RE: Lotus previews new Emira interior
Discussion
Olivera said:
My point was a counter argument to 'today's supercars are so fast they cannot have a manual gearbox', which just isn't true (see Gordon Murray T50). Emissions, efficiency and the requirements of the typical buyer dictate auto.
I didn’t say they can’t, I pointed out why automatics make more sense at the higher-end.It’s no coincidence that my faster cars are automatics and my slower ones are manual, I like a manual, but would find it a pain in the backside when properly pushing on in something very fast.
Northernboy said:
I didn’t say they can’t, I pointed out why automatics make more sense at the higher-end.
It’s no coincidence that my faster cars are automatics and my slower ones are manual, I like a manual, but would find it a pain in the backside when properly pushing on in something very fast.
That's fine, it's a personal choice. We've got other people (and a big waiting list/demand) who prefer the 911 GT3 with a manual gearbox instead of the PDK. We have also had a few tests of 991.2 GT3 where a proficient driver can get within a few tenths of the PDK time.It’s no coincidence that my faster cars are automatics and my slower ones are manual, I like a manual, but would find it a pain in the backside when properly pushing on in something very fast.
So is that the Volvo steering wheel, looks very close...
https://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/support/manuals/xc...
Good news if it is, will bring a massive step up in quality and reliability. Good work Lotus, can't wait to see the Emira
https://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/support/manuals/xc...
Good news if it is, will bring a massive step up in quality and reliability. Good work Lotus, can't wait to see the Emira
GingerMunky said:
So is that the Volvo steering wheel, looks very close...
https://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/support/manuals/xc...
Good news if it is, will bring a massive step up in quality and reliability. Good work Lotus, can't wait to see the Emira
Thought I was going mad seeing the Volvo-esque switchgear on the wheel, nice to know I’m not alone! Perhaps means a pillage of the Volvo parts bin and one of their twincharged engines in the 4-cylinderhttps://www.volvocars.com/en-ca/support/manuals/xc...
Good news if it is, will bring a massive step up in quality and reliability. Good work Lotus, can't wait to see the Emira
NeuralCord said:
Thought I was going mad seeing the Volvo-esque switchgear on the wheel, nice to know I’m not alone! Perhaps means a pillage of the Volvo parts bin and one of their twincharged engines in the 4-cylinder
Can't conceive that switchgear will be the decisive for me - does it deliver the Lotus ride/handling/feel with more practicality and refinement than the current Elise - is what will pursuade me to put my deposit down.NeuralCord said:
Thought I was going mad seeing the Volvo-esque switchgear on the wheel, nice to know I’m not alone! Perhaps means a pillage of the Volvo parts bin and one of their twincharged engines in the 4-cylinder
... it is the same layout as the Geely Lynk 06‘s steering wheel as well:https://www.chinapev.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/0...
Of course, existing synergies with the Geely/Volvo/Lynk parts bin will be used to the max.
bcr5784 said:
Can't conceive that switchgear will be the decisive for me - does it deliver the Lotus ride/handling/feel with more practicality and refinement than the current Elise - is what will pursuade me to put my deposit down.
I hope it does, but I think it’ll be very hard to recapture the purity that the early Elise had. The S1, with its low weight, special brakes, and no assistance on brakes or steering was so special, so much better than anything else available, but the demands of modern buyers will make it hard to repeat.I am not too enthused with the look of either the instrument cluster or the steering wheel. They should have stuck with analogue instruments, at least for the rev counter - like Ferrari had done until recently. The turn to digital was a straight downgrade in my opinion. Considering how evocative a rev counter is in the context of a sportscar, I have no clue why you would ever want to replace it with an LCD screen (apart from something unattractive like price). And as for the steering wheel, there is nothing really wrong with it, but at the same time it's obvious they don't really know what do with it either. Pretty meh design overall and with gaps that make it look rather down-market.
Having said that, none of this really matters. What matters is how the car will drive, how well put together it is, how light it is, how usable it is and how it looks from the outside. Interior details are way down the list, even as they may provide a hint to the rest of the vehicle.
Having said that, none of this really matters. What matters is how the car will drive, how well put together it is, how light it is, how usable it is and how it looks from the outside. Interior details are way down the list, even as they may provide a hint to the rest of the vehicle.
Northernboy said:
I hope it does, but I think it’ll be very hard to recapture the purity that the early Elise had. The S1, with its low weight, special brakes, and no assistance on brakes or steering was so special, so much better than anything else available, but the demands of modern buyers will make it hard to repeat.
The S1, if launched today, would sell in tragically low numbers. Nostalgia does not keep a company afloat.The Evora, lovely car though it is, sells in tragically low numbers.
All Lotus cars in the last few decades are compromised. You have to ask if it is truly a car "for the drivers" if the drivers have to make so many concessions to get a nice drive.
Don't get me wrong here, i *love* Lotus ride and handling, and think they have managed to make pretty, unique and engaging cars way beyond their means. I've owned a number of different models over the years and they have been fantastic machines every one.
However, realistically, even the most bargain basement shopping trolley these days provides comfort, gizmos to play with, practical storage, decent vision and acceptible ride and handling. The S1 was forged in the days when delivering any single one of those by itself would mark your car out as special. These days, you can get three or four from just about any car on the forecourt.
Against that, Lotus has to tick a *lot* of checkboxes just to be on par. Purity does not sell, and frankly results in too many compromises for all but a handful of owners. If I can get 9/10ths of the handling of an Elise in something that is pleasant to drive on a daily basis, why should I pay twice as much for that extra one tenth? More importanly, why should I have to make excuses for the oddities of the car that i drive just because it has some special sauce that eight out of ten drivers don't even recognise?
Of course the devil's in the detail, and I'll be the first to decry a Lotus that is too expenisve, too soft or too 'mainstream', but I'll sure as hell cheer on a car that takes the fight to mainstream competitors. Lotus has always done more with less. Now that everyone delivers a pretty good baseline car, that means 'more' has to be quite exceptional, and not just a niche offering.
Northernboy said:
Olivera said:
My point was a counter argument to 'today's supercars are so fast they cannot have a manual gearbox', which just isn't true (see Gordon Murray T50). Emissions, efficiency and the requirements of the typical buyer dictate auto.
I didn’t say they can’t, I pointed out why automatics make more sense at the higher-end.It’s no coincidence that my faster cars are automatics and my slower ones are manual, I like a manual, but would find it a pain in the backside when properly pushing on in something very fast.
Though another consideration is torque, when the "driving band" (not just the power band) is quite broad. the 350hp Evora isn't that fast by today's standards, but being supercharged it has a very wide band and only needs 2 gears for majority of a spirited route. A lowly powered Elise with auto would be criminal though. As you say, lots of cars and a mix of 'boxes is ideal
Emira will have manual option with the V6, but auto only with Merc pu.
CABC said:
I think it's fair to consider auto with fast cars.
Though another consideration is torque, when the "driving band" (not just the power band) is quite broad. the 350hp Evora isn't that fast by today's standards, but being supercharged it has a very wide band and only needs 2 gears for majority of a spirited route. A lowly powered Elise with auto would be criminal though. As you say, lots of cars and a mix of 'boxes is ideal
Emira will have manual option with the V6, but auto only with Merc pu.
I think that my SL63 would do just fine with a four-speed manual, it’s always seemed a strange choice to put a seven-speed in.Though another consideration is torque, when the "driving band" (not just the power band) is quite broad. the 350hp Evora isn't that fast by today's standards, but being supercharged it has a very wide band and only needs 2 gears for majority of a spirited route. A lowly powered Elise with auto would be criminal though. As you say, lots of cars and a mix of 'boxes is ideal
Emira will have manual option with the V6, but auto only with Merc pu.
NDNDNDND said:
I reckon Lotus should just accept that most new buyers are simply going to want to buy automatics.
And then they should keep a healthy supply of manual gearboxes in stock and offer a 'conversion' service for when they get to the second hand market and people who actually want a manual start to own them.
Great idea!And then they should keep a healthy supply of manual gearboxes in stock and offer a 'conversion' service for when they get to the second hand market and people who actually want a manual start to own them.
tommy1973s said:
NDNDNDND said:
I reckon Lotus should just accept that most new buyers are simply going to want to buy automatics.
And then they should keep a healthy supply of manual gearboxes in stock and offer a 'conversion' service for when they get to the second hand market and people who actually want a manual start to own them.
Great idea!And then they should keep a healthy supply of manual gearboxes in stock and offer a 'conversion' service for when they get to the second hand market and people who actually want a manual start to own them.
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