Emira Road Tests & Reviews

[Eagle7]

Here's something interesting to consider.  The type of cars the purists think Lotus should still be producing would put them out of business.  Those kinds of cars just weren't selling enough to keep the company afloat.  Something had to change or it was over, and there wouldn't be any more anything, including parts, support, etc.

Here's the numbers for the 2020 Evora GT as tested by Car&Driver:

 

Two things to note here: this is with the optional carbon fiber pack which reduced weight, and the car still weighed 3112 lbs. (1412 kg), and the price-as-tested which is $131,795 U.S.  Same engine and trans as the Emira.  We don't have final production car numbers for the Emira yet, but so far we've been told the Emira FE is going to weigh 1458 kg (54kg heavier than the "lightest configuration" which it's assumed is the base i4) which converts to 3214 lbs.   The U.S. price for the FE is $93,900.

What Lotus has done is in my opinion, an incredible achievement. To create a brand new car with the exception of the motor and trans, that has a stunning body, brand new fully upgraded interior, fit and finish better than any Lotus they've ever made, a better sound system than they've ever had from a company of the pedigree of KEF no less, modern electronics and systems, and bring all that in for $37,895 LESS than the outgoing car is remarkable.

The penalty (performance-wise) that is being lamented by some is:

Weight of Evora GT = 3112 lbs.

Weight of Emira FE = 3214 lbs. - an increase of 102 lbs.  The Emira FE is heavier, but since the FE bundle adds 54kg (119 lbs.), the base model is supposed to be 1405 kg or 3097 lbs, which is actually 15 lbs lighter than the Evora GT.

0-60 Evora GT = 4.0 secs

0-60 Emira FE = 4.3 secs (estimated based on pre-production numbers) - .3 seconds slower

Price Evora GT = $131,795 (as tested by Car&Driver)

Price Emira FE = $93,900 - $37,895 LESS

Sales of Evora of all models over its 12 year lifetime from 2009-2021, about 6,000.  

Orders for Emira within the first 12 months of it's debut before a single production car has been built, about 7,000 and a 2 year waiting list already.  More orders in 12 months than the Evora sold in 12 years.

When you consider it from a business standpoint, not an emotional standpoint, this is remarkable.  Like it or not (from the purist's and a few other's perspective), Lotus is doing exactly what they needed to do, and it's paying off big-time.  This is better than going out of business.  This means parts and support for previous Lotus models and owners.  It means new sports cars, and Lotus as a viable player in the upcoming electric automotive world.

Well done Lotus, well done.

[jimichanga]

Without purists and unique lightweight sports cars there wouldn’t have been anything for Geely to buy.

It does not have to be so binary the answer isn’t 1486kg sports cars with electric seats or nothing. There are many variations that could have worked and no-one has to start slating the old cars or their owners to justify the direction taken with the Emira. The order books justify the decisions taken it doesn’t mean everyone has to like what’s being offered.

Is OK, especially here, if some prefer the Evora, Exige and Elise, it hasn’t impacted on the success of the Emira at all. I’m sure Lotus are very happy to trade a few hardcore fans for a greater number of new ones, that’s all part of the plan. If Emira had appealed to everyone on here I don’t think they would have got it right.

[blindside]

2 hours ago, jimichanga said:

Without purists and unique lightweight sports cars there wouldn’t have been anything for Geely to buy.

Well said that man. 👍

[Eagle7]

5 hours ago, jimichanga said:

Without purists and unique lightweight sports cars there wouldn’t have been anything for Geely to buy.

It does not have to be so binary the answer isn’t 1486kg sports cars with electric seats or nothing. There are many variations that could have worked and no-one has to start slating the old cars or their owners to justify the direction taken with the Emira. The order books justify the decisions taken it doesn’t mean everyone has to like what’s being offered.

Is OK, especially here, if some prefer the Evora, Exige and Elise, it hasn’t impacted on the success of the Emira at all. I’m sure Lotus are very happy to trade a few hardcore fans for a greater number of new ones, that’s all part of the plan. If Emira had appealed to everyone on here I don’t think they would have got it right.

And without Geely buying it, it would be over.  

Actually it pretty much does have to be binary.  Regulations and emissions standards cannot be ignored by the manufacturers, and that's what has forced the changes you lament.  I wasn't slating the old cars or their owners, just stating the hard reality.  Even Colin Chapman couldn't make his automotive business work and be sustainable.  At the point where Lotus was at, it wasn't about liking or not liking what needed to be done.  It was either do it or die.  

I'm 70 and believe me, I know what it feels like to not like changes that can't be avoided or stopped.  My world is gone.  Half my family is gone.  My childhood friends are gone.  People I worked with and enjoyed many good times with are gone.  You have to adjust to changes to survive, that's just the way it is.

If you and others want to prefer the Evora, Exige and Elise, that's fine, just don't criticize Lotus for adapting to the changes they had to adapt to in order to survive, otherwise they'd have gone under and there wouldn't be any new cars to talk about.

Unless you're a very small specialty car maker, that makes so few cars you aren't required to comply with safety crash regulations, no manufacturer can make cars the way they used to be.  It simply isn't legal anymore. The world has changed, and it's about to change again in a big way.  This is the end of an era, and such things bring a sense of sadness and a feeling of loss because it's part of the world you grew up in that's coming to an end.  It makes you feel dislocated, unconnected. I wish I could tell you of a great way to cope with it but I don't know of one.  Getting drunk isn't it, it just makes it worse.  Enjoy what you can while you can, and be thankful you got to enjoy it, because it doesn't last.  This is why there's such a market for nostalgia.  It's hard to let go, and even harder when it's taken from you.

I'm not looking forward to the electric future because I know it's going to bring a hideous level of control over our lives that will make these days look so much better than we currently realize, and people think things now are bad.  I'm going to enjoy my Emira, be thankful I've got one and could get one, go on many drives and even a few trips.  I'll go past lines of cars at charging stations that are going to have to wait hours to get their cars charged so they can continue on, and they'll hate me as I pull into a gas station, fill up in 5 minutes and be on my way.  They'll be saving money by not having to buy gas, but I'll be saving time which at age 70 is more important to me than saving a few bucks on gas.  I'm sorry you and some others are not happy with the Emira, but it's all we've got at the end of this era, and it's actually pretty nice overall when you look at it.  It could be worse; Lotus could have gone out of business and we wouldn't have anything new at all.

[r3nault]

@Eagle7 well said. As the kids would say, haters gonna hate. Emira is a gorgeous car which looks to be easily daily liveable and with few of the compromised previous Lotus have asked of their owners. Different horses for different courses!

For all the negativity (here and elsewhere) about the Emira, and sometimes even Evora, for being too heavy, soft etc etc - not a “real” Lotus - I NEVER see the same said about the Esprit. Let’s not forget later Esprits were more than 1300kg in an era when all cars were lighter due to less safety regs. Evora and Emira are relatively even lighter in the modern era compared to other cars but get criticise for being overweight? I have no problem with the Esprit - just pointing out the hypocrisy.

I hope everyone who has ordered an Emira just loves it and most importantly gets out and drives it!

[simonb]

the old lotus delicateness was a two edges sword

[Evotion]

19 hours ago, Eagle7 said:

and bring all that in for $37,895 LESS than the outgoing car is remarkable.

Ha, I mention this 'bargain' Emira often.

I will just sit here smiling whilst others moan the wheels are the wrong shade, the gaps too big and the colour might  be dark in the garage at midnight.

[C8RKH]

I hardly think there are "haters gonna hate" on here, what utter pish.

It seems that if you say anything that isn't "oh my god the Emira is perfect and Lotus are just the best saints ever" that somehow you're a bad person. Tosh.

I have pointed out some negatives, but these are based on what I WANT from the car. So I guess according to some on here we're not allowed to have personal desires or wants.  The Emira is much heavier and down on power to my Evora Sport 410.  I find numerous LCD screens a faff and a distraction. But that is me and doesn't make me a hater for calling it out. So get a grip.

I have also said the Emira is a great car and will be a huge success. So actually rather than popping one off and getting all gooey eyed, I personally have tried to stay balanced.  Hence my conclusion being the Emira FE is not the car for me and especiAlly in FE spec - was speaking to another Evora owner when we picked out cars up from servicing Friday night who was of the same view.

The pick, as I have positively stated before, is the I4 base to your own spec, but I will be waiting for a holed for, future release of a stripped out GT4 type version 

If this makes me and people like me a "hater" then it makes those saying it a, erm, I'll use plonker so as to not get banned, as they had obviously not understood what was being said or refuse to see anothers perspective through their rose tinted spectacles.

Apologies the post but being labelled a "hater" irked!

 

[rudolphwolven]

* * * * *

The Evora Sport 410 looks somewhat "raw"....I personally like that.

The Emira ( imo !! ) looks a little as the first Porsche Boxster and the Mercedes SLK.

A lot of people called the Porsche Boxster and the Mercedes SLK "a hair dressers car".......of which I can not explain why, however can understand and feel what they mean.

[mdavies]

1 hour ago, C8RKH said:

I hardly think there are "haters gonna hate" on here, what utter pish.

It seems that if you say anything that isn't "oh my god the Emira is perfect and Lotus are just the best saints ever" that somehow you're a bad person. Tosh.

 

 

Entirely agree with your comments, but those of us grieving for the passing of the "old Lotus" that we have loved, for decades, some of us, perhaps should have some sympathy with those now expressing very strong feelings about any negative comments made about the Emira.

They too are in various stages of the grieving process; grieving for the end of their dreams about the Emira. The realities obvious for some time as the facts and figures emerged, well prior to reviewer's comments, have come to pass.

We have to co-exist. Different people, different cars. The Emira FE version is not for me either. 

Edited June 12 by mdavies

[C8RKH]

I also think that many are forgetting that the Emira has not just replaced the Evora, but the much lighter and even more focused Elise and Exige.

When you stack up the weight and performance levels against the Exige then the Emira is a million miles off the mark.  For whatever reason (I believe it was a mistake) Lotus decided to cease 3 models and replace them all with a softer, easier to live with, more mainstream, mummy satisfying car.  I can understand why as a result, some people might not be as enthusiastic.  For me, if Lotus still made the Exige Cup 430 that would be the ideal car (or a 420/410 Exige) to sit in my garage ALONGSIDE the Evora.  The Emira in any of the current configurations only makes sense if i ditch the Evora and that ain't going to happen i don't think.

[tim_marra]

I don't think the Emira replaces the Elise/Exige. Those are two models that have been 'dropped', with the Emira being a successor to the Evora but with wider appeal. I've no idea if Lotus plans to bring a leccy Elise/Exige car out in the future?

[C8RKH]

You might not think it, but they have been dropped and the only thing you can buy is an Emira. So it has replaced them as now the only sports car you can buy is an Emira.

The point for me is that yet again I think Lotus have cocked up.  They should have released the Emira V6 with the 430 engine from the start. It would have blown away the Cayman for a start and really given the journo's something to chew on. Nut instead, it just feels like they have bottled it.  Just a personal view.

It feels like Evora all over again - great car but the marketing/strategy is flawed. Again.

[TomE]

On 11/06/2022 at 09:24, C8RKH said:

I believe (needs to be confirmed) that for instance one of the cars delivered by Lotus had the sports suspension setup but the Goodyear tyres. Surely a compromise for on track testing?

EVO requested an Emira to review on a long road trip and asked for the Sports suspension.  Knowing it was a trip through France to Monaco and likely to involve rainy weather, Lotus sensibly fitted the Goodyears.  You can read that review in the print magazine - it's largely positive and highlights a few concerns similar to other road-based reviews.

Instead of returning the car to Hethel, EVO then took the car to Anglesey where they "happened to have" a GT4 being tested.  They didn't tell Lotus they were doing a track test either beforehand or when they returned the car.

Lotus should have been all over these pre-prod cars and how they were being tested, but also EVO should have given Lotus the chance to do a more sensible track test.  I gather Lotus will be supplying a Sports + Cup2s car to EVO to do another track test.  But sadly one negative test out of 20 or more has already done damage.

On 11/06/2022 at 11:38, Bruss said:

I think the problem is likely to be integrating any engine tune in to the Lotus/Bosch control electronics, just as it has been with the Evora.

Several tuners have already ordered early cars and stated their intention to offer upgrades, including Komotec on the V6 and Litchfield on the i4.

[C8RKH]

10 minutes ago, TomE said:

Instead of returning the car to Hethel, EVO then took the car to Anglesey where they "happened to have" a GT4 being tested.  They didn't tell Lotus they were doing a track test either beforehand or when they returned the car.

And this is exactly the type of behaviour Evo have a track record of and why i stopped buying the magazine years ago. But then, Lotus not tying this down is just typical, well, Lotus to be honest. Porsche would not tolerate this type of behaviour with their cars.

Sorry if this is sounding too negative - more than anything I am just disappointed, if not disheartened, that Lotus have not nailed this launch with the Emira. They have a fantastic looking car, a real meat eater, but as a go to market organisation they seem to be more like a buffalo wandering the plains eating grass waiting to be shot and skinned by the Evo hunter. Don't get me wrong, I so want Lotus to be a successful manufacturer of sports cars for now, and the future. I am holding out for the carbon infused, I4 tuned to 430/450bhp "GT3/4 or CUP" version.

[r3nault]

@C8RKH my post wasn’t directed at you. I haven’t had any issue with what you've raised, which is essentially what I have also said, being that different cars will appeal to different people. My central point was there are a few (not you) who are decrying this “too heavy too soft not-Lotus” but I don’t see the same said about Esprit (nor should it be) - perhaps 25 years is the minimum hindsight for people to appreciate a change?

2 hours ago, C8RKH said:

It seems that if you say anything that isn't "oh my god the Emira is perfect and Lotus are just the best saints ever" that somehow you're a bad person. Tosh.

Never said, nor intimated in my post. I’m not pretending it’s perfect.

2 hours ago, C8RKH said:

I have pointed out some negatives, but these are based on what I WANT from the car. So I guess according to some on here we're not allowed to have personal desires or wants.  The Emira is much heavier and down on power to my Evora Sport 410.  I find numerous LCD screens a faff and a distraction. But that is me and doesn't make me a hater for calling it out. So get a grip

Yep, and I agree. To me, a Lotus is for driving, ICE stands for internal combustion engine and not in-car entertainment. We both recognise others may feel different as is their right. But I can assure I do have a grip, I.e. perspective, and you seem overly irritated by a post not even directed at you….

I’m not now - and probably never - buying an Emira, unless I have a sudden change in life circumstances which allows me to have 3 or 4 cars and the storage for them. So I’m not some woolley eyed tie dyed fan. But I was simply calling out the unnecessary (in my view) negativity from some - not you - which - again, contrary to what you and I both seem to be saying - lacks the balance to see it for what it is.

[C8RKH]

Thanks @r3nault👍

[Eagle7]

If the electric future wasn't being forced down our throats whether we like it, want it or not, then things could be quite different.  Thinking or saying what Lotus could have done, should have done, etc. just doesn't address the harsh realities facing not only Lotus, but every automotive manufacturer.  If the cutoff date for ICE cars was 2040 even, that would allow for plenty of time to plan for more options.  Problem is, the cutoff is only 7 1/2 years from now, and considering the development cycle for a new car is usually at least 3-4 years, that basically means one more iteration.  None of the major manufacturers are planning on throwing billions into and hurrying to design as many ICE cars as they can right up to the last minute.  They're all pretty much done already, with maybe one last car coming out between now and then.  All their development money is going into electric already.  This leaves those of us who still want a great ICE car with not much of a choice, especially a sports car with a manual.

While the Emira is not like a Lotus of old, I honestly think if Chapman were alive today, he'd still approve of it.  He was also enough of a realist to understand the necessities of business, and he wanted Lotus to succeed as a business.  He'd be pouring his engineering and inventive genius into starting simple and adding lightness to an electric car, and hopefully that's what the team at Lotus is doing.  With new materials and 3D printing techniques for creating actual manufacturing capable parts, it would be quite an interesting challenge to figure out how to incorporate batteries, keep the driving characteristics and feel of a Lotus, and add lightness in the process.  Then do all that at a price that's competitive in each vehicle's target market segment.

The success of the Emira means there's a future for Lotus.  Sadly the charming, quirky cars of the old Lotus are gone, but that's true about the entire ICE era, not just Lotus.  They chose to survive.  I personally think that's a good thing.

[C8RKH]

34 minutes ago, Eagle7 said:

The success of the Emira means there's a future for Lotus.  Sadly the charming, quirky cars of the old Lotus are gone

1. The Emira is NOT a success at the moment, and indeed, there have been many who after rushing to put their faith in the car and lay down a deposit, have now pulled out. Before we call something a success, let's check the numbers and the facts in the real world (i.e. post order list, manufacturing and delivery).  I had heard that around 30% of initial people who had expressed the interest fell away when specs and prices were announced. No idea if this is true, just what I was told. I, like most, hope it will be a success even though in its current form it is not desirable.

2. Quirky cars!  Really?  Maybe in your opinion, but to many, including the godlike motoring journo's they were the best driving and handling cars ever.  Quirky, no.  Not bloated with padding and tech etc. More hard core. More dynamic and focused?  Yes.

[Mctaff]

 

I thought they had a 2 year waiting list?! Lotus website said over a year last time I looked.

So should keep the company afloat, and I believe it’s way above lotus’ initial expectation. Of course some people might change their minds, but I doubt it will be a huge percentage.

I wasn’t a fan of design or finish of Elise etc….my friend had one and loved it… 

Edited June 12 by Mctaff

[bruchion]

I think it's time that the children take a nap...

[Bibs]

58 minutes ago, C8RKH said:

The Emira is NOT a success at the moment

In terms of sales it's without a doubt the most successful car in the companies history! 

[C8RKH]

So all orders placed are now fully confirmed sales and the value of those if more than any other car ever sold by Lotus?  I've been in sales for over 20 years and I only count a sale when the PO has been received and the customer has no way to back out. Orders are vanity, sales are sanity!

 

Edited June 13 by Bravo73

[Eagle7]

1 hour ago, C8RKH said:

1. The Emira is NOT a success at the moment, and indeed, there have been many who after rushing to put their faith in the car and lay down a deposit, have now pulled out. Before we call something a success, let's check the numbers and the facts in the real world (i.e. post order list, manufacturing and delivery).  I had heard that around 30% of initial people who had expressed the interest fell away when specs and prices were announced. No idea if this is true, just what I was told. I, like most, hope it will be a success even though in its current form it is not desirable.

2. Quirky cars!  Really?  Maybe in your opinion, but to many, including the godlike motoring journo's they were the best driving and handling cars ever.  Quirky, no.  Not bloated with padding and tech etc. More hard core. More dynamic and focused?  Yes.

With a 2 year backlog already, and 7,000 deposits/orders, you don't consider that a success?  Compared to their entire history?  So let's say just for your sake, that 30% of those who deposited have in fact withdrawn their deposits.  That's 2,100 cars out of 7,000. There's still 4,900 waiting for their cars, and there's still a 2 year backlog, and the i4 hasn't even come out yet, and production cars aren't out in the wild yet!  Even with your fall-away number, that's still a resounding success!  If "in its current form it is not desirable" then why is there already a 2 year backlog of deposits/orders for it?  I know it's not desirable for you, but if you're going to be realistic, there's obviously a LOT of people who have different values and views than you do.  I don't know why that's so upsetting to you.  That's life.

Yes they are quirky cars.  Hard to get in and out of, compromises in many areas for the sake of lightness and raw performance.  That's great for the minority that like and want that kind of thing, but there aren't enough like that to keep the company in business.  I had a 1972 Twincam Europa.  Try getting in and out of one of those.  And MAYBE in your opinion they were the best driving and handling cars ever.  MAYBE in your opinion padding and tech is being bloated.  MAYBE in your opinion hard core, more dynamic and focused is better than daily livability.  And maybe you're in the very small minority and the vast majority disagree with you.  Again, that's life.  Sorry that's so upsetting for you.  Just remember that the cars you love so much are out there, so you can always still buy a used one.  All is not lost.

[C8RKH]

It's not upsetting for me at all to be honest @Eagle7and I have never said it is. Where do you get that from? Oh yes, you just made it up. Nice.

I also have no need to buy one of the cars I love as you put it, as I have two of them already! 

If you read my posts you'd see a reasonably balanced approach, unlike the fan boy shite that seems to suggest that everything before the Emira was quirky and crap or intolerable and not up to being a Daily Driver - utter bollocks.

To be honest, I'm surprised some people are not choking on that stuff as their heads seem to be (and have been since they placed their deposits) so far stuck up the exhaust pipes of the Emira. A car I must add that every one of them has not yet driven or experienced on the road! A car that already on here, after the first reviews, some people are thinking might not be for them ...

The fact is, whether YOU like it or not, the Emira has polarised opinions in the Lotus community. Is it a sufficient step forward for many current Lotus owners to consider - given it has replaced the Elise, Exige and Evora (we can argue about the semantics but as the only model available it needs to cater for all previous model owners desires/needs, as well as the newbies) - and does it give those owners what they are looking for? It's not just about the new owners, unless it is in your eyes.

I fully accept that Lotus is going in a different direction to what I am looking for and that the Emira in its current guise is not for me. That doesn't upset me either. However, if they do produce a more raw and focused Emira I have been clear I could be tempted. So again, I am not anywhere saying the Emira is a bad car or won't be a success.  Just a shame many on here have to decry the old cars to justify in their own minds the value of the Emira. Do they secretly know the Emira will not be as good so they feel the need to attack?

However, to be balanced, I do also explain what an "Emira for me" would need to look like and that I am sure they will be a success. So again, the only people who seem to be really denigrating Lotus cars are the ones who cannot see beyond the "shiny shiny" new. And just as with the crass Geely comment, without the Elise, Exige or the Evora there would have been nothing for Geely to buy, and I don't care what anyone else says, the technology from the first aluminium chassis in the Elise, refined in the Evora, is exactly what is underpinning the "all new" Emira.  The Emira has a lot to thank the "old crap quirky" cars for.

As for being hard to get in and out of - that's subjective. I'm a fat, old, inflexible bloke and seem to be manage just fine getting into and out of an Evora and Elise (well VX220, but same thing   ). Maybe the new owners are just softer and less willing to compromise. 

It's not me who says they are the best handling and driving Lotus cars ever - it's the journo's and road testers who consistently praise those aspects (whilst decrying the lack of creature comforts of course).  I do find it funny though how Lotus builds lightweight cars, that handle better than anything else, and go like stink - and the cars are labelled "quirky" and lacking.  Porsche, that generally build bloated cars for fat middle aged blokes to show at the golf club, adds lightness, rawness and takes away the creature comforts and their cars are hailed as for the "gods".  Given the first edition Emira is very much a fully loaded armchair model, I do find it surprising, we ll I don't really, that Evo chose to put it against the stripped out rawer Cayman GT4....   Go figure where the bias is and isn't.

So @Eagle7. I am not upset at, or about, the Emira in any way, shape or form. I am disappointed with it as a launch package, as I think Lotus has missed a trick. Again. But I am getting a bit sick and tired of the fan boy cry that "Emira is better than all the rest" and the "don't call my new baby toy ugly" responses.

So in my own style, I'll call it out - the hype and the bullshit and some of the biased crap - and fight for the underdog (the old cars) as fighting for the underdog is what drew me to lotus in the first place.  If that upsets you then fine, I really don't care, but I still hope the Emira gives you what you want and I hope you stay with it for some time.