V6 comes with manual or traditional auto. The AMG 2L 4cyl has the DTC -which I presume comes from AMG as well.
Absolutely same here. I am ordering one as well. I frigging love it. This is what 296 should look like.
Looks much better than I’d expected. If I was a Cayman buyer, I’d think twice. 400hp SC + manual is how I’d spec it. I’m afraid to see it in red because it might just prompt me to do something irresponsible... like put a deposit on one. I don’t think that 0-60 time is accurate. Just Lotus being conservative.
Flash that’s how I would spec mine as well… realizing all the criticism of the 400 hp being a bit low, Lotus has always been about feel and handling. 3000 lbs is not the lightest but as long as it maintains that visceral driving experience, that is the emotive inspiration Lotus epitomizes. I’m sure the Toyota engine is easy to tune for a bit more power if need be, and heck I’m sure one can start tearing out door panels or other weight saving measures by “adding lightness” (Colin Chapman pointing at us). I remember in the good ol track days the equation was: -10 lbs = 1 HP. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Money well spent! I'm in love, too. Have to figure out if / where this slots for me. I'm hoping it drives like it looks. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Think the C-8 prospects will move over? Tempting bc of the very long queue (~12 months) for delivery. Plus is now, the latest and greatest on the market. Think will be difficult for Cayman prospect, unless the younger set, who are thinking of owning their first Porsche.
Just spoke with the local dealer. $5k deposit on a CC, fully refundable for any reason, scheduled for Q4 but likely Q1 delivery. Hmmm.
In spite of 3 transmissions and 2 engines, it seems like the powertrain for the car really boils down to a single choice (transmission). Either you want a manual, in which case you'll be getting the SC'ed V6, or you want a DCT transmission, in which case it's the AMG i4. Me, I've moved on from manual to DCT cars now and would have liked to spec a V6 for the DCT, but it's not an option. The good news though is that this is a beast of an i4. In Europe, the AMG A45S with this engine comes from the factory with over 415hp even with all the latest EU restrictive equipment. It takes very well to light tuning, hitting ~485hp with just air intake/filter, exhaust, and a tune. And whereas the stock SC'ed V6 from Lotus makes 317lb-ft of torque, a tuned i4 will put out 400lb-ft. I wouldn't argue with anyone debating aural or throttle response characteristics of the V6 vs. i4, but the performance potential of this i4 is no small consolation prize. Lotus will only be building the V6 cars initially, delivery of the i4 cars will trail about 5-6 months later. Those who have the patience to wait a few years will no doubt have more track-focused variants to choose from that get more power + lightness. But I think this car is going to generate a lot of impatience .
Generic super car looks, but really well done. It looks smaller and lower than other supercars out there and side profile is stupedouns, from the front its almost a baby T50.. Pricewise would you take this over a vette or a low spec cayman. Its a different more exotic animal for sure. Im in the same camp as others, the 4cyl is the way to go. Theres not too much breathing you can do on the v6 and in the evora its really linear so seems not as quick as it is, stll a manual with sonorous motor in an exotic all for 80K, where else can you find that, it sure has the space to itself.for My bet is a lot of people who want an exotic(part of which is exclusivity part of which is pure unadulterated looks) are going to love this car. Vettes are everywhere, caymans not that exotic, and does the smart thinking dfrver need a 800hp hybrid 296 for the road or to spend 350k. We know the drivetrain is reliable and even build should be decent. But some dealers and lotus USA are big question marks. Back to the 4cyl, yeah it can be easily amped up to 485 hp, so if you really want to roll its the way to go and will prob be the quickest on track, it also fits the lotus ethos better. Like all lotus its a car that will work on track out the box. The downsides, stock its performance spec is last decade. Its also too heavy in that sense very un Lotus, this car should really weight 3-500lbs less. While it will undoubatably be useable and comfy on road its no elige replacement. Being based on an evora ill assume the steering is similar, good for Ps but once again its no elige replacement. The two cars thta do remind me of lotus are the Yaris GR and of course the new alpine, which is the car lotus should be building, but neither are available in the USA. Still for 80k if it works on track as all lotus do, and the amg mtoor with 485 hp remap, whats out there thats even close, vette is size xl and weights 500lbs more, is less exotic and more a gt car. More money like 40k more gets you a cayman Gt4 and probbably a z06. Of the two the Gt4 will be the only comparable type car, less exotic but really a honed piece. my take, theres nothing else even remotely close in its prce class, and its more exotic looking than cars the next 1 or 2 rungs up the ladder. Too heavy, too little power(stock) but otherwise excelent. Its a stopgap car on the evora platform, but pretty darn awesome. Theyre smart pricing more car, more exotic for less money than a cayman. Now they just need enough credible dealers.
Some salient details Being larger (in most directions) than both the Cayman and Alpine - it’s not far off some current Porsche 911 Carrera dimensions - and without the featherweight-focus of the latter, the Emira won’t be as lithe as its French counterpart, weighing in at 1405kg at its lightest, a near-300kg rise. This does make it bang-on the weight of a Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0, but weights remain to be confirmed for the four and six-cylinder Lotus models. There won't, however, be a roadster or targa-top variant, with Lotus prioritising ultimate dynamism over an open-top experience. Lotus has kept steadfast in its application of purely hydraulic steering, though, joining McLaren as one of the very few manufacturers that have resisted fitting electric steering in favour of its cleaner feel, despite an admittedly tiny compromise in fuel consumption. To this Lotus has designed and developed its own all-new steering rack to maintain its signature feel and texture in a car that is fitted with 20-inch tyres. As with any modern performance car there are switchable driver modes, but these are restricted to the throttle and gearbox mapping (the latter only on cars with the double-clutch or automatic gearbox fitted obviously), due to the passive chassis and hydraulic steering. And also Gavin Kershaw’s philosophy that the chassis and the steering’s weight and its rate of response shouldn’t need to be adjusted if you want to go quicker if the engineers have done their job correctly in the first place. Which is refreshing to hear.
big question is if the emira at identical power/weight to cayman will be a special enough driver to convince buyers to skip over porsche or vette. was thinking this might be the car to make want to swap elise but not happening.
I think you hit it on the head. If you like an elise, this is simply not a replacement and should be seen in its own context. One is a swb 1900lbs car the other 3100lbs car By defintion they ocupy different dynamic space. Emira is to my eyes far more "exotic" than the vette or cayman. In look sits more comporable to a MC20 at near tripple the price or even a mclaren. One of two drawbacks are weight, in this it eschews the lotus ethos. The other drawback is in 2022 its simply down on power or power to weight. The 4cyl mtoor in a sub 2800lbs car would really hit t out the park. Part of the pricing advantage is lotus uses off the rack motors, too bad.theyre not also using a mercedes 6 with 500hp. Whats standout about this car is the styling, possibly when driven other dynamic features in terms of ride handling and steering will standout too. Can you imagine if Lotus had launched this instead of the evora. In one big way this car can give us lots of hope for lotus electric future. In that future all cars will have ultra powerful silent powertrains so what differentiates will be the things the emira and lotus has right, styling and dynamics..
Plastique, my understanding is a demo-only car may hit dealers at the end of this year, with first deliveries (V6 cars only) starting a little into next year. A few months later, the i4's will start to hit. Boxerman, agreed re: all your points about the car! In spite of dimensions similar to the Evora (and many shared stylistic elements), Lotus claims this is an all-new platform by the way. I get it that the weight is disappointing particularly for those who already own a Lotus Elise/Exige, and I guess those with an Evora would feel the move is overall too lateral. But for non-Lotus-owners, no one was complaining too much about the weight of the Cayman. Yeah I would have liked to see the car 300-400lbs lighter, but I don't think 3100 lbs specifically will get in the way of an Emira purchase to someone new to the marque. However, combined with the powerplants, the stock performance due to the power-to-weight might give some people pause. IMO it's a missed opportunity not to be able to get the car to say a 3.9 ("Sub 4 second") 0-60 time in this day and age. The price is great for a car like this though. Sometimes I've toyed with the idea of buying a Cayman GT4/Spyder, but have yet to get past the common looks & that it isn't an exotic. The Emira has the exotic looks that the Cayman lacks and seems to match up close enough on paper regarding performance (again though, a missed opportunity for it not to be better). Spiderman, here's a small data point regarding your question of the Emira courting potential Cayman GT4 buyers: yesterday I put a deposit down on an Emira. All bets are off though if the reviews don't support the Emira being a great driver's car. It leaves me a little over a year to figure out getting a lift installed in my garage to support the extra car, and for reducing wife-agro . I see the car as an addition to a drop-top Italian exotic, not a replacement for one.
Here’s high level comparison between C8. To me, other than styling, many unknowns until see and drive one. Not sure the Emira could be a good daily driver compared to Corvette. It’s lower and a rougher driver, if like other Lotus’. Having owned British cars b4, parts and where to get repaired with limited dealers may be a challenge. That said, I hope it makes GM increase their game with the Corvette and perhaps reduce the year + delivery processes.
I agree wholeheartedly that many are saying 400 HP is underpowered, but power was Never the philosophy with Colin Chapman. It was always about “add lightness.” So yes 3000 lbs is way heavier than an Elige and will never mimic the kart-like road feel of an Elige. But there will never be a car that light built ever again. So it ALL depends on the handling and road feel. This can only be determined on a test drive. My deposit is in and I’ll make the final decision on a test drive. I’m very optimistic. Additionally, I’m sure there is a tune that can squeeze out 50-100 more HP, and hey if you want to start stripping weight for the track, easy to do. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Can mods merge these 2 threads Lotus Emira— https://r.tapatalk.com/shareLink/topic?share_fid=9080&share_tid=644448&url=https://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/index.php?threads/Lotus-Emira%E2%80%94.644448/&share_type=t&link_source=app Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Harry's Garage has a great video up. You can see the car in an outside environment with natural light, away from the sterile demo rooms. And a Type 72 to boot
Yes 400hp was not the chapman ethos, but lower power in 7 is a completly different proposition. Normally 400hp is plenty for a lotus elige that weights 600lbs less, Thats an exige v6 so thats the benchmark already in terms of raw performance etc. The same power in a car that wights 600lbs more is simply less. The 4cyl is fine and will with a remap approach 500 hp. To me that means the v6 while smoother and a bit more tq, plus stick is still contextualy underpowered, esp given that this is the modern era and the car in its lightest form is 3100lbs so the v6 could weigh even more. What it needs is a 500+hp v6 and that is only acheivable with the toyota motor if you change rods and supercharger. In short a 80k 4cyl emira makes a lot of sense amd for 100k an amg v6 would make aton of sense too, the toyota motor is there I assume because it is already homologated fro emsiions and its more than a 4. As you say "ALL depends on the handling and road feel. This can only be determined on a test drive. " Ill bet the ha ndlign and road feel are superlative in the modern context, and thats always been a lotus usp, but modern levels of power would complete the circle for more buyers. Got me thinking though, would I take a mapped 485 hp 4cly emira over a 40-50k more expensive cayman GT4. If they offer a road legal trackday version, ie sub 3000lbs, seats, brakes(proper rotors not drilled crap) shocks springs then I would prob say yes. It might be the one car that ticks multiple boxes.
