RE: Lotus Evora 400 :Driven

RE: Lotus Evora 400 :Driven

Author
Discussion

kambites

67,462 posts

220 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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unsprung said:
Surely this is a matter of perspective. From where I sit, outside the UK, I'm more likely to hear Britons crow about British motors as if everybody else is still on horseback.
In the UK it's very much the opposite. For a great many people if a car doesn't have one of a handful of German badges on the nose, it's not worth considering. That would, I suspect, also be the reason they have no interest in the Corvette - they're not erroneously believing it'll be crude and unworthy next to something British but rather compared to something German.

SFO

5,162 posts

182 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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the design is too fussy now .. the elegance of the original is lost, all in an effort to make it new and more bling.

MrTappets

881 posts

190 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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If I had the money and only wanted performance I'd go for an Exige, no question. If I wanted a balance of performance and style at this price I'd take an F-Type V6S manual. Not sure why anyone would want a car that is 20% more fun to drive than the F-Type but sacrifices 50% of the looks and comfort (preparing to get called out on those numbers - I've not driven either!).

zebra

4,555 posts

213 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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SFO said:
the design is too fussy now .. the elegance of the original is lost, all in an effort to make it new and more bling.
Think it's more to do with trying to appeal to a wider market which includes the Far East and US markets.

Shnozz

27,423 posts

270 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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drgoatboy said:
Can you comment on Driving position Dan? Is there room for the larger driver (height and width)?

Its much easier to forgive slightly wonky interior if its actually a comfortable place to be.
The driving position on every Lotus I have owned (S1 Elise, S2 Elise, Exige and Evora) has been comfortable given I am 6'3". The Evora is supremely comfortable as an 11 hour motorway closure-lead journey a few weeks ago proved. It was the reason I swapped the Exige for the Evora. The extra weight is very telling in terms of its nimbleness, both off the mark and around bends. However, in terms of being a great GT, it's comfort level is superb IMO and better than a lot of daily cars I have previously owned that should, by rights, be far more equipped for a long m'way or A road trip.

That Lotus badging on the dash is awful. Aside from that, I think the interior is great. I had a Porsche between Lotuses and really don't understand folk that consider it a benchmark in terms of interiors. That said, the Porsche is a fantastic all round car and arguably more polished. It didn't instill the same passion in me and hence I never held a candle to it, but the new Cayman is a very, very high threshold in terms of any car competing with it - but for some of us, me included, it doesn't matter how accomplished something is if it gives us no feeling inside. I could spend £2k on a diesel Mondeo and instill no passion inside me, when spending a larger sum I want something that gives me a sense of passion as well as capability. Horses for courses though.

Vee12V

1,329 posts

159 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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What's with the wking over German switchgear? Thought this was pistonheads, not whatcar or autocar.

Dan clearly likes his cars overtyred and overgeared. Duly noted.


Edited by Vee12V on Monday 27th July 16:15

Axionknight

8,505 posts

134 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Seems like a great car to me - but I'd rather have an Elise for fun duties and a boring, "normal" car for when I needed the extra room and seats.

I do like the cars Lotus put out though and if I had fourty/fifty grand to spend on a second car they would be getting a serious consideration (Elise).

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

245 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Shnozz said:
for some of us, me included, it doesn't matter how accomplished something is if it gives us no feeling inside. when spending a larger sum I want something that gives me a sense of passion as well as capability. Horses for courses though.
Maybe. But I think Mr Gales needs to be backing a different horse to secure the future of his company.

rhinochopig

17,932 posts

197 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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unsprung said:
Banned Member said:
Maybe it's the mentality that it's British so there must be something wrong with it.
Surely this is a matter of perspective. From where I sit, outside the UK, I'm more likely to hear Britons crow about British motors as if everybody else is still on horseback.

At times, said crowing becomes deliciously absurd: waxing poetic about a short production run of British cars that almost nobody will be able to purchase. Or even see.

"Ooooh... They're making eleven units and each costs £380,000. Add another £90,000 for carbon ceramic brakes, natch."

The ne plus ultra of British pride, for me, has come when former UK colleagues -- petrolheads, the lot of them -- popped in, while visiting the US.

"Fancy a go behind the wheel in my C6 Corvette? Here's the fob" I say. Five of them by now.

Each has said no. One or two snickered like school boys in response. And one of them told me, "You're still driving that thing?"

Everybody else -- the Australian, the Frenchman, the German, the Pole, etc. -- did not need to hear my offer a second time.
You need some more grateful and less pompous English friends then. First thing I did when I went to visit a friend who'd emigrated to Cali was hire a Shelby Mustang. I loved the thing and at the time my toy was a blackbird powered Westy, which weighed about what the engine in the Shelby did so quite the contrast. Thinking about the noise still makes me smile and that's what toy cars are all about, although it is nice if they work more than they don't.


zebra

4,555 posts

213 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Ozzie Osmond said:
Maybe. But I think Mr Gales needs to be backing a different horse to secure the future of his company.
Can you explain why?

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

245 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
zebra said:
Can you explain why?
Because Evora sales simply haven't achieved what's needed. And Exige S is only a sticking plaster on the wound.

An all-new car is IMO desperately needed. One which will part potential customers from their cash. Hopefully it will be a good one!

IMI A

9,410 posts

200 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Truly an embarrassment of a car. Too expensive , too heavy and too ugly......

Shambler

1,184 posts

143 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Maybe the Porsche comments are more to do with corporate hospitality that the journalists love so much, if Lotus were to put journalists up in five star hotels and massage their egos then the article would be gushing with praise.

zebra

4,555 posts

213 months

Monday 27th July 2015
quotequote all
IMI A said:
Truly an embarrassment of a car. Too expensive , too heavy and too ugly......
There speaks a happy Porsche driver who hasn't driven the new Evora. biggrin

highway

1,929 posts

259 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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I love Lotus. Had 6. % of them bought new. I like this but its far too expensive for me. The Elise was aspirational at sub £30k. This, patently is not. The criticisms of the in car audio continue to puzzle. Alpine is a respected brand with some considerable history. There purpose was and is to provide in car audio and latterly sat nav and media connectivity which is superior to that offered by the manufacturer. Otherwise why would anyone buy any of it? Thus you would assume that if Lotus are plucking from the best aftermarket satnav/phone/audio units available whatever they selected would be at least the measure of that offered as a cost option by Porsche or the other mainstream brands.

I just can't see people parting with £70k plus in sufficient numbers to make sales of this viable which is a shame. i drove the Evora S which was impressive albeit the rear seat space less than in my 20 year old 911.

Joeguard1990

1,181 posts

125 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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I'm sure it's great to drive but if it hasn't already been said, what a horrid looking car! Looks are all over the place!

Oddball RS

1,757 posts

217 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Ok, so here goes as a multiple ex Lotus and Porsche owner.

It sounds great! I appreciate the re-style it has sorted some of the issues out, it has however generated a few new ones as well.

Looks a well sorted quick car, but it is quite a bit of cash, for a car that still has to have exceptions made for it in finish and trim quality, its a pricing point where that shouldn't happen anymore, no one wants a 10/10ths car that after a few months has rattles and marked / wobbly trim, it really kills the appeal. The first Elise solved this by having as few luxuries and moving parts as possible, this is what Lotus does well, it is now chasing a market which demands things Lotus are not so good at.

And if we stop Porsche bashing for a minute, IF you had this kind of money burning a hole in your pocket and you have just taken one of these for a test drive, where is your next stop going to be? lets be honest.

And as a final point I still hate the Halfords letters on the dash.

highway

1,929 posts

259 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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Historically they sold the rights to the 7 and look what happened. Would a "re-issue" of the S1 work? Same styling, better hood, seats, engine and transmission at the £20k point?

NigelCayless

201 posts

154 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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As a 997 driver I think it looks great. I'd have one.

hughcam

411 posts

164 months

Monday 27th July 2015
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IMI A said:
Truly an embarrassment of a car. Too expensive , too heavy and too ugly......
Must be trolling, or butthurt due to owning a dull porka wink

Must say this is the most exciting car of 2016 to me and given that we have had such a great year for new cars thats pretty impressive!

If lotus can get the new esprit out in the next couple of years you might see a real turn of fortunes fortunes such as porsche did in the 90's