The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

DF_Toronto · Nov 2, 2022

SmallerBaller said:
Awesome review! This v6 does have 400 HP, not 360 (AMG i4 has this), so if it felt approximately 40 HP more impressive than you were expecting, that could be why!

I meant my current car - I reread and see how it sounds I may be talking about the Emira - I’ll edit

.

SmallerBaller · Nov 2, 2022

DF_Toronto said:
I meant my current car - I reread and see how it sounds I may be talking about the Emira - I’ll edit .

Ohhh I gotcha! Makes sense! Sorry! I drove this exact same car at Lotus of Pittsburgh and had a blast! Never even touched the sound system on touch screen, so glad you had a chance to!

DF_Toronto · Nov 2, 2022

SmallerBaller said:
Ohhh I gotcha! Makes sense! Sorry! I drove this exact same car at Lotus of Pittsburgh and had a blast! Never even touched the sound system on touch screen, so glad you had a chance to!

Tested the stereo right away before putting it in gear just to see how it sounded for 10 seconds, didn’t want to use up my time on that but also didn’t want to forget. 10 seconds was enough

.

Didn’t bother playing around with the screen much either as I figure that stuff can be found online at later dates. I’m an iPhone user and I saw it was in android mode - didn’t want to waste any time trying to connect things but presume when you connect iPhone and get it into CarPlay mode it looks and has the functions like other cars that have it.

The only thing I forgot to check that apparently I’m a weirdo for caring about, but of all the sensors the one feature I really like to have is the parking stuff. I’ve never dinged a car or scraped a bumper while parking but I’m also careful not to…I love how easy this is to avoid on new cars with the camera and sensor systems. I know the EMIRA has something just not sure how it works (probably in the manual). In particular anything that helps placing the front bumper very close to a parking curb but never touch one (something I never want to guesstimate and end up wrong), or a wheel scrape parallel parking.

VL3X · Nov 2, 2022

DF_Toronto said:
The stereo is crap, and this being the so called upgraded option. This is kinda minor since it's not the reason to buy this car but holy moly I own KEF speakers, they make good speakers...these are going to cost EXTRA on the base car. KEF should be ashamed of themselves and offer a replacement at a later date as an optional recall, this is so embarrassing for them. They are what I'd expect in 2022 on a base Honda Civic. Anyone that thinks this is acceptable as something costing extra vs thrown in at base has been smoking something...

Whoa, really? Maybe these Euro spec demos have the older Kef system instead of the revised 560w system? I tested it briefly with wireless Android Auto and it sounded pretty good for the most part. Granted I didn't have the time or silence I wanted to really focus on the quality, but it got pretty loud and wasn't obviously distorted IMO.

Lotus64 · Nov 2, 2022

DF_Toronto said:
Had my test drive today, full yellow V6 manual with sport suspension and Goodyear tire.

It was a semi test drive as the dealership is right in the middle of the city and we could only take it a few laps around the block where its 40-50km roads with stop signs every 100M, so I couldn't evaluate everything and therefore won't do a 1-10 rating across the board. I think I was the 2nd one in the car and the dealership has 175 or so orders and the car for 2 days so I wasn't going to get greedy, should be able to take it on proper roads when they have their demo which would require at least 30 mins in the car since it's at least 10 minutes from the dealership to get to a semi proper road.

So much confirmation of things others have mentioned (the positive ones), TLDR so I'll start with the really key things that were either major or I things I haven't heard as much about:

- *spoiler, the only negative. The stereo is crap, and this being the so called upgraded option. This is kinda minor since it's not the reason to buy this car but holy moly I own KEF speakers, they make good speakers...these are going to cost EXTRA on the base car. KEF should be ashamed of themselves and offer a replacement at a later date as an optional recall, this is so embarrassing for them. They are what I'd expect in 2022 on a base Honda Civic. Anyone that thinks this is acceptable as something costing extra vs thrown in at base has been smoking something...

- A carry golf bag fits just perfectly in the boot. The space behind the seat looks useless, but it has more than it appears as the rep who brought the car had a standard size carry on case back there that he had brought.

-Having seen probably thousands of pictures by now it doesn't really look different in any way than I had expected, this is nor good or bad! In terms of looking exotic/loud/attention grabbing it's not to the level of a supercar, but halfway in the middle between a Porsche and a supercar, and I think that's amazing if you want something that's different, gorgeous, but not on the roading begging for attention that says "look at me I'm a rich show off". The wheels look bigger in person and haven't seen many pics or discussion of the tires too which are very wide.

-The centre screen wider and more rectangular that I got the impression of in pictures.

Ok, onto my NUMBER ONE takeaway which I think many have mentioned but really bares repeating. From the interior to the ride quality, this car is insanely comfortable and livable. Best example I can give is that if you blindfolded me and told me to climb into the car and then take the blindfold off while sitting in the car driving around town. From the ride feeling, to the comfort of the car, to the look of the interior...and apart from the engine sound and people looking at the car, I would be convinced I'm being driven around in a BMW/Audi/Mercedes coupe. For example I've been in a few friends sports cars where you get that feeling that you're sitting really low and peeking out at the world around you, and while they are modern and comfortable you wouldn't want to go on a road trip. The Emira has the performance of those cars, but doesn't have that tradeoff in any way. I'm currently driving a Mercedes E class cabriolet and apart from luggage space I feel like the Emira would actually be more comfortable on a road trip, although I might want a better sound system for that road trip . So this was the sport suspension edition and it was WAY smoother over road bumps and speed bumps than my Mercedes which rattles as well. Absolutely nothing from the Emira which eats them up, hard to explain because it's not an a Bentley or S class way that feels like there's this soft suspension absorbing them...hard to explain but purely magic. Of course, I would loved to experience a sterner test like a massive pothole on the highway where my Mercedes feels like something may have just come off the bottom or knocked the wheels out of alignment when it happens.

I think Lotus have really done what they said at the onset about the Emira. They've made an enthusiasts car with few if any limitations that's extremely fun to drive and usable, and that you want to grab the keys for even if you have nowhere to go. I know people who own much more powerful exotics or corvettes and compared to the Emira I have to ask, why? If you're buying it purely for the track or sit in a garage to look at or to get attention I can see the argument. However those cars pale in comparison in comfort, usability, and fun you can have driving the car off track without getting arrested. Porsches on the other hand, perhaps similar in comfort and usability...but not as tactile/fun/connected IMO. I live in a huge city with terrible traffic and if the Emira were to be my daily driver I'd be nuts to get it in a manual, so if you're going for anything less than the full experience and an autobox I can see weighing the pros and cons vs. Porsche...but if you're going for pure driving experience I think the Emira V6 manual is an absolute no brainer.

-Very comfortable seats as mentioned, felt like the perfect amount of bolstering, streering wheel felt perfect.

-Pedal placement was odd at first, when I first sat in the car I literally had my left foot on the clutch thinking it was the brake pedal as it's about where my current car brake pedal is. As everyone has already said, within 10 seconds I didn't even think about it again and it felt totally natural. I didn't check if anything was off centre steering wheel wise, if it was I didn't notice a thing. I did not need to angle myself in any way based on pedal placement - overall everything felt totally right. I have big feet and had Nike Airs on...probably not ideal having a clunky mushy heel but I also forgot about it after a minute.

-Sensitivity in all the pedals and travel and all that jazz felt extremely natural and good to me, either it's similar to what I'm used to or very different from what others who've pointed out anything here are used to.

-Gear shift, absolutely love it. I guess this may be a personal preference as some think it's clunky or cheap feeling and prefer the Porsche or BMW ones. The correct word I'd use is tactile, and isn't that the reason to buy a sports car in a manual? Placement and feeling of it is amazing to me. If I wanted something to just flick my finger to have ultra smooth non tactile changes, why not just get floppy paddles and get the benefit of an auto while sitting in traffic?

-Engine, currently owning a 360HP slightly heavier car I know the Emira is a faster car but I didn't expect it to be in another league. Wrong, instant and linear power. It's just the right amount that can throw you to the back of the seat but can also work up and down the gears. I honestly don't think I'd want any more power, if it felt 20% faster than my current car I certainly would, but that is not the case. Obviously I didn't have a proper experience here and even forgot to take it out of Touring mode, but I think I could tell it's fantastic. As far as engine noise, I think everybody knows by now it's not going cause a stir by making people a block away know you're coming. It will sound like you're driving a high performance sports car and elicit that fun while driving it, another thing I think they nailed. The supercharger sounds awesome in person.

-Handling, sadly the hallmark of a Lotus is an experience that will have to be put on hold for me (being limited to driving in a square on straight roads with only right hand turns at traffic lights). Obviously no cause for any concerns here as even the most critical reviewers concede that handling is best of breed in the Emira.

-Visibility, no compromises here it's very good and that's not the case with most sports cars.

Lastly, the wind buffeting that's been mentioned of late with the windows down...I wouldn't have thought about it until I heard folks talking about it here. Bang on, I've never been in a car this good with the windows down!View attachment 10432

A lot of the feedback in this thread rivals that of any auto journalist! I agree with literally every single thing you said and loved how you explain it! Crap stereo, firm germanic ride quality that eats up bumps, odd pedal placement you immediately get used to, tactile not exactly smooth gearshift... Awesome read!! Not just because I agree, but because you broke it down and stated the facts!

DaaS · Nov 2, 2022

KEF and Lotus might have benchmarked the Evora speakers with the optional $500 subwoofer, which is several decibels below crap. So having crap speakers in the Emira is actually an improvement. Sad, but I am hoping it’s not production spec.

VL3X · Nov 2, 2022

DaaS said:
KEF and Lotus might have benchmarked the Evora speakers with the optional $500 subwoofer, which is several decibels below crap. So having crap speakers in the Emira is actually an improvement. Sad.

Come on now... we all know Lotus isn't about the audio system (or 0-60 times.. or horsepower.. or lap times.. or customer service.. or delivering cars on time..).

DF_Toronto · Nov 2, 2022

VL3X said:
Whoa, really? Maybe these Euro spec demos have the older Kef system instead of the revised 560w system? I tested it briefly with wireless Android Auto and it sounded pretty good for the most part. Granted I didn't have the time or silence I wanted to really focus on the quality, but it got pretty loud and wasn't obviously distorted IMO.

Could be! But my guess is it’s not - reason being my assumption based on one other thing I forgot to mention. That rubber strip on the bonnet that ppl have made a fuss about - looked production level and I don’t think that’s on the demos, could be wrong. It’s a total non factor. Didn‘t notice it and then remembered to look at it, it’s totally fine and doesn’t look wonky at all.

The stereo isn’t “unusable” it’s just not going to give you any joy to use. I mean let’s face it, the point is to enjoy the driving experience and many buying this car won’t care. But if you’re someone who does care or may want to use it on some road trips and are going to pay extra for it this is a total joke. Personally I listen to podcasts half the time so it won’t matter but it’s insulting that this is anything other than what’s “thrown in” with the car. It’s just tinny and lacks any depth. My $200 Bluetooth Sonos One that I use for Alexa sounds better. There‘s no explanation other than KEF majorly screwed something up. Everything else in my initial impression passed with flying colours so this can easily be overlocked and I’d still say 10/10 on my limited time with the car…and this coming from audiophile who does care (even though I may not use it much in this car).

Zardoz · Nov 2, 2022

DF_Toronto said:
Had my test drive today, full yellow V6 manual with sport suspension and Goodyear tire.

It was a semi test drive as the dealership is right in the middle of the city and we could only take it a few laps around the block where its 40-50km roads with stop signs every 100M, so I couldn't evaluate everything and therefore won't do a 1-10 rating across the board. I think I was the 2nd one in the car and the dealership has 175 or so orders and the car for 2 days so I wasn't going to get greedy, should be able to take it on proper roads when they have their demo which would require at least 30 mins in the car since it's at least 10 minutes from the dealership to get to a semi proper road.

So much confirmation of things others have mentioned (the positive ones), TLDR so I'll start with the really key things that were either major or I things I haven't heard as much about:

- *spoiler, the only negative. The stereo is crap, and this being the so called upgraded option. This is kinda minor since it's not the reason to buy this car but holy moly I own KEF speakers, they make good speakers...these are going to cost EXTRA on the base car. KEF should be ashamed of themselves and offer a replacement at a later date as an optional recall, this is so embarrassing for them. They are what I'd expect in 2022 on a base Honda Civic. Anyone that thinks this is acceptable as something costing extra vs thrown in at base has been smoking something...

- A carry golf bag fits just perfectly in the boot. The space behind the seat looks useless, but it has more than it appears as the rep who brought the car had a standard size carry on case back there that he had brought.

-Having seen probably thousands of pictures by now it doesn't really look different in any way than I had expected, this is nor good or bad! In terms of looking exotic/loud/attention grabbing it's not to the level of a supercar, but halfway in the middle between a Porsche and a supercar, and I think that's amazing if you want something that's different, gorgeous, but not on the roading begging for attention that says "look at me I'm a rich show off". The wheels look bigger in person and haven't seen many pics or discussion of the tires too which are very wide.

-The centre screen wider and more rectangular that I got the impression of in pictures.

Ok, onto my NUMBER ONE takeaway which I think many have mentioned but really bares repeating. From the interior to the ride quality, this car is insanely comfortable and livable. Best example I can give is that if you blindfolded me and told me to climb into the car and then take the blindfold off while sitting in the car driving around town. From the ride feeling, to the comfort of the car, to the look of the interior...and apart from the engine sound and people looking at the car, I would be convinced I'm being driven around in a BMW/Audi/Mercedes coupe. For example I've been in a few friends sports cars where you get that feeling that you're sitting really low and peeking out at the world around you, and while they are modern and comfortable you wouldn't want to go on a road trip. The Emira has the performance of those cars, but doesn't have that tradeoff in any way. I'm currently driving a Mercedes E class cabriolet and apart from luggage space I feel like the Emira would actually be more comfortable on a road trip, although I might want a better sound system for that road trip . So this was the sport suspension edition and it was WAY smoother over road bumps and speed bumps than my Mercedes which rattles as well. Absolutely nothing from the Emira which eats them up, hard to explain because it's not an a Bentley or S class way that feels like there's this soft suspension absorbing them...hard to explain but purely magic. Of course, I would loved to experience a sterner test like a massive pothole on the highway where my Mercedes feels like something may have just come off the bottom or knocked the wheels out of alignment when it happens.

I think Lotus have really done what they said at the onset about the Emira. They've made an enthusiasts car with few if any limitations that's extremely fun to drive and usable, and that you want to grab the keys for even if you have nowhere to go. I know people who own much more powerful exotics or corvettes and compared to the Emira I have to ask, why? If you're buying it purely for the track or sit in a garage to look at or to get attention I can see the argument. However those cars pale in comparison in comfort, usability, and fun you can have driving the car off track without getting arrested. Porsches on the other hand, perhaps similar in comfort and usability...but not as tactile/fun/connected IMO. I live in a huge city with terrible traffic and if the Emira were to be my daily driver I'd be nuts to get it in a manual, so if you're going for anything less than the full experience and an autobox I can see weighing the pros and cons vs. Porsche...but if you're going for pure driving experience I think the Emira V6 manual is an absolute no brainer.

-Very comfortable seats as mentioned, felt like the perfect amount of bolstering, streering wheel felt perfect.

-Pedal placement was odd at first, when I first sat in the car I literally had my left foot on the clutch thinking it was the brake pedal as it's about where my current car brake pedal is. As everyone has already said, within 10 seconds I didn't even think about it again and it felt totally natural. I didn't check if anything was off centre steering wheel wise, if it was I didn't notice a thing. I did not need to angle myself in any way based on pedal placement - overall everything felt totally right. I have big feet and had Nike Airs on...probably not ideal having a clunky mushy heel but I also forgot about it after a minute.

-Sensitivity in all the pedals and travel and all that jazz felt extremely natural and good to me, either it's similar to what I'm used to or very different from what others who've pointed out anything here are used to.

-Gear shift, absolutely love it. I guess this may be a personal preference as some think it's clunky or cheap feeling and prefer the Porsche or BMW ones. The correct word I'd use is tactile, and isn't that the reason to buy a sports car in a manual? Placement and feeling of it is amazing to me. If I wanted something to just flick my finger to have ultra smooth non tactile changes, why not just get floppy paddles and get the benefit of an auto while sitting in traffic?

-Engine, currently owning a 360HP slightly heavier car I know the Emira is a faster car but I didn't expect it to be in another league. Wrong, instant and linear power. It's just the right amount that can throw you to the back of the seat but can also work up and down the gears. I honestly don't think I'd want any more power, if it felt 20% faster than my current car I certainly would, but that is not the case. Obviously I didn't have a proper experience here and even forgot to take it out of Touring mode, but I think I could tell it's fantastic. As far as engine noise, I think everybody knows by now it's not going cause a stir by making people a block away know you're coming. It will sound like you're driving a high performance sports car and elicit that fun while driving it, another thing I think they nailed. The supercharger sounds awesome in person.

-Handling, sadly the hallmark of a Lotus is an experience that will have to be put on hold for me (being limited to driving in a square on straight roads with only right hand turns at traffic lights). Obviously no cause for any concerns here as even the most critical reviewers concede that handling is best of breed in the Emira.

-Visibility, no compromises here it's very good and that's not the case with most sports cars.

Lastly, the wind buffeting that's been mentioned of late with the windows down...I wouldn't have thought about it until I heard folks talking about it here. Bang on, I've never been in a car this good with the windows down!View attachment 10432

Nice review. I also had an abbreviated test drive. Concur with what you have written. Very disappointed in KEF system. Probably the worst sounding car audio system I have heard in a long time. I would never pay up for this. If this is premium, how much worse can the base car system be??, I also have KEF surround sound speakers on my home theater system. It sounds great. What went wrong here?

DF_Toronto · Nov 2, 2022

Zardoz said:
Nice review. I also had an abbreviated test drive. Concur with what you have written. Very disappointed in KEF system. Probably the worst sounding car audio system I have heard in a long time. I would never pay up for this. If this is premium, how much worse can the base car system be??, I also have KEF surround sound speakers on my home theater system. It sounds great. What went wrong here?

I really want to emphasize that in spite of the terrible stereo I don’t want to deduct any points from the car and it’s that solid that something sucking that I care about isn’t detracting at all. Partly yes, it’s a sports car and I don’t know how much I‘ll want to drive it and listen to music in it. This raises more concern for me on the Eletre I’ve deposited on where I do want an amazing sound system, if initial reviews on that are weak the other car I’m looking at is the Polestar 3 which has a B&W system, so they may need to get their act together in that regard!

I worked in car audio as a student so I know a bit about it, if KEF didn’t manufacture defective speakers the only potential explanation is Lotus arguing with them size and weight of the necessary power unit to drive them. It literally shouldn’t take much at all to drive what’s in this car and make it great but perhaps they were nit picky about a pound or two I don’t know. 560 watts can also be meaningless as those numbers can be very heavily skewed and I’ve seen garbage advertised as 500 that’s got way less power than quality components that are a true 250.

Elisesquared · Nov 2, 2022

Some say it's fast, some say it's slow. Some say the shifter sucks, some say it's great. Some say the clutch is light, some say it's heavy. Some like the steering wheel, some don't. And on and on...

At least everyone agrees that the steering feel is amazing and that the car looks great. Just goes to show how cars are like music. It just all depends on your tastes, influences, etc. I say that makes for a pretty interesting car, and one that should be respected.

Tonyshepp · Nov 2, 2022

DF_Toronto said:
Just made edit to above post

I really want to emphasize that in spite of the terrible stereo I don’t want to deduct any points from the car and it’s that solid that something sucking that I care about isn’t detracting at all. Partly yes, it’s a sports car and I don’t know how much I‘ll want to drive it and listen to music in it. This raises more concern for me on the Eletre I’ve deposited on where I do want an amazing sound system, if initial reviews on that are weak the other car I’m looking at is the Polestar 3 which has a B&W system, so they may need to get their act together in that regard!

I worked in car audio as a student so I know a bit about it, if KEF didn’t manufacture defective speakers the only potential explanation is Lotus arguing with them size and weight of the necessary power unit to drive them. It literally shouldn’t take much at all to drive what’s in this car and make it great but perhaps they were nit picky about a pound or two I don’t know. 560 watts can also be meaningless as those numbers can be very heavily skewed and I’ve seen garbage advertised as 500 that’s got way less power than quality components that are a true 250.

But there was promoition of the KEF system and claims it was an expensive option. It needs to be on a par with Bose and Harman Kardon systems. I do like a good sound system in a car and banging bass is important to me. It’s one of the things I’ll be analysing in my test drive.

DF_Toronto · Nov 2, 2022

Tonyshepp said:
But there was promoition of the KEF system and claims it was an expensive option. It needs to be on a par with Bose and Harman Kardon systems. I do like a good sound system in a car and banging bass is important to me. It’s one of the things I’ll be analysing in my test drive.

Well, let’s just say it sounds like there’s a driver for <150HZ that has a disconnected wire. And maybe that’s the case

. Maybe it’s even a software error…

eriegz · Nov 2, 2022

DF_Toronto said:
Had my test drive today, full yellow V6 manual with sport suspension and Goodyear tire.

It was a semi test drive as the dealership is right in the middle of the city and we could only take it a few laps around the block where its 40-50km roads with stop signs every 100M, so I couldn't evaluate everything and therefore won't do a 1-10 rating across the board. I think I was the 2nd one in the car and the dealership has 175 or so orders and the car for 2 days so I wasn't going to get greedy, should be able to take it on proper roads when they have their demo which would require at least 30 mins in the car since it's at least 10 minutes from the dealership to get to a semi proper road.

So much confirmation of things others have mentioned (the positive ones), TLDR so I'll start with the really key things that were either major or I things I haven't heard as much about:

- *spoiler, the only negative. The stereo is crap, and this being the so called upgraded option. This is kinda minor since it's not the reason to buy this car but holy moly I own KEF speakers, they make good speakers...these are going to cost EXTRA on the base car. KEF should be ashamed of themselves and offer a replacement at a later date as an optional recall, this is so embarrassing for them. They are what I'd expect in 2022 on a base Honda Civic. Anyone that thinks this is acceptable as something costing extra vs thrown in at base has been smoking something...

- A carry golf bag fits just perfectly in the boot. The space behind the seat looks useless, but it has more than it appears as the rep who brought the car had a standard size carry on case back there that he had brought.

-Having seen probably thousands of pictures by now it doesn't really look different in any way than I had expected, this is nor good or bad! In terms of looking exotic/loud/attention grabbing it's not to the level of a supercar, but halfway in the middle between a Porsche and a supercar, and I think that's amazing if you want something that's different, gorgeous, but not on the roading begging for attention that says "look at me I'm a rich show off". The wheels look bigger in person and haven't seen many pics or discussion of the tires too which are very wide.

-The centre screen wider and more rectangular that I got the impression of in pictures.

Ok, onto my NUMBER ONE takeaway which I think many have mentioned but really bares repeating. From the interior to the ride quality, this car is insanely comfortable and livable. Best example I can give is that if you blindfolded me and told me to climb into the car and then take the blindfold off while sitting in the car driving around town. From the ride feeling, to the comfort of the car, to the look of the interior...and apart from the engine sound and people looking at the car, I would be convinced I'm being driven around in a BMW/Audi/Mercedes coupe. For example I've been in a few friends sports cars where you get that feeling that you're sitting really low and peeking out at the world around you, and while they are modern and comfortable you wouldn't want to go on a road trip. The Emira has the performance of those cars, but doesn't have that tradeoff in any way. I'm currently driving a Mercedes E class cabriolet and apart from luggage space I feel like the Emira would actually be more comfortable on a road trip, although I might want a better sound system for that road trip . So this was the sport suspension edition and it was WAY smoother over road bumps and speed bumps than my Mercedes which rattles as well. Absolutely nothing from the Emira which eats them up, hard to explain because it's not an a Bentley or S class way that feels like there's this soft suspension absorbing them...hard to explain but purely magic. Of course, I would loved to experience a sterner test like a massive pothole on the highway where my Mercedes feels like something may have just come off the bottom or knocked the wheels out of alignment when it happens.

I think Lotus have really done what they said at the onset about the Emira. They've made an enthusiasts car with few if any limitations that's extremely fun to drive and usable, and that you want to grab the keys for even if you have nowhere to go. I know people who own much more powerful exotics or corvettes and compared to the Emira I have to ask, why? If you're buying it purely for the track or sit in a garage to look at or to get attention I can see the argument. However those cars pale in comparison in comfort, usability, and fun you can have driving the car off track without getting arrested. Porsches on the other hand, perhaps similar in comfort and usability...but not as tactile/fun/connected IMO. I live in a huge city with terrible traffic and if the Emira were to be my daily driver I'd be nuts to get it in a manual, so if you're going for anything less than the full experience and an autobox I can see weighing the pros and cons vs. Porsche...but if you're going for pure driving experience I think the Emira V6 manual is an absolute no brainer.

-Very comfortable seats as mentioned, felt like the perfect amount of bolstering, streering wheel felt perfect.

-Pedal placement was odd at first, when I first sat in the car I literally had my left foot on the clutch thinking it was the brake pedal as it's about where my current car brake pedal is. As everyone has already said, within 10 seconds I didn't even think about it again and it felt totally natural. I didn't check if anything was off centre steering wheel wise, if it was I didn't notice a thing. I did not need to angle myself in any way based on pedal placement - overall everything felt totally right. I have big feet and had Nike Airs on...probably not ideal having a clunky mushy heel but I also forgot about it after a minute.

-Sensitivity in all the pedals and travel and all that jazz felt extremely natural and good to me, either it's similar to what I'm used to or very different from what others who've pointed out anything here are used to.

-Gear shift, absolutely love it. I guess this may be a personal preference as some think it's clunky or cheap feeling and prefer the Porsche or BMW ones. The correct word I'd use is tactile, and isn't that the reason to buy a sports car in a manual? Placement and feeling of it is amazing to me. If I wanted something to just flick my finger to have ultra smooth non tactile changes, why not just get floppy paddles and get the benefit of an auto while sitting in traffic?

-Engine, currently owning a 360HP slightly heavier car I know the Emira is a faster car but I didn't expect it to be in another league. Wrong, instant and linear power. It's just the right amount that can throw you to the back of the seat but can also work up and down the gears. I honestly don't think I'd want any more power, if it felt 20% faster than my current car I certainly would, but that is not the case. Obviously I didn't have a proper experience here and even forgot to take it out of Touring mode, but I think I could tell it's fantastic. As far as engine noise, I think everybody knows by now it's not going cause a stir by making people a block away know you're coming. It will sound like you're driving a high performance sports car and elicit that fun while driving it, another thing I think they nailed. The supercharger sounds awesome in person.

-Handling, sadly the hallmark of a Lotus is an experience that will have to be put on hold for me (being limited to driving in a square on straight roads with only right hand turns at traffic lights). Obviously no cause for any concerns here as even the most critical reviewers concede that handling is best of breed in the Emira.

-Visibility, no compromises here it's very good and that's not the case with most sports cars.

Lastly, the wind buffeting that's been mentioned of late with the windows down...I wouldn't have thought about it until I heard folks talking about it here. Bang on, I've never been in a car this good with the windows down!View attachment 10432

Thanks for the write-up!

Do you happen to know where the car is headed next?

TomE · Nov 2, 2022

Lotus64 said:
A lot of the feedback in this thread rivals that of any auto journalist! I agree with literally every single thing you said and loved how you explain it! Crap stereo, firm germanic ride quality that eats up bumps, odd pedal placement you immediately get used to, tactile not exactly smooth gearshift... Awesome read!! Not just because I agree, but because you broke it down and stated the facts!

I’d argue the ride is not at all Germanic and is very Lotus. As several reviewers new to Lotus have said, they’re amazed by the ride & handling “magic” and how the car somehow has a more comfortable ride than some mainstream saloons and coupes.

Eagle7 · Nov 2, 2022

DF_Toronto said:
Well, let’s just say it sounds like there’s a driver for <150HZ that has a disconnected wire. And maybe that’s the case . Maybe it’s even a software error…

I wonder if someone had messed with the EQ settings. It almost sounds like (no pun intended) that the subwoofer wasn't connected. I contacted KEF customer service about the settings, and got a reply that they're reaching out to the engineering and design teams to get answers.

Lotus64 · Nov 2, 2022

TomE said:
I’d argue the ride is not at all Germanic and is very Lotus. As several reviewers new to Lotus have said, they’re amazed by the ride & handling “magic” and how the car somehow has a more comfortable ride than some mainstream saloons and coupes.

I agree that there is lotus magic in the suspension tuning. I do think the comparison to BMW / Audi / Merc has some weight though. The tautness, firmness and well controlled body motions draw valid comparison to the way other German makers have historically tuned their vehicles. Yet there is an unexpected suppleness in the lotus that accompanies the firmness. It's absorbs impacts better than the other setups.

DF_Toronto · Nov 2, 2022

Eagle7 said:
I wonder if someone had messed with the EQ settings. It almost sounds like (no pun intended) that the subwoofer wasn't connected. I contacted KEF customer service about the settings, and got a reply that they're reaching out to the engineering and design teams to get answers.

Very possible - in most systems with a big subwoofer for low lows you’ll have mid drivers that crossover at say 80-100HZ but a “subwoofer“ in a more compact system may handle a broader range of lows and just not be great at <40hz which is totally fine for a sports car.

Italiabrain · Nov 2, 2022

Elisesquared said:
Some say it's fast, some say it's slow. Some say the shifter sucks, some say it's great. Some say the clutch is light, some say it's heavy. Some like the steering wheel, some don't. And on and on...

At least everyone agrees that the steering feel is amazing and that the car looks great. Just goes to show how cars are like music. It just all depends on your tastes, influences, etc. I say that makes for a pretty interesting car, and one that should be respected.

I'm sure there's some spread on interpreting the Emira's actual speed, but I suspect that there's more agreement on what it is and less agreement on what it should be, what it should be benchmarked against, etc.

My comment giving it a 5/10 was coming from a car advertised at 617hp that is probably actually making that at the wheels. That car also has a noticeable amount of squat on launch, a torque converter, and AWD traction. I was hoping that the weight difference would come a little closer to offsetting the power loss. I knew the 0-60 was a good bit higher, but again had hoped that part of that was shift times and RWD launch and that the sensation of thrust might still be there.... and it really wasn't. It feels half as fast as an M5. I'm sure others are comparing only to cars under $100k available with a manual and it fares much better in that comparison. If you're going for something small and tossable and comparing it to Miatas and BRZs it's probably going to fare much better.

TomE · Nov 2, 2022

Lotus64 said:
I agree that there is lotus magic in the suspension tuning. I do think the comparison to BMW / Audi / Merc has some weight though. The tautness, firmness and well controlled body motions draw valid comparison to the way other German makers have historically tuned their vehicles. Yet there is an unexpected suppleness in the lotus that accompanies the firmness. It's absorbs impacts better than the other setups.

That‘s the key difference. Drive a Lotus cross-country and on undulating and twisty roads it has a flow that other cars struggle to emulate. It’s a big part of what makes it so engaging to drive.