RE: Evora S Sports Racer: Intro

RE: Evora S Sports Racer: Intro

Author
Discussion

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

128 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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blueg33 said:
You could say the same of an Evo X and Imprezza WRX and a number of others. It doesn't make them sports cars, and most members of the public wouldn't see them as sports cars.

Speaking as someone who earlier this year was looking to buy a "Sports car" the CSL was crossed off my list pretty early on despite its abilities.
So what is a sports car if not a car with motorsport pedigree? A boggo 911 C4 is no sports car, that's for sure - a GT, maybe - though a GT3 is definitely a sports car. Not sure where I sit on the Evora - it's more pared-back than a boggo 911 but it's still quite heavy and soft... it'd be nice if they did a road-going GT4. Having said that - is the Evora GT4 road-legal? If not, what would it take to make one so?

kambites

67,543 posts

221 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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The definition of "sports car" is not well defined, but it typically has nothing to do with motorsport, these days. The CSL is a fabulous car, but I wouldn't call it a sports car, it's a sports saloon. I wouldn't call the 911 a sports car either, it's a GT. The Evora is borderline.

zebedee

4,589 posts

278 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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RoverP6B said:
So what is a sports car if not a car with motorsport pedigree? A boggo 911 C4 is no sports car, that's for sure - a GT, maybe - though a GT3 is definitely a sports car. Not sure where I sit on the Evora - it's more pared-back than a boggo 911 but it's still quite heavy and soft... it'd be nice if they did a road-going GT4. Having said that - is the Evora GT4 road-legal? If not, what would it take to make one so?
The Evora rides well but doesn't feel remotely soft, it feels ready to take anything on, all of the time.

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

128 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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zebedee said:
The Evora rides well but doesn't feel remotely soft, it feels ready to take anything on, all of the time.
By the standards of its class, sure, but it's no Exige or GT3RS...

kambites

67,543 posts

221 months

Monday 14th April 2014
quotequote all
RoverP6B said:
zebedee said:
The Evora rides well but doesn't feel remotely soft, it feels ready to take anything on, all of the time.
By the standards of its class, sure, but it's no Exige or GT3RS...
It could easily still be sharper feeling than the CSL, though (i should point out that I have driven neither, this is purely conjecture).

Nohedes

345 posts

227 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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RoverP6B said:
So what is a sports car if not a car with motorsport pedigree? A boggo 911 C4 is no sports car, that's for sure - a GT, maybe - though a GT3 is definitely a sports car. Not sure where I sit on the Evora - it's more pared-back than a boggo 911 but it's still quite heavy and soft...
Where are you getting this stuff from? Are these statements based on experience of actually driving 911s ('boggo' or otherwise) and Evoras, or guesswork or just what you read on the internet?

Nohedes

345 posts

227 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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blueg33 said:
The Evora S is pretty much the same performance as the C2s
They're not a million miles away, but you chose to use manual cars - PDK Porsches have better acceleration figures than the manuals and the PDK 911 C2S accelerates to 62mph in 4.1 secs, which is fairly rapid. It also does 0-100 in 8.7 secs which isn't bad either (not sure how the Evora S compares to the 0-100 figure, the only figure I could find online was 10.2 secs).

It looks like IPS Evoras are slightly slower, so like-for-like 'non-manual' is 4.1 v 4.7 which is significant (although most 911s are PDK and I would guess most Evoras are manual?) but not reason enough to buy one over the other.

Sticking with PDK, not sure about the running cost argument (excluding buying costs) - 911 service intervals are every 2-years/20k instead of the Evoras 1-year/9k, it has lower road tax by £200/year and uses 10% less fuel (official combined figures).

nerdsmile

blueg33

35,772 posts

224 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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Nohedes said:
They're not a million miles away, but you chose to use manual cars - PDK Porsches have better acceleration figures than the manuals and the PDK 911 C2S accelerates to 62mph in 4.1 secs, which is fairly rapid. It also does 0-100 in 8.7 secs which isn't bad either (not sure how the Evora S compares to the 0-100 figure, the only figure I could find online was 10.2 secs).

It looks like IPS Evoras are slightly slower, so like-for-like 'non-manual' is 4.1 v 4.7 which is significant (although most 911s are PDK and I would guess most Evoras are manual?) but not reason enough to buy one over the other.

Sticking with PDK, not sure about the running cost argument (excluding buying costs) - 911 service intervals are every 2-years/20k instead of the Evoras 1-year/9k, it has lower road tax by £200/year and uses 10% less fuel (official combined figures).

nerdsmile
The IPS Evora isn't like for like, thats why I chose manual cars, the IPS is a torque converter auto, so I was trying to compare the same thing. Obviously a PDK Porsche is more cash again.

I also couldn't find 0-100 times.

Average service cost of a 911 is higher than Lotus (I did loads of research on this) and certainly with a used car the 911 depreciation hits harder. Lotus tyres on the standard rims are also a bit cheaper. I was mainly comparing n/a cars for my own exercise and the Evora was cheaper to run by about £1200 pa most of which was depreciation and tyres.

Generally I think they are pretty close.

I think many people just assume the Porsche is superior without driving both. I would be happy to let any local Evora doubters who own Porsches to drive my car and then comment (obviously they will need to be insured)


Edited by blueg33 on Monday 14th April 22:17

Robert Elise

956 posts

145 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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Nohedes said:
911 service intervals are every 2-years/20k

nerdsmile
Yikes.... i'd still change every 10k or 12 mths for a 911

Nohedes

345 posts

227 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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Fair comments blueg33 ^^^

I agree people should drive both and make their own minds up. Unfortunately, I think quite a few of the (very) strongly held views expressed on this thread are held by those who have driven neither!

smile

beer

Nohedes

345 posts

227 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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Robert Elise said:
Nohedes said:
911 service intervals are every 2-years/20k

nerdsmile
Yikes.... i'd still change every 10k or 12 mths for a 911
That'll do no harm, but we're talking about the latest DFI engines and car still in warranty so no need really.

My Gen2 987 Cayman S did 36k miles in 3 years with just one service (2nd anniversary) and nothing melted/went on fire.

/nips off to check GT3 service intervals/

wink

limpsfield

5,878 posts

253 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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RoverP6B said:
limpsfield said:
You have got to be kidding! A 911, an Evora or a three series? That is not the same Venn diagram.
You say that as if it's just some boggo 320d, not an M3 CSL, one of the most desirable sports cars of modern times...
Not for me - it's just a fast Beamer and those do nothing for me.

In the same way that an M3 or AMG Merc driver would be unlikely to consider an Evora as they would probably see it as a bit "quirky", amongst other things.

This is where Porsche have done such a wonderful job in positioning themselves in the last 20 years - for some "premium" saloon drivers they are seen as the next logical step. A very enviable position.

I am no Porsche hater - if I sell my Evora then my next car would probably be a Boxster S.

limpsfield

5,878 posts

253 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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I am surprised and pleased that the PH Evora has generated so much discussion on here. Hopefully opens it up to people who may not have been aware of its existence.

djmotorsport

479 posts

243 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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I seriously looked at an Evora with a view to it being my daily driver - but I was seduced by the Exige S - It's been driven all through our (mild) winter, and never fails to put a smile on my face. The Cayman S was also on the 'potentials' list, but the test drive in the Exige sealed it - It was just above freezing and sleet was falling - and it still delivered.

Ozzie Osmond

21,189 posts

246 months

Monday 14th April 2014
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RoverP6B said:
Evora - it's more pared-back than a boggo 911 but it's still quite heavy and soft...
Are we to take it that your detailed commentary on all these high performance cars is based on years of experience?

The Evoras I drove (N/A and supercharged) didn't appear "heavy and soft". I suggest you extend your expert knowledge of high performance cars by spending some time in a Merc SL.

RoverP6B

4,338 posts

128 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
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Nohedes said:
Where are you getting this stuff from? Are these statements based on experience of actually driving 911s ('boggo' or otherwise) and Evoras, or guesswork or just what you read on the internet?
Friend of mine had a 997 C4S drophead with PDK and had driven a variety of other 911s up to and including GT3RS before selling the C4S and buying an E93 M3. Said his C4S and other Carreras he'd driven were pretty soft and unfocused (and the view from Harris, Evo etc seems to be that the 991 is not as sharp a drive as the 997). He said he'd looked into the Evora and test-driven one but growing children ruled it out - E93 that much more usable a four-seater.

Ozzie Osmond said:
Are we to take it that your detailed commentary on all these high performance cars is based on years of experience?

The Evoras I drove (N/A and supercharged) didn't appear "heavy and soft". I suggest you extend your expert knowledge of high performance cars by spending some time in a Merc SL.
I should have said 'by Lotus standards' - the Evora weighs about the same as two-and-a-half Elans! I don't pretend to be experienced in driving exotica - most PHers I'm sure have only had the chance to admire from more-or-less afar - but I've taken issue with a few prejudices here. If there's one thing that this thread reinforces, it's that brand/national loyalty only blinds one to great cars...

zebedee

4,589 posts

278 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
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The Evora is NOT soft by Lotus standards. Have driven an Elise for over a decade, on LSS suspension (now on Nitrons) and had an Evora for a week and lots of miles (including a trip to Spa). The Evora feels more supple and 'saloon car' like when you are pootling in traffic for sure, but not soft. When you are 'on it' it is totally poised and totally up for it. This split personality is in fact what makes it such a strong proposition. Just writing about it now makes me want to go down the bank and secure £30k...

The Wookie

13,923 posts

228 months

Tuesday 15th April 2014
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zebedee said:
The Evora rides well but doesn't feel remotely soft, it feels ready to take anything on, all of the time.
In terms of primary and secondary ride I'd probably place it about the same as a basic 997 Carrera, although better controlled/damped making it feel softer and perhaps a little harsher and less isolated.

In terms of response and body control I'd put it half way between a 997 Carrera and a GT3. Not race car sharp but still perfectly enjoyable on track.

Hedgerley

620 posts

268 months

Thursday 17th April 2014
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Several comments on here about the 'dire/dodgy build quality' of the Evora compared to the Porsche equivalents. Although I've owned neither I know several who have (and remain as Evora owners) and this simply doesn't ring true for the current Lotus product.

I'll let this guy blow apart the myth of Porsche quality....

http://youtu.be/-eXUnZrykDY

900T-R

20,404 posts

257 months

Friday 18th April 2014
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I've driven an early Evora for a week that came straight from Lotus' sales department as someone had crashed the factory demonstrator that was supposed to pick up. I'm still unsure where this big 'quality gulf' between it and the contemporary Porsche product lies. Cabin was simple, elegant, nicely trimmed and the seats were lovely; nothing buzzed, rattled or fell off; overall the car was as useable and untemperamental as a new Toyota; switchgear etc. was nothing special but neither is Porsche's...