The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[Lolub]

On my test drive, I forgot to mention that I did see the little red triangle that I recall has been previously reported by owners. The sales guy didn't know what it was about, he was just laughing at my jokes and enjoying the drive as much as I was!

It didn't seem to affect the driving any. Though I was curious why he said we couldn't try "track" mode but forget to ask him

 

[vantage]

Had my test drive at B&C earlier. Nothing new to report on the drive - it was exactly as I expected from reading everyone elses impressions. The red interior is already looking a bit well used and shiny which was disappointing. There was a green verdant customer car awaiting collection in the showroom that in my eyes had the worst orange peel finish I have ever seen on a car. If that was my car I would reject on the spot and tell them to try again. Its really concerning that Lotus quality control is this poor.

Thought I read the leather is napa, which if true, is quite a fine leather. Had it in a Mercedes once. It is durable, but you need to clean it with a leather cleaner and that should get rid of the shine. Don't need to use leather conditioner that often.

As for the orange peel, weird there are varying reports on this. I do think that even if the paint does not have orange peel on a micro level, these fiber glass bodied cars will always be a bit more wavy than metal bodied cars, so the reflects aren't going to be as "straight" at a macro level.

Maybe lighter colors are therefore the way to go?

 

[Kingslim]

Thought I read the leather is napa, which if true, is quite a fine leather. Had it in a Mercedes once. It is durable, but you need to clean it with a leather cleaner and that should get rid of the shine. Don't need to use leather conditioner that often.

As for the orange peel, weird there are varying reports on this. I do think that even if the paint does not have orange peel on a micro level, these fiber glass bodied cars will always be a bit more wavy than metal bodied cars, so the reflects aren't going to be as "straight" at a macro level.

Maybe lighter colors are therefore the way to go?

The demo car is nimbus and isnt as bad on the orange peel, put it still has poor finish on the wings and its quite noticeable on the black roof. It seems to be a common issue that B&C say they have raised with Lotus - i can see people rejecting cars if its as bad as the verdant customer car.

 

[912Matt]

Not a huge amount to add after my drive in Silverstone’s Magma/ice/touring car this week. The one thing I will say is that, coming from a Cayman, the overall experience felt more theatrical. Partly down to the manual gearbox, but also the noise of the supercharger, the handling feel ,the view in those lovely wing mirrors. Can’t say it felt any faster than my Cayman (although on paper it is), but it certainly doesn’t feel underpowered , and the overall experience just felt more involving, more of an ‘event’, which is exactly what I was hoping for, compared to the Porsche which is very capable, but dare I say it, maybe a bit boring in comparison.
One other thing that did make me chuckle was the salesman advising me to stay away from the forums as ‘they are very negative’

 

[FW190]

Drive notes - Lotus of Washington 12/01/2022:

Resonant, pitch-perfect exhaust note spooling while rowing thru the gears closing with an insanely cool, back-off burble when you let off. Front end is stuck down on pavement as if velcro’d and steering input is ultra-precise. There is minimal body roll to speak of and the short-throw gears ‘snick’ (snug-click) into place as the revs go up or down…making the whole drive experience of driving feel more like a lap at Summit Point, despite the trans-mundane of suburban MD roads. It’s Old Skool and very raw, but modern-modulated, engaging and involving. Seats and leather supple, driving position (5’-9”) divine. Haven’t felt anything like it since I raced in SCCA.

Driven vehicle: Nimbus Grey, Black pack, red interior, touring, Eagle F1s

 

[SteveB]

Back in August I had the opportunity to drive an Emira with sports suspension and Cup 2 tyres around the Hethel test track. The mechanical grip was excellent with little noticeable roll even during aggressive cornering. However, the track is very flat & smooth so not really possible to judge how well sport suspension copes with ordinary (potholed) English roads. So today I had a test drive with Lotus Central in Nottingham. Many thanks to Charley for a great review of the Emira’s controls and guided tour of Nottinghamshire!

Car had sport suspension and Goodyear tyres. The route was a mix of city centre driving, duel carriageway and some country B roads. Traffic was quite heavy in the city so lots of stopping and starting but the car (and driver!) coped very well and no issues with clutch or gearbox. Most surprising was how well the sport suspension coped with ordinary roads, including uneven surfaces, off camber corners, potholes - even speed humps! There was no crashiness at all (not like my 435D on sport setting) and it passed over all obstacles with relative ease. But out of the city on more flowing, undulating roads it was noticeable that there was not much roll and the suspension felt quite firm. Firm but not harsh. This was almost the opposite of my BMW which feels like it has no suspension at all when encountering small sudden bumps but rides over dips and rises in the road reasonably comfortably. Presumably a reflection of differences in spring and damper rates.

I still want to try touring suspension to make a comparison and final decision on suspension before I am locked in. But after todays test drive I can definitely live with sport suspension as a daily drive (though its probably going to be a weekend car).

Also (unrelated to suspension), I only listened to the radio but the Kef sound system is rubbish (no base) and Lotus & Kef really need to get this sorted as its letting down an otherwise great car.

 

[Lolub]

The demo car is nimbus and isnt as bad on the orange peel, put it still has poor finish on the wings and its quite noticeable on the black roof. It seems to be a common issue that B&C say they have raised with Lotus - i can see people rejecting cars if its as bad as the verdant customer car.

Maybe I'm blind, or don't know what I'm looking for, but to my eye the paint was perfect everywhere and so was the roof!

Though I'm not looking for perfection and wouldn't mind it if it was imperfect!

 

[vroomvroom]

During my test drive I had zero issues with the clutch or almost stalling. It felt %100 natural like I had been driving the car my entire life. The engagement point did not really jump out at me. I really do not remember where it was engaging. The clutch is way easier to drive with compared to my R8.

100% agree

 

[SJW]

This week I test drove the Bristol Nimbus/Red interior/Black Pack/Black wheels with touring suspension and goodyears. I am expecting Nimbus/Tan/no black pack/silver wheels/no privacy/touring suspension in February 2023. My impressions from test drive....

1. Looks
   • overall fantastic for the money. Nimbus is good colour for Emira. I didn't think the red interior would work but it looked great
   • Black Pack - glad i havent gone for this as hear the roof in particular gets swirl marks very early on.
   • Privacy glass - personal thing but glad i didn't go for this as i think it breaks up the side profile too much. there is too much contrast with the clear door window perhaps wouldn't be too bad if door window had 5% tint?
2. Quality
   • Pleasantly surprised. no squeaks or rattles. Interior leather felt good.
   • Paint finish was good.
   • both door seals suffered from puckering but sure this can be fixed.
   • not a fan of the flimsy plastic surrounding the engine bay; poor when compared to something like R8... there will probalby be an aftermarket offering to improve this
   • bit surprised the petrol filler has no cap but relies on the flap seal. haven't heard any issues yet but think this might be an issue as filler is on horizontal rather than vertical surface... will need to keep the drain holes clear!
3. Driving Position
   • no problem getting seat comfortable.
   • no problem with pedal positioning; but then I am only size 8!
   • some blind spots but large dooor mirrors compensated
4. Driving
   • Touring suspension was very compliant as it soaked up bumpy roads on test drive and handled speed bumps at 20+mph. Car cornered flat and hung on well; very composed, a real strong point of the car.
   • Steering excellent
   • Gearchange - clutch was bit like a switch at first but not a problem after 2-3 gearshifts. Actual shift felt good and well-judged.
   • Engine. Didn't feel like 400BHP and didn't sound that brilliant within the car (maybe better outside). I'm comparing with a Cayman 718 GTS 4-pot turbo and it just didnt feel as urgent or fast. Probably the weakest point of the overall package. It's not a problem, just not as good as the rest of the car.

So overall, very positive and well presented by Rybrook Bristol. Engine the only weak point but think i probably need to get used to supercharged Vs turbocharged power delivery.

looking forward to getting mine in February (fingers crossed). Still not sure what's happening on production as believe Bristol have only had one customer car delivery.

 

[lion shf]

The reviews lately are checking all the important boxes cheers.

 

[VL3X]

Just got back! Round 2 was a much better route and ~15-20 minutes on some nice twisty (but wet) roads. This is the exact same Nimbus/red touring spec I drove a month ago in North Jersey. I switched it into sport immediately upon starting and made a point to rev it out to redline a few times. Damn near impossible to make it break traction. I did switch into track mode, but the sales rep instructed me to switch back to Tour or Sport since Track completely turns off traction control (which makes perfect sense, especially considering the road conditions). Touring suspension provides a fairly smooth ride, but I'm glad I went with Sport (with the F1s).

There is not much new to report on my end, except that the steering is sublime and it has decent power. Honestly, it's a bit underwhelming powerwise, but the looks make up for it! My wife went with me this morning and absolutely loves it (much more than the 911s and GT4 that were in the showroom - Louts of Philly currently shares space with a Porsche dealership). I did notice quite a bit of cabin noise during the drive. It's certainly no quiet GT car. Even with the Goodyears, there is a lot of road noise and engine noise that gets into the cabin (especially noticeable during today's rainy drive). Not an issue for me, but something to consider. Maybe partially due to the aluminum tub?

Steering wheel is a bit odd with slow speed parking lot navigating, but I'm sure I'd get used to it. Clutch and shifting felt natural to me. Seats are very comfortable and supportive.

I made a point to check for a few things during my second test drive:

• KEF stereo - I synced Android Auto (wireless again with zero issues) and cranked some heavy bass songs (specifically some J.Cole and Wu-Tang). As others have mentioned, it is pretty weak. Especially trying to overcome the road noise. Again, this isn't really an issue for me, but if it ends up being a $1-2k option, I wouldn't opt for it. The OEM Premium Fender audio in my GTI is wayyyyy better. I really can't believe the KEF system doesn't include tweeters.
  
• Throwout bearing/transmission rattle at low rpms - Not noticeable at all to me. But then again, there was a lot of road and exhaust noise. Maybe if it was a clear day and I was going around an empty parking lot I might be able to hear something, but today I heard nothing.
• Rain water from the hatch lid dripping on the engine bay - Yup, 100%. It's not much, but certainly will happen every time you lift a wet hatch. There's no where else for the water to go... just the way it's designed I guess. Not a big deal to me, but something I will keep a mental note of while detailing in the future.
• Loose fitting trim - This demo did have loose fitting plastic trim next to the driver seat on the door sill and one piece around the engine. I attempted to snap it back in and flap the weatherstripping back over, but it wasn't happening. Disappointing to see that on a car in this price range... or on any car in 2022. Lotus needs to step up their quality assurance for sure. They need to do better. I will not accept delivery of a brand new $100k car with plastic trim pieces falling apart.
• A forum member asked about self-leveling headlights - I confirmed they are not self-leveling nor driver adjustable from inside the cabin.

Final notes - The Emira will be a fun manual transmission car to row through the gears and rev out on nice days in the twisties and occasional track days. I think it's too pretty to be a dedicated track car. Powerwise, it feels like a Cayman and even a GT4 with a lower redline. The difference is I felt special... or had more of a sense of an occasion driving the Emira than the numerous GT4s I've driven. Both are fun, handle great, and sound good, but the Emira is just a show stopper in the looks department. The braking is incredible and the interior feels more modern. Heated seats work great btw! If you want something you can be obnoxious at traffic lights with by doing burnouts and donuts, then the Emira is not the car for you. Go get a new Vette or big engine Dodge. The Emira is refined and esoteric. That's the only way I can really put it.

Those are my thoughts from this morning's drive. Hope they help!

 

[lion shf]

Just drove the Philly nimbus v6 tour Goodyear car.
My review? I’m buying an Emira. The end.
Cheers The Rick

 

[kitkat]

Just drove the Philly nimbus v6 tour Goodyear car.
My review? I’m buying an Emira. The end.
Cheers The Rick

Sometimes that’s all it takes right? Feels like a special car, even everything considered.

 

[VL3X]

Just got back! Round 2 was a much better route and ~15-20 minutes on some nice twisty (but wet) roads. This is the exact same Nimbus/red touring spec I drove a month ago in North Jersey. I switched it into sport immediately upon starting and made a point to rev it out to redline a few times. Damn near impossible to make it break traction. I did switch into track mode, but the sales rep instructed me to switch back to Tour or Sport since Track completely turns off traction control (which makes perfect sense, especially considering the road conditions). Touring suspension provides a fairly smooth ride, but I'm glad I went with Sport (with the F1s).

There is not much new to report on my end, except that the steering is sublime and it has decent power. Honestly, it's a bit underwhelming powerwise, but the looks make up for it! My wife went with me this morning and absolutely loves it (much more than the 911s and GT4 that were in the showroom - Louts of Philly currently shares space with a Porsche dealership). I did notice quite a bit of cabin noise during the drive. It's certainly no quiet GT car. Even with the Goodyears, there is a lot of road noise and engine noise that gets into the cabin (especially noticeable during today's rainy drive). Not an issue for me, but something to consider. Maybe partially due to the aluminum tub?

Steering wheel is a bit odd with slow speed parking lot navigating, but I'm sure I'd get used to it. Clutch and shifting felt natural to me. Seats are very comfortable and supportive.

I made a point to check for a few things during my second test drive:

• KEF stereo - I synced Android Auto (wireless again with zero issues) and cranked some heavy bass songs (specifically some J.Cole and Wu-Tang). As others have mentioned, it is pretty weak. Especially trying to overcome the road noise. Again, this isn't really an issue for me, but if it ends up being a $1-2k option, I wouldn't opt for it. The OEM Premium Fender audio in my GTI is wayyyyy better. I really can't believe the KEF system doesn't include tweeters.
  
• Throwout bearing/transmission rattle at low rpms - Not noticeable at all to me. But then again, there was a lot of road and exhaust noise. Maybe if it was a clear day and I was going around an empty parking lot I might be able to hear something, but today I heard nothing.
• Rain water from the hatch lid dripping on the engine bay - Yup, 100%. It's not much, but certainly will happen every time you lift a wet hatch. There's no where else for the water to go... just the way it's designed I guess. Not a big deal to me, but something I will keep a mental note of while detailing in the future.
• Loose fitting trim - This demo did have loose fitting plastic trim next to the driver seat on the door sill and one piece around the engine. I attempted to snap it back in and flap the weatherstripping back over, but it wasn't happening. Disappointing to see that on a car in this price range... or on any car in 2022. Lotus needs to step up their quality assurance for sure. They need to do better. I will not accept delivery of a brand new $100k car with plastic trim pieces falling apart.
• A forum member asked about self-leveling headlights - I confirmed they are not self-leveling nor driver adjustable from inside the cabin.

Final notes - The Emira will be a fun manual transmission car to row through the gears and rev out on nice days in the twisties and occasional track days. I think it's too pretty to be a dedicated track car. Powerwise, it feels like a Cayman and even a GT4 with a lower redline. The difference is I felt special... or had more of a sense of an occasion driving the Emira than the numerous GT4s I've driven. Both are fun, handle great, and sound good, but the Emira is just a show stopper in the looks department. The braking is incredible and the interior feels more modern. Heated seats work great btw! If you want something you can be obnoxious at traffic lights with by doing burnouts and donuts, then the Emira is not the car for you. Go get a new Vette or big engine Dodge. The Emira is refined and esoteric. That's the only way I can really put it.

Those are my thoughts from this morning's drive. Hope they help!

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I purposely wore my Doc Martin boots to test drive. It was raining and my smaller driving sneakers aren't water proof, so I figured I'd go with the boots and see if I had any issues with the close pedals. Nope! I didn't even remember to mention that in my initial review because it's such a non-issue. Not once did my foot get stuck or did I have trouble working the pedals.

 

[Bigred911s1]

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I purposely wore my Doc Martin boots to test drive. It was raining and my smaller driving sneakers aren't water proof, so I figured I'd go with the boots and see if I had any issues with the close pedals. Nope! I didn't even remember to mention that in my initial review because it's such a non-issue. Not once did my foot get stuck or did I have trouble working the pedals.

I was there as well today and drove the Emira. I really enjoyed it. It’s a great looking car that can be driven daily without issues or worry.

 

[Lowtush]

Moderator note: copied from standalone thread

I know there is a "all test drives" thread, but I felt as though one for fat guys, by a fat guy, may be helpful.

I finally had my chance to test drive the Emira, and I am so thankful I did. I'll be honest, I was really concerned I would not fit. All the video reviews posted online seemed to be by thin and/or shorter guys who would not share much in common with me when it came to comfort in the cabin. Much like my Mini Cooper, the size of the car relative to interior space is deceptive.

For reference, I'm 6'2" and around 350 lbs (25 stones for you UK people). Besides facing a hair of inconvenience bumping my head on ingress/egress, I fit rather comfortably in the cabin. I wouldn't say I had excessive room, but I was not claustrophobic. My seat was not all the way back. I did have it all the way lowered. I'm not confident I could fit my track helmet, but with enough manipulation of settings I'm sure I could find a way. I know many have complained of a tight pedal box. I wear a size 13 shoe and I swapped my sneakers for a pair of Puma driving shoes and had 0 issue. I drove a 718 convertible recently and found that cabin much more cramped and much more difficult to get in and out of. So, fat guys rejoice - - the Emira gets my stamp of approval and my deposit (#6 at my dealership) remains intact.

Now for the subjective bits unrelated to your BMI: The car is quick. Really quick. But not fast. (The 718 GTS I drove was fast.) The car handled beautifully. The brakes were incredibly precise. The fit-and-finish was impressive, and the interior felt premium. Not luxurious, but premium. (I mean that in a positive light.) The clutch felt really great and didn't seem to have any dead space. It reminded me of my old S2000 (again, that's a good thing). My test drive route was riddled with boring roads and lunch hour traffic, so I cannot speak much to cornering/understeer/oversteer/etc.

What did not match with my old S2000 was the shift action. I've owned a number of manual cars and have driven even more... The S2000 had the absolute best shift action of them all. The Emira's has a unique feel that I can't quite place. The positive force feedback when shifting does feel very mechanical, but there is a hollowness to it that leaves something to be desired - - for me, at least. I know many that have shared their test drive experience felt the gearbox was somewhat sloppy, but I don't agree with that sentiment. It felt precise to me and I didn't find myself missing any shifts. It's just that the shift feedback in my S2000 almost felt like you had to really push the lever all the way to end of its travel, which gave it such an engaging gearbox. The Emira has that feel of engagement initially, but it's almost like you give it a good push and then it just pops right into gear with no feedback given. That "popping-in" reminded me more of a modern BMW/Mini gearbox (which is not really a complement, I'm afraid).

One analogy that's coming to mind - - think of churning cream into butter. Initially when you're churning there is little feedback because the cream is liquid. As you churn more, and go from cream to butter, the whole action requires more force to complete the full travel up and down. The S2000 feels like churning butter through the full lever travel. The Emira feels like butter at first, then cream. A modern BMW is cream.

[This space reserved for joke about fat guy relating shifting to butter.]

In my 30 mins with the car, I really focused on the driving experience and didn't mess much at all with the infotainment / KEF audio / etc. so I'll withhold opinion on that. The little I messed with was nice.

One nice touch I haven't heard anyone really mention that I found particularly brilliant was just under the HVAC control there is a little nook that perfectly fit my Note 20 with a case on it. It struck me as a really thoughtful touch for keeping your phone in place and your cup holders free.

On driving experience alone, this test drive 100% cemented my interest, and I cannot wait for delivery. And if you're a bigger guy, I hope you find this information helpful.

 

[Lotus64]

The S2000 had the absolute best shift action of them all. The Emira's has a unique feel that I can't quite place. The positive force feedback when shifting does feel very mechanical, but there is a hollowness to it that leaves something to be desired - - for me, at least. I know many that have shared their test drive experience felt the gearbox was somewhat sloppy, but I don't agree with that sentiment. It felt precise to me and I didn't find myself missing any shifts.

Hollowness is a great descriptor for the shifter. There is an unexpected lightness/emptiness you can feel through the centerline of the shift lever. Maybe it's related to weight savings?

Once in the gate, the Emira's shifter slips all the way to the end of it's travel with very little effort. The shifters I'm accustomed to require more effort to push the shifter all the way to the end position or risk grinding gears.

The tactile, mechanical, precise, slick, metallic feeling actuation all add to the shifting experience, yet the hollowness does leave something to be desired. More weight in the centerline of the transmission lever would make the shifts feel a little more substantial and gratifying.

It's not off putting for me personally; just a different shifting experience which is actually part of the fun. It would be boring of all shifters felt the same.

In comparison, shifting the 6.4L/Tremec TR-6060 combination in a challenger feels like sloppily wielding a sledgehammer, which is satisfying in its own right, yet would be out of place in the Emira.

 

[kitkat]

Having had an S2000 myself, I'd say the description of the Emira shifter is accurate, it does feel a little hollow but I'm sure that's something you have to give up going to a cable operated system.

I think the term hollow might have a bit too much negative connotation though -- I still enjoyed shifting the Emira and found it to be a rewarding experience. You absolutely do have to get used to the narrow gates though.

 

[lion shf]

What’s funny I was 100% going dct i4. After my drive I’m 100% manual. The shift action sealed it for me, I LOVED it. (I drive a manual GTI and had a Miata in the past). I thought the shift action was full of magic.

 

[VL3X]

What’s funny I was 100% going dct i4. After my drive I’m 100% manual. The shift action sealed it for me, I LOVED it. (I drive a manual GTI and had a Miata in the past). I thought the shift action was full of magic.

Same! I love the shifter feeling!