RE: Driven: Lotus Elise S
Discussion
Dave Hedgehog said:
Captain Muppet said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
i was thinking more along the terms of light damage as well as ohhhhh f*** moments, easy to bend and fill metal, the body on the elise is a single piece bonded to the tub?
Not only can you fill GRP, but it won't rust afterwards like a steel panel repaired with filler.Also you can (if you aren't getting it fixed on your insurance and you want to save money) bond all the broken bits back together. My GRP front bumper on my MX5 has been smashed in to five or six bits. I've just bonded it all totgether, slapped some Kevlar tape on the back and skimmed over it with filler. Good as new (well, slightly heavier, but fixed for nearly free rather than needing a new panel).
Dave Hedgehog said:
wow i am surprised its that much, S&M scene must be more common than i expected 
although I think time in the car is more relevant, I only travel about 14k miles a year in my Golf but I spend about 800 hours a year in it!!! because my avg speed in london is sub 10mph
Have you ever been in an Elise? Unless you are very tall, fat or have odd proportions, they are very comfortable cars. I found it as easy to drive around London as any other car (I don't commute by car though).although I think time in the car is more relevant, I only travel about 14k miles a year in my Golf but I spend about 800 hours a year in it!!! because my avg speed in london is sub 10mph
RichyBoy said:
Love the car however if they're working towards sanitising it for the boxster man, why don't they tune the exhaust sound instead of leaving it sounding like a washing machine?
You can't make a kazoo sound like a saxophone 
I don't think any Elise has really sounded great as standard, and any attempt to make them sound better seems to also make them louder. I've changed the exhaust on mine for one specified to have a fruitier tone without too much increase in volume, and I'm about to fit a reasonably conservatively chosen induction kit. I think I will still end up with a car that's a bit on the loud side, and probably not something that would be acceptable OEM.
It's always been the case with Elises, for reasons of weight and size, but nicer sounding engines with more cylinders are going to get more and more scarce. Ironic really that the platform has just gained a V6 when everyone else is looking at downsizing.
kambites said:
the body gets damaged very easily and is quite expensive to replace, which doesn't help insurance costs.
My car is significantly less than the Saab is to insure, comes with multiple free days of trackday cover and is significantly more expensive to replace/fix.RichyBoy said:
Love the car however if they're working towards sanitising it for the boxster man, why don't they tune the exhaust sound instead of leaving it sounding like a washing machine?
Running sports pipes makes it sound a lot louder, if still not exactly interesting.I don't think it's priced too badly, if you find it too dear, do what the rest of us do & buy a second hand bargain. Right now i'd rather spend money on a MK1 Exige, than any of the newer Loti. In my opinion i think the Elise has lost its curb appeal compared to previous generations.
braddo said:
Dave Hedgehog said:
wow i am surprised its that much, S&M scene must be more common than i expected
although I think time in the car is more relevant, I only travel about 14k miles a year in my Golf but I spend about 800 hours a year in it!!! because my avg speed in london is sub 10mph
Have you ever been in an Elise? Unless you are very tall, fat or have odd proportions, they are very comfortable cars. I found it as easy to drive around London as any other car (I don't commute by car though).although I think time in the car is more relevant, I only travel about 14k miles a year in my Golf but I spend about 800 hours a year in it!!! because my avg speed in london is sub 10mph
thewheelman said:
Comfortable????? That's one word i'd never use to describe the interior of an Elise.
Out of interest what do you find uncomfortable about the driving position? I find the steering wheel to be too far away, but otherwise it's very good and the seats are amongst the best I've used. There are a few minor ergonomic flaws (indicators on the left, stereo too far away, etc.) but nothing major. The big problem with the Elise is comfort, but noise levels.
RichyBoy said:
That is my problem, why you need to fit a sports exhaust to a sports car? I think it should have a screaming banshee high pitched japfour sound as standard.
Some of us don't want the car to be louder than necessary. The way I see it, you have the choice between a car which sounds like a sewing machine and one that sounds like a sewing machine with a megaphone left next to it.thewheelman said:
Comfortable????? That's one word i'd never use to describe the interior of an Elise.
Comfortable, well designed seats (maybe not the original S1 seats but the Probax ones), great driving position, lightly weighted driving controls, good ride quality.Noisy, but comfortable as in they are very easy to sit in for a long time without getting physically uncomfortable.
There are not a lot of 'comforts' in the cabin though.
kambites said:
Comfortable, yes (once you're in). Luxurious, no. I think it's a common misconception that an Elise is not comfortable. The ingress/egress thing is way overstated in my opinion, after all you only do that once per journey. The rest of the time you're sitting low and snug with a brilliant view and driving position. In terms of covering miles, there are two major drawbacks that I find:
The noise. My Exige is running sports exhaust and de-cat. It really is tremendously loud at virtually any speed and certainly anti-social for passengers. On the plus side, you never feel sleepy behind the wheel and it has the best idle of just about any road car I know.
The rear visibility. I find this a bit of a problem, particularly around town and on the motorway. It just means you need to be extra vigilent with your mirrors and spatial awareness. It was a major contributory factor in me stopping using my Elise as a daily as my commute consisted entirely of town driving and motorways.
Otherwise, a new supercharged Elise can only be a good thing. They are really very quick cars indeed and never anything less than special to be in or around. We need Lotus to keep providing something product rather than just chat.
kambites said:
dom180 said:
The lotus brochure downloadable from the website states that the front tires are 175/55 16 - same as before....
You can order 195s as an option if you want to, I think. Anyway, car looks good. Needed more power.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff