My Lotus Evora 400 & Video Diary
Discussion
Hi Everyone,
I've been a bit quiet on the PH front for a little while but I am intending to come back with a vengeance. I started the new year looking for a new (to me) car, as it looked like I might have had a decent amount of cash to spare and decided to spend it on something fun before children and responsibility creeps up on me! I had a few criteria, some of which I didn't actually meet, but cast my net fairly wide. I looked at stuff including the AC Schnitzer M4 that PH drove, an XKR-S, a Corvette C7... but one car I drove really, really blew me away - the Lotus Evora. I had never driven a before Lotus in February, and I started looking at the older "S" models because they were in my price range of the time.
Well, long story short I also drove a 400 and decided then that was an awesome car, and worth saving up for. So I did the man maths, sold a few things I decided I didn't need and last week took delivery of a brand new 400. I wasn't intending to get a new one, I was hoping to scoop up an ex-demo one, but a chance encounter with a car in the right spec and at the right price meant my fate was sealed!
As Lotus are brilliant at making cars, but awful at marketing them, I decided this would be an ideal opportunity to start a bit of a car vlog. Something I'd been intending to do for a little while.
I really appreciate any constructive feedback from the community, as well as ideas on what to feature in the next one. Anyway, enjoy!
So, I think it's time that I started a new thread because I'm no longer in the "test drive" phase. As you'll all know by now I took delivery of an Evora 400 last week.
What most of you don't know is that I had been planning something for a while now to do with the car. Most of us agree that Lotus build damn fine cars, but are pretty poor when it comes to their marketing. I found this when I was researching the car - material on the 400 is pretty thin on the ground if you want anything beyond a simple review.
Therefore I decided it would be a great idea to document the ownership experience. Two reasons - 1. I may never be able to do this again, 2. I'm sure Lotus could benefit from the publicity!
I will be doing quite a few videos on a wide range of Lotus-related topics, I welcome any ideas/suggestions for what sort of thing people might like to do. If anyone on the forum would also like to help with a video, in the near future I want to do some videos comparing the Evora 400 with other cars. In particular, I'd love to be able to get an S1 Evora to do a back-to-back with, plus I would love to compare with an Elise, Exige or Esprit.
Anyway, enough waffle, here's the video. Please give it a "like" and a "subscription", the first few months are going to be the hardest as I gather viewers so I ask everyone that sees it and likes it to share it with as many people as they can in whatever medium they choose.
And here's the obligatory "sneaked to the factory" shot
JM
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
I've been a bit quiet on the PH front for a little while but I am intending to come back with a vengeance. I started the new year looking for a new (to me) car, as it looked like I might have had a decent amount of cash to spare and decided to spend it on something fun before children and responsibility creeps up on me! I had a few criteria, some of which I didn't actually meet, but cast my net fairly wide. I looked at stuff including the AC Schnitzer M4 that PH drove, an XKR-S, a Corvette C7... but one car I drove really, really blew me away - the Lotus Evora. I had never driven a before Lotus in February, and I started looking at the older "S" models because they were in my price range of the time.
Well, long story short I also drove a 400 and decided then that was an awesome car, and worth saving up for. So I did the man maths, sold a few things I decided I didn't need and last week took delivery of a brand new 400. I wasn't intending to get a new one, I was hoping to scoop up an ex-demo one, but a chance encounter with a car in the right spec and at the right price meant my fate was sealed!
As Lotus are brilliant at making cars, but awful at marketing them, I decided this would be an ideal opportunity to start a bit of a car vlog. Something I'd been intending to do for a little while.
I really appreciate any constructive feedback from the community, as well as ideas on what to feature in the next one. Anyway, enjoy!
So, I think it's time that I started a new thread because I'm no longer in the "test drive" phase. As you'll all know by now I took delivery of an Evora 400 last week.
What most of you don't know is that I had been planning something for a while now to do with the car. Most of us agree that Lotus build damn fine cars, but are pretty poor when it comes to their marketing. I found this when I was researching the car - material on the 400 is pretty thin on the ground if you want anything beyond a simple review.
Therefore I decided it would be a great idea to document the ownership experience. Two reasons - 1. I may never be able to do this again, 2. I'm sure Lotus could benefit from the publicity!
I will be doing quite a few videos on a wide range of Lotus-related topics, I welcome any ideas/suggestions for what sort of thing people might like to do. If anyone on the forum would also like to help with a video, in the near future I want to do some videos comparing the Evora 400 with other cars. In particular, I'd love to be able to get an S1 Evora to do a back-to-back with, plus I would love to compare with an Elise, Exige or Esprit.
Anyway, enough waffle, here's the video. Please give it a "like" and a "subscription", the first few months are going to be the hardest as I gather viewers so I ask everyone that sees it and likes it to share it with as many people as they can in whatever medium they choose.
And here's the obligatory "sneaked to the factory" shot
JM
Edited by jayemm89 on Wednesday 18th May 09:55
Edited by jayemm89 on Wednesday 18th May 09:56
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
Edited by Big Al. on Monday 6th June 17:08
Thankyou all for the positive reception. I have to say going the Lotus route was not something I saw myself ever doing, but with these videos I hope to show a little of why I did and if just one other person goes with an Evora over an R8 or a 911, that's great for us all - I'm all for variety!
The next videos will be along later this week or early next week and I will post them here when they are. Following videos will hopefully be a bit shorter and each one will try and focus on a specific topic - maintenance, practicality, etc...
The next videos will be along later this week or early next week and I will post them here when they are. Following videos will hopefully be a bit shorter and each one will try and focus on a specific topic - maintenance, practicality, etc...
Rick101 said:
Any reason you chose to buy from Leeds?
It was a stroke of luck really. I couldn't afford to spec a car from the factory, so I was relying on finding a car that was "in-stock". I went to Leeds on business and decided to stop by their showroom to see the orange car I knew they had. When I got there, this was in the showroom having just been delivered. We struck a deal on it that worked for me and worked for them.One of the few issues I had with choosing a car was because they are so rare seeing them in a variety of colours involved a fair bit of travelling. This was the first one I saw in Yellow, I knew it was a colour that would appeal to me but when I saw it in the flesh I knew it was the one!
Thanks for the great comments gents.
I'm currently editing several more videos, which will of course be linked here when they are done.
The car is going in for its running-in service next week, after that I will be able to use the full rev range but honestly even with just a limited selection available it's an awesome machine and extremely quick across country.
The videos shall hopefully get better week by week, all of the feedback is going into the next videos and I hope the improvements will be tangible ones.
I'm currently editing several more videos, which will of course be linked here when they are done.
The car is going in for its running-in service next week, after that I will be able to use the full rev range but honestly even with just a limited selection available it's an awesome machine and extremely quick across country.
The videos shall hopefully get better week by week, all of the feedback is going into the next videos and I hope the improvements will be tangible ones.
This is the next video I've uploaded. I've got two more waiting in the wings and two more still in the edit bay.
This isn't so much a diary entry as a bit of a Brucie bonus. After filming yesterday, I offered my friend a drive and we decided to capture his reaction on camera.
To be honest, as a car lover, it's this kind of stuff that I live for, to make someone else happy with something so "simple" as a car really is joy itself.
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
This isn't so much a diary entry as a bit of a Brucie bonus. After filming yesterday, I offered my friend a drive and we decided to capture his reaction on camera.
To be honest, as a car lover, it's this kind of stuff that I live for, to make someone else happy with something so "simple" as a car really is joy itself.
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
Edited by Big Al. on Monday 6th June 17:07
Thanks Vroom
I certainly don't consider myself any sort of expert on cars, but I am definitely trying to create a "car" vlog rather than a "lifestyle" vlog. In future videos I want to get into some more technical details, but I'm glad you liked the style of what I'm going for. I think it's going to appeal to the kind of people that buy a Lotus!
It's hard to appreciate when watching the video, but the windscreen in the Evora is extremely close to the occupants. That camera was actually a 170 degree lens, also if we stick it in the middle of the screen we wind up with a huge blind spot. It was a last minute thing, future videos we will be experimenting with multi camera setups and things.
I have not yet made a video dedicated to the sound of the car and that's for one reason only - the car is still being run in so I can't give it maximum attack. The running in service is happening next week, after that my first port of call will be a video dedicated almost exclusively to the pornographic sound the thing produces.
Your subscription and feedback are both very much appreciated and I hope you enjoy the future installments!
I certainly don't consider myself any sort of expert on cars, but I am definitely trying to create a "car" vlog rather than a "lifestyle" vlog. In future videos I want to get into some more technical details, but I'm glad you liked the style of what I'm going for. I think it's going to appeal to the kind of people that buy a Lotus!
It's hard to appreciate when watching the video, but the windscreen in the Evora is extremely close to the occupants. That camera was actually a 170 degree lens, also if we stick it in the middle of the screen we wind up with a huge blind spot. It was a last minute thing, future videos we will be experimenting with multi camera setups and things.
I have not yet made a video dedicated to the sound of the car and that's for one reason only - the car is still being run in so I can't give it maximum attack. The running in service is happening next week, after that my first port of call will be a video dedicated almost exclusively to the pornographic sound the thing produces.
Your subscription and feedback are both very much appreciated and I hope you enjoy the future installments!
This is the next video, it's more talky but covers the spec sheet of the 400. For me coming from German cars it was quite hard to get my head round the fact that it is such a small options list! The Lotus website also isn't very clear so I thought I would do my best at explaining some of the standard/optional features
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
Edited by Big Al. on Monday 6th June 17:06
Mark, do it! I love the Boxster/Cayman and most flavours of the 911, but the Evora is in another league. An "S" with a sports exhaust from 2Bular or someone sounds pretty fantastic too and they are brilliant riding/handling cars.
Viscount Dallara... the M3 is in many pieces, it seems when my head gasket went the broken piece exited down the side of the piston! So I'm currently undergoing open wallet surgery to rectify that.
Viscount Dallara... the M3 is in many pieces, it seems when my head gasket went the broken piece exited down the side of the piston! So I'm currently undergoing open wallet surgery to rectify that.
foz01 said:
As someone who likes the 400 and has been disappointed at the lack of good online content on the car keep it up.
Can you do a good detailed walk round of the car, external and internal, I have yet to see one in the "glass" so the more detail the better
Good suggestion, I will try and incorporate this into a future video.Can you do a good detailed walk round of the car, external and internal, I have yet to see one in the "glass" so the more detail the better
This next video touches a bit on servicing and running costs. Eagle eyed people will see it was filmed on the same day as the last one, so some of the same problems are present (wind noise).
This has been fixed for future videos as we have a wireless lapel mic on the way, which should hopefully cut down on that considerably.
Any requests for future videos, please keep 'em coming!
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
This has been fixed for future videos as we have a wireless lapel mic on the way, which should hopefully cut down on that considerably.
Any requests for future videos, please keep 'em coming!
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
Edited by Big Al. on Monday 6th June 17:05
Richard
I recently shot a video where I was doing a back-to-back with the Ferrari 355 and the Evora 400. Not technically a fair comparison, but an interesting one as both can be had for similar money.
The 355 was equipped with the legendary Ferrari gated shifter and honestly, truly, heart-on-heart, the Evora's shift was better. The only thing it didn't have was that iconic noise as it moved around the gate.
I've only had the car refuse a shift a couple of times, both of which was reverse, but going 1st then reverse sorted that. It may just be the fact it's a brand new box. Other than that the gearshift is far more pleasant than any BMW I have ever driven. Given the box's humble origins it is absolutely superb.
I will be expanding on the gearshift in a future video, but given how Lotus historically have suffered from poor gearshifts I would have been happy if the shifter was merely "functional". As it is, the thing is a joy to use and an absolute bonus.
For those who haven't seen it, here's the link to my servicing costs video:
Anyone interested in seeing the Lotus vs 355 video, please subscribe and you'll get it as soon as it is uploaded! It was a very fun day of driving, I can say that for sure.
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
I recently shot a video where I was doing a back-to-back with the Ferrari 355 and the Evora 400. Not technically a fair comparison, but an interesting one as both can be had for similar money.
The 355 was equipped with the legendary Ferrari gated shifter and honestly, truly, heart-on-heart, the Evora's shift was better. The only thing it didn't have was that iconic noise as it moved around the gate.
I've only had the car refuse a shift a couple of times, both of which was reverse, but going 1st then reverse sorted that. It may just be the fact it's a brand new box. Other than that the gearshift is far more pleasant than any BMW I have ever driven. Given the box's humble origins it is absolutely superb.
I will be expanding on the gearshift in a future video, but given how Lotus historically have suffered from poor gearshifts I would have been happy if the shifter was merely "functional". As it is, the thing is a joy to use and an absolute bonus.
For those who haven't seen it, here's the link to my servicing costs video:
Anyone interested in seeing the Lotus vs 355 video, please subscribe and you'll get it as soon as it is uploaded! It was a very fun day of driving, I can say that for sure.
ETA
Sorry, monetised clips are not allowed.
Edited by Big Al. on Monday 6th June 17:04
johnwilliams77 said:
Looking at the other Cayman vs Evora thread I can't believe people are going on about the interior quality. All the Evora needs are some better speakers/head unit, reverse sensor, cruise control and the right exhaust and you have yourself a very fun great all rounder than you can happily sit in traffic in, motorways, B roads or track. Couldn't care if a little bit of trim doesn't have a great fit!
The current Cayman interior is really great, but it feels just like the interior in any other Porsche. Very well made for sure but I personally hate the swathe of blank buttons you get to remind you that you aren't in a fully loaded Cayenne!I'll be posting up some Porsche vs Lotus videos when I can (anyone got a 911 or Cayman I can borrow?), but I can assure you with the 400 Lotus have addressed several previous issues. Reversing camera and parking sensors are standard now. Cruise control is only a £300 option and the exhaust is pretty much one of the most sensational I have ever heard in a car. It will blow you away, especially if you've heard a standard Evora/Exige (which simply sound "OK")
BlueG that's a great looking procession! I don't think a 993 would see which way a 996 went, let alone an Evora.
Car magazine recently had a 400 at the same time as an Aston GT12 and said the Evora covered ground noticeably quicker.
Hitch the NA Evora is 276bhp/280PS although apparently Toyota rated the engine quite conservatively.
The S you are right is 345 and the 400 is 400. The gearbox can't take too kuchen torque though so there is only a 7lb ft difference between the S and 400. You feel the difference when winding it round though.
I would think you would need a Ferrari 430 to keep with a 400.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have some really fun videos in the pipeline at the moment
Car magazine recently had a 400 at the same time as an Aston GT12 and said the Evora covered ground noticeably quicker.
Hitch the NA Evora is 276bhp/280PS although apparently Toyota rated the engine quite conservatively.
The S you are right is 345 and the 400 is 400. The gearbox can't take too kuchen torque though so there is only a 7lb ft difference between the S and 400. You feel the difference when winding it round though.
I would think you would need a Ferrari 430 to keep with a 400.
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I have some really fun videos in the pipeline at the moment
Gassing Station | Readers' Cars | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff