RE: Lotus Evora Sport 410: Review

[jcl]

Immense. The only car I would rather have would be a lot more money, a 570S.

As great as Cayman GT4's are supposed to be to drive, I could never live with the fact that I'd be driving something constructed with stamped and spot welded steel like a Nissan Micra. I'd also have a R8 over a 911 for similar reasons.

Well done Lotus.

[Gadzookoids]

Onehp said:

Please tell us more on the differences, I couldn't quite makes sense of a hardcore lightweight Evora when there is a 200kg lighter Exige Sport 350 for 25k less...

For a start the Evora is easy to step into whereas the Exige you climb into and the Exige cabin is more 'cosy' and has a small unassisted steering wheel. This means that on track it feels like you are working hard against the g forces as you hustle it around. In terms of outright speed I couldn't tell the difference. Evora has more power Exige 350 bit lighter. The Evora felt more composed through the corners which was maybe down to the wider track. But also the assisted (excellent) steering meant Ifound it easier to pick my lines. Brakes felt very good and progressive on both. The exhaust note on the Evora is way better and it makes you laugh out loud as you go up and down the gears. So the Evora felt as competent as the 350 on track but sounded better and was a better road car as well

[chrispj]

I'll just leave this here:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a31370/the...

Could be subtitled "Why Americans understand Lotus better than badge and plastic obsessed Brits..."

[blueg33]

RacerMike said:

Aha. The perfect car for the Pistonheads audience of powerfully built directors and their MX5s! I have no doubt at all that Lotus will sell next to none of them as anyone sane (or indeed with the money) would be heading to their nearest Stuttgart representative...

Obvious troll is obvious.

[Europa1]

Ozzie Osmond said:

Question

Does this one have 410 bhp or is it the 410th special edition?

Pistonheads' gain is the comedy world's loss...

[tankplanker]

Gadzookoids said:

For a start the Evora is easy to step into whereas the Exige you climb into and the Exige cabin is more 'cosy' and has a small unassisted steering wheel. This means that on track it feels like you are working hard against the g forces as you hustle it around. In terms of outright speed I couldn't tell the difference. Evora has more power Exige 350 bit lighter. The Evora felt more composed through the corners which was maybe down to the wider track. But also the assisted (excellent) steering meant Ifound it easier to pick my lines. Brakes felt very good and progressive on both. The exhaust note on the Evora is way better and it makes you laugh out loud as you go up and down the gears. So the Evora felt as competent as the 350 on track but sounded better and was a better road car as well

Good summary of the differences. I drove both back to back for a couple of hours two weeks ago and while I prefer the feel of the Exige as it is more communicative the Evora feels more expensive/better put together in the cabin, has power steering, sounds far better (stock vs. stock exhaust) and would be easier to live with as a daily.

I've settled on the Evora 410 (with air con and sat nav added back in) to replace my Golf R as my daily, bit fed up that I have to wait till next September though. If I was buying one mostly as a track car I'd rather have the Exige though, it had considerably more feel through the steering wheel and weighs >250kg less than the Evora, I know I would be faster on track with the Exige.

[blueg33]

chrispj said:

I'll just leave this here:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a31370/the...

Could be subtitled "Why Americans understand Lotus better than badge and plastic obsessed Brits..."

That article totally gets the Evora and applies to the S1 as much as the 400.

Sadly most Lotus detractors here are narrow minded badge snobs that cant see past their predjudice and realise what they are missing out on.

Nothing pisses me off more than the blinkered making judgments on something they have never experienced.

Yes i am biased. I own an Evora, but i tried everything else before i spent my money. I recognise the 911, the v8v, the r8, the ftype as excellent cars, but they are all an axe compared to the Lotus scapel. But, i wouldn't pass judgement on any of them without actually driving them.

[saaby93]

tankplanker said:

I've settled on the Evora 410 (with air con and sat nav added back in) to replace my Golf R as my daily, bit fed up that I have to wait till next September though.

Is there really an 11 month order book?

[justin220]

saaby93 said:

tankplanker said:

I've settled on the Evora 410 (with air con and sat nav added back in) to replace my Golf R as my daily, bit fed up that I have to wait till next September though.

Is there really an 11 month order book?

Must be a typo?

I bought an Evora new in 2010 and it was 10 weeks from order to pick up.

Absolutely loved it.

Lotus look to have built a cracking car here, has anyone driven the auto IPS on the 400/410?

[tankplanker]

saaby93 said:

Is there really an 11 month order book?

Sorry, I should have put I have to wait till next September as that is when I can get rid of the Golf, rather than implying that there is a big backlog for the 410. I've been told that they are only going to make 150 of the 410 a year, not sure how accurate that is. The normal 400 currently has a 12 week average wait for a UK car accord to my dealer, I think the US cars have a much longer wait currently?

[cib24]

justin220 said:

Must be a typo?

I bought an Evora new in 2010 and it was 10 weeks from order to pick up.

Absolutely loved it.

Lotus look to have built a cracking car here, has anyone driven the auto IPS on the 400/410?

Supposed to be a MASSIVE step up compared to the previous generation automatic and well up there in terms of the best conventional torque converter style automatics, but obviously still can't compare to a good dual clutch system. However, the auto Evora does not come with a LSD if that matters to you. As a road car it probably matters very little but for track work the car will be just a bit more limited than the manual.

Edited by cib24 on Wednesday 2nd November 09:36

[Onehp]

chrispj said:

I'll just leave this here:

http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-culture/a31370/the...

Could be subtitled "Why Americans understand Lotus better than badge and plastic obsessed Brits..."

Great article.
Not just Brits, but of course it's an extra shame that Brits are perhaps the least appreciative of the home brewn Lotus, where in most other countries, it's the lack of the sheer possibility to ever try one that limits Lotus...

[SevenR]

Love it. Well done Lotus. Can we not just be proud of the fact we have a cracking British Sportscar on offer rather than saying a Porsche is slightly better?
Why do Brits hate British things so much??
If I had that money I would have one over a Porsche. I drove the original Evora and think it's the best steering car I've ever driven. Interior was a joke though. All sorted now it appears.
Hopefully someone will put up a back to back against its nearest rivals so we can see how it fares.

[RacerMike]

blueg33 said:

RacerMike said:

Aha. The perfect car for the Pistonheads audience of powerfully built directors and their MX5s! I have no doubt at all that Lotus will sell next to none of them as anyone sane (or indeed with the money) would be heading to their nearest Stuttgart representative...

Obvious troll is obvious.

Ok. It was mildly trolling, but let's be realistic here. For every 1 car Lotus sells, Porsche sell 25 911s or Boxster/Caymans. It's very easy to sit on a forum and proclaim your love for an £82k sports car that you'd definitely have 'if you had he money', but that doesn't sell cars does it? What sells cars is appealing to the people who actually have the money, and in a ratio of 25:1, those people choose a Porsche over a Lotus. Lotus trade on a back to basics approach with a total focus on driving dynamics which appeals to people in the £25-35k price bracket. People in the £50-100k price bracket clearly don't want this. It's ok being niche, as long as that niche market has a lot of people in it. Unfortunately, Lotus' niche doesn't, and until they realise that, they're going to continue to be outsold 25:1.

[Audemars]

Nice car from Lotus. Why they don't sell is beyond me especially when the ugliest car manufacturer Porsche seem to sell lots of their ugly products.

Surely if you buy a car that is not a daily practical car then looks and drivability are key criteria. Drives me nuts how fugly Porsches are. The rear is fugly as too is the front especially those round lights. Yes looks are subjective i.e some might prefer a Speciale over a 675LT but surely everyone knows that a Porsche is akin to a big fat woman.

This 410 is a supermodel relative to a 911/Cayman/Boxster.

Edited by Audemars on Wednesday 2nd November 10:01

[RobM77]

Thanks for the article Chris - very good, and an interesting take on things.

I think the comment above hits the nail on the head - most Brits are badge obsessed. Mind you, don't Lotus have a more illustrious history than Porsche? Years of F1 domination with some of the best drivers ever to compete (including the best in my opinion), and a unique spot in the car market totally separate from the isolated rubber boxes everyone seems to make now (the article above could just as easily be talking about the ride and handling as it was the interior dimensions). I don't claim to understand badge snobbery, but I do understand why some people prefer the more solid and isolated Audi-like feeling of a Porsche to the more alive communicative feeling of a Lotus. For me it's Lotus every time, but we're all different

Edited by RobM77 on Wednesday 2nd November 10:06

[RacerMike]

Audemars said:

Nice car from Lotus. Why they don't sell is beyond me especially when the ugliest car manufacturer Porsche seem to sell lots of their ugly products.

Surely if you buy a car that is not a daily practical car then looks and drivability are key criteria. Drives me nuts how fugly Porsches are. The rear is fugly ad too is the front especially those round lights. Yes looks are subjective i.e some might prefer a Speciale over a 675LT but surely everyone knows that a Porsche is akin to a big fat woman.

The reason is that Porsche offer incredibly competitive finance, great customer service, a premium brand name that people want, perceived reliability, strong residuals and a great image. Oh, and they're also pretty quick and handle quite well. Basically, people buying in this market care very much for the former, and very little for the latter

[cypriot]

RacerMike said:

Ok. It was mildly trolling, but let's be realistic here. For every 1 car Lotus sells, Porsche sell 25 911s or Boxster/Caymans. It's very easy to sit on a forum and proclaim your love for an £82k sports car that you'd definitely have 'if you had he money', but that doesn't sell cars does it? What sells cars is appealing to the people who actually have the money, and in a ratio of 25:1, those people choose a Porsche over a Lotus. Lotus trade on a back to basics approach with a total focus on driving dynamics which appeals to people in the £25-35k price bracket. People in the £50-100k price bracket clearly don't want this. It's ok being niche, as long as that niche market has a lot of people in it. Unfortunately, Lotus' niche doesn't, and until they realise that, they're going to continue to be outsold 25:1.

quick business 101 for you buddy - if you sell the number of cars you tooled up to sell, then you will make money. Being outsold 25:1 does not mean you are a failure. If we used that analogy then toyota make the best cars in the universe! if lotus can sell their full years car production of around 2000 cars, they are quids in - and thats a worldwide figure btw, across their whole range. As their most recent sales figures show, there are enough of these "niche" customers that apparently don't exist. Oh, and regarding your other point about award winning financing and great residuals on a porsche? seriously? I love porsche, I am on my second one at the moment, but don't spout utter nonsense...

[SevenR]

cypriot said:

RacerMike said:

Ok. It was mildly trolling, but let's be realistic here. For every 1 car Lotus sells, Porsche sell 25 911s or Boxster/Caymans. It's very easy to sit on a forum and proclaim your love for an £82k sports car that you'd definitely have 'if you had he money', but that doesn't sell cars does it? What sells cars is appealing to the people who actually have the money, and in a ratio of 25:1, those people choose a Porsche over a Lotus. Lotus trade on a back to basics approach with a total focus on driving dynamics which appeals to people in the £25-35k price bracket. People in the £50-100k price bracket clearly don't want this. It's ok being niche, as long as that niche market has a lot of people in it. Unfortunately, Lotus' niche doesn't, and until they realise that, they're going to continue to be outsold 25:1.

quick business 101 for you buddy - if you sell the number of cars you tooled up to sell, then you will make money. Being outsold 25:1 does not mean you are a failure. If we used that analogy then toyota make the best cars in the universe! if lotus can sell their full years car production of around 2000 cars, they are quids in - and thats a worldwide figure btw, across their whole range. As their most recent sales figures show, there are enough of these "niche" customers that apparently don't exist. Oh, and regarding your other point about award winning financing and great residuals on a porsche? seriously? I love porsche, I am on my second one at the moment, but don't spout utter nonsense...

LOL I am having a chuckle at this reply. "Business 101"

[blueg33]

RacerMike said:

blueg33 said:

RacerMike said:

Aha. The perfect car for the Pistonheads audience of powerfully built directors and their MX5s! I have no doubt at all that Lotus will sell next to none of them as anyone sane (or indeed with the money) would be heading to their nearest Stuttgart representative...

Obvious troll is obvious.

Ok. It was mildly trolling, but let's be realistic here. For every 1 car Lotus sells, Porsche sell 25 911s or Boxster/Caymans. It's very easy to sit on a forum and proclaim your love for an £82k sports car that you'd definitely have 'if you had he money', but that doesn't sell cars does it? What sells cars is appealing to the people who actually have the money, and in a ratio of 25:1, those people choose a Porsche over a Lotus. Lotus trade on a back to basics approach with a total focus on driving dynamics which appeals to people in the £25-35k price bracket. People in the £50-100k price bracket clearly don't want this. It's ok being niche, as long as that niche market has a lot of people in it. Unfortunately, Lotus' niche doesn't, and until they realise that, they're going to continue to be outsold 25:1.

I think the Lotus niche is small because their marketing and visibility is poor. There is a big shiny Porsche dealer in a prominent position in almost every sizeable town, you see Porsches on the roads all day every day. Of people aren't aware of a car they won't buy it. That doesn't mean the car is flawed. It takes time to build that level of brand awareness and Lotus dropped the ball years ago on this.

I have a chap at the office, who has a 997 which he bought from new. He had no idea the Evora existed until he saw mine. He had a go in it, and now he has replaced his car, he has an Evora 400. he is not a petrol head, is not a member of these forums, but is what I would call a typical Porsche buyer. Well paid, moderately successful, nice house, nice wife, Audi or Merc as a daily, conscious of brand and badges. The Evora is changing his understanding of cars and what they can be as an event in themselves rather than an appliance with the right badge.

Look at Aston, you see one everyday since they sorted their marketing, built flashy dealerships etc. I tried a V8V again last week. As a drivers car its not a patch on the S1 Evora, but it has nice leather and slinky styling, looks great and above all, people know it exists.