The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[Rollie]

That’s what I call a very useful review …

 

[Mac71]

Top-notch review, TomE. Thanks.

How playful/adjustable would you say the Emira is mid-corner? Specifically, the degree to which (if any) it will tuck in (rotate) towards the apex as a result of lifting off the throttle (or applying the throttle for that matter) mid-corner. I am not talking about how it behaves beyond the limits of grip (which from what you have said would be difficult to explore on the public road) but, rather, subtle and satisfying small adjustments to cornering line within the envelope of grip. The Alpine, for instance, will vividly tighten its line in as you lift off mid-corner. The Nissan GT-R will tighten its line when lifting off or (by virtue of its torque vectoring differentials) when applying the throttle. Did you notice the Emira exhibiting any of these satisfying traits? Or is it fairly straight-laced in this respect?

Thanks again.

 

[Forlorn]

Part 1: the overview

I'm writing this review with some apprehension, as some people have suggested they've been waiting for it as though it's in some kind of different category to other people's reviews. It's not. There are other people with a much broader car history and greater driving expertise who've already published very insightful reviews. Read mine alongside those and make up your own mind based on your planned car usage and the criteria that matter to you, rather than on the opinion of one random guy on the internet.

For context, I've owned multiple Lotus cars over the last 20+ years. I've recently driven examples of cars I haven't owned, as a basis for some comparisons. Of particular relevance are the Evora GT430 and GT410 Sport (the GT in the US), as the final versions of the car immediately prior to the Emira. I currently own an S1 Exige and an early Evora S, which is a useful ride and handling benchmark as, according to Lotus, the suspension is very similar to the Emira Touring setup. I've driven other sports cars and supercars, but not as recently so not that relevant.

I'm approaching this review primarily from the perspective of comparisons to previous Lotus cars. It's also based on my own car-using scenario and criteria, which is as a fun weekend car for country roads and road trips plus 1-2 track days per year to explore the high speed handling of the car rather than set any records. As I don't drive every day, I'm less concerned about all the latest practicalities. For me a cup holder is an option not a must have!

Another key point to make is I've been close to Project Gamma / Type 131 / Emira for two years and that has had pluses and minuses. I know I've been slightly over-obsessive at times. The car has therefore had a weight of expectations (and a wait of expectations too!). In doing my test drives I've set aside the frustrations of the customer experience and delays - the focus is on the car. I've also concentrated on the driving experience, rather than things you can judge from sitting in a static car or from photos.

Here are my thoughts:

The Emira is a great daily driver sports car - it's a much more complete and well-rounded package than previous Lotus cars, with an eye-catching and coherent external design, decent performance, the Lotus magic in the steering and ride and handling, easier access and everyday practicality, all at a price point that feels like good value for money for what you get (one benchmark is it's about £10k cheaper than a new Evora and with a better-equipped interior).

In this respect, it's "Mission Accomplished" for Lotus, a car that largely fulfills the intended brief (at least for how the car drives - I think we still have to reserve judgement on quality and aftersales). The key point to remember is what that brief was - to broaden the appeal of a Lotus to a wider audience to increase sales volumes and help pave the way for future EVs. That broader appeal has mainly been through improving how it fares as a daily driver.

But (and you knew there was a "but" coming!) along the way some of the driver engagement has been blunted. The Emira isn't as sharp and engaging to drive as a recent Evora. The Emira is a decently quick car and easy to drive at a pace cross-country, you get great feedback from the steering and suspension and it is very competent and driver-flattering. But the chassis and ride and handling and the stability programmes are all so competent that you don't feel you are anywhere near the edge of the envelope at normal road speeds. Even in Sport mode it is very difficult to unsettle, for example with a heavy right foot doing a three-quarters turn off a roundabout. In Track mode you have more latitude, but you've got nothing apart from ABS to help if you get into trouble. There is no halfway setting, like in the Evora. In making the car more usable, accessible and safe for more people, it's not quite as playful. That's good for Lotus but less good for old school Lotus fans like me. It's certainly not "an Evora dialled up to 11" in terms of driver engagement, but it is a car you can drive briskly point to point. It covers ground more rapidly than you expect, achieving this by sure-footed cornering and maintaining momentum, rather than with the drama of "slow in fast out", punchy acceleration and a loud exhaust note. If you only drive on highways and not twisties, you won't appreciate the benefit of this.

My conclusion is the Emira is more #forthedailydrivers and less #forthedrivers. It's a great car and will suit a lot of people who want an interesting, different, daily sports car that is fun and practical for the weekend. It has Lotus ride and handling magic wrapped up in a well-balanced and good value package. You get brilliant steering and handling plus a car that will flatter the driver and generally keep you out of trouble. You don't get so much in the way of "drama", which probably suits the majority of the Emira's target audience. But you do get a dramatic-looking car, and for many people that's exactly the drama they want. It's not the fastest, most powerful or most luxurious sports car. It is a car you can connect with and enjoy driving and being in and going places. For quite a few people it will score highly on the things that matter most to them, but for others it won't.

If you're coming from previous Lotus cars I think you've got a more difficult decision. If you love the handling of an Elise, Exige or Evora and have already accepted the practicality compromises they entail, then the Emira isn't the step forwards in handling and performance you might have wanted. If however, you want something more practical than a previous E-car and are OK with 90% of the previous Lotus driving experience, then the Emira will suit you very nicely.

If you like a fast saloon or hot hatch or track weapon or muscle car then consider carefully that the Emira maybe wasn't targeted at you. Enjoy it for what it is and was designed to be, rather than trying to compare it to cars it's not trying to emulate.

Very balanced view Tom. Coming from both an Evora S1 and Evora400 - I think your succinct analysis mirrors my thoughts and concerns.
I wanted it to be different than the Evora - it is, but not in the way I wanted it to be, I wanted it to be better 11/10 better. It’s different and underwhelming for me. Maybe it’s me wanting it to be a little hardcore - but, Lotus trying to garner a different client base, may have lost their traditional customers or just disappointed them.

It’s a difficult decision I find myself in, I am sure for many customers the car will be great, it looks great - but performance wise it misses the earlier cars dominance. I now understand the earlier magazine reports as I feel they actually nailed it - even though some got slated for penning their thoughts on a negative vein. Lotus aficionados have been upset with this stance, but the car is different and not what was expected. In the words of the year - it is what it is!

 

[Yachtie]

Part 2: the the conventional format of feedback on different aspects of the car

I did 3 Emira test drives:

• Two at Bell & Colvill Lotus Surrey: Nimbus Grey, red leather interior, leather steering wheel, Touring suspension, Goodyear tyres. Driven daytime into dusk (2,000 miles on car so fully run in, using full rev range and Tour, Sport and Track drive modes) and early morning (nearly 3,000 miles but temperatures below freezing so only in Tour drive mode). The test route is all on local roads I know well.
• One at Caffyns Lotus Ashford: Hethel Yellow, alcantara interior and wheel, Sports suspension, Goodyear tyres. Driven in daytime (1,500 miles so no rev restrictions, 3-4 degrees and only Tour and Sport drive modes).

Yes, there are a few annoying or disappointing items, but they are mostly small and out-weighed by considering the whole. As a complete package aimed at a daily driver, it's the best car Lotus has produced so far, which is a great achievement.

But in my opinion it's not the best drivers car they've produced. To get that you have to compromise on practicality and accessibility (and - subjectively - looks) and go into the back catalogue. The potential is there in the Emira f

Thanks for the reviews, with these, Harry's Garage and my test drives it confirms to me I have made a great choice to buy the Emira to compliment the rawness of my Elise!! Can't wait!!

 

[TomAce]

Top-notch review, TomE. Thanks.

How playful/adjustable would you say the Emira is mid-corner? Specifically, the degree to which (if any) it will tuck in (rotate) towards the apex as a result of lifting off the throttle (or applying the throttle for that matter) mid-corner. I am not talking about how it behaves beyond the limits of grip (which from what you have said would be difficult to explore on the public road) but, rather, subtle and satisfying small adjustments to cornering line within the envelope of grip. The Alpine, for instance, will vividly tighten its line in as you lift off mid-corner. The Nissan GT-R will tighten its line when lifting off or (by virtue of its torque vectoring differentials) when applying the throttle. Did you notice the Emira exhibiting any of these satisfying traits? Or is it fairly straight-laced in this respect?

Thanks again.

I know you directly asked TomE, but I also tried to find out during my test drive about this behaviour you described.

I also know the Alpine A110 very well as I have driven it several times. And my first verdict of the A110 was in 2018: It behaves like an Elise, but you can daily it. It's so light on it's feed, you can feel the lightness in all of its moves. Very adjustable mid-corner, lively.

The Emira is much more planted, you can't really unsettle it in that way, at least you don't feel it wanting to move around. A tiny bit maybe. I was driving the Sport suspension on Michelin Cups. It's much more serious / mature in that way. Much more grown-up. Or the limits are so high that you don't want to do this on public roads, because this equals to insane speeds. But it's nevertheless an engaging drive, very hard to describe tbh.

 

[CDM1855]

Does anyone feel that the exhaust sound is a lot quieter compared to the shadow grey car touring demo car. That sounded really good

Or did that only sound louder, because a lot of the videos of it being revved were taken inside ?

 

[donskibeat]

@TomE - Thanks for Part 1 and Part 2 - very interesting read

RE: "On both cars/both materials the seat base was showing some signs of sag in the material after only a few thousand miles." - could this just be that these cars have had a lot of "throughput" with I assume dozens if not hundreds of people sitting in them over the last few weeks/months? Would be interested to hear from those lucky few who have received Emiras as to how the seats are wearing and if it differs depending on whether leather or alcantara.

 

[Leonard]

Thank you for sharing.
Is there a part 3 with Evora comparisons @TomE ??
I definitely share most of your thoughts on the Emira but nice to have them reaffirmed by someone with some Lotus history. Although I thought the steering was other worldly, as an overall package it didn't excite me like I hoped a Lotus would.
I am very interested to hear your thoughts in regards to the GT410 and GT430 however as both are still very much a consideration (and due to the weather I keep missing test drives...)

 

[Nova]

Thanks for the review, Tom. Sounds like the perfect car for me. I appreciate the detailed analysis and contextual comparisons.

 

[Mac71]

I know you directly asked TomE, but I also tried to find out during my test drive about this behaviour you described.

I also know the Alpine A110 very well as I have driven it several times. And my first verdict of the A110 was in 2018: It behaves like an Elise, but you can daily it. It's so light on it's feed, you can feel the lightness in all of its moves. Very adjustable mid-corner, lively.

The Emira is much more planted, you can't really unsettle it in that way, at least you don't feel it wanting to move around. A tiny bit maybe. I was driving the Sport suspension on Michelin Cups. It's much more serious / mature in that way. Much more grown-up. Or the limits are so high that you don't want to do this on public roads, because this equals to insane speeds. But it's nevertheless an engaging drive, very hard to describe tbh.

Thanks for that input, TomAce. Very helpful.

 

[Evotion]

Exactly as I expected @TomE to write. All of it is completely logical and it is a tough decision as a previous Lotus owner.

I do think that those with an existing Lotus AND a sensible family car really will not see the point in getting the Emira as well. Also, the Emira is no replacement for any Lotus. It is a standalone, new, car.

 

[TomE]

Exactly as I expected @TomE to write. All of it is completely logical and it is a tough decision as a previous Lotus owner.

I do think that those with an existing Lotus AND a sensible family car really will not see the point in getting the Emira as well. Also, the Emira is no replacement for any Lotus. It is a standalone, new, car.

Thanks Ade. Your speculative guess a few days ago was pretty accurate, but then you know me well!

I do think the Emira is a viable replacement for an existing Lotus if (a) you’ve outgrown the more hardcore aspects or (b) you compromised on practicality to get one because of the driving experience. With the Emira you get 90% of the drive and a lot more of the rest of the package. I outgrew my Elise and got an Evora when they first came out - just what I needed with two young children. I then got an Exige when my kids were grown up.

 

[Pugwash]

Exactly as I expected @TomE to write. All of it is completely logical and it is a tough decision as a previous Lotus owner.

I do think that those with an existing Lotus AND a sensible family car really will not see the point in getting the Emira as well. Also, the Emira is no replacement for any Lotus. It is a standalone, new, car.

Not sure what Tom plans to do but I absolutely saw the Emira as a replacement for my Evora, which is why I sold it last year. To your other point I do have other Lotus and a “family” SUV / car.

I think the point you are making, which I agree with, is that everyone on here has their own use case for a car, whether it’s looks, performance, trackability, whether we are privileged enough to have access to other cars etc and we all have to make our own decisions based on that.

 

[GetawayDriving]

Thanks Ade. Your speculative guess a few days ago was pretty accurate, but then you know me well!

I do think the Emira is a viable replacement for an existing Lotus if (a) you’ve outgrown the more hardcore aspects or (b) you compromised on practicality to get one because of the driving experience. With the Emira you get 90% of the drive and a lot more of the rest of the package. I outgrew my Elise and got an Evora when they first came out - just what I needed with two young children. I then got an Exige when my kids were grown up.

The way I read it, 90% of the experience is pretty impressive considering the added luxuries, and meeting new regulations to sell in all markets.

A remap and a little more noise could easily bring that 90% up to something closer (but short of) 100 and you're left with giving up single-digit amount for double-digit improvements in styling and interior.

I'd like to have the full 100%, but the warranty is also important to me, for now. So if I can eventually get to 96% with some add-ons, I'm feeling pretty good about the purchase.

 

[TomE]

OK folks, chill for a bit. Discussion has strayed off topic into discussions about alternative cars, cancellations, modifications etc. It's OK to debate these things, but on the relevant threads and not here where we focus on the test drives.

Locking this thread while we pause for a while. I'll come back later tonight to move and delete some posts. Please go and discuss things on other threads and try to stay on topic! The I'm out (cancellations) thread and production issues thread are also straying off topic and I'll try to do some pruning on those later too. Thanks for your help - moderating takes several hours a day when we have a lot of tangents.

 

[Pegasi]

It's hard to follow up TomE's review. Jeez! So instead I am offering my stream of consciousness during the test drive.

My review is not based on what cars I have driven in the past, which isn't many, but more of my view that all sports cars are awesome in their own way. I am not a Lotus fanboy I am a sports car fan boy.

TEST DRIVE: I happened to have a very good test drive seemingly compared to others. We took curvy roads, had long straights for WOT, and traffic to move through. I was't driving through the curvy section but we were moving and it solidified the new term I just learned a couple of months ago, momentum car, which I understand as a car with more grip with than power. Right after my test drive I immediately drove the same route in my STI. The difference was remarkable, made my STI feel like a mini van. I just drove the Tail of the Dragon in the STI last month. I simply cannot imagine the Emira on that road. ALERT, to all those owners in the southeast USA, you must take your Emira to the Tail of the Dragon. The first part of my test drive mimicked the tight turns of that road. Simply put, there are horses for courses.

As soon as I got into the car the rep challenged me not to up shift a lot after hard acceleration. He demonstrated this through the turns. He simply said in 2nd and 3rd gear just lift your foot off the throttle and this powertrain will not jerk or make coming off the throttle an uncomfortable experience. So after retraining my brain and couple of reminders from my rep I kept the thing in 2nd or 3rd and flowed throw the test drive at high RPM. It was smooth. I don't know how significant this is but I wanted to share things I had not seen posted on the forum before.

When I got into the car I had long sweeping turns. I was running in 2nd and 3rd gear. On WOT in such a small car it was a lot going on for me. I am not able to discern transmission noise, supercharger noise, exhaust under WOT. In time of course I will, but being a test drive I could only focus on the road. but I loved all the fuss the car makes when pushed. Visibility was remarkable. Becker points, spot on. I am claustrophobic and don't like small spaces. However I felt none of this due to the visibility. I could daily this whip!

I watched about 6 test drives take off before mine. The gurgle, slight pop, and howl of that exhaust at low speeds IMO is perfect. Not obnoxious but enough to signal this ain't just another car.

Interior:
Less is more for me and the interior was perfect. The middle screen was bright. We ran Android auto when I drove. Quite frankly the exposed linkage is enough for me, I love that.

Steering wheel was much smaller than I expected. In the pictures it looks huge but it's tiny to me and a non-factor.

I guess I was expecting the shift knob to be closer to the steering wheel and maybe it is but it didn't seem to make my shifting experience any different than my STI in terms of going from steering wheel to shift knob.

That carpet area inside the sill plate of the doors is ridiculous. Am I missing something here? That needs to be bare aluminum or something. IMO I think the interior would look incredible with a bare aluminum section here. And is this area functional, won't it just get more and more dirt over time and look like a worn car mat?

Exterior:
I drove Hethel Yellow. I have a deposit down on a GT4 too and there happened to be one at the dealership 20 feet from the Emira. When I looked at both together the GT4 (remember I am a sports car fan boy!) seemed plain. Furthermore, someone else was looking at it too and I asked them their opinion and they said it looked good but looked "everyday." Whoa, what a term to use. I don't really think that car at 120K or 130K is for me regardless of how it drives. Considering pulling my deposit and going Supra. Again, I am in multiple buckets just waiting for an allocation somewhere then I will decide. The back of the Emira is my least favorite part but it's growing on me. The front view and side view is 2nd to none.

Commonly Discussed Items:
I sat in the seat ready to critic it but in seconds found it was a non issue.
Had the rep crank the stereo. Very loud. His song didn't have bass so no chance to comment.
Clutch was fine, I never stalled.
Shifter was very very analog. It almost felt like what my mind thinks a gated shifter would feel like. Very unique for me. That is the thing I look forward to the most when I get my car, that shifter. That pretty much kills the I4 for me.

In conclusion:
I had said all along, I woudn't mind having an Evora GT (which I tracked) instead of an Emira. That has changed, don't want the Evora GT anymore. I just appreciated the Emira interior/exterior too much. I love the digital gauge. It will be my first car with a digital gauge and I like different stuff. I am very excited to get the car and if for some reason I can't, I think I will just pick up one of these little rides instead. Lol, yeah right

 

[DaaS]

Thanks for sharing your review. Glad you liked the Emira (we had the same rep). Supra is a fun car, but not in the same league as Evora/Emira when it comes to driver involvement. Looks wise... I feel similarly about GT4, heck even GT4RS, but I totally respect them for what they are.

For me, a momentum car is a Miata, BRZ, 86. Since they don't have much hp, you don't brake as much going into a turn and maintain your speed/momentum. I can see how Emira can be (sort of) a momentum car because it has a lot of grip and linear power delivery.

 

[Pegasi]

Thanks for sharing your review. Glad you liked the Emira (we had the same rep). Supra is a fun car, but not in the same league as Evora/Emira when it comes to driver involvement. Looks wise... I feel similarly about GT4, heck even GT4RS, but I totally respect them for what they are.

For me, a momentum car is a Miata, BRZ, 86. Since they don't have much hp, you don't brake as much going into a turn and maintain your speed/momentum. I can see how Emira can be (sort of) a momentum car because it has a lot of grip and linear power delivery.

If I don't get a Emira or GT4 and can't find an Evora GT (would only consider if I couldn't get an Emira) that will be it for mid engined cars. My next choice I think is Supra. I think I appreciate the styling of the Emira and hence that told me to reconsider the over styled Supra. Remember, I have had an STI to soften me up. STI to Supra is not a big leap.

Also, I felt the brakes on the car were very very sensitive. I never really got them. Maybe I was nervous like a kid in the candy store. Overall the chassis was superb. I felt the Evora Lotus feel immediately. The car floats like a snowboard and carves like a ski simultaneously. Or is that float like a butterfly and sting like a bee.

 

[VL3X]

I've been considering the same exact cars.. Years ago I was saving for a 981 GT4 and as I was ready to buy, the Emira was unveiled and I fell in love. Since then I've driven multiple GT4s and Caymans (both turbo 4 and flat 6s), but they honestly didn't excite me. They turn no heads and although the 6 sounds better, the turbo 4 manual was more fun IMO. They really open up with tunes too! But none of that matters now, because my sights have been set on the Emira and my multiple test drives confirmed it.

I've also been considering a Supra lately. If my FE gets delayed again to something like late 2023/early 2024 (I spec ordered last April), I've decided I'll cancel my order and give Lotus time to improve both their production quality and customer comms. My plan was to keep my GTI as a fun reliable daily and have the Emira as a weekend toy. But if another delay happens, I'm selling my GTI and ordering a 4Runner and Supra then hopefully getting an Emira GT (or whatever they decide to name the carbon optioned ~430-450HP version) in bespoke Verde Ithaca or Napier Green.

 

[TomE]

Top-notch review, TomE. Thanks.

How playful/adjustable would you say the Emira is mid-corner? Specifically, the degree to which (if any) it will tuck in (rotate) towards the apex as a result of lifting off the throttle (or applying the throttle for that matter) mid-corner. I am not talking about how it behaves beyond the limits of grip (which from what you have said would be difficult to explore on the public road) but, rather, subtle and satisfying small adjustments to cornering line within the envelope of grip. The Alpine, for instance, will vividly tighten its line in as you lift off mid-corner. The Nissan GT-R will tighten its line when lifting off or (by virtue of its torque vectoring differentials) when applying the throttle. Did you notice the Emira exhibiting any of these satisfying traits? Or is it fairly straight-laced in this respect?

Thanks again.

I know you directly asked TomE, but I also tried to find out during my test drive about this behaviour you described.

I also know the Alpine A110 very well as I have driven it several times. And my first verdict of the A110 was in 2018: It behaves like an Elise, but you can daily it. It's so light on it's feed, you can feel the lightness in all of its moves. Very adjustable mid-corner, lively.

The Emira is much more planted, you can't really unsettle it in that way, at least you don't feel it wanting to move around. A tiny bit maybe. I was driving the Sport suspension on Michelin Cups. It's much more serious / mature in that way. Much more grown-up. Or the limits are so high that you don't want to do this on public roads, because this equals to insane speeds. But it's nevertheless an engaging drive, very hard to describe tbh.

I echo what TomAce has said about the Emira feeling very planted and difficult to unsettle.

I didn't specifically try lifting off mid corner but did try heavy throttle while going round roundabouts and found it very difficult to get the back end to break away. This was in both Tour and Sport drive modes and with both Touring and Sports suspensions. Bear in mind there are only subtle differences in the TC/ESP settings between Tour and Sport modes on the Emira, unlike the Evora. In Tour the ESP retards the throttle if it senses understeer, so in effect you are understeer-limited. In theory per the handbook and specs it doesn't retard as much in Sport, but it seemed virtually identical and this was confirmed by both dealers I tested with.

In the Evora it allows a certain degree of yaw in Sport before the ESP intervenes, so you can get the back to step out more easily. I'm guessing they've dialled this out on the Emira so people unfamiliar with RWD sportscars aren't phased by it or react by suddenly lifting off.

I only had a few minutes in Track mode, which has the ESP further dialled down, and this had a bit more playfulness but still very planted. We've seen a few videos of Gav Kershaw sliding the Emira round Hethel, which I suspect was with Drive mode set to Off rather than Track. Several of the press reviewers commented how tricky it was to get into a showboating slide and I think the press cars had Track and Off disabled.