RE: Auto 'box for Lotus Exige S

RE: Auto 'box for Lotus Exige S

Friday 24th October 2014

Lotus Exige S Automatic - UPDATE

Lotus Exige S Automatic announced and it's apparently quicker round Hethel than the manual (UPDATED STORY)



Reading the original Jean Marc Gales PH Meets again we really should have predicted this. He spoke of the Exige being Lotus's best seller and about making both the Exige and Elise more useable day-to-day. Just a few weeks later and here we have the two-pedal Exige S.

Remember how many buy auto Porsches...
Remember how many buy auto Porsches...
The car is officially known as the Exige S Automatic but the interior pic here is called 'Exige S IPS Interiors 23_10_14'. Using finely honed powers of journalistic deduction we would therefore suggest it's the gearbox used in Evora and Evora S IPS. [See update and clarification from Lotus on this below - Ed.] The 3.5-litre V6 used in all three is originally mated to a six-speed auto so the engineering effort is actually reduced over the manual.

The Exige has three gearbox modes with normal, sport and race offered. Lotus has promised that 'optimised gear selection response deliver quicker all-round performance when a sportier experience is desired'. The PH review of the supercharged Evora IPS wasn't exactly brimming with praise for the transmission but Lotus assures us the lessons have been learned and the calibration and control software is significantly improved and updated. We're also promised the character of the gearbox is much more in keeping with the Exige's more aggressive positioning.

Lotus says the auto is quicker to 62 than manual
Lotus says the auto is quicker to 62 than manual
As with the Evora, an auto Exige will probably have most appeal in the US and Middle East. Gales himself said: "We have expanded the Exige product range to make it more accessible to customers worldwide". But there will surely be appeal in the UK too when you look at the popularity of PDK Porsches and S Tronic Audi TTs and R8s. Whether it can match those cars as automatics remains to be seen.

The Exige S Automatic is in its final testing weeks now with the car on sale in January. Lotus claims a 0-62mph time one tenth quicker than the manual at 3.9 seconds plus an identical Hethel lap time. There is nothing yet on any efficiency benefits or weight gain. For reference both the IPS Evora models recorded less CO2 and fractionally better economy. On the supercharged car the auto added 5kg but there's a 54kg penalty on the standard 3.5 V6. As we're on numbers the auto option will cost £2,000 including VAT on both Exige S and S Roadster. We'll hope to drive one as soon as possible!


UPDATE: Lotus got in touch to say that the engineering changes to the gearbox are sufficiently significant they want to put clear ground between the Exige S Automatic and Evora IPS, hence the rebranding. Although still a torque converter automatic transmission the engineers have been "back to the drawing board" when it comes to the calibration and operating characteristics and we're promised an auto that is entirely in keeping with the Exige's track focused ethos. Proof, as ever, will be in the driving!

 

   
Author
Discussion

Oz83

Original Poster:

687 posts

138 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Article says: 'But there will surely be appeal in the UK too when you look at the popularity of PDK Porsches and S Tronic Audi TTs and R8s.'

All those cars can be used as daily drivers, hence the popularity of the auto box. You would have to be pretty keen to use an Exige as a daily, and in that case you are probably keen enough to use a manual gearbox too. Are lotus missing the point of their own cars?


SrMoreno

546 posts

145 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Oz83 said:
All those cars can be used as daily drivers, hence the popularity of the auto box. You would have to be pretty keen to use an Exige as a daily, and in that case you are probably keen enough to use a manual gearbox too. Are lotus missing the point of their own cars?
You might not like it, but I doubt they would be introducing it unless customers have been asking for it.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
I suspect it was an extremely cheap model to develop so they wont have to sell many to recoup the cost.

Jonny TVR

4,533 posts

280 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
SrMoreno said:
You might not like it, but I doubt they would be introducing it unless customers have been asking for it.
I miss the heel and toe driving of my Tuscan but my new M5 gear change is so so quick.

Howard-

4,950 posts

201 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Interesting that, according to Google, the IPS gearbox is a torque converter type and not a twin-clutch unit that I'd have expected them to choose.

foxhounduk

485 posts

179 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Double clutch wouldve been the way to go, especially in a car this light and agile with not so much torque. in response to the above, i'd drive a lotus daily if i had one. i'd drive any car daily, don't care if its a maserati/ferrari etc smile

Frimley111R

15,537 posts

233 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Not surprising for a number of reasons, firstly the Exige has the same engine as the Evora which has an IPS box. The torque converter was originally deigned for that engine and although a dual clutch would have been better there isn't one available. As much as we like manuals the rest of the world prefer auto/paddleshift.

dapearson

4,252 posts

223 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
That looks hideous for a start, and with a torque converter auto??!! I'm out.

menoy

142 posts

133 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Might be quicker... but is it more fun?

eliotrw

302 posts

168 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Hideous?


Really?

Dan Trent

1,866 posts

167 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Lotus have just been on the phone, VERY keen to pick up on the IPS/Automatic branding and smarting at Matt spotting the former in the file name for their press pics. Oops, etc...

Anyway, you'll see the story has been updated but while it's mechanically still the same torque converter auto as the IPS in the Evora we're promised a completely different calibration and feel to make it more Exige-worthy.

Proof will be when we get to drive it but just passing on the message!

Cheers,

Dan

MrBarry123

6,025 posts

120 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Dan Trent said:
Lotus have just been on the phone, VERY keen to pick up on the IPS/Automatic branding and smarting at Matt spotting the former in the file name for their press pics. Oops, etc...

Anyway, you'll see the story has been updated but while it's mechanically still the same torque converter auto as the IPS in the Evora we're promised a completely different calibration and feel to make it more Exige-worthy.

Proof will be when we get to drive it but just passing on the message!

Cheers,

Dan
So the IPS but with a firmware update...

V8 FOU

2,970 posts

146 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Excellent!
There are those of us who have left leg /ankle / foot problems who welcome a car like this. I tried an Exige s when they first came out and liked it - apart from the manual 'box.
People keep saying that Lotus should broaden their appeal - well this is a (small) step in doing that.
Well done Lotus and Gales.

kambites

67,461 posts

220 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
dapearson said:
That looks hideous for a start, and with a torque converter auto??!! I'm out.
Is it just me, or is that faintly ironic coming from someone with a 1-series? biggrin

Sorry, I hate it when people question other people's ability to comment on a car because of what they own. I just found it faintly amusing.

Edited by kambites on Friday 24th October 09:43

Dan Trent

1,866 posts

167 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
MrBarry123 said:
So the IPS but with a firmware update...
Messenger, don't shoot, etc! wink

Dan

Oddball RS

1,757 posts

217 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
"Automatic announced and it's apparently quicker round Hethel than the manual"

"Identical lap time around Hethel"

?

Frimley111R

15,537 posts

233 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
Could they really not have come up with a more appropriate name for the Exige than 'Automatic'??!

Europa1

10,923 posts

187 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
kambites said:
dapearson said:
That looks hideous for a start, and with a torque converter auto??!! I'm out.
Is it just me, or is that faintly ironic coming from someone with a 1-series? biggrin

Sorry, I hate it when people question other people's ability to comment on a car because of what they own. I just found it faintly amusing.

Edited by kambites on Friday 24th October 09:43
It's not just you, Kambites...

otolith

55,899 posts

203 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
kambites said:
dapearson said:
That looks hideous for a start, and with a torque converter auto??!! I'm out.
Is it just me, or is that faintly ironic coming from someone with a 1-series? biggrin

Sorry, I hate it when people question other people's ability to comment on a car because of what they own. I just found it faintly amusing.
It's not questioning someone's ability, it's just getting a bit of context for their opinion. Looking at the kind of cars a person likes enough to purchase, you can better understand where they are coming from with their comments on the design of other cars - the schools of design they like, whether they prefer modern or classic cars, whether they have a 1-series, white stick and a Labrador retriever, etc.

CTE

1,488 posts

239 months

Friday 24th October 2014
quotequote all
I drive my Exige S daily and I love it. There are times when an automatic would be better, especially when in heavy slow moving traffic.

The performance and economy gains would be noticeable if they had a twin clutch type system available, or even the ZF autmatic used on a 1 series for instance, which uses a locking clutch when engaged...or does the Toyota automatic have a locking clutch system?