Looking to buy a Caterham 420R coming from Exige 410
Discussion
keo said:
That was another reason the Exige is practical and me and the Mrs can go away for a long weekend and use it etc. couldn’t get her in a Caterham for long but she loves the Lotus. Even fell asleep on our last long journey.
Similar situation for me. The better half loved the Caterham but likes the Exige more……..she won’t drive either though…….which is a result
Hi there
OK it has been a few weeks now and done a few drives, nowhere near found the limits of the car yet simply because road conditions do not really permit to do so with the current 3-6c ambient temps and odd damp patches.
What I will say is the ZZS tyres seem very grippy even when cold, very impressive!
So as an element of fun, the Caterham is far more an event than the Exige, every junction, every red light, corners can be turned into sideways and burn out fun, it is an absolute hooligan of a car. This is what makes it such an event you can have so much fun even without exceeding 30mph.
1st gear in the Exige was savage, 2nd and 3rd really impressive mid range but the revs felt they were over a bit quick the engine in the Exige almost felt like it needed to rev towards 9000rpm, alas if that ever happened you'd have a Toyota Camry engine in many bits. Whereas the Caterham engine feels far more race car, from the cammy idle and it is far keener to rev higher, I am guessing the fuel cut is around 7500-8000rpm but it all revs so fast it is hard to know, your just focused on next gear and the power delivery is far more top end than the Exige, but been so light and a 2.0 Duratec it still has torque to get going well from 3000rpm, but not like the Exige, but I'd not want more power in a Caterham I feel it would make the experience less fun, so 620 a big no.
If you can afford to have a car that is just a toy, severely compromised, the Caterham is the more fun car, I am yet to track it but I feel its learning curve will be far higher and it will take a lot of time to find my speed in it, no form of TC or ABS means it is all on me and as such it will take some learning, of course I am yet to experience what levels of grip there are on a 20c plus sunny day.
The Exige can pass as a very versatile car, you could use one as a daily, its got a roof, boot, AC, ABS and your enclosed in a shell.
I can only say going from an Exige to a Caterham is like going from say a BMW M5 to an Exige, in a straight line it is all similar but the M5 is a big boat of an overweight comfort barge with numb feeling, the Exige turns it into a hardcore, focused track or race car for the road but is no faster, even slower but the feel if you like your drivers cars is what it is all about. Going Exige to Caterham is like that transition all over again, you truly are in a racing car for the road, its no faster, maybe even slower but the whole feel of the car is ramped up again massively and you have so many options and a whole lot of a fun, but the Caterham cannot be a daily, anyone doing so is totally bonkers but respect.
OK it has been a few weeks now and done a few drives, nowhere near found the limits of the car yet simply because road conditions do not really permit to do so with the current 3-6c ambient temps and odd damp patches.
What I will say is the ZZS tyres seem very grippy even when cold, very impressive!
So as an element of fun, the Caterham is far more an event than the Exige, every junction, every red light, corners can be turned into sideways and burn out fun, it is an absolute hooligan of a car. This is what makes it such an event you can have so much fun even without exceeding 30mph.
1st gear in the Exige was savage, 2nd and 3rd really impressive mid range but the revs felt they were over a bit quick the engine in the Exige almost felt like it needed to rev towards 9000rpm, alas if that ever happened you'd have a Toyota Camry engine in many bits. Whereas the Caterham engine feels far more race car, from the cammy idle and it is far keener to rev higher, I am guessing the fuel cut is around 7500-8000rpm but it all revs so fast it is hard to know, your just focused on next gear and the power delivery is far more top end than the Exige, but been so light and a 2.0 Duratec it still has torque to get going well from 3000rpm, but not like the Exige, but I'd not want more power in a Caterham I feel it would make the experience less fun, so 620 a big no.
If you can afford to have a car that is just a toy, severely compromised, the Caterham is the more fun car, I am yet to track it but I feel its learning curve will be far higher and it will take a lot of time to find my speed in it, no form of TC or ABS means it is all on me and as such it will take some learning, of course I am yet to experience what levels of grip there are on a 20c plus sunny day.
The Exige can pass as a very versatile car, you could use one as a daily, its got a roof, boot, AC, ABS and your enclosed in a shell.
I can only say going from an Exige to a Caterham is like going from say a BMW M5 to an Exige, in a straight line it is all similar but the M5 is a big boat of an overweight comfort barge with numb feeling, the Exige turns it into a hardcore, focused track or race car for the road but is no faster, even slower but the feel if you like your drivers cars is what it is all about. Going Exige to Caterham is like that transition all over again, you truly are in a racing car for the road, its no faster, maybe even slower but the whole feel of the car is ramped up again massively and you have so many options and a whole lot of a fun, but the Caterham cannot be a daily, anyone doing so is totally bonkers but respect.
Edited by Gibbo205 on Friday 3rd March 09:54
Great summary, nicely put. Roll on spring for some serious lesson time - https://youtube.com/@SevenDrives
Gibbo205 said:
So as an element of fun, the Caterham is far more an event than the Exige, every junction, every red light, corners can be turned into sideways and burn out fun, it is an absolute hooligan of a car. This is what makes it such an event you can have so much fun even without exceeding 30mph.
Thanks Gibbo205, this is exactly what I am hoping for with my 420 when it arrive in 3 months! 
Gibbo205 said:
of course I am yet to experience what levels of grip there are on a 20c plus sunny day.
I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much grip the ZZSs generate as the weather improves in the spring. I drove my 420R a couple of weeks ago. The first time I’d taken it out since early November & I was amused by how little traction it had on the cold tarmac!
On a slip road near our local filling station it needed a little twist of correction mid way through third gear.
It hooks up without a hint of wheel spin on the same stretch of road in second during the summer months. It really does feel like a different car.
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