The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[Forlorn]

Had my test drive this weekend at JCT600 in Bradford (UK).

My thoughts:

• Fantastic steering - great feel and excellent turn in. Quite an old fashioned feel in that it brought back memories of the 80s/90s for me, before the numbness of over-assisted electric racks and the isolating of real feedback from the wheel.
• Grabby brakes - nothing I wouldn't get used to but after 30 mins of driving I was still having to consciously moderate the initial press of the pedal.
• The clutch has a very long throw but only a very short part of the travel actually does anything, so again quite tricky but as above not something I wouldn't get used to.
• Sport suspension was - to my mind - far too stiff for everyday use on West Yorkshire roads. It made my M4 Comp on its stiffest damping feel very comfortable by comparison so I'm glad I've ordered Tour.
• The seats: the main thing for me was the comfort of the seat base and lumbar. It felt like it was lacking base padding and the lumbar felt 'odd'. During the drive it was just a bit uncomfortable but it was afterwards I noticed I felt as if I'd been sat on a stone wall too long. The base was even more noticeable than the short back. I'm 6'4" so used to seats being a bit short for me but these were oddly short. I would have serious doubts about wanting to set off on a 400 mile drive and that's a big concern for me given the supposed GT credentials.
• Despite the seat issues, there is plenty of legroom and no issues getting to a good driving position with the seat and steering wheel adjustment, though.
• The Interior is very well done. I like the dash layout and the design of that and the door panels really works for me.
• It sounded really good. I'm not looking for too much engine noise and I think it struck the right balance between volume and tone. I like the supercharger whine.
• I didn't particularly stretch its legs but it was clear it would need some serious revs on the clock to feel quick, IMO. I've driven plenty of 300-500bhp cars and, if I didn't know, I'd have put it at the bottom end of that range from the pull up to 4k or so.
• It certainly drew a lot of attention, although I suppose that's to be expected with the colour. More than once there were cars jostling for position to get alongside for a proper look on the 3-lane ring road near the showroom, and surprisingly not just young lads - a middle-aged guy in a new Audi stopped beside us at a roundabout to quickly ask if was 'that new Lotus' amd said he thought it was a Ferrari at first. I noticed another bloke getting pics from the passenger seat of an Evoke as (presumably) his wife was directed to get closer.
  

Overall, I have to say the seat situation is so bad that it's really disappointed me and soured the already long wait for delivery. I'm not one to start swapping seats on a new car so it would be a case of having to put up with the originals for me and I'm not sure I'm happy with that. Hmm...

Yes I agree with you about the lumbar support and also about the grabby brakes. I also tested at JCT600 on that particular car and found the same problems you have.
I found the route disappointing and particular restricted rev range on the car earlier, gave me no real opportunity to stretch its legs, I too felt it didn’t pull like my Evora400.
I think the looks are great, sound was muted but in sport it Snap crackled and popped, which was a bit “boy racer” in my opinion.
I too was undecided and a little apprehensive, but decided to accept some of the compromises as I have sold my Evora400 in 2021, my mistake I think. So without a car now.
Sport suspension I thought was unsuitable for Yorkshire B roads - particularly I think in the dales and moors. But, the test route didn’t express any of this type of route which I think JCT600/Lotus may have decided not to use due to their unsuitability. May have shown the car in a poor light.
However, I have chosen sport as I track and use Motorways /A roads to get there. But will hope to get better comfortable in the seats.
Thank you for your report. Which vindicated my thoughts too for that particular car.

 

[Tonyshepp]

Had my test drive this weekend at JCT600 in Bradford (UK).

My thoughts:

• Fantastic steering - great feel and excellent turn in. Quite an old fashioned feel in that it brought back memories of the 80s/90s for me, before the numbness of over-assisted electric racks and the isolating of real feedback from the wheel.
• Grabby brakes - nothing I wouldn't get used to but after 30 mins of driving I was still having to consciously moderate the initial press of the pedal.
• The clutch has a very long throw but only a very short part of the travel actually does anything, so again quite tricky but as above not something I wouldn't get used to.
• Sport suspension was - to my mind - far too stiff for everyday use on West Yorkshire roads. It made my M4 Comp on its stiffest damping feel very comfortable by comparison so I'm glad I've ordered Tour.
• The seats: the main thing for me was the comfort of the seat base and lumbar. It felt like it was lacking base padding and the lumbar felt 'odd'. During the drive it was just a bit uncomfortable but it was afterwards I noticed I felt as if I'd been sat on a stone wall too long. The base was even more noticeable than the short back. I'm 6'4" so used to seats being a bit short for me but these were oddly short. I would have serious doubts about wanting to set off on a 400 mile drive and that's a big concern for me given the supposed GT credentials.
• Despite the seat issues, there is plenty of legroom and no issues getting to a good driving position with the seat and steering wheel adjustment, though.
• The Interior is very well done. I like the dash layout and the design of that and the door panels really works for me.
• It sounded really good. I'm not looking for too much engine noise and I think it struck the right balance between volume and tone. I like the supercharger whine.
• I didn't particularly stretch its legs but it was clear it would need some serious revs on the clock to feel quick, IMO. I've driven plenty of 300-500bhp cars and, if I didn't know, I'd have put it at the bottom end of that range from the pull up to 4k or so.
• It certainly drew a lot of attention, although I suppose that's to be expected with the colour. More than once there were cars jostling for position to get alongside for a proper look on the 3-lane ring road near the showroom, and surprisingly not just young lads - a middle-aged guy in a new Audi stopped beside us at a roundabout to quickly ask if was 'that new Lotus' amd said he thought it was a Ferrari at first. I noticed another bloke getting pics from the passenger seat of an Evoke as (presumably) his wife was directed to get closer.
  

Overall, I have to say the seat situation is so bad that it's really disappointed me and soured the already long wait for delivery. I'm not one to start swapping seats on a new car so it would be a case of having to put up with the originals for me and I'm not sure I'm happy with that. Hmm...

I agree totally on the seats, im 5 9 and the seats (despite numerous adjustments) felt no better than our 2004 Freelander. I won't be touring this car and Im surprised Harry Did.

 

[Flashback]

Yes I agree with you about the lumbar support and also about the grabby brakes. I also tested at JCT600 on that particular car and found the same problems you have.
I found the route disappointing and particular restricted rev range on the car earlier, gave me no real opportunity to stretch its legs, I too felt it didn’t pull like my Evora400.
I think the looks are great, sound was muted but in sport it Snap crackled and popped, which was a bit “boy racer” in my opinion.
I too was undecided and a little apprehensive, but decided to accept some of the compromises as I have sold my Evora400 in 2021, my mistake I think. So without a car now.
Sport suspension I thought was unsuitable for Yorkshire B roads - particularly I think in the dales and moors. But, the test route didn’t express any of this type of route which I think JCT600/Lotus may have decided not to use due to their unsuitability. May have shown the car in a poor light.
However, I have chosen sport as I track and use Motorways /A roads to get there. But will hope to get better comfortable in the seats.
Thank you for your report. Which vindicated my thoughts too for that particular car.

Thanks.

Really interesting to read that my thoughts aligned with yours in many ways - always tricky to be objective when there's such a short time to take everything in and such big decisions to make based upon a brief test.

I would also agree regarding the test route. I'm pretty sure I was told there were 3 possible ones and Lotus are telling them which to use just before each drive. Mine involved the briefest of squirts in a 60 limit and mostly congested roads other than that.

 

[DaaS]

I recently test drove the Emira on public roads with light traffic. It was V6, Hethel yellow with sports chassis and alcantara interior. Here are my quick impressions and comparison to my 2021 Evora GT with automatic transmission:

Engine - Very smooth with linear power delivery. Power felt adequate for the car.
Transmission/clutch - I really enjoyed it. No issues at all with pedals or the shifter.
Brakes - Felt good. Didn't notice anything that I had to get used to.
Steering - No issues with the physical shape or thickness. It was sharp and quick, and more assisted than the Evora GT.
Sports chassis - Very compliant and not harsh at all. Not like the actual BMW M cars (which IMO are harsh). Overall, the sports suspension is softer than the Evora GT.
Seats - Comfortable and supportive enough. I didn't have any issues getting comfy. Evora GT has Sparco seats, which are less comfy, but more supportive. I appreciated the additional seat adjustments that are missing from the Evora.
Exhaust note - Drove it in sports mode with windows down. It sounded good, but noticeably quieter than the Evora GT, even at higher RPMs.
Sound system - Listened to it for 10 seconds and did not mess with any settings. It was fine, and sounded better than whatever is in the Evora.
Instrument cluster - No issues with the display layout and visibility through the steering wheel. It felt a bit dim, but I did not mess with any settings either.
Overall interior quality and feel - Very good and an improvement from the Evora. Interior dials/knobs felt better and were higher quality than the Evora.
Sound of door closing - It was solid sounding with the windows down. Much more solid sounding thump than the Evora with windows down.
Overall visibility - Very good. Rear visibility is better than Evora.
Hethel yellow - Car looked good in it, but I prefer metallics.
Dealership and test drive experience - Very good, but test drive could have been longer.

Overall, I enjoyed driving the Emira and I look forward to getting mine in 2023. Unfortunately, owning an Evora GT established certain expectations that the Emira did not meet for me as a car enthusiast.

Purely from driving enjoyment perspective, if an Evora GT is a 10, than Emira felt like it was turned down to an 8 - in a good way. For most people, the Evora was too (raw, firm, loud, lacked cubbies, manual 4-way seats, old tech, etc.), and the Emira is closer to sports cars from Germany and will appeal to more buyers. It's still a very good car, and for most people, a much better car than the Evora.

The test drive also confirmed that my Evora GT should not get traded in for the Emira! They are different enough that I can justify keeping both

 

[VL3X]

if an Evora GT is a 10, than Emira felt like it was turned down to an 8 - in a good way.

Really interesting perspective there and possibly what Lotus was going for with this first version of the Emira.

 

[Pegasi]

I recently test drove the Emira on public roads with light traffic. It was V6, Hethel yellow with sports chassis and alcantara interior. Here are my quick impressions and comparison to my 2021 Evora GT with automatic transmission:

Engine - Very smooth with linear power delivery. Power felt adequate for the car.
Transmission/clutch - I really enjoyed it. No issues at all with pedals or the shifter.
Brakes - Felt good. Didn't notice anything that I had to get used to.
Steering - No issues with the physical shape or thickness. It was sharp and quick, and more assisted than the Evora GT.
Sports chassis - Very compliant and not harsh at all. Not like the actual BMW M cars (which IMO are harsh). Overall, the sports suspension is softer than the Evora GT.
Seats - Comfortable and supportive enough. I didn't have any issues getting comfy. Evora GT has Sparco seats, which are less comfy, but more supportive. I appreciated the additional seat adjustments that are missing from the Evora.
Exhaust note - Drove it in sports mode with windows down. It sounded good, but noticeably quieter than the Evora GT, even at higher RPMs.
Sound system - Listened to it for 10 seconds and did not mess with any settings. It was fine, and sounded better than whatever is in the Evora.
Instrument cluster - No issues with the display layout and visibility through the steering wheel. It felt a bit dim, but I did not mess with any settings either.
Overall interior quality and feel - Very good and an improvement from the Evora. Interior dials/knobs felt better and were higher quality than the Evora.
Sound of door closing - It was solid sounding with the windows down. Much more solid sounding thump than the Evora with windows down.
Overall visibility - Very good. Rear visibility is better than Evora.
Hethel yellow - Car looked good in it, but I prefer metallics.
Dealership and test drive experience - Very good, but test drive could have been longer.

Overall, I enjoyed driving the Emira and I look forward to getting mine in 2023. Unfortunately, owning an Evora GT established certain expectations that the Emira did not meet for me as a car enthusiast.

Purely from driving enjoyment perspective, if an Evora GT is a 10, than Emira felt like it was turned down to an 8 - in a good way. For most people, the Evora was too (raw, firm, loud, lacked cubbies, manual 4-way seats, old tech, etc.), and the Emira is closer to sports cars from Germany and will appeal to more buyers. It's still a very good car, and for most people, a much better car than the Evora.

The test drive also confirmed that my Evora GT should not get traded in for the Emira! They are different enough that I can justify keeping both

If the old mantra was "Simplify, then add lightness" the new mantra is "Modernize maintain Lotus feel, then sell cars." This is a great write up and the first time I have heard, what I suspected is that some will think, the Evora GT and Emira are two different cars. Of course there are similarities but they are unique enough to warrant having both and I want both.

 

[TomE]

I recently test drove the Emira on public roads with light traffic. It was V6, Hethel yellow with sports chassis and alcantara interior. Here are my quick impressions and comparison to my 2021 Evora GT with automatic transmission:

Engine - Very smooth with linear power delivery. Power felt adequate for the car.
Transmission/clutch - I really enjoyed it. No issues at all with pedals or the shifter.
Brakes - Felt good. Didn't notice anything that I had to get used to.
Steering - No issues with the physical shape or thickness. It was sharp and quick, and more assisted than the Evora GT.
Sports chassis - Very compliant and not harsh at all. Not like the actual BMW M cars (which IMO are harsh). Overall, the sports suspension is softer than the Evora GT.
Seats - Comfortable and supportive enough. I didn't have any issues getting comfy. Evora GT has Sparco seats, which are less comfy, but more supportive. I appreciated the additional seat adjustments that are missing from the Evora.
Exhaust note - Drove it in sports mode with windows down. It sounded good, but noticeably quieter than the Evora GT, even at higher RPMs.
Sound system - Listened to it for 10 seconds and did not mess with any settings. It was fine, and sounded better than whatever is in the Evora.
Instrument cluster - No issues with the display layout and visibility through the steering wheel. It felt a bit dim, but I did not mess with any settings either.
Overall interior quality and feel - Very good and an improvement from the Evora. Interior dials/knobs felt better and were higher quality than the Evora.
Sound of door closing - It was solid sounding with the windows down. Much more solid sounding thump than the Evora with windows down.
Overall visibility - Very good. Rear visibility is better than Evora.
Hethel yellow - Car looked good in it, but I prefer metallics.
Dealership and test drive experience - Very good, but test drive could have been longer.

Overall, I enjoyed driving the Emira and I look forward to getting mine in 2023. Unfortunately, owning an Evora GT established certain expectations that the Emira did not meet for me as a car enthusiast.

Purely from driving enjoyment perspective, if an Evora GT is a 10, than Emira felt like it was turned down to an 8 - in a good way. For most people, the Evora was too (raw, firm, loud, lacked cubbies, manual 4-way seats, old tech, etc.), and the Emira is closer to sports cars from Germany and will appeal to more buyers. It's still a very good car, and for most people, a much better car than the Evora.

The test drive also confirmed that my Evora GT should not get traded in for the Emira! They are different enough that I can justify keeping both

Great write-up and comparison. You've covered several things I was planning to include in my Evora GT410 Sport (same as US GT), Evora GT430, Evora S and Emira group test. The Evora and Emira are definitely different cars for different audiences. Depending on your needs you will see one as a closer match to those. I too had not intended the Emira would replace my Evora.

 

[Leonard]

I too had not intended the Emira would replace my Evora.

You say that Tom, but surely when the Emira was announced you must have thought that it was a direct replacement for your Evora no?
I'm not going to say I was ever miss sold the car by Lotus, but then the early marketing "for the drivers" certainly had me thinking it would be Evora + rather than Evora -

 

[Pugwash]

I thought the Emira with touring suspension felt very similar in many ways to my old Evora, but also updated in many ways. Of course my Evora was a 2014 S and around before some Evoras became more track oriented. I never drove one of the last 4** Evoras but have been in an Exige which was much more of a track weapon. I think modern Lotus is trying to attract a wider audience than those who are looking for a track oriented machine. The Emira just feels like a good all round very useable sports car.

 

[TomE]

You say that Tom, but surely when the Emira was announced you must have thought that it was a direct replacement for your Evora no?
I'm not going to say I was ever miss sold the car by Lotus, but then the early marketing "for the drivers" certainly had me thinking it would be Evora + rather than Evora -

My Evora has been part of our family for 11 years, my kids have grown up riding in it and it has been on lots of adventures. The +2 has made all that possible in a way the Emira rear cabin space can’t. Mine is an early S1, like my Exige. I’m fortunate not to have to sell one to buy the other.

The Emira improves on several aspects of the Evora, but not all of them.

 

[DaaS]

I thought the Emira with touring suspension felt very similar in many ways to my old Evora, but also updated in many ways. Of course my Evora was a 2014 S and around before some Evoras became more track oriented. I never drove one of the last 4** Evoras but have been in an Exige which was much more of a track weapon. I think modern Lotus is trying to attract a wider audience than those who are looking for a track oriented machine. The Emira just feels like a good all round very useable sports car.

Agree.

Evora GT feels like a track car that can be driven on street. Similar to a Cayman GT4.

Emira FE feels like a sports car for the street, that can be driven on a track. Similar to a Cayman GTS.

Nothing wrong with either. Just built for different purposes.

 

[Cachaco131]

I recently test drove the Emira on public roads with light traffic. It was V6, Hethel yellow with sports chassis and alcantara interior. Here are my quick impressions and comparison to my 2021 Evora GT with automatic transmission:

Engine - Very smooth with linear power delivery. Power felt adequate for the car.
Transmission/clutch - I really enjoyed it. No issues at all with pedals or the shifter.
Brakes - Felt good. Didn't notice anything that I had to get used to.
Steering - No issues with the physical shape or thickness. It was sharp and quick, and more assisted than the Evora GT.
Sports chassis - Very compliant and not harsh at all. Not like the actual BMW M cars (which IMO are harsh). Overall, the sports suspension is softer than the Evora GT.
Seats - Comfortable and supportive enough. I didn't have any issues getting comfy. Evora GT has Sparco seats, which are less comfy, but more supportive. I appreciated the additional seat adjustments that are missing from the Evora.
Exhaust note - Drove it in sports mode with windows down. It sounded good, but noticeably quieter than the Evora GT, even at higher RPMs.
Sound system - Listened to it for 10 seconds and did not mess with any settings. It was fine, and sounded better than whatever is in the Evora.
Instrument cluster - No issues with the display layout and visibility through the steering wheel. It felt a bit dim, but I did not mess with any settings either.
Overall interior quality and feel - Very good and an improvement from the Evora. Interior dials/knobs felt better and were higher quality than the Evora.
Sound of door closing - It was solid sounding with the windows down. Much more solid sounding thump than the Evora with windows down.
Overall visibility - Very good. Rear visibility is better than Evora.
Hethel yellow - Car looked good in it, but I prefer metallics.
Dealership and test drive experience - Very good, but test drive could have been longer.

Overall, I enjoyed driving the Emira and I look forward to getting mine in 2023. Unfortunately, owning an Evora GT established certain expectations that the Emira did not meet for me as a car enthusiast.

Purely from driving enjoyment perspective, if an Evora GT is a 10, than Emira felt like it was turned down to an 8 - in a good way. For most people, the Evora was too (raw, firm, loud, lacked cubbies, manual 4-way seats, old tech, etc.), and the Emira is closer to sports cars from Germany and will appeal to more buyers. It's still a very good car, and for most people, a much better car than the Evora.

The test drive also confirmed that my Evora GT should not get traded in for the Emira! They are different enough that I can justify keeping both

Thanks. An actual comparison based on an actual benchmark and an actual owner.

 

[Grumpy]

The power delivery is very linear. You do gather speed quickly but it doesnt have the turbo shove of a 911 or indeed an A110 but also doesnt have the high end rush of say a GTS or GT4. Its where the 911 engine is quite impressive as it feels normally aspirated at the top with a big turbo wallop low down. The Emira is plenty quick enough but not intimidating at all, which is not a dreadful thing. It feels like it would stick forever and allow large liberties, I guess at some point someone will find out what where ‘forever’ runs out

 

[Cutting42]

I popped down to B&C today for my test drive accompanied by Antonia who greeted me with "you will be doing all the driving today" which was nice as I had heard some were driven for 10 mins first. It would be my first ever Lotus experience, would it be my last?

First impressions or technically third impressions after the preview tour and then my factory tour were excellent. The Nimbus Grey is stunning even for someone that does not like grey cars. There was a gleaming Nimbus with Tan interior in the showroom waiting for its new owner that was an amazing combination. The tan leather was a lovely tone, very classy combo, is the lucky owner on here? Black pack, DC wheels and black calipers.

Took just a few seconds to get comfy. I am 5'10" but with a very long back so I was concerned on headroom but no issues at all, also did not get the feeling of sitting on the car. Was not as far down as I would choose in a perfect world but not an issue and did not impact driving. It is not a sofa and on the firm side but for the 40 odd min drive no concerns although would like to try alcantara.

I don't listen to music in the car often so did not even try the radio/phone link as was just interested in the drive. After the obligatory stall setting off I started trying to remember how to change gear myself as have been auto or EV for the last 8 years. I loved the shift despite a couple of missed changes trying to rush it. It definitely rewards a smooth shift style but it feels just gorgeous and mechanical, a real shame I am getting an i4. Yes I am one of "those" selfish buggers testing the V6 when my car won't even have the same engine and not ready for 8 months. Ah well most of the complainers have left now; or maybe just lurking.

I thought the Tour chassis was perfect for me, still felt like a sports car and oh the steering feel!!! Coming from a Tesla with the numbest steering ever it was lovely, there is a road near the garage that has some serious potholes and bumps that are impossible to miss and the car just absorbed them with no drama or crashing, lovely stuff.

Although I was not super interested in the engine it makes a decent sound certainly when revved up and TBH I did not feel cheated by the rev limit but I am not used to high revving cars, my M235i is a 7k max but tend not to rev it out much due to turbo torque. The Emira did feel quicker than the M235i (0-60 4.8 sec) but it is so linear it is not as dramatic. One thing I did like was its tractability. Sitting at 65 in 6th, floored it and it pulled pretty hard making it a very simple car to cruise and handle motorway acceleration without stirring gears - unless you want to of course.

I did a sharpish acceleration run from some lights and it is plenty quick enough for road use IMO and although it was a very cold day and cold tyres the grip was excellent. Not the day to push it in the corners so looking forward to better weather and will try to arrange another drive later next year, ideally in the i4 if they are available before my date (Aug 23).

Space is ample for me and "The Wife" for a week away, I am not a golfist but do play in a band, mmmm, can I get a guitar and amp in there.

In summary, lovely day out and great support from B&C and Antonia, also had a look round their Morgans, the new Super 3 looks a proper laugh. The was one there with a notice saying don't touch - customer car - for a Mr Morgan which seemed appropriate!

I am still in and also very happy I am going for the i4, longer and more frustrating wait but IMO the sweet spot for the Emira.

 

[Blue97]

Test drive at Silverstone . Red car with Touring chassis.
Red did not look very exciting , although was dirty.
Hethel Yellow car being collected looked really nice.
Seats ok , more side support would be better. Driving position fine. Didn’t like the Ice Grey leather. Alcantara with Yellow stitching looked much better.Stereo sounded fine - I don’t think any stereo in a sports car sounds amazing once you are driving - Porsche Bose inc .
Overall the interior felt a little flimsy and not up to £80k or GT4 standard - the Tan interior or Alcantara would help.
Liked the gearbox - rewarding action . Clutch and brakes both a bit sharp but you would soon get used to - well set up for heel and toeing. Felt every ripple in the road through the steering - tram lined a bit . Touring set up was plenty stiff enough for normal road use.
Car felt quick enough - engine spins so freely that you are only under full power for a short while - doesn’t give you the top end rush and engine is not that charismatic.
Sounded ok though.
Not much tyre noise and rides bumps well.
Need to decide whether I am going to keep or cancel.
It is a half way house car - not as exciting or race car like inside and out as the Exige but not as well made as a GT4 which are now at 85K for a v low mileage car.
Decisions.

 

[TomE]

Another reminder, this is a thread for people to publish their test drive write ups. Some clarification questions are fine, but this is not the thread for debating why you are or are not going ahead with the car. Most of the posts from the last 2 days have been deleted.

 

[1500 GT]

Finally, got to test drive an Emira at Central Lotus Nottingham yesterday, despite my closest dealer being Oakmere at Prestbury. Lovely sunny day but temperatures never got above 2.0 degrees and roads were damp and salty. I was only allowed to drive in Tour mode and switch to Sport momentarily on dual carriageway to hear the difference in exhaust note. Friendly dealership and I was looked after well by Charley who was very knowledgeable.

The Central demo car is Seneca with Sports chassis, black pack, black wheels and Alcantara interior, so a bit different to my Dark Verdant, Tour chassis, silver wheels and ice grey leather spec. It’s been said so many times on here but I still have to say that standing by the car the exterior design is sensational, everything is just so right, flowing lines, dimensions, wheel size, wheel gap, stance and proper presence.

I was really impressed with the Emira overall despite the limitations of the test drive, absolutely loved the mechanical feel of the gearchange, gear ratios, steering response and the pure driveability. The biggest takeaway for me was the fact that I was very much on the fence between Sport and Touring setup before the test drive and am now convinced that Touring is the way to go, for me anyway. I found the sports setup to be slightly too stiff and a little bouncy on the front end over parts of the test route. I sold my 997.1 GT3 to make way for the Emira, far too early I know now, but one of the reasons I parted with it was the slightly disappointing fun element of road driving due to long gearing and overly stiff slow speed ride and handling, especially in traffic. I’m planning on tracking my Emira only once or twice a year as I have a Caterham CSR which is light years ahead of anything else I have ever owned in terms of raw fun and excitement. The seat of the pants box is ticked already for me so not something I was asking of the Emira.

I’m not going to over analyse every little detail, as like many on here I picked up on a few first impressions, such as short seat back, seat height, pedals offset to the left, odd steering wheel shape, initial grabby brakes, notably linear power delivery and a few other observations but all perfectly liveable and mostly unnoticed by the end of the drive. The Emira is still every bit a Lotus, quirky with it’s own personality, and for me, not easily compared directly with Germanic competition, of which I have owned a few. There will always be more powerful, quicker, louder, comfier or harsher, more modern and higher tech options out there but at this £80k level for a new sports car you get something that actually looks, handles and feels like it should, mechanical with that slight analogue feeling that’s so often missing.

‘You pays your money and you takes your choice’ as I was always told. The car looks great and needs to be driven. It really impressed me, but not entirely in a way I was expecting. My Emira is scheduled for a February build and I for one can’t wait to rack up the miles when it arrives.

 

[Iscarider]

Had my test drive at Hendy Exeter yesterday. Thought the car looked amazing in the flesh so to speak.
The interior was a nice place to be, good visibilty all round, switchgear easy to use and did not feel flimsy or cheap. I had the seat in its lowest position, but it felt to high for me, I think I'd get used to that though.
Drove a very good test route, a good mixture of roads. On twisty B roads the car felt very planted, although I was not allowed to go over 4000rpm so couldn't really push it hard, it coped well with some potholes and one big one I failed to avoid. Steering felt precise although seemed to tramline quite a lot. Brakes were a bit grabby, but something you would get used to.
Now for the transmission. I had some problems with the gear change. for periods it was fine, very smooth between changes although it does need that sort of push to engage, but sometimes I was hitting a problem going to 5th gear. I t would just feel like hitting a wall, no way would it go into gear, tried to go back to 4th no again, dip the clutch again and we're ok ! almost like you had to double de-clutch for fifth. This happened about three times on the test drive and I have to say it disappointed me. I got out of the car thinking I'm not sure about this purchase now. I know another reviewer who drove this car said the gearbox was smooth, so whether it has developed a fault I'm not sure or whether it's just me. I drove my Focus RS home and immediately thought this driving experience is a cut above the Emira. So, I don't know now what to do I'm leaning towards getting my deposit back. I wanted to get out of the car and be blown away, but sadly I wasn't especially as I enjoyed the ride home in my current car more.
I'll wait to se if there are any more reviews for this particular car and if they're good may try to get another test drive.
Hope this wasn't too negative for you, but as Lotus say "It's for the drivers" and the driving experience for me detracted from what I think is a great car otherwise.

 

[Boombang]

I had a very wintery test drive at Essex Lotus (Endeavour) last weekend. I did a version of this write up elsewhere but have updated to share here.

Dark red, white interior, touring setup. 1500 and a bit miles on it when I drove the car. I was allowed full use of the rev range and each driving mode but with it being damp and just above freezing I was not pushing the car hard for the majority of the drive.

For background I've an X3 M40 (which I drove to the test drive), a Caterham R300 (bought as a planned stop-gap before the Emira was due) and a Kia Soul EV. Previously I've owned VX220s (n/a and turbo), a Westfield, and a selection of hot hatches.

Good bits:
Ride, car was Touring and can't imagine why you want anything firmer for road use. The roads around that dealer are pretty poor, those with tarmac are worn and there is a faster road which is concrete slabs. On all surfaces the car felt well controlled.
Steering was nicely weighted, a little slow perhaps but very good feel.
The car didn't dive after cambers and was really well mannered changing direction no matter what the road was doing underneath, noting the only real time I started to lean on it was a single roundabout (enter the roundabout turning left and then come around over 90 degrees to right).
It was stunning, even better in the plastic than photos, even in burgundy.

Average bits:
Gearshift is ok, 2nd to 3rd felt a little 'squidgy', to the extent I wasn't sure it was in gear a few times.
Clutch biting point was fine although travel to engage felt short. It did feel like it wanted a few revs to get away cleanly, my first time pulling away was good when I was concentratating but I fluffed it after that and did stall once. Sure it would be something easily forgotten after a few drives.
Infotainment seems ok, middle screen could be facing the driver a little more, assuming it was set dead centre to suit RHD and LHD without modification. Being used to a HUD I don't tend to look at dials but again think it's something that would be second nature after a couple of drives. GUI was pretty slick and did what it needed.
When I did get to wind the car up I was slightly disappointed - that was flat out from ~40mph and with full rev range, the engine felt lazy and either a lot less than 400bhp or the car was showing it's weight for the first and only time on the drive. It's not slow by any means but slower than expected.

Bad bits:
The clutch pedal travel is long meaning I ended up shuffling the seat forwards and the other pedals felt a touch close. I think you would get used to it, but it felt a (relatively minor) design issue, and I'm not sure how much this impacting my ability to get comfortable.
Panel fit and build across the car wasn't as expected. A few panels had ridges from one to the next, the boot to sloping rear 1/4s was most obvious as well as around front wings to bumper but a few of the other gaps weren't as good as expected given the marketing from Lotus stating improvements to build quality.
Paint was below average, a fair bit of orange peel most noticeable on the front end. Not disimilar to our Kia in finish. Have added a photo, the dealer mainly sells Hyundai and the paint was way better on every other car there, including the few used Lotuses in the showroom.
There were a number of rattles that reminded me of the Lotus of old - one in the dash area that came and went, one back left of cockpit that was almost constant, and a slightly weird sound when driving which sounded like a clutch release bearing - I've noted from elsewhere and on here the latter is 'normal'.
The carpet was coming away in the drivers footwell, looked to have been cut short and possibly not secured properly.
A few of the seals around the car didn't appear to have moulded to shape well and were sitting proud or kinked.
It was generally noisy over 60MPH. There was a good chunk of tyre noise in addition to any impact noises being transmitted - I suspect that was the roads but then a lot of roads where I live are similar.

The absolute biggest downside is more personal perhaps, but the seats were a poor fit and I couldn't get comfortable.
The seats were already set to lowest but I could live with the height. The base felt strange no matter what angle, I tend to tilt the front of the base up and tilt the backrest back a little, a slightly reclined position, but that didn't work here.
The seat back isn't very tall with the shoulder flares a few inches too low and worst of all the headrest was more neck height.
I'm 5'11"ish so no giant, yet the seats felt short and wide.
The lumbar support felt best when fully retracted but the shape of the backrest still didn't feel right for me.
I spent the whole drive adjusting, the lumbar most of all, but did not get anywhere near a comfortable position. Even post drive I sat for a few minutes adjusting whilst the salesman talked through the infotainment in more detail, but couldn't sort it.
This was made a lot more obvious when I got into the X3 after, the sports seats in that aren't perfect but head and shoulders (literally) above the Emira.

 

[PhilCP]

Just to add my two-penneth

I test drove a sport. Touring on order.

Sports suspension more compliant than I expected, however, the roads were mainly well surfaced so not an accurate representation of a B road blast. There was a couple of bits that were harsh confirming my choice of Touring was probably best for me. It's nigh on impossible to know without driving both.

Clutch bite point very low. Not ideal but grew accustomed to it. Managed not to stall.

Brakes very grabby. Even by the end of the test drive I still hadn't managed to regulate the braking to a point i'd call smooth. Not an issue in any other car i've driven. It did detract slightly from the experience as your conscious of it every time you need to touch the pedal.

Can't really comment on performance as it was too busy on the test route to open it up which was a shame. Felt adequate, not fast.

Gearbox was very mechanical in feel and needed a firm push across the gate. Not smooth or easy to make quick shifts. Might loosen up i guess although this car was run in.

Came away not really knowing any more than before. Don't think the test drive helped really.