Hi.
I am new to the forum and I thought I would post my thoughts on my test drive last week at Lotus in Bristol.
Fortunately, the car was specified mechanically the same as my order, namely: V6 manual with touring suspension.
The test route was not long enough or varied enough for me to comment much about the ride, handling, and steering. However, my gut feeling says that the car will prove to be very good in all of these respects.
Performance: as others have mentioned it is not dramatic and perhaps it is not quite as good as the power to weight would suggest it should be. That said the engine was very new and I suspect it will loosen up and perform better over time. In any event, it would not be a deal breaker for me because, on the twisties, I am sure it would prove to be more than enough. Moreover, you would be using more of the power more of the time (compared to something with genuine high performance) and that brings its own satisfaction and reward. The engine developed very linear power with a nice (albeit not exceptional) V6 engine note enhanced by supercharger whine for added interest.
Great exterior styling (although no better in the flesh than in photos in my opinion).
Really attractive and well-made interior (even better than I was expecting). The test car had a red leather interior which complimented the Nimbus grey paintwork and red brake calipers nicely. The steering wheel was in leather and I thought it was great. The driving position was good and the seats were comfortable although I did find the headrest (which seemed to be semi-spherical and bulbous) to be oddly uncomfortable compared to the flatter items that I am used to.
The gear change seemed precise and nice to use but slow - just as reported.
As others have mentioned I found the brakes a bit grabby and as such, they didn’t provide an ideal platform for heal and toe-down change. That said the salesman suggested this would improve when the brakes bedded in and, in any case, I am sure I would get used to them.
Overall It came across as a friendly, warm, characterful, and unintimidating sort of sports car. I felt good being in it and it put a smile on my face (for whatever it may be worth a very comparable product from Germany I tested recently as a benchmark failed to achieve this). I hope and suspect that it will prove to have a very well-judged blend of performance, ride, and handling that will be ideally suited to our less than perfect British roads.
Notes on second test drive at Bell and Colvill, Surrey
Following my first test drive at Bristol (which I didn’t find all that informative because of their choice of test route – see write-up above) at TomE’s suggestion I recently took a second test drive at Bell and Colvill in Surrey.
The Surrey car was very similar in spec to the Bristol car, namely: manual ‘box, touring suspension, Goodyear tyres, Nimbus grey paint with red leather interior, and leather steering wheel. This matches the mechanical spec of the car I have on order.
The interior felt immediately comfortable, inviting, and high quality with no obvious signs of wear and tear (despite being subjected to up to 6 test drives per day and over 3000 miles under its belt).
Steering feel: excellent.
Gear change and brakes: Clutch engagement easy, gear change lovely and precise (but a little ponderous - as also noted on the Bristol test). Brakes were just as strong but grabby in the well-used Surrey car as they were in the (then) very new Bristol car. Sadly the grabby brakes made heel and toe difficult during both test drives but I am sure I would get used to them over time. No problems for me with the shape, size, or positioning of any of the major controls.
Mid-corner handling: it was a wet day and the route included narrow country lanes with traffic on and so the opportunity to properly get a feel for handling did not really present itself. Nonetheless, I noticed the car did tuck in mid-corner in response to lifting off the throttle - but only slightly. When I applied the throttle mid-corner I noticed a small amount of understeer (but bear in mind the conditions were wet). So, from what I can tell, the car doesn’t seem to be set up to reward mid-corner frolics. Instead, I think it is set up to be relatively easy and safe to drive fast.
Bumpy road ride. Again the wet weather conditions along with a lack of familiarity (of the car and the area) conspired against properly testing this. Nonetheless, the route definitely included some gnarly roads and the car rode reasonably well at modest speeds over the bumps. However, at higher speeds, the damping seemed to come into its own and I believe I experienced the car almost floating over the bumps which was amazing and just what I was hoping for from the touring suspension setup.
Power. I took it to the rev limiter in 3rd gear and the power delivery felt exactly the same as the Bristol car. I was hoping to find that the Surrey car (with over 3000 miles on it) would feel stronger compared to the almost box-fresh example at Bristol. But it didn’t seem to. Not that it matters much to me. To me, the car feels fast enough for spirited road use as it is. I enjoyed the sound of the Surrey car engine more than I remember enjoying the Bristol car engine (and maybe that is to do with the Surrey car having more miles on its clock but equally it could just be my memory playing tricks).
Character and feel-good factor. Both Surrey and Bristol cars put a smile on my face and made me feel good. This is doubtless to do with the looks and the quality of the interior but I think it might also have something to do with the car being handmade – it has a certain specialness and charm that other ostensibly similar cars just don’t seem to quite have.
Should I proceed with a purchase (and despite the positivity of this review this is not quite a given), I might be tempted to take my car to somewhere like Litchfield to get them to make the mid-corner handling a little less prescriptive, attend to the grabby brakes and, if they can, make the engine a little more effervescent. But even as it is I continue to think it is a lovely, lovely thing. Overall I would give it 8/10 with the potential to be 9 or even 10/10 with some relatively minor tweaks.
My thanks go to Antonia and the staff at Bell and Colvill for all their help and advice.
