The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[Callabrator]

So I was near the DFW dealer today for a work lunch and decided to test drive the Emira again (auto this time). With fresh eyes, I liked more! The interior on this one seemed better screwed together, but that's likely because by my salesman's estimation it's had like 1/2 the number of lifetime test drives compared to the manual. This one was on the sports suspension, which I preferred. My only complaints about it now are that the seats really are not to my liking (don't hold me in at all, and sit too high) and for the straight line speed (and redline) you get, it's expensive.

A nice surprise was the auto transmission was reasonably snappy. Not quite a match for the ZF in my Supra, and def not the 911's PDK, but it's far from bad. I think folks who ordered the auto will be happy with it. That said, I will still get mine in manual.

And speaking of the 911, I was also able to drive a base 911 922 PDK they had in stock back to back with the Emira. The 911 was nice, but didn't get me all fizzy. Maybe because it was black on black, with the basic interior, but it just felt like a pretty nice luxury car...except some of the touch points felt cheap, like the interior door handles in plastic. I know they can be covered in leather or something else, but that comes as part of a package for like +$5k...like everything on a Porsche.

 

[fast_driver]

I just had a chance to test drive a V6 Manual with Touring Suspension. Here’s my thoughts:

Pros:
+looks the business. Just stunning in person!
+sounds excellent, both inside and outside the car
+infotainment is totally fine and feels like a modern car
+stereo is surprisingly good (not that I really care)
+the power is sufficient, and feels about as fast as my Supra.
+the manual is great, although not one you can instantly snap into gear. No real complaints though.

Cons
-no other way to put it other than the seats suck! You sit WAY too high and there is basically 0 bolstering. Worst seats of any sports car I’ve ever sat in. I’d replace them immediately (I’m 6’0 185lbs)
-fit and finish is fine, but nowhere near Porsche. They had a 718 GT4 in their inventory and that feels like a full class up in terms of interior quality. Pushing on various parts of the interior doesn’t have the solid feel you get from a Porsche, or even a BMW.
-the redline is too low. Just as the car got on boil, I hit the limiter.
-shockingly, the steering is merely good, not spectacular. It’s very direct, and has some feel, but I recall the old Evora had better steering. Maybe I'm just expecting too much here?

So at this point, I’m glad that my position in line puts me still ~1 year out so I have time to think about it. I also feel like I’m getting old and opinionated…

Something sounds wrong. Emira uses hydraulic steering, and every journalist or YouTube reviewer rave about the steering feel. There is no way the steering is 'merely good'

 

[Callabrator]

Something sounds wrong. Emira uses hydraulic steering, and every journalist or YouTube reviewer rave about the steering feel. There is no way the steering is 'merely good'

Yeah, I hear you. I’ve watched basically every video on YouTube about the Emira, and most reviews do rave bout the steering. Jason Cammisa is an exception though, which before driving the car, I thought his feelings were…odd…but after driving it, I see what he means. https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxZVElryblEtf7tILkRJJ1IhvBoNHrQLr8?si=hMap-iV8ZnGIgJ2d

It’s worth rewinding a bit and watching the entire Emira segment. Lots of praise for the car.

 

[Pegasi]

Yeah, I hear you. I’ve watched basically every video on YouTube about the Emira, and most reviews do rave bout the steering. Jason Cammisa is an exception though, which before driving the car, I thought his feelings were…odd…but after driving it, I see what he means. https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxZVElryblEtf7tILkRJJ1IhvBoNHrQLr8?si=hMap-iV8ZnGIgJ2d

It’s worth rewinding a bit and watching the entire Emira segment. Lots of praise for the car.

I believe Lotus "softened" the right aspects of the car to make it appeal to the masses and allow people to daily drive it. I think the steering is one of those things that Lotus softened just right so you don't feel like you are fighting the car or that you need to have both hands on the wheel. The extra width of the chassis and the tires I believe helped achieve this when comparing to the Evora.

 

[HeReigns]

After having a deposit since 7/2021 it was great to finally experience the car at Lotus of Scottsdale this morning. I drove a Magma red, manual, touring suspension, ice gray leather, silver wheels. My wife and I drove our 2022 C8 corvette there so we could get a good feel for the difference.

They allowed my wife and I to go out in the vehicle for about 15 minutes which was nice. We put it in track mode, windows down and off we went. Not many roads with curves other than a few round abouts. First thing that stuck out to me was how nice a place to be the interior was. Roomy, classy seemed like decent build quality. I forgot how close and small the pedals were. Took a minute to get comfortable. I love the mechanical feel of the clutch and shifter. It really adds to the experience. It seems like it would take some time to get really good at driving the Emira fast and around turns. I raced up and down Hayden road to see if i got the same feeling as what I got in the Evora Gt I test drove last year. The Emira seems like a more comfortable, softer Evora Gt. The edginess of the Evora Gt seems to be dialed out of it. It felt like about 80% of the Evora Gt from the steering, noise and handling department. So, yes I got most of the feeling that I had in the Evora Gt.

It seems like a perfect road car not really a track car. Maybe it was the touring spec. You get good sound, road feel, fun at fairly legal speeds, great looks and comfort. I really enjoyed it and my wife loved it. She liked the noise of the vehicle at wide open throttle to the 6800 rpm and that she could feel everything that was happening from the passengers seat. I told her with a 3rd cat delete and the sport suspension with the Michelin tires it will be even more enthralling.

When mine arrives I will be doing the 3rd cat delete and the remote to keep the baffles open. Hope fully this test drive holds us over for the next 4 months. On the 25 minute drive home in the C8 it felt a little numb, isolated and kind of like a luxury cruiser compared to the Emira.

 

[ESPREE]

I just took my second Emira test drive... and noticed that the supercharger whine is MUCH quieter on this second one. Anyone else notice this? The first was a V6 manual with sport suspension, and the second was a V6 auto with touring. Both were in "sport" mode when driving.

Not that you can hear it in this vid, but it was a nice-looking Hethel Yellow this time around:
PS: The auto was better than I expected, but the manual is no question the way to go for me!

 

[Honcho]

V6 VS I4 Review...

I am the owner of a V6 with touring suspension and today got to drive the I4 touring while my car was in for service. Here are my thoughts...

V6, is a way more "exotic" experience with the sound adding to this in a massive way. This is the first time I've had a car like this, i.e supercar looks, and I was surprised at the attention it got while driving around town. The V6 character seems to fit hand in hand with the looks adding to the special feel to the car. This is most pronounced when cruising around at low speeds. The V6 is much more of an experience, the I4 sounds like any other 4 cylinder car when not pushing on.

The driving modes have much more influence on the experience with the I4 as the gear change map changes with each mode. The car hangs on each gear longer as the drive mode get more aggressive. In terms of driving experience, I prefer the throttle repsonse of the V6 coming out of a corner. It feels like I can control the back end of the car better and be more on the edge of traction. In the I4 it feels a bit more vague being more difficult to predict how the power would come on.

In the I4 in touring mode the gear change is great for just cruising around. I did not like sport mode at all as it is a compromise between comfort and track. I did not get on well with manual mode either as the reaction time of the gear change seems to be quite slow. It definitely took away from the driving experience for me. Switching into track mode really changed things up with the gearbox keeping as high revs as possible to get the best of the engine. I found this to be the best mode for me being more predictable than trying to figure out at what revs to change when downshifting. In manual I would click the paddle, then wait for the shift, unsure if the revs were low enough for a shift or not. The last thing I want to do is be unsure if the car is going to shift while squirming into a corner. The gear shifts were smooth and did not upset the balance of the car. Again, for me auto in track mode was more predictable and the best driving experience when pushing on. I just wish I had control of the traction setting independently so I could have an extra factor of safety when in track mode on the road.

Noise of the I4 was not the best. When pushing on it does start to sound a bit better but nothing compared to the V6. With the windows down you can hear a muted turbo induction noise and blow-off. If I owned this car an induction kit would be one of the first things I would do to bring that noise out.

Overall driving experience... I think the biggest difference is coming out of low speed corners. I think the I4 has the advantage here with its no hassle auto gearbox. In low speed 1st gear corners the V6 engine revs so fast it's difficult to change gears quickly enough.

My choice is the V6 as I think it suits the character of the car better.

The end

 

[seriously]

V6 VS I4 Review...

I am the owner of a V6 with touring suspension and today got to drive the I4 touring while my car was in for service. Here are my thoughts...

V6, is a way more "exotic" experience with the sound adding to this in a massive way. This is the first time I've had a car like this, i.e supercar looks, and I was surprised at the attention it got while driving around town. The V6 character seems to fit hand in hand with the looks adding to the special feel to the car. This is most pronounced when cruising around at low speeds. The V6 is much more of an experience, the I4 sounds like any other 4 cylinder car when not pushing on.

The driving modes have much more influence on the experience with the I4 as the gear change map changes with each mode. The car hangs on each gear longer as the drive mode get more aggressive. In terms of driving experience, I prefer the throttle repsonse of the V6 coming out of a corner. It feels like I can control the back end of the car better and be more on the edge of traction. In the I4 it feels a bit more vague being more difficult to predict how the power would come on.

In the I4 in touring mode the gear change is great for just cruising around. I did not like sport mode at all as it is a compromise between comfort and track. I did not get on well with manual mode either as the reaction time of the gear change seems to be quite slow. It definitely took away from the driving experience for me. Switching into track mode really changed things up with the gearbox keeping as high revs as possible to get the best of the engine. I found this to be the best mode for me being more predictable than trying to figure out at what revs to change when downshifting. In manual I would click the paddle, then wait for the shift, unsure if the revs were low enough for a shift or not. The last thing I want to do is be unsure if the car is going to shift while squirming into a corner. The gear shifts were smooth and did not upset the balance of the car. Again, for me auto in track mode was more predictable and the best driving experience when pushing on. I just wish I had control of the traction setting independently so I could have an extra factor of safety when in track mode on the road.

Noise of the I4 was not the best. When pushing on it does start to sound a bit better but nothing compared to the V6. With the windows down you can hear a muted turbo induction noise and blow-off. If I owned this car an induction kit would be one of the first things I would do to bring that noise out.

Overall driving experience... I think the biggest difference is coming out of low speed corners. I think the I4 has the advantage here with its no hassle auto gearbox. In low speed 1st gear corners the V6 engine revs so fast it's difficult to change gears quickly enough.

My choice is the V6 as I think it suits the character of the car better.

The end

Interesting observation about the auto vs manual mode. Makes perfect sense as the theory is that the DCT is plenty fast, but the lotus paddle to DCT connect has lag. If you let the car do everything there is no real lag.

I also concur about the sound of the v6. Coming from a v8 I didn’t expect to be impressed. But the way Lotus tuned the supercharger and sound, there is lot of good noises coming out of the v6 setup.

 

[PsymonR]

V6 VS I4 Review...

I am the owner of a V6 with touring suspension and today got to drive the I4 touring while my car was in for service. Here are my thoughts...

V6, is a way more "exotic" experience with the sound adding to this in a massive way. This is the first time I've had a car like this, i.e supercar looks, and I was surprised at the attention it got while driving around town. The V6 character seems to fit hand in hand with the looks adding to the special feel to the car. This is most pronounced when cruising around at low speeds. The V6 is much more of an experience, the I4 sounds like any other 4 cylinder car when not pushing on.

The driving modes have much more influence on the experience with the I4 as the gear change map changes with each mode. The car hangs on each gear longer as the drive mode get more aggressive. In terms of driving experience, I prefer the throttle repsonse of the V6 coming out of a corner. It feels like I can control the back end of the car better and be more on the edge of traction. In the I4 it feels a bit more vague being more difficult to predict how the power would come on.

In the I4 in touring mode the gear change is great for just cruising around. I did not like sport mode at all as it is a compromise between comfort and track. I did not get on well with manual mode either as the reaction time of the gear change seems to be quite slow. It definitely took away from the driving experience for me. Switching into track mode really changed things up with the gearbox keeping as high revs as possible to get the best of the engine. I found this to be the best mode for me being more predictable than trying to figure out at what revs to change when downshifting. In manual I would click the paddle, then wait for the shift, unsure if the revs were low enough for a shift or not. The last thing I want to do is be unsure if the car is going to shift while squirming into a corner. The gear shifts were smooth and did not upset the balance of the car. Again, for me auto in track mode was more predictable and the best driving experience when pushing on. I just wish I had control of the traction setting independently so I could have an extra factor of safety when in track mode on the road.

Noise of the I4 was not the best. When pushing on it does start to sound a bit better but nothing compared to the V6. With the windows down you can hear a muted turbo induction noise and blow-off. If I owned this car an induction kit would be one of the first things I would do to bring that noise out.

Overall driving experience... I think the biggest difference is coming out of low speed corners. I think the I4 has the advantage here with its no hassle auto gearbox. In low speed 1st gear corners the V6 engine revs so fast it's difficult to change gears quickly enough.

My choice is the V6 as I think it suits the character of the car better.

The end

It's definitely interesting to see how different approaches to driving the car can impact on people's perceptions of how it drives. You say that you feel you can control the back end of the car better and be more on the edge of traction in the v6 and whilst I do enjoy driving the car rapidly I personally have no interest in driving it on the edge (nor do I have any intention of tracking the car). I'd definitely agree, however, that it would be better to be able to set traction control independently of drive mode.

I've just got back from driving some of the excellent roads in North Wales in my car, most of the fun stuff was taken with the car in Sport and the gearbox in manual and I have absolutely no complaints about how the car performed. Not once did I feel that the gearbox was slow or detracting from the experience.

It certainly gets me wondering if the shortcomings of the i4 package are more noticeable at the limits of the car, and therefore should be less of a concern for anyone who (like me) is planning on enjoying the car but not pushing it as much as they possibly can.

 

[Honcho]

It's definitely interesting to see how different approaches to driving the car can impact on people's perceptions of how it drives. You say that you feel you can control the back end of the car better and be more on the edge of traction in the v6 and whilst I do enjoy driving the car rapidly I personally have no interest in driving it on the edge (nor do I have any intention of tracking the car). I'd definitely agree, however, that it would be better to be able to set traction control independently of drive mode.

I've just got back from driving some of the excellent roads in North Wales in my car, most of the fun stuff was taken with the car in Sport and the gearbox in manual and I have absolutely no complaints about how the car performed. Not once did I feel that the gearbox was slow or detracting from the experience.

It certainly gets me wondering if the shortcomings of the i4 package are more noticeable at the limits of the car, and therefore should be less of a concern for anyone who (like me) is planning on enjoying the car but not pushing it as much as they possibly can.

On reflection of your reply, maybe if I had more time with the car I would have got used to manual mode. For me the V6 is gives a great experience at lower speeds because of the sound. The I4 doesn't appeal as much until I start to drive it harder.

They are both better and worse in different ways but both great.

 

[MaybeNeedEmira]

Anyone with wheel time on the I4 DCT seen any sign that the shifting profile is adaptive/dynamic?
As in if you're in touring mode, more enthusiastic driving leads to later upshifts and more obvious proactive (automatic) downshifting?

If you've driven a Porsche PDK .. you'll on know.

 

[Andy H]

Anyone with wheel time on the I4 DCT seen any sign that the shifting profile is adaptive/dynamic

Hard to say for sure exactly what the algorithm is but definitely in sport mode. If you start pushing on it will begin holding onto higher gears a lot more and delaying the downshifts. Sometime it works really well and other times it leaves you in an artificially low gear with loads of revs but I suppose it can't predict what the road ahead looks like and whether you can actually make use of the particular gear it's holding for you.

In general, touring is super smooth and perfect for urban conditions. Having 8 gears also seems to help as the increments between ratios are quite small. Sport is a completely different beast and you definitely know it's expecting you to drive purposefully

I haven't explored track much so far but it feels like sport turned up to 11. Maybe a bit too much artificially full on in auto and better switching to manual shifting by that stage!

 

[hentzG]

Hi all, this is my first post here.

Having read most of the reviews here, I reviewed the Emira from a different point of view today. Lots of comparisons here have been vs. the Porsche Cayman. I will compare the Emira to my two current weekend toys which are front engine cars with different engine and transmission setups. A Maximum of 3 points to get per category.

First one is a Mazda MX-5 RF 2.0 184ps with a manual shifter and a naturally aspirated engine:

View attachment 31324

The second one is a BMW M2 Competition 3.0 410ps Twin Turbo S55 Engine with DCT:

View attachment 31325

The test car is a magma red Emira V6 First Edition with manual transmission, sport suspension and Cup 2s:

View attachment 31326

View attachment 31327

View attachment 31328

Exterior:

This is a very subjective one and I personally enjoy looking at all 3 cars. On the MX-5 or M2C I will find spots which I do not like. The Emira actually does not have a single spot or angle I could imagine changing something. It just has superb super car looks. Luckily the color set up (red / black) looks similar to my MX-5. The Mazda soul crystal red beats the Lotus magma red by far. I love the Mazda paint, even though it is a standard Mazda colour. Emira 3/3, MX-5 2/3, M2C 1/3.


Interior:

The MX-5 has a nice styling and simple interior with poor materials. The M2C has the classic 2 series cockpit enriched with M stuff and Alcantara. The quality of the BMW is exceptional. The Emira interior surprised me. Best material, best looks (minimalistic and modern). It is such a lovely place to sit. Emira 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3


Seats:

My MX-5 has the standard leather sport seats (no Recaros) and my M2C has the optional M bucket seats. Looking at the seats of the Emira at pictures, I would assume them not to be very sporty. I was proven wrong. I liked the seats a lot today. Even with much less side bolstering compared to the M2C, they held me better (maybe because of the Alcantara). Furthermore, they are very comfy and make the ride easy and relaxed even with sport suspension. Looks cant compete with the M2C buckets but I still would rate the Emira seats 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3.


Dials:

I am a big fan of manual dials which both the MX-5 and the M2C have. I still liked the visualization in the Emira, especially in track mode. I also had no issues touching the buttons on the steering wheel while driving. The dials are very minimalistic and focused. I couldn’t try if there is any lag showing the rpm while reaching red line (wanted to be careful with the demo car). But I would prefer the MX-5 centered rev counter over the two others. MX-5 3/3, M2C 2/3, Emira 1/3.


Steering:

Both the MX-5 and the M2C have electric power steering. While the MX-5 is not adjustable and feels more natural, the M2C has 3 modes to change heaviness of the steering. The Emira steering is much more direct und so much more natural than the other twos. I also liked the steering wheel with flat bottom and flat top a lot. It is less chunky than in the BMW and much more grippy than in the MX-5. Suited perfectly for me. Emira 3/3, MX-5 2/3, M2C 1/3.


Suspension:

Very difficult to judge after a 60 min test drive. The suspension is as firm as in the M2C. Maybe even a bit firmer which has been compensated by the great seats. The body role is almost none. That´s better than in the M2C which might be because of mid engine setup (difficult to compare). The M2C also has very little body role and an amazing suspension. The MX-5 is a completely different setup and the chassis moves all over the place. I would rate the Emira 3/3 even though it is close to the M2C 2/3 and the MX-5 1/3.


Transmission:

The DCT in the M2C is amazing. I drive this car only with paddle shifting and it is super fun. It is worth mentioning even though comparison does not take place here. I also liked the shifting in the Emira. It is even shorter than in the MX-5 with a slightly stronger clutch. The clutch feels fine for me, just may be a bit annoying when stucking in traffic. But so is the MX-5. I still think it cant beat the MX-5 shifting experience which is addicting. I could just drive this car slowly and enjoy only using the shifter all day long. I also missed some downshifts from 3rd to 2nd in the Emira because the gears are so close to each other. MX-5 2/2, Emira 1/2.


Engine:

It was exciting to compare a naturally aspirated engine with a turbo charged and a supercharged one. The MX-5 has an amazing engine and revs are a lot of fun. Especially because they happen quite fast and are building the power in such a nice and seamless way. The M2C on the other hand is a beast with its S55 Engine from the M3/M4. The M2C feels so much faster than the Emira, not sure if it actually is (not by the numbers). The supercharged one of the Emira wasn´t as exciting as the two others for me. I do not feel the same naturally power build as in the MX-5 while it hasn´t any of the punch the M2C has. This has been a little disappointment for me as I expected the V6 to be more exciting in the Emira. MX-5 3/3, M2C 2/3, Emira 1/3.


Sound:

The MX-5 has a great naturally engine sound but almost nothing coming from the exhaust. The sound in the BMW feels artificial from inside (tuned sound via the speakers), even though it sounds quite interesting from outside with all the burbles. The Emira sounds amazing. Not sure if I am a big fan of the supercharger whine compared to the MX-5 engine sound but the exhaust is very exciting. It is also a lot louder than the M2C. Emira 3/3, M2C 2/3, MX-5 1/3.


Conclusion:

Points Emira: 21/26
Points M2C: 14/24
Points MX-5: 16/26

Will I keep my reservation? That´s a difficult one. The Emira is by far the most exciting of the 3 by the looks and a lovely place to sit in it. Is it more exciting to drive? I would say those 3 are different and not comparable. If the engine didn´t disappoint me, it had been an easy choice. People have been talking a lot about the cheap price of the Emira for what you get. I agree for the super car looks. But the MX-5 MSRP shows you can get a very exciting car for less than half the price.

Excited about your opinion!

One year after my first test drive with the V6 Manual I had the chance to test drive the i4 last weekend.

The car had the touring suspension. I liked the suspension a lot. Probably a lot more than the sport suspension. But that is difficult to judge after more than a year since I drove the sport suspension. It was more comfortable than the suspension in my Alpine A110S without more body role compared to the Alpine. The Alpine's supsension is a great compromise but the Emira Touring suspension is even better.

Engine was also a good fit for the Emira. Maybe I like it more because it has more Torque in lower revs. But the sound of the i4 is nowhere near to the V6. I expected a bit more sound tuning from Lotus.

The Transmission on the other hand is a K.O. criteria for me. How can it be so slow? I watched some videos from the A45S and its transmission is definetly a lot faster. I also did not notice any DCT effect. No matter what I would do with the gas and brake, the downshift is always slower than the upshift. But even the upshift is too slow. I felt very little connection to the engine because of the transmission. Completly different feeling in the Alpine which as a superb and very fast DCT. I do not get how the Merc with the same transmission works...hopefully Lotus will fix this for next year when they bring the tuned i4 to Europe.

 

[Eagle7]

What this car needs performance-wise more than anything is more torque. The Eventuri improved that, and I'm guessing the GRP does too, although I'd like to see a dyno test after the ECU has had time to adjust to the GRP. Their back-to-back same-day dyno tests didn't show much of an improvement for any of the filters really, which was quite different from what I got with the Eventuri. However I'd been running around with mine installed about a week before I got the dyno test, and I've noticed after installing the Aerie titanium muffler that over time there's a gradual but noticeable increase in performance. The ECU does adapt, but it takes awhile.

 

[Matt]

I have driven the FE I4（297KW 405HP） for almost 1 year. I'm happy with the torque, at least not slower in dynamic acceleration than the M2 or even M4, although it would be nice to have more torque. The dissatisfaction is indeed with the gearbox, which is actually fine in automatic mode, but there is a significant delay in manual mode, which makes it very difficult to downshift quickly in manual mode. As for the original suspension system, I chose the SPORT version, I believe this is a modified B12, as the original suspension, the feeling is very good, but still always feel the lack of the kind of high quality or the feedback of the advanced feeling brought by the road surface and better support from the after market coilovers. Above is just my personal feeling. LOL