Ok, here it is (long, but hopefully useful for readers):
- I have been waiting for this test drive (and seeing the car for first time) for a while now, though not as long as others. I am 41, been into cars since I was 10 and still am a total "car guy". I went to college, but then decided to pursue my passion. I was on the Bimmerworld racing team for a bit, building race cars and working the pits at races, then went to UTI (automotive tech school) to keep moving my career forward. While there I got a job at a Porsche independent shop and worked on anything from an engine rebuild on a 356, to upgrading turbos on a 996, etc. I already had a very good working knowledge of mechanics and having already changed engines and rebuilt them, etc. growing up, so this was not too hard for me. After school was completed, I was chosen for the Porsche technician training program (12 chosen nationwide per year) and completed that. I then worked at the world's largest Porsche dealer in Florida and was one of the highest-earning techs at the time and was working on and driving amazing cars (this was closer to 2008). I have driven 911 Turbo S, 997 GT3, and every other model going back to the 356 (scary slow in traffic). Eventually I moved back home to Upstate NY and bought my father's small construction company and that is my everyday activity.
- My car ownership history includes: V6 Ford Probe GT I custom turbo'd and was fastest in the world for a stint, custom Nissan 240SX with skyline engine swap, 95 E36 M3 with custom turbo kit (~500hp), 96 E36 328i with every mod done to suspension and engine, '94 Integra stock, 2003 20th AE GTI with upgraded exhaust and tune, Audi RS5 with tune and exhaust, 2017 Audi RS7 with tune (~670hp). There are others in there, most were manual transmission and were fun, fast cars that put a smile on my face. The last 3 years I have been building a house and didn't have time or space for a fun car, but now it's done and I have my 3rd garage stall awaiting a toy.
- So, test drive yesterday. Lotus of Western NY is basically a hobby dealer that is owned by a guy who owns the Nissan dealer next door, but has a rich history with Lotus and racing cars and bikes. He's in his late 60's or early 70's and is a heck of a nice guy. The place is very tiny, filled with memorabilia from Andretti, James Bond, etc. I got to drive the Yellow Euro Spec Emira with sports suspension and Goodyears fitted. I took probably a 10-15 minute drive that was part expressway, part neighborhoods, part 45mph zone through business district. Here are my thoughts after sleeping on it.
- Car sounds good, looks great and is a huge jump from the previous cars (which I have no experience with other than sitting in them yesterday). The seat was fine, bolstering fit me well and I had it all the way down. My head was near the ceiling, possible I could fit a helmet, not positive. Head was halfway above the top of the headrest (6'3") and I didn't love that. The pedals are way too close. I had sneakers on and my clutch foot kept catching my braking foot. I ended up driving with my clutch foot half off the pedal, which is tricky because they are small pedals. Driving shoes would pretty much be needed for me (size 13 sneaker). The shifter was odd to get used to, and I have driven tons of manual cars. I mis-shifted 3 times, which is 3x more than I think I have in my life. When you switch from 4th to 5th, you have to be sure you don't go past the middle before then pushing to the right and then forward. You have to be VERY deliberate or you will go right into 3rd. The side to side action doesn't occur unless you are right in the middle. That took some getting used to (along with not hitting the brake by accident with my other foot).
- Revving out felt like it took an eternity to get to redline, and then it cut out quickly and surprised me. It did want to keep revving, but 6,800 isn't high enough. The power doesn't feel fast to me. I guess it is smooth, but doesn't feel torquey. I drove my wife's Tesla Model Y 4 hours to get there yesterday, and hers is the dual motor, NON-performance. The Tesla feels much quicker, rated at 0-60 in 4.8 from factory. I don't like her Tesla, but it's way more fun to hit the pedal in hers than the Emira. I was driving in Sport mode by the way. I didn't care for the digital tach, have to keep your eye on it as opposed to a needle that you can see sweeping out of the corner of your eye.
- While cruising the highway, exhaust noise is present, switch to Tour mode and it's nearly silent. Car was plenty loud and sounded nice. It felt like it was N/A and maybe 325hp to me, very, very surprising. The steering was good, didn't blow my mind, just felt like it should. The sport suspension was decent over bumpy roads, but I could tell Touring would have been the correct choice for my needs. I'm not going to the track, just driving on weekends for a short road trips with the wife or just cruising back roads alone. No need for that extra bumpiness, it doesn't gain you way better handling.
- The parking sensors were going off in traffic while pulling up to stop lights and I think the dealer was letting the Lotus USA rep Brian know that. Was very odd. The steering wheel was just fine, a non-issue in size and shape. The hood seal was noticeable, perhaps not the final version, but not a big deal. The trunk had nice space, and a battery tender plug was coming out from the battery storage area.
- I was excited beforehand to try the radio and the infotainment, since I'm very much into high-quality audio. I never even turned it on, never once touched the screen at all. I was most interested in the drive, and after getting back, I was feeling kind of deflated and couldn't believe that I was let-down the way I was. It should have been everything I wanted, yet it only looked really good, but the performance and overall fit of me into the cockpit didn't really mesh. I wasn't having a big smile, I felt like I had to lie a little when other guys asked me how it was when I got back. I am not a good liar, but I couldn't genuinely say that I really loved it like I hoped to.
- There was a kid there bringing a friend for a test drive, and had a new M4, which I have had my eyes on for a while, and not had a chance to drive or sit in. He let me sit in it, has the optional carbon bucket seats, and it felt amazing (inflatable bolsters). If it had been a manual I would have bugged him for a test drive
but suffice to say, I drove to the BMW dealer across town and spoke to them about ordering one. For every option it would be around $90k and could be here in about 4-5 months since they have 2 already on their list. They apologized it would be a long wait...lol.
I did sleep on this to be sure I felt the same, but it just didn't ignite my fire and make me feel what good cars usually do. I wished I could have driven it more on better roads, and the dealer told me when he gets the demo I can come borrow it for an overnight, which was terribly generous. I haven't mentioned to him anything about my order, but I think after this more than a year, binge-watching adventure on the forums of literally reading every single post, checking 20x per day, I think I am going to move on to something different. A lightly used V10 R8 for a bit more money, or maybe a brand new M4 for less money. I have to see what I feel like doing, but I think someone at this dealer will be moving from no FE to getting one. Or someone looking for Magma with blackpack and black wheels with tan interior somewhere might get theirs sooner? It makes me sad to post this, and hate to sway anyone to cancel or anything like that, but definitely drive it before buying. I ALMOST didn't make the 8+ hour round trip to drive it, but thank god I did because assuming it was everything I wanted would have lead to much greater disappointment next summer or winter or whenever it would have arrived.
- Feel free to ask questions, or PM them to me. Again, I am not trying to give the car a bad name or sway people for no reason, but these are my honest feelings about it and thought I had to share after coming this far. Sorry for needing so many words to say it!
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wowed or I can't justify getting the FE.
