S2 Exige Test Drive
Discussion
Well I finally got around to a test drive, having put a deposit down with my fiancee when the car was first rumoured. I have to confess I'd lost a certain amount of enthusiasm for the machine as it had become increasingly apparent the direction Lotus were taking it.
So it was with a certain amount of apathy that I pulled myself out of bed early on Saturday, the alka-selza I'd woken up at 6am to take having had very little positive impact. Not only did I have a pounding skull, but it was raining gently outside; hardly a perfect backdrop for testing a new Lotus shod in semi-slicks.
Pulling into their car park, the first thing I noticed was the gleaming chrome orange Exige parked up at the side. I've been very critical of the styling in the past, but I'm happy to say it looks an awful lot better in the flesh. It doesn't scream bloodlust at 1000 yards in the manner of its elder sibling, but there is a certain quiet purpose that will definitely engender respect on the road. Doubtless aided by the marvelous chrome orange paint (£1010+VAT).
Fi took the first test drive leaving me in the Wilson's showroom for 45 minutes. I took the opportunity to read the Car magazine review I'd brought with me, and was more than a little disappointed with what they had to say. The reviewer was only moderately impressed, and managed to bend the steering rack correcting a slide. He was honest enough to admit that it was provoked by lifting off mid corner, but seemed to blame the car at least as much as himself. Not really fair criticism, and more indicative of talent failure than design fault.
After wondering around the showroom growing increasingly bored and impatient looking at their 111Rs, the Exige reappeared on the horizon and pulled back into the carpark. Fiona looked impressed as she wondered back to tell me it was my turn.
Peter Wilson handed me the keys and invited me to hop in and manouevre it out whilst he moved some cones out the way. I strapped in, noticing that the seats felt tighter but more padded than in my S2, and pulled the door shut. Not expecting the increase in solidity, I'd failed to shut it properly. I pulled it to more firmly and it latched with a satisfying thunk. Was I really in an Elise derivative?
Adjusting the seat was the next surprise. In previous generations, it has always been a very ratchety and mechanical process. In the Exige the seat slid mellifluously forward and latched with a delicate click, no sign of the anticipated clunk. Have Lotus really started caring about the details?
Starting the engine, I was greeted with a more purposeful note than expected. Very little hint of Singer's finest which suggests that the future might not be so bright for the exhaust manufacturers of the Elise world.
Peter had cautioned me about the clutch bite point, and he'd been right - it was right at the top of the pedals travel. I'm sure its something one could easily get accustomed too, but I'd be lying if I said I was a fan. Still it was easy enough to find and didn't present a problem as I navigated past the cones and waited for Peter to hop in next to me.
Indicating to pull out, the first thing I noticed was the new feel of the indicator stalks. They now engage with a weighty and positive motion. Perhaps of limited importance, but again indicative of Lotus's new emphasis on the small things. The next thing of note is how a bright orange Exige is a passport to junction priority. I was let out immediately and arriving at the first roundabout, 2 other cars had arrived simulataneously to me. I was going to wait not being fully settled in the car yet, but no one made a move forcing me to take initiative. This must be what it's like to drive in a fully marked squad car.
The route we took allowed a couple of 0-70 runs, where the car pulled respectably towards the 6250 cam switchover. At said rpm there was a decent shove in the back and an imminently looming limiter. The car felt pacey, but was in no way reminiscent of the paradigm shift I first experienced when driving an Elise, and again felt when driving a Noble. I felt a little bit cautious gunning the car as the rear mirror was entirely filled with mesh and wing, and I'm not accustomed to relying solely on side mirrors. I never really felt confident that I didn't have a police car right behind.
The gearbox had a decisive feel although without the positive weightiness of a BMW box, and despite being new it displayed none of the recalcitrance of a virginal PG-1. When changing down I felt that there was a tendancy for the engine to run on, I'm still trying to work out if it was my incompetence or something about the car. It didn't happen each time, and I suspect it is either my unfamiliarity with the cluth bite or perhaps its higher rev limit giving me that impression. Sadly I didn't have enough time to get to the bottom of it.
The brakes have been described many times previously, and I have little to add other than to confirm these reports. There is very little action during the initial travel followed by reasonable feel where they start to bite. It reminded me of a Mercedes but with more feedback. That might sound damning, but in implementation they seem pretty good. They did squeel a few times at low speed though and I'm not sure what pads they were fitted with. I suspect nothing special so wonder about that squeel.
I found I lacked the ballerinas touch necessary to heal and toe with these sensitive stoppers, but suspect I could develop the skill in time. I didn't get a chance to test the ABS deciding that there was too much traffic about and sensing that Peter might not be entirely happy were I to do so.
Steering was heavy at low speeds but lightened at speed whilst maintaining a very positive feel. Turn in was definitely sharper and flatter than in the standard S2 and suspension compliance was a revelation. Despite having the sports setup the car rode bumps with far more aplomb than previous iterations and without the bone shaking clunks. I suspect the extra weight has proved an ally in this battle and I was hugely impressed with the solidity of the car over pot holes. Unfortunately the test route had no noteable twists and a surfeit of traffic leaving me regretting that I couldn't spend more time with the car on more testing roads. Sadly the test route only really offered up straight roads capped with 90 degree turns after traffic lights.
In terms of dynamics I finished my drive with a lot of questions left unanswered, and the discomforting knowledge that I hadn't had time to become sufficiently accustomed to the clutch, brake & obstructed rear view to really explore the car anyway. These cars are significantly different to pedal than previous iterations and will doubtlessly require some brain reprogramming for most of us.
Getting back to the dealership, I took the opportunity to look over the car. Lotus have certainly evolved as a manufacturer of late, and the quality of fit and finish was impressive apart from the desperately cheap looking moulding that houses the air conditioning. This is a hang over from previous generations, and has been remodelled on the federal cars. I can't help but wonder if they might not make similar changes over here in the future as I the fed dashboard looks more professional. The airvents have also changed and can now be shut with a positive click, the plastic they are crafted from is still of poor quality however.
The tailgate is opened with a catch inside the cabin, perhaps not the greatest idea in terms of security, but given these are plastic cars a determined attacker would have little trouble getting in anyway, so perhaps its best they can do it with minimal damage to the body. The hydraulic ram that lifts and supports the tailgate is a great touch and something I wish they'd offer on all Elises. The fit and finish of the tailgate on the car I inspected seemed good with even shut lines and a very strong mesh protecting the engine bay. It reminded me of a fencing mask in style but sadly not in practicality. You can see a fair amount through a fencing mask, sadly this cover offered very little transparency from the cabin.
Inside the engine bay nestles a neat installation surrounded by a large amount of space. The engine itself doesn't look desperately impressive and the cheap looking plastic cladding did it few favours. It was certainly no Ferrari lump.
The boot is similar to the 111R's and has lost a fair amount of space in comparison to the k series cars due to packaging requirements. The intake plenum is now towards the firewall with the manifold exiting towards the bottom rear of the engine and causing the boot problem. On the plus side there is a fair amount of space around the intake giving me reasonable confidence that a supercharger installation won't have packaging problems. The boot opening also seemed smaller than on a k-series Elise, but not a huge handicap in comparison to the diminuitive boot.
The exhaust didn't look nearly as bad as it has in most pictures. It was blackened up and you didn't really notice it, especially when not crouched down looking for it. The absence of chrome tips was definitely a positive in this instance.
The central locking seemed fine and a handy addition, especially with the control switch mounted in front of the gear stick where the cigarette lighter socket used to be. Definitely a reassurance for those of us who drive through the less salubrious parts of cities. The lighter socket has now been pushed back behind the handbrake which hardly ideal for running speed trap detectors, although there is a blanking point of about the right size in front of the gear stick too. Electric windows were somewhat less impressive as the switches have an overly resistant feel and the windows move with an inelegant aggression.
The roof doesn't look particularly easy to remove. It's properly lined and has a stud flat over its mounting point at the front. The vent is non functional as reported and frankly I don't see much point in unblocking it as it will just drop air into the empty uppermost expanse of the engine bay. Perhaps of more use were one to need to feed air into an intercooler. Tucked in at the top of the windscreen were the most laughable set of sun visors I've ever seen, fortunately they can be tucked out of the way and ignored.
Looking over the options list, it is fairly apparent that most Exiges won't be leaving the showroom for less than 34k before any discounts. Airconditioning which is pretty much a necessity comes in at £1295, the performance pack is £1995 versus £1795 for the touring pack. I suspect most people will end up with the performance pack, not because they favour it, but because apparently you can't keep your normal intertia belts with the performance pack. I believe this latter pack comes with the much loved 340R style seats, but its not much consolation if you are constantly fiddling with harnesses just to go to the shop. They aren't safe if improperly adjusted, and given that my fiancee and I both sit at different distances to the wheel it would become an immense pain to constantly adjust them. Why they won't take a leaf out of Noble's book and offer both harnesses and inertial reels I don't know. Given the number of queries about it here on the forums its clearly something thats wanted.
There are three paint options that attract no surcharge, calypso red, saffron yellow (which is a pearlescent) and old english white (likely a mistake on an Exige although with a stripe it might work). The normal metallics then cost £595, leaving the extreme paints coming in at an eye watering £1010. This is a tad unfortunate as chrome orange is an extreme colour along with krypton green and an unconvincing seal grey. Daylight robbery I feel but I'd be compelled to go for the chrome orange as it really suited the car.
Only the performance pack comes with a secondary oil cooler which is alarming given that its standard fit on all models in the US and Australia. It's a tad disconcerting that it can't be had with the touring pack - who wants to buy a car with semi-slick tyres and never take it out on a hot track day?
The forged wheels cost a further £1175, but I doubt they'll be selling many sets given quite how unattractive they are in comparison with the Exiges standard wheels. Furthermore it's likely you wouldn't see any sign of your original wheels were you to buy this option which makes them actually cost over 2 grand by my estimation. I suspect who ever priced them up also worked on the paint option tariffs.
So are we going to buy one?
Well I'm not sure yet and nor is Fi. Firstly In terms of pace, the Honda Elise I tried at Bedford had the legs on this Exige, and by some margin. Nontheless it was usefully quicker than my standard k-series S2, just not jaw dropping. I can't help but feel more power is needed to really set this car apart. Furthermore I'm not happy with the two configuration options, the packs offer the following features :
Touring : Full Alcantara, Elec Windows, DAB & MP3 CD Tuner, Sun visors, Stowage Net & Carpet Set.
Performance : Alcantara sports seats, 4 point harnesses, Carbon door inserts & twin oil coolers.
I'd want a hybrid of that lot as follows :
Ideal pack : Alcantara sports seats, harnesses whilst retaining inertial reals, carbon door insert, twin oil coolers, stowage net, carpets and maybe the elec windows (they aren't that bad) and stereo.
Apparently its not possible, but presumably anything is possible if one is stubborn enough and throws enough money at it. Sadly throwing yet more money on a 35k Elise isn't that attractive to me.
It is a beautiful car and has a Volkswagen like solidity thats leagues ahead of any previous Elise, but coming in at 35k without all the options I want and lacking the performance I'd hoped for I'm just not sure.
One thing I did notice perusing the 111R & Exige option list, is that Lotus are offering LSS and wider front wheels for the 111R (the ugly forged ones previously discussed) despite previous assurances that this wasn't going to happen. This further erodes the raison d'etre behind the Exige given that this is pretty much all that differentiates the cars dynamically.
Anyway I'm waiting for Peter to get back in touch and see what he'll offer in trade in for my Elise, but looking at the size of his current stock I'm not really expecting an offer I'll be happy with.
If we do buy now, I know I'm going to be utterly distraught should a reasonably priced factory supercharged version make an appearance in the future as thats the car I really want. Then again if it were to come in at much over 35k I'd be unwilling to pay for it if anyway I'm honest.
Decisions decisions...
pretty much the conclusion I came too when I had a go in the 111R. Just too expensive for the peformance increase - must have been exactly the same for S1 owners when the S2 came out - a few nice changes and improvements...but not worth shelling out £15K-£20K to change
For a daily driver, a supercharged 111R with aircon and all the other nice bits would suit me fine...if only it would be about £30K...thing is I reckon it will be closer to £40K if Lotus offer it
For a daily driver, a supercharged 111R with aircon and all the other nice bits would suit me fine...if only it would be about £30K...thing is I reckon it will be closer to £40K if Lotus offer it
- Picked mine up 3 weeks ago after having an S1 for 2 years and wow -it is a phenomenal machine. Not a car for shy people though - it really gets a lot of attention!!. nice "review". I enjoyed it, thanks.
but, for that sort of money, id be tempted to save a little longer and go for one of these:
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=22076&s=108
(but not a damaged/repaired one, like this is)
>> Edited by dragstar on Tuesday 4th May 16:50
but, for that sort of money, id be tempted to save a little longer and go for one of these:
www.pistonheads.com/sales/detail.asp?i=22076&s=108
(but not a damaged/repaired one, like this is)
>> Edited by dragstar on Tuesday 4th May 16:50
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