I have had a test drive, mixed raining wet roads. Overall quality was very good by lotus standards. Its not Porsche but its fine. I examined two cars and paint was fine, not the very best but acceptable .Car looks great. Interior is a nice place to be, instruments sharp although didnt spend time delving into them. Gearbox was good, it has a nice heft but was precise and changes were clean. Steering is really very good, plenty of feedback. You could feel the cambers pulling, but it didnt tramline as some have. The car whilst no Elise, doesnt feel wide on the road. Strangely, the car feels light, I could say insubstantial - I’m still not sure whether I felt it was a good thing or not. It lacks that hewn from rock feel of a porsche but to me the chassis is easily right up there. Provided it is reliable does it need to feel hewn?
Ride quality (touring) was very good - so easy to live with and we hit some very rough roads, very good control. Cabin noise is fine. It is a sports car but the nice thing is its never drony like a Cayman can be. Stereo was OK, not stellar but useable. At 70 on the motorway it was relatively quiet. You do not get the rear arch road noise that is present in a 911. Water pooling on the tailgate is pretty minor and really overblown - its not an issue. The clutch is reasonably heavy with a direct bite - not sure I would want to daily it through central London. Exhaust/Engine noise is fine, I’m not that keen on Loud exhausts, fun for when you are really on it, but not great for touring. I had been concerned that the more muffled sound in comparison the Evora would mean more supercharger whine. Instead its a combination you hear and I quite liked it. The Evora does sound better but particulate filters have muted plenty of cars.
Performance - Lacks turbo punch low down but once in its stride its strong and completely linear. Next to the 4.0 GTS engine it feels more muscular in the mid range but doesnt have the manic power at the top end. That said the gearing is much better than the porsche so you can use the rev range more, but not so obvious where the limit is. Make no mistake this is a very rapid car as any glance at the speedo shows, it doesnt feel scary fast at all but it gains speed very quickly indeed. If you want a car that feels twitchy with peaky power this isnt your car, but I suspect this would be the faster car over a distance and less ‘moments’. Towards the end of the drive pushing a little harder the car becomes alive but you are going quickly by then - the longer I drove it the more I liked it. Part of the reason it may not be the most exciting lower speed car is because it has so much traction and is incredibly stable and tied down. Full throttle 2nd and 3rd gear in rain and no traction issues whatsoever it just goes until you check the speedo.
Negatives - Its not Porsche interior quality, there are a few rattles/creaks - its still hand built. At lower speeds its very easy to drive but not hyperactive like an Elise or Exige so you have to push on. If you are looking for the most excitement at a lower speed either one of the earlier cars or an A110 will give more of that. There have been a few early issues but they are taking constant feedback. All new cars have issues I have had multiple recalls on some cars and friends who have McLaren’s have got to know the service centres pretty well. With underlying Toyota power, engine and transmissions have proved very reliable. The issues are minor and easy fixes. If they can get on top of any cabin rattles and ensure panel gaps are consistent and paint inspection is good then its a very good car. Given the recent changes to deliveries these cars will stay rare on the UK roads for a couple of years so residuals will be very high particularly as some will want them just for the amazing looks alone.
Ride quality (touring) was very good - so easy to live with and we hit some very rough roads, very good control. Cabin noise is fine. It is a sports car but the nice thing is its never drony like a Cayman can be. Stereo was OK, not stellar but useable. At 70 on the motorway it was relatively quiet. You do not get the rear arch road noise that is present in a 911. Water pooling on the tailgate is pretty minor and really overblown - its not an issue. The clutch is reasonably heavy with a direct bite - not sure I would want to daily it through central London. Exhaust/Engine noise is fine, I’m not that keen on Loud exhausts, fun for when you are really on it, but not great for touring. I had been concerned that the more muffled sound in comparison the Evora would mean more supercharger whine. Instead its a combination you hear and I quite liked it. The Evora does sound better but particulate filters have muted plenty of cars.
Performance - Lacks turbo punch low down but once in its stride its strong and completely linear. Next to the 4.0 GTS engine it feels more muscular in the mid range but doesnt have the manic power at the top end. That said the gearing is much better than the porsche so you can use the rev range more, but not so obvious where the limit is. Make no mistake this is a very rapid car as any glance at the speedo shows, it doesnt feel scary fast at all but it gains speed very quickly indeed. If you want a car that feels twitchy with peaky power this isnt your car, but I suspect this would be the faster car over a distance and less ‘moments’. Towards the end of the drive pushing a little harder the car becomes alive but you are going quickly by then - the longer I drove it the more I liked it. Part of the reason it may not be the most exciting lower speed car is because it has so much traction and is incredibly stable and tied down. Full throttle 2nd and 3rd gear in rain and no traction issues whatsoever it just goes until you check the speedo.
Negatives - Its not Porsche interior quality, there are a few rattles/creaks - its still hand built. At lower speeds its very easy to drive but not hyperactive like an Elise or Exige so you have to push on. If you are looking for the most excitement at a lower speed either one of the earlier cars or an A110 will give more of that. There have been a few early issues but they are taking constant feedback. All new cars have issues I have had multiple recalls on some cars and friends who have McLaren’s have got to know the service centres pretty well. With underlying Toyota power, engine and transmissions have proved very reliable. The issues are minor and easy fixes. If they can get on top of any cabin rattles and ensure panel gaps are consistent and paint inspection is good then its a very good car. Given the recent changes to deliveries these cars will stay rare on the UK roads for a couple of years so residuals will be very high particularly as some will want them just for the amazing looks alone.
over typical UK road surfaces for a passenger who is not also a car enthusiast. Once I was in the driver's seat, I thought it felt great, and was mostly busy marvelling at how great the handling was. I could probably easily live with sport, but in the quieter moments (i.e. plodding along in traffic), the jiggle was more obvious, and would probably become tiresome over distance (especially for passengers). I'm now very interested to feel whether the tour setup gives up much in the handling department.
Steering feel is fantastic, and the amount of grip and predictable weight transition through corners is just... :chefs-kiss:
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