RE: Driven: 2012 M/Y Lotus Evora
Discussion
The Evora is a nice car, but who wants to loose 50% of the MSRP in less than two years....? Evoras are sold at huge discounts across all markets...Maybe Bahar needs to get the quality right before putting new 'bling' on the car...Some people I know had their boot converted to a fish tank.... 
Maybe I should stick with my....9...
Maybe I should stick with my....9...
BadSanta said:
The Evora is a nice car, but who wants to loose 50% of the MSRP in less than two years....? Evoras are sold at huge discounts across all markets...Maybe Bahar needs to get the quality right before putting new 'bling' on the car...Some people I know had their boot converted to a fish tank....
Maybe I should stick with my....9...
Really? find one of the launch models for me at 25k then please. I'll take it.Maybe I should stick with my....9...
They lose less than a lot of Sports cars out there.
Mikeyboy said:
Really? find one of the launch models for me at 25k then please. I'll take it.
They lose less than a lot of Sports cars out there.
I thought the launch edition cars were closer to about £60k as they were fully specced up?They lose less than a lot of Sports cars out there.
Even so, they are still around the £38-40k mark for an LE car at the moment, cheapest one I've seen was a lower spec '09 car which was listed at £35k, but would have been quite a bit cheaper when new.
BadSanta said:
better hire a mechanic as well with all the problems involved....Still, lots of trouble....
hahah what are you 14 years old? There are so many things wrong with your comment I dont know where to begin. But lets say atleast this; it hasnt been around long enough to have any problems. and secondly, it is a toyota engine. f
king dumb ass. ESOG said:
BadSanta said:
better hire a mechanic as well with all the problems involved....Still, lots of trouble....
hahah what are you 14 years old? There are so many things wrong with your comment I dont know where to begin. But lets say atleast this; it hasnt been around long enough to have any problems. and secondly, it is a toyota engine. f
king dumb ass. I drove an early Evora with Lotus staff present and I tried to give them my honest opinion of what was right with it as well as what was wrong with it. Which was seen as all being an issue with me, rather than anything wrong with the car. I'm glad to see that they're finally listening to customers rather than treating them like clueless idiots.
There is a magnificent car in the Evora, they just needed to sort out the issues. None of them massive. It had a god awful gearbox and quite a few rough edges. Though I will admit that I didn't notice the doors not 'thunking' and wouldn't have considered that a problem. The overpowering smell of glue however was.
Because of this, it didn't instill any feeling of being a quality product. Which at £50k+ it needs to be. Just driving brilliantly isn't enough. All of this leaving you with questions over it's reliability, founded or not, and the Lotus reputation for great driving but naily cars continues.
The sad thing is that it's taken them too long to sort it so it's stuck with this model despite anything they might do now to fix it. It's a crying shame.
Edited by juansolo on Monday 12th September 18:31
Frimley111R said:
Oddball RS said:
Looks better, i thought there were to be some styling changes to the outside as well?
No, that was the prats at Autocar magazine who photoshopped one just to sell more magazines. nickythesaint said:
Would it need one? I think the Evora is a very well proportioned and styled car. That was the one thing they got very right IMO.
Its my belief that the styling is one of the major reasons people simply aren't buying them.Something clearly needs to change with the car, as despite everyone saying what a great drive it is the simple fact is they aren't selling any
Lotus produces cars i want to be a fan of their core values are dead on. That being said though as much as people bash the Toyota engines it wasn't until then that at least in our market in the US were they starting to be a serious alternative. I almost fell victim to this in the 90's getting really close to buying a Turbo Esprit however the dealer would not throw in a 90 or even 45 day warranty on the car which only enhanced my trepidation and rightly so . The decades of horror stories can't be undone in one or two model cycles but slowly but surely they are getting there. There is a reason people pay a premium gladly for cars and part of it is build quality and reliability. I hope they get there and don't over reach with their five year plan (which if they are lucky will be a ten year plan). they had a grand slam with the Elise. Somehow however good the Evora is it really doesn't pull at either the heart strings or the head the way many of it's competitors do which is a shame becuase it is probably a great car. For my money I would still rather have an Elise. Fix the styling and give it some sort of edge over it's competition such as 100 more HP or a more reasonable price tag then they will have something
http://www.motortrend.com/features/performance/110...
http://www.motortrend.com/features/performance/110...
Edited by PaulFontaine on Tuesday 13th September 06:56
PaulFontaine said:
Somehow however good the Evora is it really doesn't pull at either the heart strings or the head the way many of it's competitors do which is a shame becuase it is probably a great car. For my money I would still rather have an Elise. Fix the styling and give it some sort of edge over it's competition such as 100 more HP or a more reasonable price tag then they will have something
When you drive one, you want one. The problem is the price. Which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that at the cost, it focuses your attention on all the problems. All the things you let slide on cheaper Lotuses. Then you ask yourself can you really justify spending £50-60k on a car that feels slapped together a little haphazardly. We need a gearbox, this'll do. At this price band, no it won't.It already has an edge on it's competition. It comrehensively out drives and out handles it. It doesn't need any more power. That's for people who don't have a grasp on finesse. The standard car has plenty of power for our roads. My problem is that being the best driving car isn't enough at the price level at which Lotus want to be. They need to up their game in other areas. Drive, they've really got nailed.
As it stands I'll merrily p-ex my Cayman for a 2012 stock Evora when they depreciate down to £30k. That's a reasonable price for the car as it stands and I bloody love the thing. I couldn't bring myself to part with £50k for one though. For that sort of cash I'm afraid it'd be going to Porsche, and that is the problem.
Edited by juansolo on Tuesday 13th September 07:37
juansolo said:
When you drive one, you want one. The problem is the price. Which would be fine if it wasn't for the fact that at the cost, it focuses your attention on all the problems. All the things you let slide on cheaper Lotuses. Then you ask yourself can you really justify spending £50-60k on a car that feels slapped together a little haphazardly. We need a gearbox, this'll do. At this price band, no it won't.
It already has an edge on it's competition. It comrehensively out drives and out handles it. It doesn't need any more power. That's for people who don't have a grasp on finesse. The standard car has plenty of power for our roads. My problem is that being the best driving car isn't enough at the price level at which Lotus want to be. They need to up their game in other areas. Drive, they've really got nailed.
As it stands I'll merrily p-ex my Cayman for a 2012 stock Evora when they depreciate down to £30k. That's a reasonable price for the car as it stands and I bloody love the thing. I couldn't bring myself to part with £50k for one though. For that sort of cash I'm afraid it'd be going to Porsche, and that is the problem.
These are my exact thoughts. Shame, I really think this car was priced to make a decent profit as all the rest were not. The problem is its now made it a car which many people drop from their list of choices as they just don't see the value in the model in comparison to a porsche, Gt-R or virtually any other sports car.It already has an edge on it's competition. It comrehensively out drives and out handles it. It doesn't need any more power. That's for people who don't have a grasp on finesse. The standard car has plenty of power for our roads. My problem is that being the best driving car isn't enough at the price level at which Lotus want to be. They need to up their game in other areas. Drive, they've really got nailed.
As it stands I'll merrily p-ex my Cayman for a 2012 stock Evora when they depreciate down to £30k. That's a reasonable price for the car as it stands and I bloody love the thing. I couldn't bring myself to part with £50k for one though. For that sort of cash I'm afraid it'd be going to Porsche, and that is the problem.
Edited by juansolo on Tuesday 13th September 07:37
Lets remember, because we like to drive we don't think of Z4s and SLKs in this bracket but the average buyer does, and they are cheaper and every bit as pub bragging fast.
Lotus hasn't judged its market right on this car and I reckon won't get its market right on the 5 year plan too.
broker1 said:
Ditto the Cayman : ), just as you describe. Lotus obviously did some homework. You ever seen a Cayman with cloth seats?? No such thing. Seats are always leather, regardless, we're talking about dash, lower dash, foot well and door trim. 2k gets all of that in a high quality leather with great stitch work, seems the equivilent costs 2.5 on the Evora.
Actually I rather like cloth seats in a sports car. Maybe Lotus should offer a tartan cloth option for the Evora (Esprit homage). Just on a point of information, the leather in modern (996/986 onwards) Porsches is not high quality. Like the vast majority of modern cars, they use a synthetic backing with a very fine layer of leather bonded on. It's cheaper. The difference is not not obvious until you compare side by side with something like an 80s Jag or Bentley, which used proper hides, or even a 3.2 Carrera or 928. The leather in those still looks, and more importantly feels great after 150,000 miles and has a suppleness to it that the 996/Cayman will never have.
Joel
nickythesaint said:
Would it need one? I think the Evora is a very well proportioned and styled car. That was the one thing they got very right IMO.
Having driven one for a week I was smitten with its looks and details by the end, although the front looked a bit awkward at first, it works when you get used to it. I can also say it got an awful lot of very positive attention. In the flesh, up close, it really does look like a junior supercar.zebedee said:
Having driven one for a week I was smitten with its looks and details by the end, although the front looked a bit awkward at first, it works when you get used to it. I can also say it got an awful lot of very positive attention. In the flesh, up close, it really does look like a junior supercar.
This mirrors my feelings after my week (ish) with an early car, exactly. I have never driven one but i think the problem is actually getting drivers into the showroom to drive one. it is the same problem that Volvo had with the 850 turbo. Great cars and drove wonderfully but not the first one that came to mind in 1993. I think that it will take awhile for these to really gain momentum. I think if they could get the 400 HP GTE at cayman pricing they will get it done
Apologies in advance for the random sounding thoughts but there are so many issues that come to mind:
Lotus is best when building near-racing cars. That is their heritage and it's that value that is imparted to all of their cars. Light, minimal, etc. And building such things tend to create temperamental and edgy cars that reek of 'kit' nature and need to spend more time at the shop. Additionally not that many people want pure sports cars. They say they do buy then complain about the leather, the window switches and turn to Porsche's or some other sports car ne GT car.
So in trying to compete with these more feature laden, comfortable GT-like cars, they are at a disadvantage. I have yet to see any company build a lightweight, feature rich, high-performance sports car. Rossion comes closest, but they are even more expensive, still seem to have some kit-like qualities, and the sounds from that odd engine are just not right. No matter how fast the wild thing goes. But at least they are not as trouble-prone as a Lotus.
So for Lotus to succeed in their 5-year plan, that have to leave their racing heritage in their street cars, build sports cars that are 700 pounds heavier, ladle on the features and luxury functions and then add a yet-bigger motor to push it all around. The classic Lotus owners will be angry, but the Porsche buyers will have a realistic choice.
FWIW, I don't think they can shed their DNA and make this transition. I should add that this new Evora, though slow to evole, is getting much closer. However in the U.S. it is likely all moot. No visibility or marketing of these cars. The dealerships are all embarrassments (or at least those I've visited).
Admittedly for this I am happy because I hope they continue to evolve cars like the Exige. The finest pure sports car of our time.
Lotus is best when building near-racing cars. That is their heritage and it's that value that is imparted to all of their cars. Light, minimal, etc. And building such things tend to create temperamental and edgy cars that reek of 'kit' nature and need to spend more time at the shop. Additionally not that many people want pure sports cars. They say they do buy then complain about the leather, the window switches and turn to Porsche's or some other sports car ne GT car.
So in trying to compete with these more feature laden, comfortable GT-like cars, they are at a disadvantage. I have yet to see any company build a lightweight, feature rich, high-performance sports car. Rossion comes closest, but they are even more expensive, still seem to have some kit-like qualities, and the sounds from that odd engine are just not right. No matter how fast the wild thing goes. But at least they are not as trouble-prone as a Lotus.
So for Lotus to succeed in their 5-year plan, that have to leave their racing heritage in their street cars, build sports cars that are 700 pounds heavier, ladle on the features and luxury functions and then add a yet-bigger motor to push it all around. The classic Lotus owners will be angry, but the Porsche buyers will have a realistic choice.
FWIW, I don't think they can shed their DNA and make this transition. I should add that this new Evora, though slow to evole, is getting much closer. However in the U.S. it is likely all moot. No visibility or marketing of these cars. The dealerships are all embarrassments (or at least those I've visited).
Admittedly for this I am happy because I hope they continue to evolve cars like the Exige. The finest pure sports car of our time.
Edited by Verde on Thursday 15th September 06:14
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