Why did you choose I4 over V6?

[Dirk Wainer]

I purchased my Lotus i4 in China. The car here has the same horsepower and much more torque and 8 gears plus it is lighter so it is much faster. The rear subframe for the i4 was redesigned and the i4 motor has a lower center of gravity, so it handles better. Then there is the matter of petrol usage - on the freeway in 8th gear at 120kph it uses 4.5 liters per 100km. Also the pdk is great for traffic and you can use the paddles to change gears if you want - there is a remapping for the gearbox coming I hear that will make it more compelling. Very happy with the car.

 

[seriously]

Pretty sure the turbo 4 was introduced for markets that tax by cylinder count (China I think). That said it’s interesting to see so much interest in the turbo 4. Opposite of what you see with the cayman platform.

Tuned the 4 will be faster than the 6, but less linear. Maybe stock it’s faster because the torque.

However I don’t see a lot of people actually tuning their cars. I assume the high degree of interest is actually because you are comparing a newer AMG power plant to an older Toyota platform. If it was AMG to AMG I suspect most would prefer the 6 cylinder option.

 

[TheMotizzle]

DCT

I've really come to love driving a DCT car. I've driven the Supra GR and Ferrari 488 GTB with paddles and they were amazing. Even driving my GLC300 with paddles is more enjoyable then expected. I also do a lot of sim racing with GT3 cars (ACC) and love the paddles.

I swore I'd only ever drive stick when I was younger, but the DCT has changed things for me.

Bonus i4 features for me:
Potentially faster, fuel efficient, lighter, price, tuneability, no clutch pedal in LA traffic

I do love the V6 sound better, but not enough to matter. The Larini V6 exhaust sounds amazing. Maybe they'll do the i4?

 

[Dirk Wainer]

Correct, no adaptive cruise for the Chinese I4. We do get blind spot warning, lane warning and collision avoidance. No apple carplay here, which is a bit crap.

Incorrect there is a free upgrade in two months for adaptive cruise in China.

 

[Dirk Wainer]

Incorrect there is a free upgrade in two months for adaptive cruise in China.

Software upgrade.

 

[lynchy73]

Incorrect there is a free upgrade in two months for adaptive cruise in China.

There is no adaptive cruise now, so I’d call my statement correct

Good to hear there is a plan to update, I’ll believe it when I see it. It would be nice if they added apple carplay too. Personally, I’m not too bothered about adaptive cruise, but Carplay would be useful.

 

[Tokion]

I've really come to love driving a DCT car. I've driven the Supra GR and Ferrari 488 GTB with paddles and they were amazing.

I share your enthusiasm about the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). However, the Supra GR has (an excellent) ZF torque converter transmission. Not every car with paddle shift has a genuine Dual Clutch Transmission. Actually most of cars with paddles does simply act as switches to select torque converter gearbox gears. Not going to explain the inner workings of the DCT gearbox here; but in a way it is like two manual gearboxes with regular (internal) clutches working in parallel, eliminating the need of manually pushing any clutch pedal. The only current Japanese car (as far as I know) with a true DCT is the Nissan GT-R, and this vehicle has faster acceleration times than most Ferrari and Lamborghini models. It is a true “Godzilla”

 

[Zayex]

Finally a thread to talk about the good features of I4.

Honestly I was getting discouraged to be hearing only criticisms and negative comparisons.

In my case I want a daily car that gives me a smile every day. Also a car that in a bad day of work, when you leaves late and its raining does not torture you with the clutch.

Three years ago in Monza Grand Prix, I saw the F1 drivers with a Mercedes amg gt that oversteers, an Aston Martin that understeers, an Alpine that lacked acceleration and finally a Mclaren Artura that flew through the chicane.

It was clear that Mclaren had better control/distribution and power delivery and our I4 seems to be closer than V6 to that philosophy.
I have no doubt that on the track we will be able to go harder than with the v6.

 

[seriously]

for effortless speed the i4 with DCT is the clear winner. Tuned I don’t think it will be close. If you don’t have to have manual, DCT is an incredible mix of smoothness but instant shifting when you need it. As someone mentioned it is very much like manual with the car in two gears at once (anticipating if you will shift up or down) and then instantly shifting to the next gear when asked to. It feels MUCH better than a typical auto. However, I do wonder if the i4 will handle heat well on the track. I think the v6 supercharged already has some heat limits but I expect the i4 may be worse. Time will tell!

 

[Tokion]

for effortless speed the i4 with DCT is the clear winner. Tuned I don’t think it will be close. If you don’t have to have manual, DCT is an incredible mix of smoothness but instant shifting when you need it. As someone mentioned it is very much like manual with the car in two gears at once (anticipating if you will shift up or down) and then instantly shifting to the next gear when asked to. It feels MUCH better than a typical auto. However, I do wonder if the i4 will handle heat well on the track. I think the v6 supercharged already has some heat limits but I expect the i4 may be worse. Time will tell!

It’s nice that we finally can seriously celebrate the i4. Neither inferior, nor superior in every way, but each version has its own attributes, and they will attract different fans.

From reading various comments herein I think it looks like Lotus/AMG has updated the DCT gearbox software to diminish delays when shifting. My guess is that it isn’t the fastest shifting DCT ever; but it is probably at this point quite reasonable for both road use and easy track-day use for those who enjoy that sort of thing.

I am looking forward, more than ever, to have my own i4 FE car arriving so I can start enjoying it. I am so glad that I stuck with the very long wait without wavering.

Cheers everyone

 

[TheMotizzle]

I share your enthusiasm about the Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT). However, the Supra GR has (an excellent) ZF torque converter transmission. Not every car with paddle shift has a genuine Dual Clutch Transmission. Actually most of cars with paddles does simply act as switches to select torque converter gearbox gears. Not going to explain the inner workings of the DCT gearbox here; but in a way it is like two manual gearboxes with regular (internal) clutches working in parallel, eliminating the need of manually pushing any clutch pedal. The only current Japanese car (as far as I know) with a true DCT is the Nissan GT-R, and this vehicle has faster acceleration times than most Ferrari and Lamborghini models. It is a true “Godzilla”

I had no idea it wasn't DCT. I guess i just assume since it shifted so smooth. Thanks for the correction!

 

[Speedy Emira]

I think the i4 is a great car and as most say both great in their own way.
I’m going to try and stay open minded on their track abilities because the weight that different and can a non professional driver take either version to its max?
For sure the i4 is going to suffer more from heat on the track if Lotus have had constant issues. Hopefully they will have a better fix for this soon or at least if the do higher hp variants. The one this I don’t understand is why they have a Evora GT430 used on a track without major heat issues.

 

[Tokion]

I had no idea it wasn't DCT. I guess i just assume since it shifted so smooth. Thanks for the correction!

No problem. Please treat me the same way if you find a mistake in what I write. We are all friends here, and we engage in friendly discussions.

The best of torque converter automatics are now very close in performance to DCT, and they are more sturdy and lasting (less failure). The German brand ZF, used by a lot of brands like BMW, Jaguar and a very large number of others. Most of their gearboxes are 8-speed. However, they probably do not “feel” quite like DCT for those who want a near-racing experience. One criticism against the AMG DCT in the Emira i4 was also that it had delayed shifts, and therefore it did not have the “racy feeling” which is the hallmark of DCT. But recent reports by members herein who has already received their i4 cars, hints that this problem has somewhat been alleviated. Maybe still not “race” but at least “spirited drivability”.

 

[Gridgway]

I'm feeling sad that I cancelled my i4 hearing all the good things people are thinking to get out of it. It was only reasons of circumstance as I really don't drive anywhere at the moment on the road (most miles I do are in a motorhome!). It's good if we have generally moved on from the "manual=sporty. auto not" sentiment. I've driven a few auto sports cars in my time. An Evora V6 manual which was surprisingly good to most recently an Audi R8 that was definitely sporty.

Hopefully I'll find a place to slot an I4 in sometime in the not too distant future!

PS it was an Audi R8 Evo II LM GT3, but still had paddles and no clutch!

 

[ADC]

Been watching this thread for a while, and I feel like I should pitch in my two pence/cents/yen ...

I was totally in the i4 camp when I placed my deposit (in late 2021!) and I was super excited about having a sportscar-slash-baby-supercar that had a modern AMG drivetrain with tunability for days, that would also satisfy my daily commute needs. It felt like I would eventually be living the middle-aged dream some time "soon"

As the months and years rolled by (cue some sort of montage), my circumstances changed, and besides being slightly fed up of waiting, I didn't need to commute daily, and then suddenly having a crisis-mobile that made appealing noises and could turn up sooner was actually quite enticing. The sound i4 clips from Goodwood 2023 and the August '23 price increases tipped me over the edge, and I lost the i4 faith ( :shame: ), and swapped my order to a v6 manual.

I've continued to track the progress of the i4 situation, and am still convinced this is a great variant of the Emira, but I have succumbed to being a grumpy old curmudgeon who wants a vee-something banging and snarling out the exhaust. I saluted everyone who has stayed the course, but it was probably the shift from daily-traffic-slogger to occasional-b-road-warrior that flipped my preference for drivetrain.

I will continue to look on with interest (and possibly envy) as you all enjoy the M139 to its fullest :salute:

 

[Roland]

Been watching this thread for a while, and I feel like I should pitch in my two pence/cents/yen ...

I was totally in the i4 camp when I placed my deposit (in late 2021!) and I was super excited about having a sportscar-slash-baby-supercar that had a modern AMG drivetrain with tunability for days, that would also satisfy my daily commute needs. It felt like I would eventually be living the middle-aged dream some time "soon"

As the months and years rolled by (cue some sort of montage), my circumstances changed, and besides being slightly fed up of waiting, I didn't need to commute daily, and then suddenly having a crisis-mobile that made appealing noises and could turn up sooner was actually quite enticing. The sound i4 clips from Goodwood 2023 and the August '23 price increases tipped me over the edge, and I lost the i4 faith ( :shame: ), and swapped my order to a v6 manual.

I've continued to track the progress of the i4 situation, and am still convinced this is a great variant of the Emira, but I have succumbed to being a grumpy old curmudgeon who wants a vee-something banging and snarling out the exhaust. I saluted everyone who has stayed the course, but it was probably the shift from daily-traffic-slogger to occasional-b-road-warrior that flipped my preference for drivetrain.

I will continue to look on with interest (and possibly envy) as you all enjoy the M139 to its fullest :salute:

I would 2nd your comments, I had held off making my comparison, I have had the V6 coming up to a year, only nearly 6k miles.
When I had the 12 month service early at Lotus Nottingham, great people I took out their brand new I4 ( I actually still have on order for the I4, and have completed the check out, but not finalised the full purchase).
Prior to the V6, I have not really driven a geared car for over 20 years. I love the V6, the noise the adrelin, the theatre of this model, I have taken it on 2 and soon to be 3 MLOC meeting and hard drives through the Derbyshire peaks.
The I4, seemed lighter and bit more agile, but was not overly impressed with Auto box, and to the sound be it in Tour or sport mode (I4 was on the Touring chassis), I pushed reasonable hard, but being considerate as it only had couple of hundred miles on it. I am lucky to have more than one car.
If it was my only car, for convenience and ease of driving/commuting then the I4 would be the choice between the 2. It's a stunningly beautiful car and great fun which ever you choose, even my young wife loves driving the V6 and she is quite petit.
Roland

 

[allenyao09]

I actually wanted to order i4 first. It was supposedly much cheaper (base should be in the 70k) and also lighter, and the M139 can easily make more power. But I changed my mind when the i4 FE price was revealed (basically same as V6) and the production was delayed.

 

[Matthaus]

So it sounds like the i4 DCT software may have been updated to fix the early review 'lag' - can anyone comment on the position of the paddles? pics suggest they are still very low and that was also picked up on in the reviews.

 

[Dirk Wainer]

So it sounds like the i4 DCT software may have been updated to fix the early review 'lag' - can anyone comment on the position of the paddles? pics suggest they are still very low and that was also picked up on in the reviews.

I use them regularly and find them perfectly acceptable - though there are upgrades for the paddles available. I do find that up to 3rd gear that the changes are done much faster than a human (the car is very lowly geared in the first three gears). I love the car and are very happy with my choice. It is much easier to live with but you have the options of the paddles. The i4 is much faster and handles better than the manual - I have driven my car on the race track and it definitely outperformed the V6 - it also sounds great when pushed - less so in traffic. I live in China so my car has 400hp and 500 nm of torque - so a little more powerful than the European version. Eight gears have lots of advantages including much lower fuel consumption on the freeway. The gearbox does need to be re-calibrated as when pushed and backing off it does not change back to a higher gear quickly. One the race track when using the upper gears in full acceleration the change from 6th to 7th is delayed. I am assured that this will all be fixed in the medium to shorter term.

 

[Andy H]

I am assured that this will all be fixed in the medium to shorter term.

Interesting. Who was it that assured you of this? It would be good to know if there's an upgrade in the pipeline for us i4 owners. I'm still running in so far but I haven't found the shifts to be anything like as bad as the early reviews were saying.