Lotus Evora -Love it or not?

Lotus Evora (2009 onwards)




May 15 2009

• What – Lotus Evora
  
• Where – West coast of Scotland
  
• Price – £49,875
  
• Available – May 25 2009
  
• Key rivals – Porsche Cayman, Nissan GTR
  

• GALLERY:
  Lotus Evora
  

Summary

Stunning new sports car from Lotus sets new standard for focused driver
appeal. And it has four seats.

• We like – tactile steering, agility, sense of involvement, performance
  
• We don’t like – driving experience may be too edgy for some, interior finish
  not up to Porsche standards
  

First Impressions



Launching a fifty grand sports car in the height of a recession may seem
foolhardy, but the Evora is different. It's the first new Lotus model for 13
years, positioned to appeal to all those Elise, Exige and Europa buyers looking
to step up into something more mature.
It seems like there are buyers around, too. Lotus has taken non-refundable
deposits on the first 500 Evoras, all from customers who have no idea how the
car will drive. So what have they bought into? A Porsche Cayman rival? No, says
Lotus, the Evora stands alone in the same way that an Elise has no real direct
competitor.





Marketing speak? Not really. The Evora is unique in that it's mid-engined
with 2+2 seating. No other car on the market offers that blend of versatility
within the idealised mid-engine engineering concept. It also follows the lotus
philosophy that stretches back over 60 years, of making cars with their focus
directly on the driving experience.
What sets Lotus apart from other low-volume sports car manufacturers (and a
couple of new ones crop up every year in the UK alone) is that Lotus knows what
it is doing. Its engineering consultancy develops cars for manufacturers
worldwide, so the Evora complies with the legislation of every possible market.
The fact is was developed in just 27 months is remarkable.


Performance



There's a strong bond between Lotus and Toyota even though the British
company is actually owned by Malaysian firm Proton. The Evora gets a Toyota 3.5
V6 that appears in the mundane Camry, reworked with new ECU calibration,
flywheel, starter and clutch.
This is already a sophisticated engine with variable valve timing and
variable inlet geometry, so there is a sound base onto which to build. In the
Toyota installation the engine comes only with automatic transmission, which
will happen in time in the Evora too. But initially a six-speed manual box from
the Avensis 2.2 diesel has been employed, with some drastically revised
ratios.
You can even specify standard or sport gearing, though who would possibly
want to avoid the sport option when the benefit is just
3-5mpg?





276hp is somewhat short of the 320hp that you get in a Cayman S - but have no
fear. The refinements Lotus has made coupled with the impressive torque
characteristics turn this into a true high performance sports car. The engine is
so tractable that if the mood takes you there's little need to rev much more
than 4,000rpm.
Drive the Evora like that, and there's a relaxed, almost grand touring feel
to the car but with overtaking performance that needs just a squeeze of the
accelerator. It's possible to have a conversation without raising your voice at
any legal speeds too.





But use the gears as you undoubtedly will want to and the Evora accelerates
with dead-eyed enthusiasm right around to the 6,800rpm red line. The series of
lights in the rev counter illuminate as your get near the limit, helpful as it's
likely you will be involved with what's going on ahead rather than concentrating
too much on the dials.
This is such a different driving experience to the Cayman. The driver sits
lower and the wheel is smaller, while the wraparound cockpit and deep windscreen
give real focus. It's so obviously a Lotus and almost as intense and involving
as an Elise.
The Evora rightly doesn't have the maniacal edge of an Elise though, with a
different balance to the noise levels.
Development has seen a trumpet bleeding sound from the engine compartment to
the rear cabin wall to increase the sense of the involvement. Coupled with the
exhaust tuning we reckon Lotus has got the balance just about
right.


Ride and Handling



So the Evora is certainly quick enough in its launch guise, but it's the
steering and handling that really set the car apart. Though noticeably bigger
than the Elise, there is a similar spotlight on getting the driver to experience
the full gamut of emotions.
Lotus has opted for hydraulic power steering rather than today's popular
electric systems in order to avoid any corruption of the feel through the wheel.
It's wonderful and slightly awe-inspiring at the same time. A sense of precisely
what the front tyres are doing, from running over the smallest bump in the road
to approaching the extremely high levels of grip, is ever
present.





The result is that the confidence the Evora inspires in bends is unsurpassed
and certainly several steps higher than the great steering system in the Cayman.
The downside is that it is very sensitive to changes in the surface when you are
powering along a straight road and it's hard at first to avoid making continual
small corrections to the steering.
The trick you learn after a while, and we had four hours in the car over the
best roads Scotland can throw at it, is to go with the flow. The Evora does move
about a little on anything but the smoothest surface but it can be relied upon
to self-correct to keep you on the straight and narrow.





It's a compromise that is thoroughly Lotus, an aspect that sets this car well
apart from what you might think are obvious rivals. The Evora rides flat through
the bends with grip that seems unbreakable. There are modern electronic aids,
like traction control, a differential lock and brake assist, but they don't get
in the way and you can switch most of them off.
Roger Becker, vehicle engineering director at Lotus, told us: "The driver can
be very aggressive with the car without the electronics interfering. They are
there primarily for when a talented driver runs out of talent". Enough said,
except to add that the brakes are simply fantastic.


Interior and Equipment



Bloggers have been muttering darkly about the Evora's 2+2 configuration,
which Lotus must have suspected would happen because it offers a 2+0 version as
well. But the 2+2 is a sensible marketing move that opens up sales to far more
potential buyers.
And cleverly, the rear seating area is always in black, no matter what colour
front seats you choose, so from outside and inside this appears to be a regular
mid-engined two-seater at first glance. Lotus has grand ideas about fitting
adults in the back, but only in the way you can squeeze four into the back of a
Mini if you try hard enough.




More sensibly it comes with Isofix attachments for kids seats, which will be
its main use. Instead, grown-ups can luxuriate in the thin but perfectly padded
front leather Recaro seats. The driver has no seat height adjustment so its low
down or nothing, just as it always has been in every Lotus. The steering column
is fully adjustable and the door mirrors fold electrically.
Equipment levels are fine in standard mode, with leather and climate control,
but there's a comprehensive list of options. The first 450 Evoras to be built
come as the 'Launch Edition' that includes most options and brings the price of
the car tested here to just over £58k.


Economy and Safety



Lotus car designs have always majored on efficiency of purpose, whether
focussed on the driving dynamics, construction or simply running costs. Thus the
Evora beats any nominal rival with a CO2 output of just 205g/km, easily
bettering the best Porsches. Economy on the combined cycle is an equally
impressive 32.5mpg.
Lotus likes to talk up the primary safety of its cars, their ability to avoid
an accident in the first place, as well as their crashworthiness. Driver and
passenger airbags are the only fitment, though Lotus showed us some impressive
results in its crash testing.


The MSN Cars Verdict



The Evora is much, much better than we expected. Not that we expected it to
be anything but good, just not this good. As a dynamic driving machine it is
simply intoxicating. The Evora is a thoroughly developed package that measures
up inside too. We are smitten.

Engines petrol	3.5V6
Power hp	276
Torque lb ft	256
0-62mph secs	5.1
Top speed mph	162
Mpg combined	32.5
CO2 g/km / Tax %	205g/km/28%

Rating
Performance	*****
Ride and handling	*****
Interior	****
Safety	****
Price	***
Practicality	***
Fuel economy	****
MSN Cars verdict	*****

• More
  pictures of the Lotus Evora from Live Search
  
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  a used Lotus from £3k
  

http://cars.uk.msn.com/Reviews/article.aspx?cp-documentid=16875145

Not much use in the snow & ice though Alpbach!?!


Ha-ha.... get the Lada out....

very funny dell...........................not

Hmmmmmmmmm I thought it was strange that you two should be talking about a Water Lily