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Looks 100 times better than a GTS , not sure the driving part.
Yes, The Lotus Emira has great looks! It what originally attracted me to put down a deposit in mid 2022. Yet the more I investigated Lotus, the more I learned, plus the direct feedback from the Emira owners in the EU who have had their cars for over a year now..... I concluded that the car's positives are only skin deep. Thus I pulled my deposit and ordered a new 992 Carrera S.
I rather pay more and get a solid vehicle with modern technology and reliability, albeit average sports car looks, than have a stunning beauty (which the Emira is) that has old tech, lots of issues and a dealer that is 2.5 hours away. I agree that the Emira would be a great addition to any sports car collection, yet not at $100K. My assessment is the Emira is closer to a $75K car, given what you can get in the market today for those $$.
The clutch-shifter combination left much to be desired. While the shifter itself feels crisp and mechanically precise, the overall sensation is vague, leaving me uncertain about gear changes — and this comes from someone who has been driving manual cars his entire life (the travel is just too small and click when engaging a gear is not noticeable enough, to the point I wasn't 100% sure I actually engaged the gear or if I am still at N).
As for the seats, they were somewhat disappointing. They are notably inferior to the base seats found in a GTS/GT4. Not only did they fail to provide adequate support, but they also weren’t particularly comfortable.
The seating position was also underwhelming. Even at the lowest setting, it felt too high, which detracted from the driving experience.
Surprisingly, I didn’t dislike the engine as much as I anticipated. It was merely OK-ish, nothing remarkable but not as disappointing as I had expected.
And let’s not even get started on the build quality. With just 3,000 miles on it, the car was already plagued with squeaks. It seemed no matter where I placed my hands or feet, they pressed against something that made an irritating noise.
It is crazy to me that this car is priced so similar to a GTS. Just crazy.
I see it like the following - if you are looking for pure sports experience, you have MX-5\BRZ\GR86 at the bottom which are an absolute barging - then you have nothing in the middle - and at around 120k you have the GTS which nothing can really compete with at the moment.
You have cool cars between 50 and 70k, like the Mustang Darkhorse (weights a million pounds), the Supra (great car, I also consider it to be a barging), the M2 (also weights a million pounds) and soon the Z4 M40i (I think it will be great).
I am sorry but the Emira has no business being priced more than an M2 or a manual Supra.
Edit - car looks AMAZING. No question there. Just amazing. 10/10. Better than all the other cars I listed, and not by a small margin.
Throttle House just named Emira car of the year - I agree it's not GT3 level, but it's not priced at that point either. I would take it over a GTS Cayman any day. It's a beauty.
Original MSRP was 95ish, which is what my car is selling at. Seems much more reasonable at that price. It is not as “complete” a car as a 718 GTS, but it does have appeal. Unfortunately, none of the cars in NA can be sold yet as they are apparently waiting for CARB certification (estimated mid January). My car is below, just hanging out in the showroom until I can take delivery 🤷♂️
Man, that is a thing of beauty. Just visual perfection. Is it green or blue?
Not the only thing.... It has the performance of a 100K car as well. Fairly certain around a race track it would keep up with a Cayman GTS. (probably not the GT4) Jason Cammisa had it 0-60 in 4.1 with a manual that is fairly impressive.
Either way I am looking forward to serious comparison tests vs a Cayman GTS. The earlier one's from the UK were with pre-production models and not much since then.
Not the only thing.... It has the performance of a 100K car as well. Fairly certain around a race track it would keep up with a Cayman GTS. (probably not the GT4) Jason Cammisa had it 0-60 in 4.1 with a manual that is fairly impressive.
Either way I am looking forward to serious comparison tests vs a Cayman GTS. The earlier one's from the UK were with pre-production models and not much since then.
I didn't watch that video all the way, but he described there the exact problem I felt between first and second gear. I drove the M2 last week. I hate how it looks, but would still take it over the Emira even if priced similarly.
Man, that is a thing of beauty. Just visual perfection. Is it green or blue?
Verdant Green. Looks pretty green in direct light, almost black in the shade.
I drove the car over a year ago when early deposit holders were given test drives of one of the pre production cars (my post is earlier in this thread). Durability and reliability remains to be seen, of course, but seeing as this car has a lot of Evora stuff in it, it should be ok. I think it is a cool car that certainly has the exotic looks but for me it just serves as a different sports car experience to the GT3/GT4/Spyder. It certainly would not qualify as a replacement for those cars, IMO. Just nice to have a different flavor every now and then
Verdant Green. Looks pretty green in direct light, almost black in the shade.
I drove the car over a year ago when early deposit holders were given test drives of one of the pre production cars (my post is earlier in this thread). Durability and reliability remains to be seen, of course, but seeing as this car has a lot of Evora stuff in it, it should be ok. I think it is a cool car that certainly has the exotic looks but for me it just serves as a different sports car experience to the GT3/GT4/Spyder. It certainly would not qualify as a replacement for those cars, IMO. Just nice to have a different flavor every now and then
I also did the pre-production drive last year and had a deposit down since August 2021, but turned it down when I finally got the call a few months ago. After the price increase coupled with lack of options on First Edition cars and the teething issues the cars are having, I couldn't justify buying one new compared to speccing a GTS 4.0 exactly how I want it. Mechanically, the 4.0 engine is much more special than the 2GRFE but the Emira is still quite an amazing driving experience and seems worthy of it's accolades. You really can't go wrong with either, it just depends what you want your ownership experience to look like.
I also did the pre-production drive last year and had a deposit down since August 2021, but turned it down when I finally got the call a few months ago. After the price increase coupled with lack of options on First Edition cars and the teething issues the cars are having, I couldn't justify buying one new compared to speccing a GTS 4.0 exactly how I want it. Mechanically, the 4.0 engine is much more special than the 2GRFE but the Emira is still quite an amazing driving experience and seems worthy of it's accolades. You really can't go wrong with either, it just depends what you want your ownership experience to look like.
Cheers,
PB
I hear you. My car got locked in at the original MSRP so I decided to stick with it.
As for the 2GRFE, my younger brother has a 2GR swapped SW20 MR2 for the past several years, and seeing how that motor responds to some mods increased my interest in the Emira. I don’t tend to leave cars stock, and I think an uncorked Emira will be really be something to experience (and hear).
I hear you. My car got locked in at the original MSRP so I decided to stick with it.
As for the 2GRFE, my younger brother has a 2GR swapped SW20 MR2 for the past several years, and seeing how that motor responds to some mods increased my interest in the Emira. I don’t tend to leave cars stock, and I think an uncorked Emira will be really be something to experience (and hear).
Very cool, I also have a SW20 that is 2GR swapped!
It is such a beast of a car.
I ordered a Seneca Blue one in July of '21 that's probably going to arrive at my dealership any day now.
In September of this year I got sick of waiting and ordered a T which ironically, is coming in next week.
I'm not sure whether I'll also take delivery of the Emira or not. I need to make up my mind soon though!
It's an amazing car for sure. The looks are unmatched at the price point, and it handles really well. I had never driven a car with double wishbone suspension and WOW!
12-19-2023, 06:25 PM
