400 to a GT410 sport or `Exige 350

[MarkieT]

Hi guys,

i’m dithering over replacing my 400 ips with a 2019 GT410 sport manual or a brand new Exige 350 with Added soft-top conversion.

the sensible choice is to keep my 3 year old car a bit longer but I really feel like a bit of a change and was going for an alpine but  uncertainty over the brand and future support has led me to stick with lotus.

financially there’s not much in it between a 2019 GT410 sport with low miles and a discounted 350 on the 50/50 deal. I’ve test driven  both And now really torn between the every day usability and carbon bling of the evora or the more aggressive and open top option of the 350.

has anyone made the leap between these models and has any perspectives to share?

Thanks

mark

[Spinney]

I went from an Exige V6 Roadster to an Evora GT410 Sport, primarily because age and dodgy joints made an Evora the more sensible choice. I love the Evora well enough but oh how I wish I could have kept the Exige. 
The Exige is obviously the more raw of the two and, for me anyway, more enjoyable to drive. I tracked the Exige many times and it rewarded me every single time. The Evora is a very capable car but you do feel more detached from the action. If I didn’t need a car that was more easy to get in and out, the Evora, good as it is, wouldn’t have got a look in. 
I think it comes down to personal preference and what exactly you want the car for. If you are using it as a daily, the Evora wins, but if you want a car that isn’t used every day and provides raw B road blasting thrills, then it just has to be the Exige. 
As you may have guessed by now, I bitterly regret selling the Exige and maybe just wish I’d tried a bit harder with the practicalities of it. 

[jonwat]

Review of GT410 in Autocar might help you make your mind up 

[Techyd]

That's a tough decision, this year I've gone from an Evora S IPS to a very early S2 Elise...and while I had additional reasons that drove the sale of the Evora; when it came to replacing it, I went for what would give me more out of driving it.  The Evora wasn't a daily though I did find its ability to both reward and be comfortable very appealing and the sound track of the Evora was epic (I had a 2Bular fitted).  For my usage of it though, the Elise gives me the thrills I'm after (plus no roof!), however I am finding the Elise doesn't cope as well with our roads when you're having fun, in that sense, I'm finding it surprisingly speed limited (not necessarily a bad thing!), as I start to push on in the Elise I actually find myself losing confidence, it's just not coping with the road surface as compliantly as the Evora, which simply destroyed any road at any speed.

I don't know how an Exige would compare at this point which is obviously what you're looking at.  What I would say at the moment is that I think both cars offer great long term ownership propositions, the Exige potentially edges it however giving the change car industry and Lotus' shift toward electric...but that's a another topic entirely!

[au-yt]

I am interested in the out come, as for me I cannot see the benefit (yet), other than being new and manual gearbox, for swapping a 400 IPS for a 410.

The Absolute Lotus Magazine July/August 2019 did a comparison which included a GT430, Sport 410, 400 and an NA. the scribe, Adam Wilkins gave the 400 the nod, as of the group as he puts it,

" The 400 is marginally more in the grand tourer spirit than the 410 and that's the natural habitat of the Evora's body Style. ....By a whisker, as presented on the day, takes the victory."

This is based on one persons view at the time, and pardon my ignorance but to me a GT410, is a 400 with 10 more horse power some body mods and some carbon options. 

 

[Snoopy1969]

@au-yt I think the advantage of the Gt 410 sport which @MarkieT mentioned is that you have a broader range from the options what your will be in the end. With the optional öhlins, one piece seats and no comfort extras you could configurate a more sportier car or you could go the complete other route and build a more "GT"-style touring edition. Seeing dealers spec in Uk and over here on the continent more or less all seem to go the "all extras"/ sparco seats/ no öhlins route......Prisewise the 400 seems to be the best deal yet. I doubt if someone can recognize the difference in horse power (if there is any...?), the 400 is already reg. at 406 ps over here

edit:

I just looked at the configurator (official Lotus in german language, you are directed to that one over here...): it seems that the one piece seats and the öhlins are no longer options for the gt 410 sport (?)

[Gashead1105]

Are lotus still doing 50:50 at the moment? Anyway, I had a V6 Exige before the 400, and I wouldn't go back. I loved how the V6 drove, don't get me wrong - the shove in the back in the mid range was awesome, but it wasn't any quicker than the 400 is actually. The 400 is a better car compared to the compromised V6 design, much more useable, sounds better, handles just as well/better; chargecooled, limited slip dif. Don't see it as anything other than a step back myself. 

If my 400 were to go, it would be for a Cup 250 (to do some more trackdays) and something like an M2 as a daily... although I'm hoping I can get the M2 next year and keep the 400 as well! 

[MarkieT]

Thanks guys for sharing your thoughts.

I'm going to take another test drive of a GT410 sport to help solidify my thinking, whilst it is the more obvious choice there is a devil on my shoulder saying "open top exige, you know you want to.."! Also this is just a stop gap until the new range of Lotus' hit the market and the first wave of early adopters iron out the kinks.

I appreciate the comments on being able to get in/out , although I am over half a century now, I've had an easy life and so it's not an issue for me although as I approach my mid-late 50s I'm sure that will change.

A GT410 sport AUTO would have been a good option but there only appear to be two for sale  on pistonheads and I just don't like the dark metallic grey colour of the one in B&C. i don't have a garage and keeping cars clean is a PITA at the best of times. Added to that I would agree with the comment that a 410 is not really much of an upgrade from a 400, however in my case part of the reason for the change is to move to a manual. Neither the wife nor I are commuting like we used to (and not just due to COVID) and so don't need to deal with start/stop traffic and the Evora auto is just too easy to drive fast! I am a sucker for a bit of flashy carbon though.

I've also noticed alot of the newer cars also have lots of the extras like flashy exclusive paint and interiors (which are not cheap) when frankly most people would probably prefer the forged wheels or adjustable suspension. The standard metallic colours look fine to me.

The only trouble with buying in an Exige in the summer is that the open top driving is very seductive and we can forget about what it's like to live with in the winter with crappy lights, poor windscreen wipers and slow demisting (even with the aircon).

Our other car is an Alfa Stelvio Milano 280, it's an auto and plenty fast enough and practical enough for my needs.

Need to spend the money soon before SWMBO finds a "project" for it especially as she loves the Evora 400 and thinks the Exige is just a toy.

(50/50 is available on NEW cars only).

[C8RKH]

Just remember the roof on the Evora is not a structural component of the car and is a thin and flimsy composite sheet that you could just cut off!  A large Lotus Golf Umbrella from our own TLF shop and away you go in your Evora GT Spyder!

After all, that's practically all Porsche did for their Spyder and they charged double for the usual cost for that car!

[MarkieT]

 

Yes I’m a little surprised, given the ingenuity so often displayed by lotus drivers, that no one has tried this yet!

 

[Spinney]

I believe somebody has, but not sure how well it turned out. I’ll see if I can find the link. 
 

Here it is:-

Not sure it works too well, personally. 

[C8RKH]

Hmmm. It didn't end well did it!  Still think it is a shame Lotus never cracked this. They had the space behind the seats to store the roof panel like the Ferrari, was it the 308?

[Spinney]

And the 355. A mate of mine has one, it’s ridiculously easy and practical to whip the rigid roof off and place it behind the seats. He would often take the piss as I removed, rolled up my Exige roof and struggled to get it behind the seats. 
I was looking forward to the oft threatened Evora Roadster with the CF roof that could be stowed behind the seats, as JMG had said.  That’ll shut my mate up, I thought! 🤔