Elise to Tuscan 4.0?
Discussion
Hi
I currently have a S1 Elise as a track day and weekend fun car. I am using it less and less at the weekends as I don't find it practical. I find the Elise a fantastic bit if kit on the track and I do about 10 a year. On the road is a different story. I know most people on my Lotus forums have no problem with it as a road car but I need a little more comfort.
Has anyone here been an Elise owner? Will I still get as good a thrill on the track?
I’m looking at spending about £16k
Thanks
I currently have a S1 Elise as a track day and weekend fun car. I am using it less and less at the weekends as I don't find it practical. I find the Elise a fantastic bit if kit on the track and I do about 10 a year. On the road is a different story. I know most people on my Lotus forums have no problem with it as a road car but I need a little more comfort.
Has anyone here been an Elise owner? Will I still get as good a thrill on the track?
I’m looking at spending about £16k
Thanks
i have both a tuscan and an elise s2.
tuscan is a lot more practical, bigger boot, easier to get in and out of. the performance of the tuscan is frightening compared with the elise. i can drive the elise with the pedal to the metal and feel pretty comfortable....with the tuscan the pedal gets too close to the metal and my life flashes before me.
the handling of my elise is far superior to my tuscan, but i am running on the factory setup. I plan to upgrade the suspension of the tuscan, which everyone says makes a huge difference.
around a track i'd rather be in an elise. on the roads a tuscan.
tuscan is a lot more practical, bigger boot, easier to get in and out of. the performance of the tuscan is frightening compared with the elise. i can drive the elise with the pedal to the metal and feel pretty comfortable....with the tuscan the pedal gets too close to the metal and my life flashes before me.
the handling of my elise is far superior to my tuscan, but i am running on the factory setup. I plan to upgrade the suspension of the tuscan, which everyone says makes a huge difference.
around a track i'd rather be in an elise. on the roads a tuscan.
I sold my Elise S2 for the Tuscan S about 6 months ago, I loved the Lotus but that was before I drove the Tuscan!!!
The Tuscan good & bad points;
Good
1, It looks better (My opinion obviously)
2, It sounds better (Mine has decatts and sleeved cans)
3, It’s easier to live with, getting in and out that is
4, It’s more practical, you can get 2 full sets of golf clubs in the boot (so I am told)
5, It’s great for touring in, took mine to Paris a few months ago I could have sat in it all day, even the wife likes the long journeys now.
6, The handling is great and I would say that it is as good as the lotus was (once you have fitted upgraded springs that is I have Nitrons)
7, Oh yeah it’s fast as f
ck.......not much beats it on the road!!
The Bad
1, It costs more to run, you wont be getting anywhere near the mpg you got from the lotus, servicing and maintenance are also costly (read some reliability threads on the forum to find out more)
2,
3,
4,
Depending on your financial circumstances I wouldn’t think twice before getting one, just do your research before you take the plunge..... I was looking for 5 Months before I bought mine.
Just do it!!!
The Tuscan good & bad points;
Good
1, It looks better (My opinion obviously)
2, It sounds better (Mine has decatts and sleeved cans)
3, It’s easier to live with, getting in and out that is
4, It’s more practical, you can get 2 full sets of golf clubs in the boot (so I am told)
5, It’s great for touring in, took mine to Paris a few months ago I could have sat in it all day, even the wife likes the long journeys now.
6, The handling is great and I would say that it is as good as the lotus was (once you have fitted upgraded springs that is I have Nitrons)
7, Oh yeah it’s fast as f
ck.......not much beats it on the road!!The Bad
1, It costs more to run, you wont be getting anywhere near the mpg you got from the lotus, servicing and maintenance are also costly (read some reliability threads on the forum to find out more)
2,
3,
4,
Depending on your financial circumstances I wouldn’t think twice before getting one, just do your research before you take the plunge..... I was looking for 5 Months before I bought mine.
Just do it!!!
I've just sold my highly modded Honda S1 Elise for the Tuscan. Like you I tracked that a fair bit. I wanted a car that was thrilling, convertible, with a little more comfort, yet distinctive, and a performance car.
I haven't tracked the Tuscan yet, so I cant comment on that. In terms of raw thrill, I'd say they are equally thrilling in entirely different ways. With the elise I use to ring it's neck, revving the honda to the full extent. I find I get as much a thrill driving the tuscan slower as i did the elise fast.
The end of the day, the elise is a go-kart, whereas the tuscan doesnt have the same level of point and chuck, it makes up for it in other ways. Chalk and cheese. But i dont regret selling the elise.
I haven't tracked the Tuscan yet, so I cant comment on that. In terms of raw thrill, I'd say they are equally thrilling in entirely different ways. With the elise I use to ring it's neck, revving the honda to the full extent. I find I get as much a thrill driving the tuscan slower as i did the elise fast.
The end of the day, the elise is a go-kart, whereas the tuscan doesnt have the same level of point and chuck, it makes up for it in other ways. Chalk and cheese. But i dont regret selling the elise.
BullFace said:
mallyc said:
i have both a tuscan and an elise s2.
So if you were in my position. I have a car for work. I can only pick one car for play, Tuscan or Elise?purely as a trackcar i'd go for the elise on handling and cost of maintenance. but as a weekend and trackday car its gotta be the tuscan.
go for the tuscan!!! great value at the moment too...
Sicob said:
I've just sold my highly modded Honda S1 Elise for the Tuscan. Like you I tracked that a fair bit. I wanted a car that was thrilling, convertible, with a little more comfort, yet distinctive, and a performance car.
I haven't tracked the Tuscan yet, so I cant comment on that. In terms of raw thrill, I'd say they are equally thrilling in entirely different ways. With the elise I use to ring it's neck, revving the honda to the full extent. I find I get as much a thrill driving the tuscan slower as i did the elise fast.
The end of the day, the elise is a go-kart, whereas the tuscan doesnt have the same level of point and chuck, it makes up for it in other ways. Chalk and cheese. But i dont regret selling the elise.
Si,I haven't tracked the Tuscan yet, so I cant comment on that. In terms of raw thrill, I'd say they are equally thrilling in entirely different ways. With the elise I use to ring it's neck, revving the honda to the full extent. I find I get as much a thrill driving the tuscan slower as i did the elise fast.
The end of the day, the elise is a go-kart, whereas the tuscan doesnt have the same level of point and chuck, it makes up for it in other ways. Chalk and cheese. But i dont regret selling the elise.
Glad you found a tuscan, sorry for not selling mine. Guess you can see why I would have missed it now, they are just so much fun.
Recommend getting the Steve Heath Droplinks if not on already, made a huge advance in the handling.
What car did you get in the end?
BullFace said:
Hi
I currently have a S1 Elise as a track day and weekend fun car. I am using it less and less at the weekends as I don't find it practical. I find the Elise a fantastic bit if kit on the track and I do about 10 a year. On the road is a different story. I know most people on my Lotus forums have no problem with it as a road car but I need a little more comfort.
Has anyone here been an Elise owner? Will I still get as good a thrill on the track?
I’m looking at spending about £16k
Thanks
Your right, the elise is fine if you like chequer plate seats, I used one for a few weeks, couldnt wait to give it back, how do you get in and out those things? get a tiv and you can drive in comfort and alight the vehicle with style. I currently have a S1 Elise as a track day and weekend fun car. I am using it less and less at the weekends as I don't find it practical. I find the Elise a fantastic bit if kit on the track and I do about 10 a year. On the road is a different story. I know most people on my Lotus forums have no problem with it as a road car but I need a little more comfort.
Has anyone here been an Elise owner? Will I still get as good a thrill on the track?
I’m looking at spending about £16k
Thanks
I've got a Tuscan S, and had some experience driving my ex's Elise.
The Tuscan is obviously a bigger car, and much more practical in terms of ease of getting in and out, storage in the cabin and boot size. It's also faster in a straight line, and IMO looks and sounds better.
Handling wise, the Elise is obviously very good, but a well sorted Tuscan is surprisingly chuckable too, and round Bedford my car was faster. I would say though that the Tuscan is more intimidating, and for some people the Elise would probably be quicker as they'd feel more confident in it.
The Elise beats the Tuscan on running costs though, and it's probably fair to say reliability too.
The Elise is a great car, but if I had to choose between that and the Tuscan for day to day driving mixed in with the occasional track day, I'd pick the TVR every time.
The Tuscan is obviously a bigger car, and much more practical in terms of ease of getting in and out, storage in the cabin and boot size. It's also faster in a straight line, and IMO looks and sounds better.
Handling wise, the Elise is obviously very good, but a well sorted Tuscan is surprisingly chuckable too, and round Bedford my car was faster. I would say though that the Tuscan is more intimidating, and for some people the Elise would probably be quicker as they'd feel more confident in it.
The Elise beats the Tuscan on running costs though, and it's probably fair to say reliability too.
The Elise is a great car, but if I had to choose between that and the Tuscan for day to day driving mixed in with the occasional track day, I'd pick the TVR every time.
tuscan_al said:
Sicob said:
I've just sold my highly modded Honda S1 Elise for the Tuscan. Like you I tracked that a fair bit. I wanted a car that was thrilling, convertible, with a little more comfort, yet distinctive, and a performance car.
I haven't tracked the Tuscan yet, so I cant comment on that. In terms of raw thrill, I'd say they are equally thrilling in entirely different ways. With the elise I use to ring it's neck, revving the honda to the full extent. I find I get as much a thrill driving the tuscan slower as i did the elise fast.
The end of the day, the elise is a go-kart, whereas the tuscan doesnt have the same level of point and chuck, it makes up for it in other ways. Chalk and cheese. But i dont regret selling the elise.
Si,I haven't tracked the Tuscan yet, so I cant comment on that. In terms of raw thrill, I'd say they are equally thrilling in entirely different ways. With the elise I use to ring it's neck, revving the honda to the full extent. I find I get as much a thrill driving the tuscan slower as i did the elise fast.
The end of the day, the elise is a go-kart, whereas the tuscan doesnt have the same level of point and chuck, it makes up for it in other ways. Chalk and cheese. But i dont regret selling the elise.
Glad you found a tuscan, sorry for not selling mine. Guess you can see why I would have missed it now, they are just so much fun.
Recommend getting the Steve Heath Droplinks if not on already, made a huge advance in the handling.
What car did you get in the end?
Mail me re Droplinks, if you don't mind. I can't leave any car alone, it's going in for a few things already! lol
BullFace said:
Hi
I currently have a S1 Elise as a track day and weekend fun car. I am using it less and less at the weekends as I don't find it practical. I find the Elise a fantastic bit if kit on the track and I do about 10 a year. On the road is a different story. I know most people on my Lotus forums have no problem with it as a road car but I need a little more comfort.
Has anyone here been an Elise owner? Will I still get as good a thrill on the track?
I’m looking at spending about £16k
Thanks
BullFace - I had an Elise S1 for years before taking the plunge and moving to a Tuscan. I now have a Tuscan 2 S convertible, which is brilliant, but it is very very different from the Elise.I currently have a S1 Elise as a track day and weekend fun car. I am using it less and less at the weekends as I don't find it practical. I find the Elise a fantastic bit if kit on the track and I do about 10 a year. On the road is a different story. I know most people on my Lotus forums have no problem with it as a road car but I need a little more comfort.
Has anyone here been an Elise owner? Will I still get as good a thrill on the track?
I’m looking at spending about £16k
Thanks
As people have mentioned above, the running costs will be higher, but don't forget, this car wasn't built for throwing around the track - I've done a few track days in the Tuscan, but it's nothing like as much fun as an Elise - sure, it's quick (keeps up with 911 GT3s pretty much), but you do not feel in complete control like in an Elise. Sure, you have much more power to play with, so you can choose how much oversteer you want, but those "hard on the brakes, then flick it through" corners that the Elise loves become a bit more unwieldy: jump on the brakes with the Tuscan, and you realise that there's much more car to stop - it's slightly more wallowy, and will never respond as quickly or as well as a car that only weighs half as much.
I did another track day just a couple of weeks ago, and decided I'm not going to do any more - it feels too hard on the car; if anything did break, it would be expensive; and it just isn't as much fun as the Elise used to be.
I'm getting a Caterham R400 race car as a track day/race toy, and will keep the TVR for fast drives to Italy or long cruises which suit it much better.
Hope this helps - I'm not meaning to put a downer on TVRs because the Tuscan I have is the best car I've ever driven, it just isn't as track focussed as an Elise.
Cheers,
Richard.
ehasler said:
I've got a Tuscan S, and had some experience driving my ex's Elise.
The Tuscan is obviously a bigger car, and much more practical in terms of ease of getting in and out, storage in the cabin and boot size. It's also faster in a straight line, and IMO looks and sounds better.
Handling wise, the Elise is obviously very good, but a well sorted Tuscan is surprisingly chuckable too, and round Bedford my car was faster. I would say though that the Tuscan is more intimidating, and for some people the Elise would probably be quicker as they'd feel more confident in it.
The Elise beats the Tuscan on running costs though, and it's probably fair to say reliability too.
The Elise is a great car, but if I had to choose between that and the Tuscan for day to day driving mixed in with the occasional track day, I'd pick the TVR every time.
Hows your Tuscan going? yours was the first Tuscan I really liked and when I got mine I knew it had to be black.The Tuscan is obviously a bigger car, and much more practical in terms of ease of getting in and out, storage in the cabin and boot size. It's also faster in a straight line, and IMO looks and sounds better.
Handling wise, the Elise is obviously very good, but a well sorted Tuscan is surprisingly chuckable too, and round Bedford my car was faster. I would say though that the Tuscan is more intimidating, and for some people the Elise would probably be quicker as they'd feel more confident in it.
The Elise beats the Tuscan on running costs though, and it's probably fair to say reliability too.
The Elise is a great car, but if I had to choose between that and the Tuscan for day to day driving mixed in with the occasional track day, I'd pick the TVR every time.
Paul V said:
Hows your Tuscan going? yours was the first Tuscan I really liked and when I got mine I knew it had to be black.
It's not at the moment - I'd just started running it in again after I had the engine rebuilt, then I went and broke my ankle at the start of Jan, so it hasn't been driven for nearly 3 months... I'm hoping to get it up and running again soon though, and have a couple of upgrades planned to make up for neglecting it for so long 
How's your one doing?ehasler said:
Paul V said:
Hows your Tuscan going? yours was the first Tuscan I really liked and when I got mine I knew it had to be black.
It's not at the moment - I'd just started running it in again after I had the engine rebuilt, then I went and broke my ankle at the start of Jan, so it hasn't been driven for nearly 3 months... I'm hoping to get it up and running again soon though, and have a couple of upgrades planned to make up for neglecting it for so long How's your one doing?What type of upgrades are you thinking?
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