Exige V6 vs. Exige 260?

Exige V6 vs. Exige 260?

Author
Discussion

kbf1981

Original Poster:

2,250 posts

200 months

Monday 13th May 2013
quotequote all
Has anyone driven an Exige with the 260hp upgrade and also the V6? I've noticed the power to weight is very similar, so surely the main differences must be stability given the wheel base, not sure what else.

How did they compare?

pthelazyjourno

1,848 posts

169 months

Monday 13th May 2013
quotequote all
kbf1981 said:
Has anyone driven an Exige with the 260hp upgrade and also the V6? I've noticed the power to weight is very similar, so surely the main differences must be stability given the wheel base, not sure what else.

How did they compare?
Don't forget the V6 has a lot of clever electronics, so you can take bigger liberties with it.

Whether that's a good thing depends on your outlook.

V6 will be better at higher speeds simply because of the bigger power.


Thorburn

2,399 posts

193 months

Monday 13th May 2013
quotequote all
Don't forget wider track front and rear and redesigned rear suspension. You have a rear ARB for the first time on a factory Elise based car.

Would think you lose a bit of low speed agility but gain some high speed stability, and overall power becomes more important than bhp/kg at higher speeds.

bernie_eccle

293 posts

246 months

Tuesday 14th May 2013
quotequote all
This is something I have been wondering for a while. I have yet to drive a V6 but by all accounts it sounds like a very capable track car yet very compliant on the road.

I presently have a 260 upgrade exige and I think it is ferociously fast but can be a bit of a pain on the bumpy back roads.

I also wonder about fuel economy. Recent reports for the V6 are quite shocking and combined with a 42l (?) fuel tank, the range is less than 200 miles. A couple of weeks ago I got 34mpg on a very calm road run (it was raining) and almost always see at least 31mpg on the road. Perhaps if you can afford £56k for an exige the difference between 31mpg and 19mpg is irrelevant?

I also like my exiges to have a roof scoop :-P

schrodinger

201 posts

190 months

Tuesday 14th May 2013
quotequote all
V6 = 28 mpg at 85mph cruise with aircon on. 10mpg on track at full pelt.

bridey0

2,961 posts

185 months

Tuesday 14th May 2013
quotequote all
260 cup as smart buy at current prices ?

kbf1981

Original Poster:

2,250 posts

200 months

Tuesday 14th May 2013
quotequote all
bridey0 said:
260 cup as smart buy at current prices ?
What are current prices? Only one for sale I can see.

bridey0

2,961 posts

185 months

Wednesday 15th May 2013
quotequote all
Was this a limited edition though ?

subaqua

892 posts

212 months

Wednesday 15th May 2013
quotequote all
All Lotus models are "ltd editions" as the haven't made cars in volume for years... but seriously, the 260cup was a ltd run, but there are presumeably plenty of 260 upgrades - or base spec cars you can retrofit the 260 pack to.

From what I saw at Hethel at the weekend (and presumably the results from LCE) ... V6 is usefully faster than 240/260 cars. My experience is on a short circuit with three straights where we were registering at least 120 and as much as 140, where I guess grunt is very important and trick TC will help a lot out of the hairpins as you should be able to pin the throttle.

I imagine that at places like Spa/LM the V6 will be usefully faster, at places like Cadwell, maybe not so sure as the bulk may well be more of a limiting factor.

kbf1981

Original Poster:

2,250 posts

200 months

Wednesday 15th May 2013
quotequote all
subaqua said:
All Lotus models are "ltd editions" as the haven't made cars in volume for years... but seriously, the 260cup was a ltd run, but there are presumeably plenty of 260 upgrades - or base spec cars you can retrofit the 260 pack to.

From what I saw at Hethel at the weekend (and presumably the results from LCE) ... V6 is usefully faster than 240/260 cars. My experience is on a short circuit with three straights where we were registering at least 120 and as much as 140, where I guess grunt is very important and trick TC will help a lot out of the hairpins as you should be able to pin the throttle.

I imagine that at places like Spa/LM the V6 will be usefully faster, at places like Cadwell, maybe not so sure as the bulk may well be more of a limiting factor.
Had a go in both a V6 and a 260 yesterday - was surprised at how fast the V6 actually felt. Lovely car. 260 and 350 felt similar, the 350 was obviously faster, more comfortable, better steering wheel. It's great value at £50k, not sure it's worth £25k more than a good 220/40/60 to me presently (I drive my Lambo maybe 20 miles a week, if that recently).... but at £50k vs. ... Cayman's etc., its good value imo. It felt much faster in a straight line than the 991 C2 PDK I've driven recently. Probably much, much faster round bends but I didn't have a very long drive in the V6 or 991.

Personally I think I'm going to buy a good 260 next, and then put a deposit down on a V6 sometime in the new year once I've seen a few more about and get an idea of colours / depreciation etc.

bridey0

2,961 posts

185 months

Sunday 19th May 2013
quotequote all
So if a regular 243hp Exige can do 0-62 in 4 seconds what's the upside on buying a 260 cup?

Thorburn

2,399 posts

193 months

Sunday 19th May 2013
quotequote all
bridey0 said:
So if a regular 243hp Exige can do 0-62 in 4 seconds what's the upside on buying a 260 cup?
The Cup 260 is less about the extra power and more about the spec for heavy track goers - think of it as a similar difference as between the new Exige S and the Exige V6 Cup in that you get things like FIA approved, HANS compatible seats, motorsport cut offs, baffled sump (or equivalent), track orientated suspension, etc.

Scuffers

20,887 posts

274 months

Monday 20th May 2013
quotequote all
personally, i see the V6 as a road car more than a track toy compared with previous exige.

Nightmare

5,185 posts

284 months

Monday 20th May 2013
quotequote all
same here...and having driven both (not a 260 admittedly), the V6 is significantly quicker over rougher roads....miles quicker in fact. I found it very R8 like in ground covering ability, which is a huge compliment.

flatfour

288 posts

228 months

Monday 20th May 2013
quotequote all
I have the V6 with race pack so suspension optimised for Trofeo tyre etc. I drove my GT3 to the garage and drove the Exige home and the ride is so well damped in that it is more compliant but no body roll either! Much better ride than in the GT3.

bridey0

2,961 posts

185 months

Monday 20th May 2013
quotequote all
flatfour said:
I have the V6 with race pack so suspension optimised for Trofeo tyre etc. I drove my GT3 to the garage and drove the Exige home and the ride is so well damped in that it is more compliant but no body roll either! Much better ride than in the GT3.
do u miss the practicality of the gt3 compared to the V6? Im not sure about the V6 as an everyday car TBH

schrodinger

201 posts

190 months

Monday 20th May 2013
quotequote all
Scuffers said:
personally, i see the V6 as a road car more than a track toy compared with previous exige.
One beauty of the new car is that it demands less compromise than the old. It's actually better on track _and_ better on the road.

adma23

68 posts

141 months

Sunday 26th May 2013
quotequote all
I have an Exige S2 280 (Komotec Hangar 111) and can vouch for it being a seriously fast car on the track. I've "cup 260'd" it in so far as suspensions, brakes, cooling ertc are concerned, close rario'd the gearbox and am running Jubu gears and final drive. The car is undoubtedly a very capable track beast. The only 'problem' is that it is so impractical for everything else. I haven't driven the V6 but the only thing that would make me consider it is if I am convinced that it is more easy to live with in so far as non-track use is concerned. Also, I am under the impression, from my constant monitoring of prices, that S2 prices are in fact going UP! This is another reason why I would think twice before parting with my car. And if Lotus goes bust (god forbid), within a few years S2 prices might surprise us!

Scuffers

20,887 posts

274 months

Sunday 26th May 2013
quotequote all
schrodinger said:
Scuffers said:
personally, i see the V6 as a road car more than a track toy compared with previous exige.
One beauty of the new car is that it demands less compromise than the old. It's actually better on track _and_ better on the road.
can't agree with that... just by weight alone...

jfk01

106 posts

184 months

Sunday 26th May 2013
quotequote all
S2 prices are indeed increasing. ...
Bought mine 5 years ago and couldn't hope to buy similar for what I paid .