Latest Autocar - Elise S3 Test - Not so Good
Discussion
I remember, albeit 14 years ago, when the original Elise S1 was getting 5-Stars and impressing everyone with its fresh new design and talent.
Seems the 'new' S3 is a bit of a disappointment. 3.5 stars - very average. Seems it is getting old, a bit cheap and some design niggles persist. And, too expensive.
Brand new Elise, or its replacement, obviously needed PDQ. In the meantime, older models probably better value.
Seems the 'new' S3 is a bit of a disappointment. 3.5 stars - very average. Seems it is getting old, a bit cheap and some design niggles persist. And, too expensive.
Brand new Elise, or its replacement, obviously needed PDQ. In the meantime, older models probably better value.
It depends what you compare it to, I guess.
I loved my Elise, but I struggle with £27K basic for a car that is likely to be a toy, rather than a daily driver. At the same price as a basic Caterham or Westfield, I'm sure it would have had 5 stars.
I'm a huge Lotus fan. I just feel the Elise is a £19k car, the Exige/Europa a £25K car and the Evora a £35k car
I loved my Elise, but I struggle with £27K basic for a car that is likely to be a toy, rather than a daily driver. At the same price as a basic Caterham or Westfield, I'm sure it would have had 5 stars.
I'm a huge Lotus fan. I just feel the Elise is a £19k car, the Exige/Europa a £25K car and the Evora a £35k car
For me an entry level Elise should be nearer £20K and it would sell in the bucket load. When I first opened the Autocar mag today and saw the headline figure of 0-60 of 7.4s I nearly choked - fortunately it was a mis-print but at 6.7s it was still slow. How did they rate it as 1st when it gave it pretty good slating and said the BMW Z4 was faster and cheaper and then never appeared in the ratings? Why do Lotus confuse the S2 with old S1 decals and then put the S2 decals on the carpets. In my opinion the S2 decals look better, but for a launch car with a new engine should match or indeed have a new theme. The new front looks great, but the back looks like a big arse. Why fit an engine which makes the centre of gravity higher? I think I will stick with my old S2 SC.
still the best small sportscar by a mile......
LRGS2 said:
For me an entry level Elise should be nearer £20K and it would sell in the bucket load. When I first opened the Autocar mag today and saw the headline figure of 0-60 of 7.4s I nearly choked - fortunately it was a mis-print but at 6.7s it was still slow. How did they rate it as 1st when it gave it pretty good slating and said the BMW Z4 was faster and cheaper and then never appeared in the ratings? Why do Lotus confuse the S2 with old S1 decals and then put the S2 decals on the carpets. In my opinion the S2 decals look better, but for a launch car with a new engine should match or indeed have a new theme. The new front looks great, but the back looks like a big arse. Why fit an engine which makes the centre of gravity higher? I think I will stick with my old S2 SC.
It was 20k when it came out 14 years ago! While it may sell in bucket loads at that price point I doubt there would be much money in it for Lotus...kambites said:
The Elise costs the same in real terms now that it did when it was released. The problem is, other cars have got cheaper.
That's true.A good comparison is the Porsche Boxster which was launched at the same time as the Elise in late 1996.
The base 2.5 Boxster listed at £33,950 back then.
14 years later, the latest, much better and more highly equipped Boxster 2.9 is listed at £34,995. That's just £1000 difference!
I think you can ignore plenty about this article. Things like him slating the roof design as being fiddly and noisy just show how much balls some of these people spout. The current roof design is utterly superb and takes mere seconds to remove and stow in the boot. Clearly this journo didn't know what he was doing nor how to fit it properly.
Otherwise I really don't get the problem with the new car. The whole point of the new base model is efficiency. It's by an enormous margin the best driving efficient car on the market. Thanks to Lotus we can have both and the future will still involve driving pleasure. Being a bit slower and a bit heavier than the previous one is missing the point. If you're not bothered by mpg and want a faster elise there's the R and if you want faster still, the SC.
Otherwise I really don't get the problem with the new car. The whole point of the new base model is efficiency. It's by an enormous margin the best driving efficient car on the market. Thanks to Lotus we can have both and the future will still involve driving pleasure. Being a bit slower and a bit heavier than the previous one is missing the point. If you're not bothered by mpg and want a faster elise there's the R and if you want faster still, the SC.
The Pits said:
I think you can ignore plenty about this article. Things like him slating the roof design as being fiddly and noisy just show how much balls some of these people spout. The current roof design is utterly superb and takes mere seconds to remove and stow in the boot.
By now youd have thought theyd have come up with an arrangement with the panel behind the seats?Or in the front behind the rad
Still no word on whether they've allowed the passenger seat to slide.
Koln-RS said:
kambites said:
The Elise costs the same in real terms now that it did when it was released. The problem is, other cars have got cheaper.
That's true.A good comparison is the Porsche Boxster which was launched at the same time as the Elise in late 1996.
The base 2.5 Boxster listed at £33,950 back then.
14 years later, the latest, much better and more highly equipped Boxster 2.9 is listed at £34,995. That's just £1000 difference!
bordseye said:
Koln-RS said:
kambites said:
The Elise costs the same in real terms now that it did when it was released. The problem is, other cars have got cheaper.
That's true.A good comparison is the Porsche Boxster which was launched at the same time as the Elise in late 1996.
The base 2.5 Boxster listed at £33,950 back then.
14 years later, the latest, much better and more highly equipped Boxster 2.9 is listed at £34,995. That's just £1000 difference!
Olivera said:
Did anyone else read the full review in the Autocar magazine? Overall it was a pretty damning verdict on the car. Performance figures were also pathetic. 3 whole seconds a lap slower than an equivalent priced 370Z round a twisty track configuration (one of Bedford Autodrome's?).
Seriously, if you are obsessed with price and value, dont buy handmade goods.See how much your nissan is worth in seven years.
The 1.6 is not the track hero version.
bencollins said:
Olivera said:
Did anyone else read the full review in the Autocar magazine? Overall it was a pretty damning verdict on the car. Performance figures were also pathetic. 3 whole seconds a lap slower than an equivalent priced 370Z round a twisty track configuration (one of Bedford Autodrome's?).
Seriously, if you are obsessed with price and value, dont buy handmade goods.See how much your nissan is worth in seven years.
The 1.6 is not the track hero version.
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