The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[AP1]

Similar background to you. Started with tweaking B series Honda motors and moved on up. Doesn't the S2k have a digital speedo as well? I also prefer analog (or at least analog style digital gauges), but the Emira digital display didn't bother me. Something I could easily get used to. Maybe there will be updates and more options in the future. Seats and steering wheel felt good to me, but I'd prefer more agressive seats like the GT's Sparco sourced buckets. Anyway, thanks for your review/feedback. Wish we got longer/better test drives!

Correct the s2k does have a digital dash but comparing it to the Emira it’s very different. The s2k dash for it’s time was pretty advanced but it’s beyond dated in todays world, yet it fits that car perfectly IMO. It’s just a display with fixed numbers/displays that has bars for readings. I did not mess with the Emira dash display at all. I would not be surprised if different templates became available with a more in your face approach or something. The GT Sparcos are definitely more aggressive and while preferred by me I would guess majority would prefer the multi adjustment less aggressive Emira seat. The steering wheel could be something I got used to. I was told the alcantara wheel had less girth. Overall I was impressed though I will say.

 

[BeHappy]

This is a fairly common issue on Evoras and V6 Exiges. As well as the gearbox shaft assembly, there is a throwout bearing that can have slightly too much play and cause a noticeable agricultural sound at low revs in 1st and 2nd gear. My Evora S has done it since day one and I was concerned it was a sign of a possible future gearbox or clutch problem. My dealer had someone from Lotus Field Service inspect the car and they also used "it's a characteristic" and "within acceptable limits" and "they all do that". Over 11 years it hasn't worsened but is still annoying.

Definitely something I had hoped Lotus would have sorted after 12 years and already on my list to check closely on a test drive.

So Tom if your Emira does this will you reject ? But can it be corrected ? don’t think I’d be happy with this on a brand new car - I mean we are Year 2022

 

[VL3X]

I mean we are Year 2022

Agreed, but all V6 buyers know this powertrain is ~20 years old. I'd hope Lotus would fix the throw out bearing rattle too, but if they didn't for the gen Evora GTs, I doubt there's anything they could (or would) do to fix it with the Emira.

 

[HeReigns]

Went for a test drive earlier today and wanted to share my opinion, with a few possibly biased comparisons to the Evora GT. I started buying/selling/modifying cars 17 years ago (34 now) mainly dealt with Honda s2000 and k20/24 platforms. Have owned a variety of cars mainly pre 05. Have driven more modern cars m2 981 S R35 etc. I purchased a Evora GT earlier this year and words can’t really describe how happy I find myself every time I go for a drive.

Sport suspension
Cup2s
Shadow Grey

Car looked good overall. Color didn’t do it much justice I felt but that’s my personal opinion. I will say the wheel gap is much more noticeable than I thought it would be (even compared to the Evora GT) I feel the car will really stand out on the road though. Definitely has a unique and special look to it.

Interior was much more advanced and current in comparisons to the GT. Everything in the interior felt modern. It has a very practical center console with cup holders. I really feel this interior will allow the car to be daily driven in warm climates etc. Pedal box felt the same as the Evora. I noticed the seats had particularly low bolsters and didn’t have that locked into place feel. Still comfortable and I will say I did not mess with the many available settings other than a few to adjust the seat quickly. Steering wheel was all leather. I honestly wasn’t a fan of it. This is something that could take getting used to. The dash and display screens along with the misc buttons toggles etc will suit many I feel. I think your typical buyer is going to want all of this in a new car at this price point. Lotus did a great job of providing all of these features. As stated above I’m coming from mainly driving and owning older vehicles. I love analogue gauges. I love pressing a button and feeling it engage. The Emira dash didn’t do it for me. I felt as if I were looking at the dash on a different car. I will be the minority in this situation. I’m again not used to modern displays etc.

The drive was just a quick 15min loop. Clutch felt a bit lighter than the GT. I think this will be a helpful selling point. Engagement point felt similar to the GT possibly less aggressive engagement. What surprised me was the sound. You definitely heard the whine of the SC over the exhaust note while accelerating. This will be a quick easy fix for anyone looking for the car to be louder I’m sure. Shift mechanism felt similar to the GT but I did notice that going into 4th/5th possibly felt smoother less engagement. I love the feel of the GT. It’s precise and each shift gives you satisfaction. I feel with the Emira they went the same route while possibly making the higher gears easier to engage etc. I could be entirely wrong about this as well but either way it felt great and similar to the GT. Acceleration felt good and similar to the GT. I wasn’t pushing the car hard at all but buyers need to realize these are not straight line fast cars. They are quick and plenty of fun in a straight line but we all know where they shine. My GT is a blast in the canyons. I imagine the Emira will be the same. The Emira felt planted and definitely gave you that connected to the road feel. The sport suspension felt similar to the GT though I did not really push the car hard. Ride felt good though overall. I read in other reviews that the brakes were touchy. I was expecting the same as the GT brakes but was surprised when they were noticeably touchy at low speeds. This is something I think you can quickly get used to as the car is easy to drive at a low rate of speed in 1st gear. The biggest advancement for in cabin upgrades was overall visibility. Side mirrors on the Emira are great and the rear hatch has plenty of visibility. This will be great for those daily driving the car or using it as a touring car. Cabin noise was low and definitely quieter than the GT no wind noises etc. The Emira feels driver focused but the dash display screen, steering wheel, and seats didn’t feel right while driving the car. Something just felt off. The dash wasn’t pleasant to look at IMO. This is again coming from someone who has owned dated cars and prefers your typical analogue dash display.

I’m one of the few buyers that the GT is geared towards. If it weren’t for the Emira I would have never test drove one to later that day owning it. The Emira will fit more needs. It will be a more widely accepted car I feel. The retired couple who wants a great touring car that isn’t a corvette. The commuter in a warm climate who wants something nice to drive as a daily or a secondary car. A second car to enjoy on the weekends and bring to local car shows.

I will likely end up not following through with my Emira purchase. After purchasing the GT I had a strong feeling this would be the case but after the test drive nothing pushed me away from the GT. Owners will be happy I feel. Anyone who is unsure will know after a test drive if this is the car for you or not.

Thank you for the review! I love the test drive I had in the Evora Gt. In your opinion do you feel the Emira with an exhaust modification could be close to 90% of the Evora Gt experience? Or are they a little too different to really compare in that regard.

 

[d15b7]

Just a data point - during my test drive (which was mostly slower speeds and some stop and go in lower gears) I heard zero gear rattle. And I know what it sounds like (I own an original 9k mile 1990 Corvette ZR-1; those are famous for loud transmission rattle (which goes away the instant you put pressure on the clutch pedal), so I totally know what it sounds like! My ZR-1 rattles away like crazy at idle in neutral, or crawling in 1st gear). No gear rattle in the Emira that I drove.

 

[AP1]

Agreed, but all V6 buyers know this powertrain is ~20 years old. I'd hope Lotus would fix the throw out bearing rattle too, but if they didn't for the gen Evora GTs, I doubt there's anything they could (or would) do to fix it with the Emira.

I will say I didn’t notice it to be as audible as my GT in 1st gear. I wasn’t listening for it tbh though. I read a thorough review on a GT that pointed it out before buying the car so I wasn’t surprised when I first noticed. It doesn’t bother me but I also don’t drive the car in a lot of stop and go situations.

 

[AP1]

Thank you for the review! I love the test drive I had in the Evora Gt. In your opinion do you feel the Emira with an exhaust modification could be close to 90% of the Evora Gt experience? Or are they a little too different to really compare in that regard.

No problem at all. I will say I fell in love with the GT when first test driving it. I honestly feel The seats, steering wheel, and dash display were things that made the Emira feel different. I do think an exhaust mod will definitely help with those looking for a more exotic sound. I wish I had more time in the Emira. Driving experience was great overall I feel I was just critical on things that stood out to me.

 

[TomE]

So Tom if your Emira does this will you reject ? But can it be corrected ? don’t think I’d be happy with this on a brand new car - I mean we are Year 2022

Potentially yes if it's significant, as it's a lot of work to fix it and I doubt Lotus will do it under warranty based on past experience. It's been reported on some Emira demos and not on others, which is a similar random variation as seen between Evoras and hence a worry about build repeatability. Let's wait and see if it's reported on any of the UK demo cars.

 

[First Lotus]

I have a drive scheduled next week at Gator, looking forward to it. But my biggest concern is the video game or "See, I'm just like Lewis Hamilton" -inspired instrument panel.

I am an old guy, and want clear, simple, round tach and speedo. They could be digital representations of round gauges, that would work.

And since I'm not getting the DCT version, why would I want a huge digital readout telling me what gear I am in? I already know what gear I'm in.
.
View attachment 10163

Such a valid point... Where you have just pushed the stick should give you a pretty good gauge of what gear your in! What a waste of a very prominent area of the display. A nice round tach showing the red line (which we all know we will bounce off a few times!) will be much better!

 

[Italiabrain]

My test drive thoughts:

Magma 6MT, Michelins, reportedly sport suspension but my testdrive companion wasn't 100%

Exterior:
9/10
-Paint looked really good
-Wheel gap is fine in person. Would look better lower, but major functional trade offs for me without a front-end lift on offer
-Rear angle and 3/4 look better in person, something about the rear bumper openings doesn't come across great in 2D
-The hood seal is godawful itself, but doesn't remotely ruin the front of the car. Still hoping for removable with minor wind noise penalty here. In person it looks like it is emphasizing what would otherwise be an okay gap size. The one on my demo was uneven and wavy to add insult to injury.
-The hips on this thing look awesome in person... could almost support saddle bags if you ran out of storage space!

Interior:
8/10
-Comes across as generally high quality
-Materials felt good
-Switchgear borrowed from Lotus/Geely appears to be a general positive
-Didn't trial the KEF at all, sorry -- open window driving was the ticket here
-Speakers, covers, and infotainment visually looked better than expected, the bezel on the center screen was a gripe for me in pictures, but didn't bother me in person. That might be because of the poor brightness/contrast/color content on the center screen making it less apparent.
-Not a big fan of the driver-side screen, slightly washed out, not a lot of visual appeal. I'm also not a fan of the non-linear RPM grading represented on a linear scale. Lots of cars handle this better by having a kind of sideways hockey stick kind of representation where "the part that doesn't matter" is more vertical on the left side and then it levels off and the horizontal part is linear. It's strange to me to do both the linear visual with the uneven numbering in track mode
-Zero interior rattles or groans for me
-Good overall noise isolation with the windows briefly up
-Small amount of non-buffeting wind noise and muted road noise from the rear of the cabin / rear window area. I would describe it as very similar to driving a normal sedan with the rear seat folded down. Was totally fine for me.
-I don't like the first edition placard, I would prefer not at all, but it wasn't intrusive in a brief test drive
-Plenty of interior space for 2. I'm a fatty and my sales guy was on the taller end. We both fit fine and we weren't shoulder to shoulder
-Steering wheel: I liked the grip on the perforated leather, the shape took me zero effort/experience to get used to
-Pedal box on LHD: I actually liked it more than a typical arrangement. It took me feeling around with my right foot for maybe 3 seconds to get used to it. It didn't actually result in a turned driving position for me. If you think about cruising your right foot is on the gas and your left foot is to the left of the clutch and neither of those pedals have moved from the typical layout. Same for normal driving/shifting the left and right are both in their normal position. The only difference for me was less movement of the right foot when transitioning from gas to brake, which I actually liked. (Size 10, wearing tennis shoes)
-Noticeably little cross buffeting with both windows open. I'm overdue for a haircut and going double the speed limit on surface roads didn't even ruffle my hair. Maybe I just didn't consider it with the shape of the car vs current sedan, but major upside to driving with the windows down whenever weather permits.

Steering - 10/10. Communicative with just enough damping to not be jittery. Good input resistance, not overboosted. Good wheel grip, turn in, etc. Slightly notable heaviness at very low speeds, which I prefer.
Handling - (With the caveat that I'm not 100% I was on a sport suspension). Felt flat from inside. My sales guy actually encouraged spirited driving and I pushed it hard enough in an empty roundabout to get some mild understeer that neutralized very easily (sport mode, might have been some ESC magic there, they didn't want it in track for test drives per the Lotus guy). Not remotely too harsh over small bumps on good pavement. I'm currently dailying a 2019 M5c and the BMW rides rougher in sport mode

Transmission / clutch - 9/10. It was just "notchy" for me. I did not get the impression that it was overly sensitive to quick shifting and I didn't have any problem landing a hard 2/3 shift on my first try.
Clutch engagement was relatively high in the travel, as seems to be pretty standard

Power:
5/10 for overall power. If they offered this in a 500+ state of tune with a warranty I'd pay a healthy markup for it, but it's unlikely to ever come in the V6 and the manual is absolutely mandatory for me
3/10 for power delivery. This is the thing that I view as the biggest negative
-Little torque on the low end (expected, essentially non-issue)
-No apparent squat, linear power build, (and good interior isolation with windows closed) diminish the sense/drama of speed even if they're good on their own
-The high end being cut off creates a very strange sensation to me. I've driven a couple commuter cars that really gasp for air by redline and feel like they fall on their face. Then there's a natural-feeling of "rounding off" of power that I'm used to that's almost a separate indication of time to shift without that total fall-flat sensation. This does neither and feels like you're at redline when there's still more to give. I didn't actually hit the gas cutoff or have a ton of time to play with it, but it simultaneously felt like you had to rev it out for power and that it prevented you from revving it all the way out.
-I want to be clear that it isn't slow, it puts on MPH faster than it feels like it is doing. But the acceleration is not impressive, is not on par with the rest of the car, and doesn't feel as fast as it could for the power/weight.
-I don't care how old the engine is, it's tech level, or its sourcing. I do care that it's not up to par with the rest of the car. It doesn't have the drama of revving to the moon or the low end punch of making max torque by 2000 RPM, but it does sound good -- it's got that going for it.
-Ultimately I suspect keeping the manual meant keeping the engine for Lotus, which is a little unfortunate
-This might be the first car where the tune ends up being worth the risk for me, even in-warranty if one is available by then, especially if it can safely raise the redline


Hood seal:

Hips wider than mirrors from the rear and prompting the saddle bags comment:

 

[~el~jefe~]

I dont think most people understand this car.

I drove it today, drove it hard and smooth, both on my short demo trip.

It is meant for road racing. Everything about it screams REAL speed vs stupid speed and chattering wheels. I have actually road raced cars, i never have been to a track. This is a beast on crap roads and with stupid modern drivers. It sticks to the ground on huge bumps, gravel, anything, concrete, and like glue on nice asphalt. I have driven a lot of faster types of cars but this was a hardcore experience.


Interior has slightly nicer leather than Porsche by a hair but it was noticeable to me. I have ultimate proof of this. I just received a new fully leather on all surface option 718 Boxster T TODAY. was weirdo timing. It is clear that they decided to put much more default leather on the thing than Porsche would. And it all feels sooo nice.

Pedals are like a Ferrari. Ferraris are cool. It took like 1.5 minutes to get used to their proximity to one another and that is with doc marten's boots on. Please dont whine about the pedals. It's the thing for this car, part of the uniqueness. I drove it quicker and inputs quicker, learning curve was 4 minutes. My ND2 MX-5 RF mazda learning curve was 1.5 years. Not joking. I drove the Emira instantly perfectly. F***ing awesome.

I truly feel this is not the car for everyone. At the test drive today, it took my 8 minutes to get comfy and then complete the test drive. Everyone else was like 18-19 minutes. People really dont know how to drive. Sucks.

The car wraps around me, feels sleek and smooth and good isolation with windows up. Windows down it is really really a pretty experience. Most cars that is just a dull annoying experience. Windows down is the way to go, nice flow of air and something about the acoustics and stuff, not even the engine. was an artistic and singular creation of a car.

The outside is pretty. All of the colors work. It does not matter. Seneca Blue / Seneca Blue I hypothetically ordered with a chalk leather interior is going to look NUTS.

Get a yellow one please if you like yellow. that will look hot. All yellow, no black pack, do it.

 

[kitkat]

I dont think most people understand this car.

I drove it today, drove it hard and smooth, both on my short demo trip.

It is meant for road racing. Everything about it screams REAL speed vs stupid speed and chattering wheels. I have actually road raced cars, i never have been to a track. This is a beast on crap roads and with stupid modern drivers. It sticks to the ground on huge bumps, gravel, anything, concrete, and like glue on nice asphalt. I have driven a lot of faster types of cars but this was a hardcore experience.


Interior has slightly nicer leather than Porsche by a hair but it was noticeable to me. I have ultimate proof of this. I just received a new fully leather on all surface option 718 Boxster T TODAY. was weirdo timing. It is clear that they decided to put much more default leather on the thing than Porsche would. And it all feels sooo nice.

Pedals are like a Ferrari. Ferraris are cool. It took like 1.5 minutes to get used to their proximity to one another and that is with doc marten's boots on. Please dont whine about the pedals. It's the thing for this car, part of the uniqueness. I drove it quicker and inputs quicker, learning curve was 4 minutes. My ND2 MX-5 RF mazda learning curve was 1.5 years. Not joking. I drove the Emira instantly perfectly. F***ing awesome.

I truly feel this is not the car for everyone. At the test drive today, it took my 8 minutes to get comfy and then complete the test drive. Everyone else was like 18-19 minutes. People really dont know how to drive. Sucks.

The car wraps around me, feels sleek and smooth and good isolation with windows up. Windows down it is really really a pretty experience. Most cars that is just a dull annoying experience. Windows down is the way to go, nice flow of air and something about the acoustics and stuff, not even the engine. was an artistic and singular creation of a car.

The outside is pretty. All of the colors work. It does not matter. Seneca Blue / Seneca Blue I hypothetically ordered with a chalk leather interior is going to look NUTS.

Get a yellow one please if you like yellow. that will look hot. All yellow, no black pack, do it.

The car can mean different things for different people.

 

[christophermalex]

Had my test drive today. In short, great to have some one-on-one time with the car without 1,000 other people pawing all over it but it was a bit like getting to high-five a super model that you’ve been secretly engaged to.

I’m sure it’s a great car to let loose with but five minutes and a few blocks of LA driving do not give you any idea of whether or not this is the “must have” car we all want it to be.

The interior screens, interface, etc all seemed more refined than expected. The car felt bigger and more mature than it appears in photos.

Ultimately I left wanting track time once the i4 comes available because I already have the manual, rear engine V6 with 355hp just wearing the Porsche badge.

Got some good photos though.

 

[vantage]

Had a quick drive in the same yellow car as Chris. If below is TL;DR then just read his post.

Logistics:
- dealer was running 45-60 minutes behind schedule due to awful LA traffic (this limited usefulness of the drive because we had to avoid the planned route), but I appreciate the dealer helping to expedite things and the Lotus USA rep not taking any meaningful breaks to move things along as well

- drove my 2016 GT4 to the dealer as a basis for comparison

PROS:
- suspension (Sport + Cup2) is wonderful. Very comfortable on the roads I drove. Seems to have a nice bit of initial travel to soak up small jitters in the road and was very well-damped. Definitely rides better and is much less bouncy than the GT4 or even GT3. A slight downside of this is that there is a bit more initial movement in the suspension when you first turn in, but it takes a set and doesn't feel sloppy whatsoever. Typical Lotus approach.

- Steering has good feel and an old-school sensation to it. I would say Porsche GT steering is just as precise (if not moreso immediately off center), just less feedback

- I found the interior quite functional, though quality is perhaps just a notch below Porsche, but no issue overall. Kinda missed analog gauges, but Lotus has never done analog gauges that well, so I'm fine with the digital dash. Minor quibble is that in underpasses, lights turned on and screen dimmed too low to see well.

- Definitely an exotic feel to this car. Sitting in the driver seat, you get the sense the canopy narrows as it sweeps above you and to the back, giving it a fighter jet-type feeling.


CONS:
- Biggest one for me -- I did not like the gearbox overall. Lotus did a nice job of making the shifter short throw with nice precision, but the gearbox isn't that pleasurable to use for me. You can't rush it and if you are deliberately a bit slower and precise, it works just fine. It just lacks some slickness that Porsche has IMO. On flip side, the Porsche shifter feels perhaps less mechanical, especially because it is more forgiving to use with seemingly bigger gates. I got used to the Lotus shifter pretty quickly though, so perhaps this is something you'd grow to like more with time. Gearbox made unpleasant noises below 2k rpm it...distracting. On the plus side, the ratios are natural feeling and I don't think the gearbox is a hinderance to the car's actual performance. Clutch is easy.

- (Minor) Brakes are as immediate and touchy as everyone says, but I've never liked this about Lotus cars (my Elise was similar). I prefer the pedal pressure required with iron Porsche brakes, though PCCB drivers would probably like the Lotus brakes more. I thought modulation at lower speeds required more thought than preferred, but this is probably something you get used to with time. Also very slight dead spot at the top of travel, similar to my Elise.

- (Minor) Seat bolstering feels improved from the shadow grey prototype car that was in the U.S. and is probably on par with Porsche standard seats. But no more aggressive seat option. These seats won't be adequate on track IMO, but this is a minor con all things considered.

NEUTRAL:
- I don't think the engine is bad as (some) people are saying. It has linear torque across the power band and you don't have to rev it to death like a Porsche N/A engine to get performance out of it. On the flip side, I didn't find it as rewarding or sweet sounding to rev out. Throttle pedal travel is like 2X my GT4. Anyway, this car has about 400hp and it will move just fine at this level. No, it is not a GT3, but pretty comparable with a 981 GT4 speed-wise.

- Seating position is fine, I didn't have any trouble with the pedals. There is a sensation of sitting higher than with Porsche standard seats, but I think this is because the window sill is lower, so it may be an optical illusion. You definitely don't sit as low as with Porsche carbon buckets based on butt/knee relationship, but I think that is okay since these are the "touring" seats.

- Sounds is fine, I bet it gets quite good with aftermarket exhaust

CONCLUSION: Overall, I don't think you can really truly understand this car unless you get to drive it on a mountain road or on the track, but my test drive was still worth the trip. I was left with the feeling of an old-school car, in a good sense. Harry's review where he said this car could have come out (5?) years ago is very accurate. Car definitely seems to reward economy of input as Catchpole stated as well. I didn't come away feeling that I must have this car (i.e. sell my GT4 for it) but would love to have another go in a more performance-oriented environment. Also want to drive the AMG i-4 with DCT.

As long as you understand what this car is all about, I think buyers will be quite happy.

 

[digilotus]

Some well balanced and objective write-ups coming through. Thank you to all who have spent time to share their thoughts and feelings after a test drive!

 

[Nsrg]

I have something to add; this is in no way a direct comparison, as I’m not cross shopping these two cars (although the pricing isn’t far off). Firstly, I have a deposit down on a V6 6sp Emira, and test drove one in NJ last Saturday and loved it. Two days ago I was asked by my employer to pick up her personal 997.2 911 Turbo S and take it from her home to another location and back (about 70 miles round trip). Some highway some back roads some city. This car is one owner bone stock 23k miles mint condition. Oh boy, is it ‘Porsche-y’ feeling! Super well built, solid, strong German feel. Incredible power (this is pdk). I’d say near ridiculous acceleration (for street driving). Sound? I’d say nice (turbo whoosh dominated the sound when pushing it). Handling? I’d say ‘heavy’ with TONS of grip. The car felt heavy to me too. Car felt like it was built by a team of German engineers with an agenda of ‘We MUST make this car UNBEATABLE!!!! We Vill put every available technology in it and we Vill DOMINATE!!!!’ And by god it surely felt like it would dominate pretty much anything on the road (and this is a 10yr old (but in new condition) car!). Anyway that’s how the 911 Turbo S felt when I drove it.

The Lotus felt almost polar opposite. I had previously put up a shortish review of the drive; but Cliffs Notes is - UNBELIEVABLE good steering feel (blows that 911 feel out of the water), and a total all around feeling of smaller lighter sportier more in-tuneness with the driver. No where near the power; but a ‘just rightness’ feel to the power (for street driving). Feel of controls is lighter more sensitive. Feeling of ‘occasion’ is 1000x more.

I was offered to chance to purchase this 911 Turbo S for about 15% more than I’ll be paying for the Emira. And I didn’t have to even consider it. No way.

(Now of course I realize that a 10 yr old 911 Turbo S is not a 718 GTS in any way shape or form. But the Porsche-ness factor is still there. Two totally different design philosophy’s)

Thanks for this write up. I'm likely to sell my 997 turbo 6 speed for the emira. I tried to drive to Denver for a scheduled test drive on Thursday (11h round trip) but chose to give up over halfway there as I was driving through a blizzard and was told that they would possibly cancel my test drive anyway if the roads remained wet.
I'm still really bummed about missing it!

 

[digilotus]

Thanks for this write up. I'm likely to sell my 997 turbo 6 speed for the emira. I tried to drive to Denver for a scheduled test drive on Thursday (11h round trip) but chose to give up over halfway there as I was driving through a blizzard and was told that they would possibly cancel my test drive anyway if the roads remained wet.
I'm still really bummed about missing it!

Wow, That is what I call dedication!

 

[TomAce]

Had a quick drive in the same yellow car as Chris. If below is TL;DR then just read his post.

Logistics:
- dealer was running 45-60 minutes behind schedule due to awful LA traffic (this limited usefulness of the drive because we had to avoid the planned route), but I appreciate the dealer helping to expedite things and the Lotus USA rep not taking any meaningful breaks to move things along as well

- drove my 2016 GT4 to the dealer as a basis for comparison

PROS:
- suspension (Sport + Cup2) is wonderful. Very comfortable on the roads I drove. Seems to have a nice bit of initial travel to soak up small jitters in the road and was very well-damped. Definitely rides better and is much less bouncy than the GT4 or even GT3. A slight downside of this is that there is a bit more initial movement in the suspension when you first turn in, but it takes a set and doesn't feel sloppy whatsoever. Typical Lotus approach.

- Steering has good feel and an old-school sensation to it. I would say Porsche GT steering is just as precise (if not moreso immediately off center), just less feedback

- I found the interior quite functional, though quality is perhaps just a notch below Porsche, but no issue overall. Kinda missed analog gauges, but Lotus has never done analog gauges that well, so I'm fine with the digital dash. Minor quibble is that in underpasses, lights turned on and screen dimmed too low to see well.

- Definitely an exotic feel to this car. Sitting in the driver seat, you get the sense the canopy narrows as it sweeps above you and to the back, giving it a fighter jet-type feeling.


CONS:
- Biggest one for me -- I did not like the gearbox overall. Lotus did a nice job of making the shifter short throw with nice precision, but the gearbox isn't that pleasurable to use for me. You can't rush it and if you are deliberately a bit slower and precise, it works just fine. It just lacks some slickness that Porsche has IMO. On flip side, the Porsche shifter feels perhaps less mechanical, especially because it is more forgiving to use with seemingly bigger gates. I got used to the Lotus shifter pretty quickly though, so perhaps this is something you'd grow to like more with time. Gearbox made unpleasant noises below 2k rpm it...distracting. On the plus side, the ratios are natural feeling and I don't think the gearbox is a hinderance to the car's actual performance. Clutch is easy.

- (Minor) Brakes are as immediate and touchy as everyone says, but I've never liked this about Lotus cars (my Elise was similar). I prefer the pedal pressure required with iron Porsche brakes, though PCCB drivers would probably like the Lotus brakes more. I thought modulation at lower speeds required more thought than preferred, but this is probably something you get used to with time. Also very slight dead spot at the top of travel, similar to my Elise.

- (Minor) Seat bolstering feels improved from the shadow grey prototype car that was in the U.S. and is probably on par with Porsche standard seats. But no more aggressive seat option. These seats won't be adequate on track IMO, but this is a minor con all things considered.

NEUTRAL:
- I don't think the engine is bad as (some) people are saying. It has linear torque across the power band and you don't have to rev it to death like a Porsche N/A engine to get performance out of it. On the flip side, I didn't find it as rewarding or sweet sounding to rev out. Throttle pedal travel is like 2X my GT4. Anyway, this car has about 400hp and it will move just fine at this level. No, it is not a GT3, but pretty comparable with a 981 GT4 speed-wise.

- Seating position is fine, I didn't have any trouble with the pedals. There is a sensation of sitting higher than with Porsche standard seats, but I think this is because the window sill is lower, so it may be an optical illusion. You definitely don't sit as low as with Porsche carbon buckets based on butt/knee relationship, but I think that is okay since these are the "touring" seats.

- Sounds is fine, I bet it gets quite good with aftermarket exhaust

CONCLUSION: Overall, I don't think you can really truly understand this car unless you get to drive it on a mountain road or on the track, but my test drive was still worth the trip. I was left with the feeling of an old-school car, in a good sense. Harry's review where he said this car could have come out (5?) years ago is very accurate. Car definitely seems to reward economy of input as Catchpole stated as well. I didn't come away feeling that I must have this car (i.e. sell my GT4 for it) but would love to have another go in a more performance-oriented environment. Also want to drive the AMG i-4 with DCT.

As long as you understand what this car is all about, I think buyers will be quite happy.

Great review, especially from an 981 GT4 owner!

If you had to choose between buying an used 981 GT4 now or the Emira, what would be your choice then?

Or would you still need to have more seat time, especially spirited driving in order to decide?

My personal conclusion is that the Emira has it’s benefits on the road, might be the better road car where the GT4 might be more rewarding on the track. But with some tweaks (suspension setup / coilovers) it can get there, too.

 

[~el~jefe~]

oh good point someone just made:

Major con is the seat bolstering. It is not tight enough. an inch too wide. that will be a problem.

 

[BeHappy]

oh good point someone just made:

Major con is the seat bolstering. It is not tight enough. an inch too wide. that will be a problem.

So for a 8 stone lady (size 10 ) these are not going to the job that they should be doing ? is there adjustment thanks