Wednesday 14th April 2004
Exige S2
Ted tries the new Exige and gets a little confused
I'm a little confused. I'd expected to be a little non-plussed by the new Exige. It appears after all to be little more than an Elise with a roof and other minor tweaks to vary the dynamics. I was, however, rather taken with the little rocket.
Lotus have confused the buying public with the Exige S2. The original Exige developed very much out of a desire to race the Elise. More power, a roof, stiffer suspension and effective aerodynmics produced legendary grip and cornering abilities. It was an extreme version of the Elise in every respect. The stark cabin would resonate to the sound of the engine and assault your eardrums constantly. As such, the Exige S1 appealed to the hard edged, track day drivers seeking extreme motoring - a fine example of a road legal race car.
The new Exige ticks many of the same boxes but comes with the options of some creature comforts too. It's no longer an extreme race car for the road, but is fast sports coupe. Electric windows, soft trim, carpets and air conditioning blunt the edges that were previously associated with the Exige name. With the same Toyota Motor as the Elise 111R, it's resulted in a car positioned somewhat differently within the Lotus range - confusing punters like me.
The fact that the Exige is no longer an Elise stripped to its pants and vest ready for a marathon, had me in the wrong frame of mind when I climbed in. I was cynical, trying to fight my preconception that Lotus had got this car so wrong.
Perhaps it was the colour - the bright orange can't help but fire up something within the brain. Perhaps it was the nice new car smell inside and the presence of carpets and a nicely trimmed roof. Perhaps it was the hearty breakfast I'd enjoyed that morning. I liked the car when I got inside. Preconceptions were being eroded.
The Art of Noise
Having driven the 111R a few weeks prior to this, I still had memories of the noisy engine, the thrashing required to make good progress and the resonance within the cabin as I tried to stay somewhere close to the powerband.
The Exige didn't irritate me in quite the same way for some reason. For all intents and purposes it should have done as it's essentially a very similar car. Perhaps it was the carpets dulling the vibrations. Perhaps the exhaust mounts were resonating at a different frequency or perhaps it was that bacon sandwich still leaving me in a chirpy state of mind.
On the road the Exige does require a good spanking to wake up. Once again the real kick comes from the engine at over 6,000rpm with anything under that merely providing adequete performance for pootling about. The handling and ride are exemplary as you'd expect from Lotus, despite the slight stiffening that the Exige benefits from over the Elise.
The extra wing and front spoiler should certainly provide benefit on track at indecent speeds, but I wasn't pushing it hard enough on the road to be conscious of the work being done there. That said, the car does inspire monumental confidence when it comes to grip. Those Yokohama tyres become at one with the road surface and hustling the Exige along a twisty road is an absolute joy. Try not to change up to early and despite the scream from thousands of Japanese engineers behind you, the power band is wide enough - when warmed up - to maintain the necessary torque to enjoy rapid acceleration out of a corner. The brakes are very capable but do require a heavy shove to bring them into life.
Downforce
In normal driving conditions and without the benefit of a back to back test I was hard pressed to remember any marked performance or handling differences between the Exige S2 and the Elise 111R. Despite that I left the Exige feeling a lot more at one with it than I had with the Elise.
Lotus have confused the role of the Exige S2 by producing an Exige that is too similar to the Elise. Before I drove the car, I viewed it with a healthy degree of scepticism. I was wrong though - marketing aside - the Exige is a fine car in its own right. More power would make it a sensational car and I certainly hope that Lotus are working on such upgrades.
Prices are creeping up with the Exige too. The basic car is pitched at £29,995 which is £2,000 more than the 111R. If you choose to add the touring pack or performance pack then you're looking at another £1795 and £1765 respectively. Forged wheels are another £1175 and air con is £1295. If you don't want red, white or yellow paintwork then add on another £595. I liked the creature comforts provided in the option packs and I suspect the air-con is essential in summer so it could be very easy to spec the price up to nearly £35K.
I really enjoyed my time in the Exige but why I prefered it to the 111R I couldn't tell for sure. It could just be the colour appealed or maybe I should have a bacon buttie before every road test...
Technical Specifications
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| Torque |
181 Nm |
133.5 lb.ft |
| Power |
192 PS |
189 bhp |
| Weight (no options) |
875 kg |
1925 lbs
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| 0-100 km/h |
5.2 s |
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| 0-100 mph |
13.2 s |
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Links
Thanks to Castle Lotus
of Stansted for the loan of the car
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chassis
Original Poster
300 posts
93 months
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0-60 in 5.2?
0-100 in 13.2 seconds?
Why is so slow?
It is too fat no?
>>> Edited by chassis on Wednesday 14th April 09:48
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cuzza
2,036 posts
80 months
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chassis said:0-60 in 5.2?
0-100 in 13.2 seconds?
Why is so slow?
It is too fat no?
>>> Edited by chassis on Wednesday 14th April 09:48 |
5.2 isn't exactly slow!! Lotus cars are not about and have never been about straight line speed they are about handling, I think you'll find the Exige will be able to outdo a lot of more expensive and 'faster' machinery on an average road or track due to it's ability in the corners. There are rumours that a supercharged version is on the way which should improve those figure considerably 
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chassis
Original Poster
300 posts
93 months
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Lotus Elise with honda engine 0-100 was less then 10 seconds.
How is new Exige slower than home made car?
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DanH
11,881 posts
87 months
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Sir, with all due respect you are an idiot.
Of course you can make a home made car faster than a manufacturer spec one. For a start the honda engine is 2 litres not 1.8, its also 210+ bhp and the S1 is lighter due to its extremely basic fittings. As to the under 10 secs on the Honda, it may be true, but I don't know of one thats been independently figured anywhere.
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cuzza
2,036 posts
80 months
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chimburt
750 posts
86 months
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in all fairness, it hardly seems to be more than an elise with a lid tacked on, though i notice the pricing reflects that.
not exactly the barn-stormer some had hoped for though, eh?
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PetrolTed
32,917 posts
130 months
PH Janitor
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Correct. However, putting that to one side, it is a great car in its own right. It's a marketing mess but a fine car.
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granville
13,557 posts
88 months
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But Ted - which would you buy - S1 or S2 Exige?
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Felix7
393 posts
87 months
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PetrolTed said:| Correct. However, putting that to one side, it is a great car in its own right. It's a marketing mess but a fine car. |
As I understand it the marketing material is not yet ready. Its going to be interesting to see who they pitch this car at and I'll make a educated guess that it won't be current Lotus owners, especially not current Exige S1 owners. The build quality is also far superior to any Elise variant I have had a go in to date, bar the 111R. Its maybe too soon to say, but looking at the sales of 111R's, they are attracting buyers away from Audi TT's, Boxsters etc as well attracting buyers who already own said vehicles. The Exige S2 adds to the choice in terms of Audi TT Coupe = Exige S2, Audi Roadster = 111R. This type of customer may have considered previous Elise S1 and S2 variants as a bit too raw for there liking until the 111R and Exige S2 came along. The reaction to Clarkson's article on the Exige S2 two weeks ago has seen a surge of interest by the non Lotus owners at the dealers. Its not going to enthuse the existing Lotus owner but it is hopefully going to expand their market. Time will tell to see whether this bears out. Glad I could run the car in for you Ted  >> Edited by Felix7 on Wednesday 14th April 12:52
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chassis
Original Poster
300 posts
93 months
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How can Audi TT owner who just like flash want car that drive well? Elise or porshe is too small for TT owner who has boot and like highlight. Lotus should not make car for flash people who can not drive! 
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dannylt
1,899 posts
111 months
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DanH said:| Of course you can make a home made car faster than a manufacturer spec one. For a start the honda engine is 2 litres not 1.8, its also 210+ bhp and the S1 is lighter due to its extremely basic fittings. As to the under 10 secs on the Honda, it may be true, but I don't know of one thats been independently figured anywhere. |
It's not an entirely invalid comparison - after all, it's similar power - 187bhp vs. 197bhp. I don't think people care about whether it's 1.8 or not. But it really makes the point about weight - the early Elises are so much lighter! I found my AP-22 meter recently - will see what that thinks!
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dannylt
1,899 posts
111 months
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cuzza said:| The Honda conversion is also 10k on top of the victim car. I was chatting to one of the Lotus people last week about conversions and he said he'd seen one (not sure who the tuner was) that looked nothing short of dangerous. |
Why? FUD?
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cuzza
2,036 posts
80 months
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dannylt said:
cuzza said:| The Honda conversion is also 10k on top of the victim car. I was chatting to one of the Lotus people last week about conversions and he said he'd seen one (not sure who the tuner was) that looked nothing short of dangerous. |
Why? FUD? |
I think it was the way the engine was mounted that concerned him - IIRC it was at a show in germany somewhere. Don't know what FUD means 
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DanH
11,881 posts
87 months
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The German conversion was at a show a while back before it was finished.
I drove the Maidstone sportscars conversion on sat and it was very very nicely done. Very civilised conversion with a lovely gear change (better than any k series car) and 210bhp. Furthermore the engine size comparison is relevant since the honda engine benefits from better torque as well as 23 more horses. Gearing is also always a significant factor.
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LRdriver II
1,680 posts
76 months
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Sounds like the Komotec..
DanH is right..the honda conversion has come along way since and has evolved into a unit which should be seriously considered. S1 Exige + Honda + Nitrons...sorted!
>> Edited by LRdriver II on Wednesday 14th April 13:25
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sport300
8 posts
73 months
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Not fast enough for some?
Seems Lotus is planning a upgrade-conversion with
compressor. More or less 50BHP extra, and more torque of course.
Wait and see.
Greets.
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DanH
11,881 posts
87 months
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Yeah there are rumours of an SC for the car but dunno if it will materialise. Company line has always been that the Elise was fast enough. Fast enough for what? p.s. Without trying wheelspan out of the pit lane in that VTEC car on Sat. That might just be fast enough
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Dinkel
17,915 posts
85 months
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Errr, this is a luvly car by the way . . .
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clanger
987 posts
85 months
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Interesting comments Ted. Like yourself I tested the S2 Exige. I too had a preconceived, not gonna like this car attitude.. but I really do think that Lotus could be on to a winner here. Fair enough I wouldn't swap my basic S1 Exige for it, but if I was in the market for a extreme hi performance coupe in the 32k bracket this would be topo de bill. The handling is sublime and the lack of noise is extraordinary.. My biggest concern tho' are the A048 tyres fitted as standard - they are not that good in the wet and in the dry my last set managed a paltry 3k mile... In the dry tho' the grip they generate is phenomenal... In conclusion well done Lotus  A reliable source tells me that the Motorsport Exige will have a V6 motor..........
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neon_fox
281 posts
111 months
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cuzza said:
The Honda conversion is also 10k on top of the victim car.
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Shouldn't that be 'donor'? Well, let me see, S1 Elise 15k plus 10k conversion = 25k, still 7-10k short of an S2 Exige... Seems like sound economic sense to me... :P Fox --- 964C2, and therefore a completely different market segment to the Exige
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It's not just about the numbers 
