't as rewarding as absolutely thrashing the '14 Cayman S. The Cayman was half the price, less powerful and arguably less special looking; but the old cliché of the car being an extension of you, really rang true with it. The feelings you got through your butt, through your arms, it was all very very intuitive. It always felt the car revolved around you, movement happened from your seat. The 911 never had that connection for me, drove exceptionally well, but something was just missing - not for the lack of theatre.

The Emira gets that "feel" absolutely nailed. It brings back all the same feelings that I sometimes felt were lacking in the 911, that were there in the Caymans. I'd argue that it has more of that touchy feely-ness in the chassis, the Hydraulic steering is lovely. However where all of the porsches take a country mile lead in how special they make you feel... is in that engine and gearbox - especially the 911 GTS engine. 3.8 Naturally aspirated, the induction noise from that was intoxicating. Pops, crackles, all organic. It made you giggle like a school child.

The engine was special in the 911 and it was gorgeous to drive. The Cayman was an even better drive with a nearly 9.5/10 as good engine. The Emira is arguably better to drive, but the powertrain really lets it down. Porsche brakes are in a different league to the Lotus too. Some things are more tangible than others, like the engine and brakes; but as a total sum of it's parts, the Lotus albeit better in someways, just isn't as special.

I think is potentially a good thing though - it's so much fun to drive, that for most people the negatives will be heavily outweighed by the fun factor. If you don't drive your car above 8/10ths, then the emira is brilliant.

Admittedly, better than all of the above, the 570s I had around track. I split my day between that and a 720s. The 570 was otherworldly in every positive sensation I've described above. Shame about the reliability costs and concerns. 720s was quicker in every measurable way, the 570 was more fun (don't get me started on the hydraulically linked anti roll bars vs orthodox....)


The be all and end all for me, the big reason I hesitate, is because that Cayman S was £40k at the time I had it, the 911 GTS was £75k, the Emira at £80k (despite it's outrageously gorgeous looks), does not make me feel more special than either of those two, despite being fun enough to drive. Is it worth more to me personally than the other two, no I'd say probably not. Is a Mclaren at maybe £10k more (and substantially more running costs) be worth it over any of the above cars... probably yes?


I had a beat up old caterham, the wipers would literally stop working sometimes, you'd have to physically reach over the windscreen and manually give them a nudge to start them up again. It was a tin can, either blisteringly cold or having 90 Deg air blasting at you. Compromised in every single way. But god damn did that thing make you feel special. And it was 20k. Do you get a 50k Tesla and a 20k Caterham and keep 10k pocket change? Who knows...

You can see what I want from a car... I know that may not be as important to others, and I hope they're not even remotely swayed by my thoughts.

If I only have $80k USA and can only have one car, should I buy a 718T or an Emira AMG 4. I’m going to buy the one you say so give it some thought (both would be automatics)

 

[DrD]

If I only have $80k USA and can only have one car, should I buy a 718T or an Emira AMG 4. I’m going to buy the one you say so give it some thought (both would be automatics)

Firstly... Don't listen to what I have to say haha, definitely go get your butt in all and every car you're interested in. Half the nonsense I spout is purely for myself, as I'm fanatical about certain aspects of driving. Happy to share my experiences though:

I've driven quite a few 718 2.0 and 2.5s, never the 4.0 GTS. The turbo flat 4s in the cayman/ boxster are a royal pile of crap haha. They heavily, heavily detract from the experience. Very quick, very capable. But entirely lifeless. Arguably sound bad. Don't expect subaru flat 4 warble. It sounds almost 2.0l diesel ford transit van-like. It's also an incredibly boosty, laggy engine.

Without having even driven the I4 Emira (and with only a tiny bit of time in the A45), even if it's only 50% as good as the A45, I have no doubt the I4 Emira will be substantially better than the 718 turbo 4s. I don't think there'll be any way, any iteration of that A45 engine will be worse than the Porsche flat 4. If lotus just plonk that engine, exhaust and gearbox in, as is, you'll be very happy no doubt.

Porsche should be embarassed and ashamed of the abomination they created. Especially considering they make arguably some of the best engines in the world. CO2 emissions have to be reduced somewhere though I guess... I know the boxster and cayman are two of their hottest selling cars, my local dealership mentioned that sales of the i4 have been substantially lower than previous generations, proportionally. Take that as you will, people tend to vote with their wallets though...

Saying all of that. Go buy a 981 3.4 (N/A) Cayman/ Boxster GTS. You'll save some money and it'll be all the car you'll ever need. (or a 981 Boxster spyder/ GT4 if you can stretch to it). The PDK is the best auto gearbox you'll ever use, the 3.4l engine is bulletproof and will outlive you, it's sonorous, makes you feel incredible and the balance of the car is magical. If a 718 pulls up next to you, they'll probably beat you in a race, but you'll be feeling way more special. The GTS is worth it over an S too, having spent extensive time in both, boxster and cayman iterations. There's something about that exhaust tuning and note that makes your hairs stand on end.

R8's are another good buy, but I found that they're slightly less enjoyable at the limit - but far more of an occasion if that's more your thing.

Every Aston I've driven has felt very cool and great, but I found they worked way better as a touring car than it did an outright sports car. Even the V12 manual Vantage I drove, wasn't as fun to hustle down the road, but sublime for driving at 5/10ths. So if that fits your bill, then not a bad buy either (apart from some mechanical woes and costs). In the UK at least, earlier vantages can be found very cheap, I don't know what they're like in the US. Aston robotised manuals (automatic) are also a pile of poop, but again, works in the whole "GT" car motif, if you don't rush it, it's perfectly fine. The AMG derived cars are far more refined. I don't know from personal experience or even hearing, but I suspect they're far more reliable than the older naturally aspirated engines and gearboxes.

If you want one of the best noises you can ask for in a car - Maserati Grantourismo, specifically the 4.7. It's very much a GT car though, will definitely break and won't be cheap to run. But the car itself can be found often very cheap and i'd argue it's one of the prettiest designs in existence. I've had people (with exceptionally poor taste) say that it was ugly though... Maserati's also have a robotised manual automatic, similar jerky experience with them - but again, GT car, drive it like a GT car! All of that is entirely moot though when you hear the exhaust note on that 4.7 V8. I'd argue one of the nicest notes on any (reasonably attainable) production car.

Saying that... Go drive every single last one of those cars, just as an experience if nothing else. To know what they're like!

 

[Bilbao-Emira]

Firstly... Don't listen to what I have to say haha, definitely go get your butt in all and every car you're interested in. Half the nonsense I spout is purely for myself, as I'm fanatical about certain aspects of driving. Happy to share my experiences though:

I've driven quite a few 718 2.0 and 2.5s, never the 4.0 GTS. The turbo flat 4s in the cayman/ boxster are a royal pile of crap haha. They heavily, heavily detract from the experience. Very quick, very capable. But entirely lifeless. Arguably sound bad. Don't expect subaru flat 4 warble. It sounds almost 2.0l diesel ford transit van-like. It's also an incredibly boosty, laggy engine.

Without having even driven the I4 Emira (and with only a tiny bit of time in the A45), even if it's only 50% as good as the A45, I have no doubt the I4 Emira will be substantially better than the 718 turbo 4s. I don't think there'll be any way, any iteration of that A45 engine will be worse than the Porsche flat 4. If lotus just plonk that engine, exhaust and gearbox in, as is, you'll be very happy no doubt.

Porsche should be embarassed and ashamed of the abomination they created. Especially considering they make arguably some of the best engines in the world. CO2 emissions have to be reduced somewhere though I guess... I know the boxster and cayman are two of their hottest selling cars, my local dealership mentioned that sales of the i4 have been substantially lower than previous generations, proportionally. Take that as you will, people tend to vote with their wallets though...

Saying all of that. Go buy a 981 3.4 (N/A) Cayman/ Boxster GTS. You'll save some money and it'll be all the car you'll ever need. (or a 981 Boxster spyder/ GT4 if you can stretch to it). The PDK is the best auto gearbox you'll ever use, the 3.4l engine is bulletproof and will outlive you, it's sonorous, makes you feel incredible and the balance of the car is magical. If a 718 pulls up next to you, they'll probably beat you in a race, but you'll be feeling way more special. The GTS is worth it over an S too, having spent extensive time in both, boxster and cayman iterations. There's something about that exhaust tuning and note that makes your hairs stand on end.

R8's are another good buy, but I found that they're slightly less enjoyable at the limit - but far more of an occasion if that's more your thing.

Every Aston I've driven has felt very cool and great, but I found they worked way better as a touring car than it did an outright sports car. Even the V12 manual Vantage I drove, wasn't as fun to hustle down the road, but sublime for driving at 5/10ths. So if that fits your bill, then not a bad buy either (apart from some mechanical woes and costs). In the UK at least, earlier vantages can be found very cheap, I don't know what they're like in the US. Aston robotised manuals (automatic) are also a pile of poop, but again, works in the whole "GT" car motif, if you don't rush it, it's perfectly fine. The AMG derived cars are far more refined. I don't know from personal experience or even hearing, but I suspect they're far more reliable than the older naturally aspirated engines and gearboxes.

If you want one of the best noises you can ask for in a car - Maserati Grantourismo, specifically the 4.7. It's very much a GT car though, will definitely break and won't be cheap to run. But the car itself can be found often very cheap and i'd argue it's one of the prettiest designs in existence. I've had people (with exceptionally poor taste) say that it was ugly though... Maserati's also have a robotised manual automatic, similar jerky experience with them - but again, GT car, drive it like a GT car! All of that is entirely moot though when you hear the exhaust note on that 4.7 V8. I'd argue one of the nicest notes on any (reasonably attainable) production car.

Saying that... Go drive every single last one of those cars, just as an experience if nothing else. To know what they're like!

Haha, you sent the poor guy testing for one year at least!

Great post though

 

[Magicman]

I've had 2 Cayman S' a 2009 987 Gen 2 PDK, and a 2014 981 PDK. I've also been fortunate enough to own a 991.1 911 GTS. I've also had a fair amount of track time in a 991.1 GT3 and GT3 RS. All PDK unfortunately.

On a quick tangent - I personally don't think comparing any gearbox' has any merit for me personally - if a certain choice adds to the experience, I'm all for it. The porsche PDKs were phenomenally good and lightyears ahead of the emira's manual in tech. Did I enjoy the manual in the emira, and did it add to the experience to make it even better for me? 100% yes, the specifics of speed of change, notchiness etc... weren't of meaning to me when I slammed into the next gate and felt a smile grow on my face. Likewise, rowing down through the gears and blipping, pretending I'm a PDK myself. Just a shitter human version of it.

As far as "specialness" is concerned. The 911 made you feel all the tingly sensations, both when driving slow and pushing hard; When looking at it and when sitting in it. However, it wasn't as rewarding as absolutely thrashing the '14 Cayman S. The Cayman was half the price, less powerful and arguably less special looking; but the old cliché of the car being an extension of you, really rang true with it. The feelings you got through your butt, through your arms, it was all very very intuitive. It always felt the car revolved around you, movement happened from your seat. The 911 never had that connection for me, drove exceptionally well, but something was just missing - not for the lack of theatre.

The Emira gets that "feel" absolutely nailed. It brings back all the same feelings that I sometimes felt were lacking in the 911, that were there in the Caymans. I'd argue that it has more of that touchy feely-ness in the chassis, the Hydraulic steering is lovely. However where all of the porsches take a country mile lead in how special they make you feel... is in that engine and gearbox - especially the 911 GTS engine. 3.8 Naturally aspirated, the induction noise from that was intoxicating. Pops, crackles, all organic. It made you giggle like a school child.

The engine was special in the 911 and it was gorgeous to drive. The Cayman was an even better drive with a nearly 9.5/10 as good engine. The Emira is arguably better to drive, but the powertrain really lets it down. Porsche brakes are in a different league to the Lotus too. Some things are more tangible than others, like the engine and brakes; but as a total sum of it's parts, the Lotus albeit better in someways, just isn't as special.

I think is potentially a good thing though - it's so much fun to drive, that for most people the negatives will be heavily outweighed by the fun factor. If you don't drive your car above 8/10ths, then the emira is brilliant.

Admittedly, better than all of the above, the 570s I had around track. I split my day between that and a 720s. The 570 was otherworldly in every positive sensation I've described above. Shame about the reliability costs and concerns. 720s was quicker in every measurable way, the 570 was more fun (don't get me started on the hydraulically linked anti roll bars vs orthodox....)


The be all and end all for me, the big reason I hesitate, is because that Cayman S was £40k at the time I had it, the 911 GTS was £75k, the Emira at £80k (despite it's outrageously gorgeous looks), does not make me feel more special than either of those two, despite being fun enough to drive. Is it worth more to me personally than the other two, no I'd say probably not. Is a Mclaren at maybe £10k more (and substantially more running costs) be worth it over any of the above cars... probably yes?


I had a beat up old caterham, the wipers would literally stop working sometimes, you'd have to physically reach over the windscreen and manually give them a nudge to start them up again. It was a tin can, either blisteringly cold or having 90 Deg air blasting at you. Compromised in every single way. But god damn did that thing make you feel special. And it was 20k. Do you get a 50k Tesla and a 20k Caterham and keep 10k pocket change? Who knows...

You can see what I want from a car... I know that may not be as important to others, and I hope they're not even remotely swayed by my thoughts.

I'm really not sure where people are going with the power train letting it down, certainly at this price point, out of the 15 porsches I've had, half of those 911's in various guises, carrera, S, 4s, GTS etc and a gt4 I wouldn't say any of them had a better or worse power train. I had a ferrari v8 that was noticeably from a different level but tbh at this price range I find power plants all pretty much of a muchness.
I think 911s are great (must do I keep buying them) but I don't think they match the feel good factor I'll get from the emira mainly down to the fact I'll probably see at least one or two 911s of some sort on every journey. (I also think after so many porsches I'm desensitised to them a little)

For me the big danger for the emira, especially if it creeps in cost is the decreasing in value 570 and its where I think I'll end up after the emira. Certainly a sub 100k spider would be tempting.

All that waffle said I think if they'd let ot rev to 7k plus a lot of this criticism would probably go away.