I like the Emira and would deeply consider it... but I like the 718 too damn much. It's not even close for me even though I do get "the fizz" when I see the Emira in pictures and it's probably even better in person. I wouldn't fault anyone for switching or choosing the Emira over the 718... but I've got the car for me, thanks.

And I'd agree with OP to take it easy with Cup2s in chilly weather, even in the dry, especially in someone else's car being driven for the first time.

 

Here are my impressions after driving the Emira last month for 20 minutes on surface streets.

PROS:

- suspension (Sport + Cup2) is wonderful. Very comfortable on the roads I drove. Seems to have a nice bit of initial travel to soak up small jitters in the road and was very well-damped. Definitely rides better and is much less bouncy than the GT4 or even GT3. A slight downside of this is that there is a bit more initial movement in the suspension when you first turn in, but it takes a set and doesn't feel sloppy whatsoever. Typical Lotus approach.

- Steering has good feel and an old-school sensation to it. I would say Porsche GT steering is just as precise (if not moreso immediately off center), just less feedback of road texture

- I found the interior quite functional, though the quality is perhaps just a notch below Porsche, but no issue overall. Kinda missed analog gauges, but Lotus has never done analog gauges that well, so I'm fine with the digital dash. Minor quibble is that in underpasses, lights turned on and screen dimmed too low to see well.

- Definitely an exotic feel to this car. Sitting in the driver seat, you get the sense the canopy narrows as it sweeps above you and to the back, giving it a fighter jet-type feeling.


CONS:

- Biggest one for me -- I did not like the gearbox overall. Lotus did a nice job of making the shifter short throw with nice precision / little slop, but the gearbox isn't that pleasurable to use for me. You can't rush it and if you are deliberately a bit slower and precise, it works just fine. It just lacks some slickness that Porsche has IMO. On flip side, the Porsche shifter feels perhaps less mechanical, especially because it is more forgiving to use with seemingly bigger gates. I got used to the Lotus shifter pretty quickly though, so perhaps this is something you'd grow to like more with time. Gearbox made unpleasant noises below 2k rpm it...distracting. On the plus side, the ratios are natural feeling and I don't think the gearbox is a hinderance to the car's actual performance. Clutch is easy.

- Brakes are as immediate and touchy as everyone says, but I've never liked this about Lotus cars (my Elise was similar). I prefer the pedal pressure required with iron Porsche brakes, though PCCB drivers would probably like the Lotus brakes more. I thought modulation at lower speeds required more thought than preferred, but this is probably something you get used to with time. Also very slight dead spot at the top of travel, similar to my Elise.

- Seat bolstering feels improved from the shadow grey prototype car that was in the U.S. and is probably on par with Porsche standard seats. But no more aggressive seat option. These seats won't be adequate on track IMO.


NEUTRAL:

- I don't think the engine is bad as (some) people are saying. It has linear torque across the power band and you don't have to rev it to death like a Porsche N/A engine to get performance out of it. On the flip side, I didn't find it as rewarding or sweet sounding to rev out. Throttle pedal travel is like 2X my GT4. Anyway, this car has about 400hp and it will move just fine at this level. No, it is not a GT3, but pretty comparable with a 981 GT4 speed-wise. It's definitely not a higlight of the car.

- Seating position is fine, I didn't have any trouble with the pedals. There is a sensation of sitting higher than with Porsche standard seats, but I think this is because the window sill is lower, so it may be an optical illusion. You definitely don't sit as low as with Porsche carbon buckets based on butt/knee relationship, but I think that is okay since these are the "touring" seats.

- Sounds is fine, I bet it gets quite good with aftermarket exhaust


CONCLUSION: Overall, I don't think you can really truly understand this car unless you get to drive it on a mountain road or on the track, but my test drive was still worth the trip. I was left with the feeling of an old-school car, in a good sense. Harry's Garage review where he said this car could have come out (5?) years ago is very accurate. Car definitely seems to reward economy of input as Catchpole stated as well. I didn't come away feeling that I must have this car (i.e. sell my GT4 for it) but would love to have another go in a more performance-oriented environment. Also want to drive the AMG i-4 with DCT. I think the car might be a bit too sanitized by Lotus standard and personally, I will wait to see if they come out with a more track-oriented version later.

 

More raw than a non-GT 981/718? Maybe slightly, particularly in the driver inputs. But against a 981 GT4, I'd say no, the car is quite refined in some ways.

 

I never thought much about this until you wrote this.

My Exige with AP calipers + rotors on Pagid RS42s exhibited the same characteristics, definitely more immediate vs PCCBs even.

 

I thought the Emira was more a GTS competitor than GT4. Its not a track car.

 

My understanding is in agreement. The Emira is positioned to compete against the Porsche GTS 4.0, yet I'm sure some comparisons to the Porsche GT4 will be made as they are closely related.

Lotus has already shown an Emira GT4 for Track Use Only to compete in GT4 class racing. I would think that Lotus will add an "Emira S" or a slightly higher performance variant of the platform to compete directly with the Porsche GT4 in the future. Time will tell......

 

Price wise it would be GTS territory. Why wouldn't it be a track car. Double wishbone suspension, AP racing brakes, big rubber, ~3150#, decent power, mid engine, proven powertrain. Yes I have a deposit and will make my decision when my number comes up. Right now the GT4 is a keeper but I do have severe car ADD.

Peter

 

Most reviews peg it vs a GTS and state it would be unfair to compare Emira against a GT4. It lacks aero of the GT4.

 

Fang sums it up compared to an Evora perfectly.

I left my GTS4.0, and Porsche likely forever (also due to Porsche Edmonton's horrible customer service) to move into a Evora 400. Based on what I have read on countless Emira reviews, I believe the Emira has been made more refined than the Evora in order to appeal to buyers on this forum. It does not interest me at all but I think it will bring many new buyers to Lotus in the end, if they get their act together and start shipping them out soon.

The refinement in my GTS4.0 is the reason I left it behind. It is not a great feel-the-road car. You might think it is, until you drive a GT4, Spyder or like me an Evora 400. The Evora 400 has steering feel like I had never seen in either my 991.2 or GTS4.0. It also has a fixed sport suspension. No electronic dampers getting in the way. It is truly old school, feel the road perfection. It felt like an unbridled race car the first time I drove it compared to my GTS4.0. But a lot of people don't want that, they want more refinement. To me though, for a true sports car feel, I would take my Evora 400 every day of the week over a GTS4.0. It is that damn good. It feels special driving it slow, fast and in between. Plus no one knows what the f$ck it is on the road

 

^This is the precise Lotus demographic. People who flock to Lotus are DIE HARDS lol. To them, nothing compares, and it's all about "road feel".

Jay Emm, is that you?

 

You stated it's not a track car and I disagree. The fact it doesn't have the aero of the GT4 does not make it not track worthy. The GT4 is not a track car either as the 1st thing everybody does is change the rear toe links

Peter

 

Reviews all say it is not track focused, even less so that a GTS. You can see from that EVO review it isn't capable on a track. I'm sure they'll bring out a track version in the future. I'd say fans are thinking the Emira to be akin to the Evora, where as in fact Lotus is now in the business of making a sports car for the road that will sell higher numbers to a wider audience... an everyday sportscar.

 

the emira is closer to ~3500lbs lol

lotus hasnt't made a light car in over a decade

 

I think we all have to realize that "track car" means a million different things to a million different people. Last time I was on the track I saw someone with a modded out Honda Fit. Would you consider that a track car? Probably not, but that was that guys track car.

Will people take the Emira to the track? 100%. Will it be their track car? also 100%.

I think what we should be more focused on is more just how the cars differ and what we like and dislike about either.

For me I chose the GT4 over the Lotus due to its increased storage space, the NA Flat 6, PDK option (only the 4 cyl gets the DCT for the Emira) and the bucket seats. The green you can get the Emira in though is absolutely amazing and I would love to have my GT4 in that color, but I don't have the money for PTS.

 

The Evo review car was also using the sport suspension with the base suspension tires, so somewhat questionable review of track capability, but Lotus has definitely tuned the a sport suspension to be livable on the street. I wouldn't worry too much about understeer, as that can be cured on the GT4 out of the box as well. Evo's comments on the engine and shifter track my own experience.

No, that's way too high, more like 3200 .lbs, but heavier than the Evora.