What re the typical niggles
Discussion
I previously ran 2 911's over 6 years am now 6 months into an Evora, as a DD the things that niggle most are rear visibility and getting in and out of tight spaces. The car's slightly shorter than a 911 (997) but wider at the wheel arches and you need more room for the doors. Otherwise fuel consumption (on the 'S') is poor, the drive is (of course) fantastic, build quality is good but finish and detailing a long way off Porsche.
Frimley111R said:
I have a camera on mine but hardly use it tbh, the sensors are easier and its a bit odd looking at the dashboard while going backward.
Door seals (mostly membranes) have been an issue on a number of cars. If it is steaming up more than it should water IS getting in. Be 100% sure before buying.
Rear seats are tiny but you can squeeze a person behind the passenger.
The Alpine unit is, apparently, not all the good but you can replace with something better for a few hundred. Just factor that in hte price.
The main practical issue for me is the door access. Parking can be challenging!
Hi. Do you know if they have come up with any solutions to the misting up ? Door seals (mostly membranes) have been an issue on a number of cars. If it is steaming up more than it should water IS getting in. Be 100% sure before buying.
Rear seats are tiny but you can squeeze a person behind the passenger.
The Alpine unit is, apparently, not all the good but you can replace with something better for a few hundred. Just factor that in hte price.
The main practical issue for me is the door access. Parking can be challenging!
My car spends most of the time outside and in the damp weather does steam up quite a bit ?
I have had my 2011 N/a with 3 packs for 6 months now
Generally very pleased and looking forward to the spring and some interesting roads
Yes it has some typical hand built car niggles like a few squeaks and as most people say the stereo and sat nav are not great
I was used to quirks as my previous toy was a TVR Cerbera
This is all forgotten when you take it around a bend and experience the handling
And also it,s nice to have a car that you hardly ever see (911,s are everywhere)
If you have any other questions feel free to ask
Dazza
Generally very pleased and looking forward to the spring and some interesting roads
Yes it has some typical hand built car niggles like a few squeaks and as most people say the stereo and sat nav are not great
I was used to quirks as my previous toy was a TVR Cerbera
This is all forgotten when you take it around a bend and experience the handling
And also it,s nice to have a car that you hardly ever see (911,s are everywhere)
If you have any other questions feel free to ask
Dazza
Dazza N said:
Hi. Do you know if they have come up with any solutions to the misting up ? My car spends most of the time outside and in the damp weather does steam up quite a bit ?
Hi, yes. This was an issue on many pre MY12 cars (unfortunately mine is a MY12 but still does it and so the factory are looking into it atm). It seems mostly to be the door membranes which leak into the car and not the door seals. All dealers should know about these issues and be able to sort. Like you, my car sits outside 24-7.
My car is a 2011, biggest complaint so far was that on two particularly cold mornings first and second gear were not great until the box warmed up. This is despite my car having the updated cables and being kept in a nice garage every night, so I would expect any older car to suffer similar if kept constantly out in the elements. I can honestly say that it is far and away the most enjoyable car I've ever driven though and due to the rarity it attracts a LOT of interest from passers by and people like to come up and talk about it. I'm another that's owned a 911 previously, I wouldn't even consider a swap back to one though.
blueg33 said:
Spoirt pack and tech pack are a must for me. As a daily driver I will need the bluetooth phone, my trips tend to be over an hour and phone is crucial.
Sport pack is a "no brainer"
Just been quoted £1k to install reversing camera!
It might be worth finding out how much reversing sensors are to fit. I don't have a camera and don't feel the need for one, but the sensors are really useful and work well.Sport pack is a "no brainer"
Just been quoted £1k to install reversing camera!
The only pack I would view as essential is the Sports Pack. The stereo, phone, bluetooth are an easy after market replacement and the cruise control is hardly ever used. The only part of the tech pack that is needed is the parking sensors.
Gave this some more thought and I'd say that without doubt, what puts me off using it more than anything else is door access. For example, in the multi storey yesterday I had to angle the car significantly so that I could open the door. It looked like I didn't know how to park though! Otherwise I pretty much drive it everywhere and anywhere.
Frimley111R said:
Gave this some more thought and I'd say that without doubt, what puts me off using it more than anything else is door access. For example, in the multi storey yesterday I had to angle the car significantly so that I could open the door. It looked like I didn't know how to park though! Otherwise I pretty much drive it everywhere and anywhere.
I would agree with this. The doors are wide and you sit low so need a bit of manoeuvering room to get out. But I think my previous Elise was more difficult - I just make sure I try and find somewhere if I can with a bit of room.I use the cruise control more on than this than any other car I have had before. I do think that is influenced by getting three points in this car whilst on the M56. Occasionally, when I nudge the "+" on the cruise control and then take my thumb off, it still keeps accelerating. Keeps you on your toes.
Frimley111R said:
Gave this some more thought and I'd say that without doubt, what puts me off using it more than anything else is door access. For example, in the multi storey yesterday I had to angle the car significantly so that I could open the door. It looked like I didn't know how to park though! Otherwise I pretty much drive it everywhere and anywhere.
Would agree that the wide door angle makes getting in and out difficult and is the only point that makes it less of a practical car for everyday use. However in the 1000 miles I've driven in 2 months of ownership I've never been unable to find a space wide enough to accommodate it, jsut need to be careful with space selection.e.g. if it's an office/commuter car park then you are almost guaranteed that nearly all the parked cars only have just the driver, so they only need to open their driver door when they return, so if you park with your passenger side close to their passenger side then that gives you more room to get in/out (or park on the end space if available). Or in multistorey's you get lot's of spaces with a column that most people avoid, hence if you park next to the column you get all the space behind the column to give you loads of room to open the door wide etc etc.
At the moment I can't think of any other car for similar money that I would rather have. In a couple of years R8 V10's might have come down in price enough
CTE said:
An R8 may be a better car in many ways (build quality yes, outright pace yes probably, handling/ride and driver involvement...I doubt it), but would it be more fun?...unless it is your main car is`nt that the point of cars like these?
I like trying different cars, but keep coming back to Lotus's because they are the most fun to drive, and they are nearly always daily drivers for me. The R8 was great fun when I went on the Audi day at Silverstone. I was trying to be positive i.e. I can't think of any other car at thois moment I would rather be commuting every day in. R8 at the right price might tempt me in a couple of years.Sorry, bit slow off the mark!
I had a 997.2 Carrera for a year before my last Evora (just changed) which was a 2011 S, and my new one which is a 2013 n/a. My Dad also has a gen 2 Turbo S which I drive regularly. The Evora is my everyday car and I cover about 20k a year in it.
If you had the full touchscreen nav in the Porsche you will miss it. It is one of the best systems I've used and it's fair to say that whichever incarnation of head unit you end up with in the Lotus, none of them are great.
The rear visibility I've personally got used to in terms of driving and parking and don't have an issue at all, if I use Dad's Turbo then it makes little difference to me.
The Porsche is a bit easier to pack lots of stuff into if you're regularly carrying luggage, although now I'm single I don't really have that issue!
If you're tall and doing long journeys like me, although the driving position is just as good you can sometimes miss being able to 'spread out' like you can in the Porsche with the extra surrounding space, and the Evora is a little claustrophobic in comparison with less glass area, although the view out of the front is at least as good.
Ergonomics in general you get used to, everything is easy to reach and it doesn't take long to get used to where all the buttons are, the Porsche is a bit arcane in some of the functionality anyway.
Rattles, I had a few in the 2011 car but they were mainly down to the Dash coming in and out a couple of times. I also had rattles in the 911 which was newer when I had it, and my Dad's Turbo has far more rattles and squeaks than my 2011 car at similar age and mileage so no big deal there.
Leather quality isn't as good pre MY12 or non premium compared to the Porsche, but with the uprated later interior I'd say it's actually better.
You might also miss the slick gearbox and smooth, revvy powertrain of the Porsche if you're going into a pre MY12 car, although the later ones (though lacking a little bit of the sparkle of the Porsche) are close enough.
Things you will appreciate in the Evora:
It rides and handles significantly better than the Porsche, if you're a keen driver this will make itself evident every time you drive it.
It's more interesting than the Porsche, which always felt a bit bland and like the next step on from the Audi, whereas the Lotus is a bit more like a baby Ferrari. It never becomes 'just a car', people look at it and comment, they let you out of junctions, it's prettier and more exotic and generally it's always an event. Again, this made a difference long term to me.
It is cheaper to run. Porsche servicing is pretty notorious and although you get niggles I suspect the bigger bills are both less frequent and less sizeable than the Porsche out of warranty. My Dad's Turbo has been an utter nightmare with several 4 figure bills in the time where my car has had a service at £350, some minor warranty work that wouldn't have cost more than a few hundred quid if paid for, and it hasn't even used a set of brake pads.
They do go through rear tyres (particularly 20") but the fronts lasted 40k on mine, including some light track work. The rears can be made to last longer by taking some camber off (as they all wear the inner edges), but apparently it is at the expense of some steering feel.
I had a 997.2 Carrera for a year before my last Evora (just changed) which was a 2011 S, and my new one which is a 2013 n/a. My Dad also has a gen 2 Turbo S which I drive regularly. The Evora is my everyday car and I cover about 20k a year in it.
If you had the full touchscreen nav in the Porsche you will miss it. It is one of the best systems I've used and it's fair to say that whichever incarnation of head unit you end up with in the Lotus, none of them are great.
The rear visibility I've personally got used to in terms of driving and parking and don't have an issue at all, if I use Dad's Turbo then it makes little difference to me.
The Porsche is a bit easier to pack lots of stuff into if you're regularly carrying luggage, although now I'm single I don't really have that issue!
If you're tall and doing long journeys like me, although the driving position is just as good you can sometimes miss being able to 'spread out' like you can in the Porsche with the extra surrounding space, and the Evora is a little claustrophobic in comparison with less glass area, although the view out of the front is at least as good.
Ergonomics in general you get used to, everything is easy to reach and it doesn't take long to get used to where all the buttons are, the Porsche is a bit arcane in some of the functionality anyway.
Rattles, I had a few in the 2011 car but they were mainly down to the Dash coming in and out a couple of times. I also had rattles in the 911 which was newer when I had it, and my Dad's Turbo has far more rattles and squeaks than my 2011 car at similar age and mileage so no big deal there.
Leather quality isn't as good pre MY12 or non premium compared to the Porsche, but with the uprated later interior I'd say it's actually better.
You might also miss the slick gearbox and smooth, revvy powertrain of the Porsche if you're going into a pre MY12 car, although the later ones (though lacking a little bit of the sparkle of the Porsche) are close enough.
Things you will appreciate in the Evora:
It rides and handles significantly better than the Porsche, if you're a keen driver this will make itself evident every time you drive it.
It's more interesting than the Porsche, which always felt a bit bland and like the next step on from the Audi, whereas the Lotus is a bit more like a baby Ferrari. It never becomes 'just a car', people look at it and comment, they let you out of junctions, it's prettier and more exotic and generally it's always an event. Again, this made a difference long term to me.
It is cheaper to run. Porsche servicing is pretty notorious and although you get niggles I suspect the bigger bills are both less frequent and less sizeable than the Porsche out of warranty. My Dad's Turbo has been an utter nightmare with several 4 figure bills in the time where my car has had a service at £350, some minor warranty work that wouldn't have cost more than a few hundred quid if paid for, and it hasn't even used a set of brake pads.
They do go through rear tyres (particularly 20") but the fronts lasted 40k on mine, including some light track work. The rears can be made to last longer by taking some camber off (as they all wear the inner edges), but apparently it is at the expense of some steering feel.
As much as I love my Evora, I have to say I don't particularly like long journeys in it, which I found quite easy in my 911. I did a couple of hundred miles on Sunday and by the end of it I felt I'd spent enough time in the car. The rear visibility in daylight is bearable, but I find that when driving at night, a few times cars have just seemingly came from nowhere as I couldn't see them coming and I found that a bit of a concern. Mine is purely a weekend car though so not big issues for me, it's still the best car I've owned be a country mile and can only echo the positives from others.
Guess we are all different...I find my extremely comfortable on long journeys, which I do not get to do enough of...whence one side of me is thinking about an Exige I do more trackdays etc, but then another mate says get an Elise and keep the Evora...confused.com. The Evora is extremely good on the road and very good on track, but an ELise is more nimble and more suited to regular track work.
Ikobo said:
As much as I love my Evora, I have to say I don't particularly like long journeys in it, which I found quite easy in my 911. I did a couple of hundred miles on Sunday and by the end of it I felt I'd spent enough time in the car. The rear visibility in daylight is bearable, but I find that when driving at night, a few times cars have just seemingly came from nowhere as I couldn't see them coming and I found that a bit of a concern. Mine is purely a weekend car though so not big issues for me, it's still the best car I've owned be a country mile and can only echo the positives from others.
I found the Evora better to drive at night than my 997 (911). The leather quality was not the best, but I just retrimmed the seats which solved that problem. Seats are now more than comfortable for long journeys.Gassing Station | Evora | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff