The great big "all the customer test drives" thread

[Mctaff]

just drove the new Vantage (auto) and Emira back to back. I know I'm compraing appples and pears, but the Aston is a 2018 plater @ 85k


Initial feeling

Aston: wow, lush, smothered in cow; odd button placement, but lots of buttons nonetheless. great seats, lots of control. can't see half the dash once I've got the wheel in the right place. really weird square wheel (didn't notice again once driving). Visibility a bit limited due to high waist of car. Carplay setup quickly.

Emira: low, good finish, but could have been better at this price point. nasty plastic buttons on steering wheel just make me want to get back out. not many buttons. pedals offset to the left/ in the wrong place and close together. seats are ok, controls hard to access due to positioning next to the door. can't see the rev counter at all when the steering is in the right place for me. Great front visibility. hard time getting carplay setup to test the stereo

Stereo:

As per the Kef thread, the Kef is clearer an has more seperation and definition than my Porsche Bose, but bass is weaker and volume more limited and soundstage less expansive. Aston premium stereo better all round.

Route:

Aston took me on some motorway which worried me, but that was to get my quickly onto some great b-roads. Lotus route was appalling, I didn't really get to try out the capability of the car.

Seats

Aston were great, comfortable, supportive whilst throwing around, but could take a long drive without problem

Emira: seats were ok and felt similarly supportive yet comfortable, but my back didn't like them much though after less than 30 minutes in the car.

Grunt

Aston: wow this thing has got power and puts it down without any trouble

Emira: its got reasonable power, but could do with more urgency. Wasn't sure about the whiny supercharger.


Driving

Aston: planted, solid, good feedback, goes like a maniac wherever you point it and sounds amazing, great pops now and again on the downshift. I hate flappy paddles and I loved the flappy paddles!

Emira: light and deft with good feedback but wasn't sure I liked the experience much! Felt like I was in a toy (I'm used to heavier cars). I enjoyed the manual as I haven't driven one for a while, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I didn't like the pedal position and got my foot stuck under the brake whilst changing gear - I put this down to not having driven one for ages, but the pedals must be close. I think I forgot to change modes, as I found I had to focus more than normal just to drive it. Didn't like the sound much.

Ambience

Aston just felt right. Emira didn't in a way I can't put my finger on. I left the emira feeling ever so slightly sick... perhaps the whiny surpercharger, as I'm noise sensitive.

Overall

I want the Aston. I'm really not sure about the Emira.


Edit: forgot one point - Aston, no glovebox. go Lotus!


Yellow stripe anyone??!

 

[Leonard]

just drove the new Vantage (auto) and Emira back to back. I know I'm compraing appples and pears, but the Aston is a 2018 plater @ 85k


Initial feeling

Aston: wow, lush, smothered in cow; odd button placement, but lots of buttons nonetheless. great seats, lots of control. can't see half the dash once I've got the wheel in the right place. really weird square wheel (didn't notice again once driving). Visibility a bit limited due to high waist of car. Carplay setup quickly.



Emira: low, good finish, but could have been better at this price point. nasty plastic buttons on steering wheel just make me want to get back out. not many buttons. pedals offset to the left/ in the wrong place and close together. seats are ok, controls hard to access due to positioning next to the door. can't see the rev counter at all when the steering is in the right place for me. Great front visibility. hard time getting carplay setup to test the stereo

Stereo: as per the Kef thread, the Kef is clearer an has more seperation and definition than my Porsche Bose, but bass is weaker and volume more limited and soundstage less expansive. Aston premium stereo better all round.

Route: Aston took me on some motorway which worried me, but that was to get my quickly onto some great b-roads. Lotus route was appalling, I didn't really get to try out the capability of the car.

Seats

Aston were great, comfortable, supportive whilst throwing around, but could take a long drive without problem

Emira: seats were ok and felt similarly supportive yet comfortable, but my back didn't like them much though after less than 30 minutes in the car.

Grunt

Aston: wow this thing has got power and puts it down without any trouble

Emira: its got reasonable power, but could do with more urgency. Wasn't sure about the whiny supercharger.


Driving

Aston: planted, solid, good feedback, goes like a maniac wherever you point it and sounds amazing, great pops now and again on the downshift. I hate flappy paddles and I loved the flappy paddles!

Emira: light and deft with good feedback but wasn't sure I liked the experience much! Felt like I was in a toy (I'm used to heavier cars). I enjoyed the manual as I haven't driven one for a while, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I didn't like the pedal position and got my foot stuck under the brake whilst changing gear - I put this down to not having driven one for ages, but the pedals must be close. I think I forgot to change modes, as I found I had to focus more than normal just to drive it. Didn't like the sound much.

Ambience

Aston just felt right. Emira didn't in a way I can't put my finger on. I left the emira feeling ever so slightly sick... perhaps the whiny surpercharger, as I'm noise sensitive.

Overall

I want the Aston. I'm really not sure about the Emira.


Yellow stripe anyone??!

View attachment 19603

Lotus are really shooting themselves in the foot with these overly scrutinized test drives. Everyone has there own benchmarks and perceived uses, so they should be able to drive on the route of their choosing.
NOT having suitable B roads on the test drive to actually experience the driving dynamics of the Emira though is just criminal!
Trackers, set routes with zero deviation, route checkpoints, mileage and speed limit check ins, anyone would think we were in China....
Even if you thought the Emira and Aston were comparable, who are you going to buy from if the decider is the Customer Experience?

 

[Mctaff]

Lotus are really shooting themselves in the foot a bit with these overly scrutinized test drives. Everyone has there own benchmarks and perceived uses so should be able to drive on the route of their choosing.
NOT having suitable roads on the test drive to actually experience the driving dynamics of the Emira though is just criminal.
Trackers, set routes with zero deviation, route checkpoint, mileage and speed limit check ins on route, anyone would think we were in China....
Even if you thought the Emira and Aston were comparable, who are you going to buy from if the decider is the Customer Experience?

the route was absolute shite. no open b-roads that I can remember at all. lots of speed bumps, some dual carriageway and motorway.

on the way back I recognised the route Aston had taken me and thought "great we're going down there again". nope... bear right onto the motorway. ffs

 

[BeHappy]

the route was absolute shite. no open b-roads that I can remember at all. lots of speed bumps, some dual carriageway and motorway.

on the way back I recognised the route Aston had taken me and thought "great we're going down there again". nope... bear right onto the motorway. ffs

Was this Bradford ?

 

[Mctaff]

Was this Bradford ?

bristol!

perhaps the same person specced both routes?

 

[Tonyshepp]

I'm in the Emira this coming Monday, drove the Vantage this Tuesday. I desperately want the Emira to be a great car, it looks lovely BUT the Vantage isn't ugly. The thing to bear in mind is that the Aston was built for a £125k market, the Emira for a £60k market (base I4) - I know we don't compare used cars to new cars as a rule BUT I want value for money - Monday will let me know where my money feels best placed.
Excellent comparison!

Plus loved the padded material near my left leg for when i go round a sharp left hand turn.

 

[Mctaff]

Lotus are really shooting themselves in the foot with these overly scrutinized test drives. Everyone has there own benchmarks and perceived uses, so they should be able to drive on the route of their choosing.
NOT having suitable B roads on the test drive to actually experience the driving dynamics of the Emira though is just criminal!
Trackers, set routes with zero deviation, route checkpoints, mileage and speed limit check ins, anyone would think we were in China....
Even if you thought the Emira and Aston were comparable, who are you going to buy from if the decider is the Customer Experience?

I forgot the dealership experience.

Aston, even though I look like an ageing criminal in a hoodie, were very welcoming and chatty. I get my sparkling water and am left to wander round their amazing showroom showroom whilst my license is dealt with. a good 5m of metal in there. wow!

Lotus - can't get in without pushing a buzzer. receptionist just wants to know if I've got an appointment, very functional interaction. Sat waiting in a foyer that was a bit like an office block. I didn't see the inside of a lotus showroom, no cars to look at.

Both salesman were really good though.

Overall the Aston experience was actually an experience not just an appointment.

 

[Sizona]

My last car which I sold in the summer ready for the Emira was the New Vantage AMR 7 speed manual. V8 Twin turbo, ceramic brakes. loads of carbon etc. The New vantages are really lovely. I absolutely loved it especially in AMR guise.

Today I test drove the Emira at B&C (which I ordered well before I took ownership of the Aston) I think was lucky, great sunny b road route, nice welcome and knowledgeable staff. Nice experience. I will post another time about my view on the Emira and the test drive.

However it is very hard to compare a new RRP of between £125k - £140K of the Aston with the £80K Emira. They might be same price bracket...ish now but not really comparable in my view. The Aston has more of nearly everything compared to the Emira. Even dual zone climate control!!

I am not saying which is better or which to buy if you have a £80k - £100K budget however not really fair on the Emira to so compare. If any of that makes sense!

 

[emiraspain]

just drove the new Vantage (auto) and Emira back to back. I know I'm compraing appples and pears, but the Aston is a 2018 plater @ 85k


Initial feeling

Aston: wow, lush, smothered in cow; odd button placement, but lots of buttons nonetheless. great seats, lots of control. can't see half the dash once I've got the wheel in the right place. really weird square wheel (didn't notice again once driving). Visibility a bit limited due to high waist of car. Carplay setup quickly.

Emira: low, good finish, but could have been better at this price point. nasty plastic buttons on steering wheel just make me want to get back out. not many buttons. pedals offset to the left/ in the wrong place and close together. seats are ok, controls hard to access due to positioning next to the door. can't see the rev counter at all when the steering is in the right place for me. Great front visibility. hard time getting carplay setup to test the stereo

Stereo:

As per the Kef thread, the Kef is clearer an has more seperation and definition than my Porsche Bose, but bass is weaker and volume more limited and soundstage less expansive. Aston premium stereo better all round.

Route:

Aston took me on some motorway which worried me, but that was to get my quickly onto some great b-roads. Lotus route was appalling, I didn't really get to try out the capability of the car.

Seats

Aston were great, comfortable, supportive whilst throwing around, but could take a long drive without problem

Emira: seats were ok and felt similarly supportive yet comfortable, but my back didn't like them much though after less than 30 minutes in the car.

Grunt

Aston: wow this thing has got power and puts it down without any trouble

Emira: its got reasonable power, but could do with more urgency. Wasn't sure about the whiny supercharger.


Driving

Aston: planted, solid, good feedback, goes like a maniac wherever you point it and sounds amazing, great pops now and again on the downshift. I hate flappy paddles and I loved the flappy paddles!

Emira: light and deft with good feedback but wasn't sure I liked the experience much! Felt like I was in a toy (I'm used to heavier cars). I enjoyed the manual as I haven't driven one for a while, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I didn't like the pedal position and got my foot stuck under the brake whilst changing gear - I put this down to not having driven one for ages, but the pedals must be close. I think I forgot to change modes, as I found I had to focus more than normal just to drive it. Didn't like the sound much.

Ambience

Aston just felt right. Emira didn't in a way I can't put my finger on. I left the emira feeling ever so slightly sick... perhaps the whiny surpercharger, as I'm noise sensitive.

Overall

I want the Aston. I'm really not sure about the Emira.


Edit: forgot one point - Aston, no glovebox. go Lotus!


Yellow stripe anyone??!

View attachment 19603

its a busy and clumsy interior IMO, but despite that you notice the 125k quality.
Lotus's is just an interior that would seem also about right for a 65k car.
The info enter. system for aston is awful.... no apple car play, but a 1k fix is available, but screen is crappy..... I do like my tech, but the car is SOOOOOO attractive, I could forgive it anything.... if I were this attractive, I would also be forgiven everything and would still be married.
go on..get the aston.. you know u want to...>!
Just a shame prices will now drop and drop... Im guessing 10k depreciation in a year and an extra 7k yearly after that?
but thats cars for you.....

 

[Mctaff]

its a busy and clumsy interior IMO, but despite that you notice the 125k quality.
Lotus's is just an interior that would seem also about right for a 65k car.
The info enter. system for aston is awful.... no apple car play, but a 1k fix is available, but screen is crappy..... I do like my tech, but the car is SOOOOOO attractive, I could forgive it anything.... if I were this attractive, I would also be forgiven everything and would still be married.
go on..get the aston.. you know u want to...>!
Just a shame prices will now drop and drop... Im guessing 10k depreciation in a year and an extra 7k yearly after that?
but thats cars for you.....

Agree... button placement is definitely a mess... I like the rest though, even the stuck on screen is at least swathed in cow and somewhat less a design afterthought than most these days.

This one had the carplay upgrade, which was great. I'd never used carplay til this morning, but can see you don't really need anything else. I did keep poking the screen though, to repeatedly remember it isn't a touchscreen I had the old Aston with the Volvo system, so I'm used to their info systems being crap!

not only attractive but the noise from that v8. especially in track mode. I'd forgotten how lovely a v8 sounds... even a turbo'd one!

 

[duff]

Shame you ended up on the motorway on the test drive. The standard route really does not offer any opportunity to test the car in the areas a Lotus excels.

 

[RafP]

So had another drive yesterday in an already delivered car spent 2 hours with it. It needs to go back as has a few faults. Water ingress, trim issues and rattles.

The owner won’t be bothering with hassle of taking it back to get sorted and will be chopping it in as doesn’t meet his expectations sadly. He’s been offered a profit from a dealer who have a buyer lined up already.

Headlines are gearbox was better than Exeter car but still worse than my last Evora.

Rattles slightly worse.

Brakes are very good once bedded in. Anyone having grabbing issues seems to get better with miles and proper bed in cycles.

Seat did find it more comfy but still had a slight lower back pain starting to appear after 2 hours.

Kef stereo is a real disappointment given I expect it to be quite an expensive option. Was able to use a reference track I always listen to and had a decent play with settings and was able to crank it up. It’s been run in for about 10 hours but was still quite flat, very little bass. Perhaps it needs a another 30 mins or so playing with settings to perfect it, needs more run in time or doesn’t like EDM freqencies.

 

[Speedluvver]

So had another drive yesterday in an already delivered car spent 2 hours with it. It needs to go back as has a few faults. Water ingress, trim issues and rattles.

The owner won’t be bothering with hassle of taking it back to get sorted and will be chopping it in as doesn’t meet his expectations sadly. He’s been offered a profit from a dealer who have a buyer lined up already.

Headlines are gearbox was better than Exeter car but still worse than my last Evora.

Rattles slightly worse.

Brakes are very good once bedded in. Anyone having grabbing issues seems to get better with miles and proper bed in cycles.

Seat did find it more comfy but still had a slight lower back pain starting to appear after 2 hours.

Kef stereo is a real disappointment given I expect it to be quite an expensive option. Was able to use a reference track I always listen to and had a decent play with settings and was able to crank it up. It’s been run in for about 10 hours but was still quite flat, very little bass. Perhaps it needs an another 30 mins or so playing with settings to perfect it, needs more run in time or doesn’t like EDM freqencies.

Opposite of my experience with the kef… deadmau5- some cords.. bass was good and you could feel it through the side pods

 

[TomE]

I'll remind folks again, this is a thread about customer test drives and is primarily for people to post their experiences of driving the car. Some comparison with other cars is fine.

The quality of the dealer's coffee and the sales person's fashion sense aren't relevant. Also, this isn't the thread for debates about new versus used cars at a similar price. These discussions can all happen over on other relevant threads.

This thread is an important resource for people looking for feedback from customer test drives. So unrelated posts will be deleted or moved.

 

[Pops68]

Lotus are really shooting themselves in the foot with these overly scrutinized test drives. Everyone has there own benchmarks and perceived uses, so they should be able to drive on the route of their choosing.
NOT having suitable B roads on the test drive to actually experience the driving dynamics of the Emira though is just criminal!
Trackers, set routes with zero deviation, route checkpoints, mileage and speed limit check ins, anyone would think we were in China....
Even if you thought the Emira and Aston were comparable, who are you going to buy from if the decider is the Customer Experience?

Exactly why I chose NOT to drive the Emira. No car I've ever driven is fun on city streets near an airport. I didn't want to be let down.

 

[idleuser]

Test drove the Emira with sport suspension and Cup 2s on 11/16/22 at Los Gatos. Shout out to Krisjc21 who graciously gave up his test drive spot for me.

As you know, there is only about a dozen or so production cars out there that is faster than the P100DL on a straight line. Today I will be comparing this to the Tesla Model S P100DL for power and torque but I will include other cars that I’ve owned and driven as well.


1) Power is very linear and doesn’t lack torque from 4k RPM to redline. Car pulls very strong 1st to 2nd but I was limited to 3rd gear since I was breaking the law going 90+ MPH on an off ramp highway. Compare to the Model S that I’m used to driving, the Emira doesn’t lack torque or power on the streets since you can blow past 3k RPM very quickly. I honestly don’t see a problem.

2) Transmission - Shifting felt very heavy going into 1st gear but 2nd-6th gear felt great and smooth, nothing to complain about. Compared to my S2000 AP2 that I used to drive, the transmission isn’t as smooth but felt familiar. The clutch pedal felt light and grabs early but it won’t make it feel like your legs are falling off in stop and go traffic.

3) Steering – No dead spot from center with the steering wheel at 0 degrees. The car is communitive going from left to right and stuck like glue. Resistances from the steering wheel felt medium, not too soft not too heavy.

4) Suspension - I’m glad I was able to drive the car with the sport setup. I was afraid it would be too stiff after watching Harry’s video. But I’m glad it wasn’t and I’ll be changing my setup from touring to sport. If you’ve ever any driven a car with any type of coilover setup, the car felt complaint and smooth over bumps and not too jarring. I am actually surprise at how soft it felt compare to other shock and spring combos that I’ve used in the past.

5) Brakes – One word, WOW! It definitely felt stronger than the 4 pot Brembo WRX STI that I’ve driven. Braking felt more like it was instant rather than progressive.

6) Looks – 10/10 no bad angles from anywhere. The car can hold its own with an entire fleet of Aston Martins on standby. Need I say more?

Others:

7) Audio - I didn’t get enough time to evaluate to the KEF setup but the mids and highs are clear. Seems to be lacking bass at the low end. I’m not a bass kind of guy so I think it sounded good for what it is. It’s not going to win any awards but it won’t disappoint even when compared to my 5.1.2 atmos setup at home.

8) Seats – I need more time to evaluate since I wasn’t focus on the seats but more on the driving experience.

 

[Hawki]

Been following but never posted. I did my test drive today at Flow Lotus in NC.
Car looks better in person vs pictures and videos.

I wasn’t overly excited with the power train. Shifts were not very smooth and the drive train noise was a bit much IMO. Also noticed a rough idle on a few different occasions.

Seats were comfortable but we’re to high for me (6-0 ft.) and the digital info screen was a bit hard to see.

I went there today with the hope it would just WOW me. It didn’t.

Enjoyed reading and following all of your posts. For those staying the course enjoy your Emira.

 

[Andy]

I had my test drive this morning with Lotus Surrey, this was a good 30 mins drive on winding roads and able to push the car although limited to 4000 RPM.

The car drove lovely and as expected after driving an Evora a number of months ago.

Power - This was enough for me considering i could only go to 4000RPM, as others have mentioned it is not break neck speed but continuous pull through all the gears.

Gearbox - I was more than happy with the gearbox, it had a lovely feel to it no issues with selecting the wrong gear, the clutch bite is low but no doubt will get used to this after a few miles.

KEF Audio - In Radio mode the stereo was poor, but when linked to Apple Car Play it was like you were listening to a different system, this was helped by going into the Equaliser and adjusting the bass and treble, it was not only the sound but also the clarity.

The demonstrator i drove had touring suspension and i am happy that i have chosen Sport for my car, nothing wrong with touring but as mine is not going to be a daily i would prefer a slightly stiffer suspension.

The only negative from my drive today is the sound of the exhaust, i would like to have a bit more noise, so this will be one of the first things i will upgrade once the car is delivered, this is just a personal preference and something i have done on all the other cars i have/have owned.

The quality of the interior felt good, the seats were comfortable but as i said i was only driving for 30 mins, seat positioning is good i spent a while making sure the seat and steering were just right before we set off.

Overall i really enjoyed the drive and am now really looking forward to getting mine in Feb 23 (fingers crossed)

Picture below of the car i drove, which looked stunning.

 

[rjhoskins]

Just returned from Lotus in Winston. Planned on just checking out the car in person and sitting in it to get the feel.....They were ahead of schedule so they let me get in a test drive. Totally surreal experience. Loved the car and proud I didn't stall it since it's the first time I've driven a manual gearbox since I sold my Supra back in 2005. The Emira drives great, feels great, a real sports car, yet refined and comfortable. I put my deposit down before I left--yes it will be 1.5 to 2 years probably (who knows), but I'm still excited.

 

[PaperLawyer]

For info, the two USB ports (1x Type A and 1x Type C) inside the Emira central armrest storage are connected directly to the infotainment system and can be used for either a USB stick or an external device. So yes, it is possible to use a lossless source. My plan is to use a stick permanently plugged in as a jukebox, as I don't use streaming audio services on my phone.

I plugged in a usb stick that is normally plugged into my wife's X1's infotainment. Folder structure is Artist > album and mp3 format. 32GB or 64GB capacity and will be formatted FAT32, I suspect. We couldn't readily access the usb stick following my test drive so reverted to a bluetooth connection to my phone (firing up Android Auto). Anyone else had any usb stick access issues?