Test drive tomorrow
Discussion
Hmmmm, Not sure anyone not working at Hethel can answer that right now!
Its the i4 base that I am waiting for. I run sports exhausts on my current GT86 (and different headers) so it sounds awesome and I will miss a raucous exhaust. I imagine as soon as its out of warranty I will go aftermarket. I don't mind changing the exhaust back to standard once a year for the MoT day.
I also think Lotus have plenty of opportunity to just use synthetic noise creation - the Range Rover Sport sounds like a raw V8 inside even though its a straight six diesel...
Actual noisy exhausts may become an issue anyway - some forces are introducing drive by noice cameras to issue fines. Tracks are increasingly noise sensitive.
I will play some Nickleback through the stereo on max volume to check the KEF out.
Its the i4 base that I am waiting for. I run sports exhausts on my current GT86 (and different headers) so it sounds awesome and I will miss a raucous exhaust. I imagine as soon as its out of warranty I will go aftermarket. I don't mind changing the exhaust back to standard once a year for the MoT day.
I also think Lotus have plenty of opportunity to just use synthetic noise creation - the Range Rover Sport sounds like a raw V8 inside even though its a straight six diesel...
Actual noisy exhausts may become an issue anyway - some forces are introducing drive by noice cameras to issue fines. Tracks are increasingly noise sensitive.
I will play some Nickleback through the stereo on max volume to check the KEF out.
Honeywell said:
On Wednesday 18th Jan I have a test drive booked (ice forecast - joy).
Does anyone have anything I can check, try, photograph or ask on your behalf? I will post a few pictures on this thread anyway as long as I don't end up crushed under a double decker bus (it's in Bristol).
Soooooooooooo how did it go?Does anyone have anything I can check, try, photograph or ask on your behalf? I will post a few pictures on this thread anyway as long as I don't end up crushed under a double decker bus (it's in Bristol).
Howard1650 said:
Honeywell said:
I also think Lotus have plenty of opportunity to just use synthetic noise creation - the Range Rover Sport sounds like a raw V8 inside even though its a straight six diesel...
Lotus should never do this, it is a terrible ideaBut, though it grieves me to say it, the GR Yaris's "aural enhancement" via the infotainment system actually sounds pretty good to me. At least you are not wasting petrol in the process.
Pepperpots said:
Howard1650 said:
Honeywell said:
I also think Lotus have plenty of opportunity to just use synthetic noise creation - the Range Rover Sport sounds like a raw V8 inside even though its a straight six diesel...
Lotus should never do this, it is a terrible idea
My neighbour, an elderly lady, fell on the ice and broke her hip and I had to take her to hospital. Hence my focus on this forum slipped a little.
Anyway. All is now well. So here are my thoughts.
Likes:
Looks lovely,
Sounds great.
Cabin fantastic.
Width not intimidating.
Mirrors great.
Steering lovely.
Ability to go over speed cushions and potholes - exceptional.
Stereo fine but not as good as my Logic 7 in a F10 BMW 535d.
DIslikes:
Narrow pedal box.
Long throw of the gear lever to the rear.
Seat cushion length.
Test drive format.
Expansion:
I found the pedals to be a bit too much offset to the left and clustered in such a way that I could not heel and toe gear changes. This might well change with familiarity. However on initial contact I felt it was tricky. This might be a Lotus thing, this is the first Lotus I have driven.
The gear lever was lovely to use and had terrific feel but it came cak too far for me. I am familiar with the Honda S2000 and Mk2 MX5 gearboxes so I know how good a gearbox shifter can be. The Lotus has a really satisfying feel but the throw is quite long. For me, at 5ft 5in I needed the seats quite a bit forward to reach the pedals and this resulted in the rearmost gear lever position being uncomfortably close/rearwards. In a way I would have liked to have moved the pedals a few inches closer.
The seats felt comfortable and well made and the leather (red) was impressive. However I did feel the the feast squab was too long. Like it reached to the inside of my knees. 20 minutes on a test drive was not long enough to judge long term comfort and I might have just got them set up wrong.
The Format of the test drive was quite constrained. Two thirds on roads restricted to 30/40/50 speed control. Only two chances to open up full throttle when joining a dual carriageway or M4. For the first time in my life I would have liked to been on a track even just as a passenger to experience what the car can actually do. I had the sense that I was plinking tin cans with a sniper rifle.
The car looks awesome. I thought I might want the manual gearbox but actually the DCT might suit me better.
Anyway. All is now well. So here are my thoughts.
Likes:
Looks lovely,
Sounds great.
Cabin fantastic.
Width not intimidating.
Mirrors great.
Steering lovely.
Ability to go over speed cushions and potholes - exceptional.
Stereo fine but not as good as my Logic 7 in a F10 BMW 535d.
DIslikes:
Narrow pedal box.
Long throw of the gear lever to the rear.
Seat cushion length.
Test drive format.
Expansion:
I found the pedals to be a bit too much offset to the left and clustered in such a way that I could not heel and toe gear changes. This might well change with familiarity. However on initial contact I felt it was tricky. This might be a Lotus thing, this is the first Lotus I have driven.
The gear lever was lovely to use and had terrific feel but it came cak too far for me. I am familiar with the Honda S2000 and Mk2 MX5 gearboxes so I know how good a gearbox shifter can be. The Lotus has a really satisfying feel but the throw is quite long. For me, at 5ft 5in I needed the seats quite a bit forward to reach the pedals and this resulted in the rearmost gear lever position being uncomfortably close/rearwards. In a way I would have liked to have moved the pedals a few inches closer.
The seats felt comfortable and well made and the leather (red) was impressive. However I did feel the the feast squab was too long. Like it reached to the inside of my knees. 20 minutes on a test drive was not long enough to judge long term comfort and I might have just got them set up wrong.
The Format of the test drive was quite constrained. Two thirds on roads restricted to 30/40/50 speed control. Only two chances to open up full throttle when joining a dual carriageway or M4. For the first time in my life I would have liked to been on a track even just as a passenger to experience what the car can actually do. I had the sense that I was plinking tin cans with a sniper rifle.
The car looks awesome. I thought I might want the manual gearbox but actually the DCT might suit me better.
How tall are you and what footwear did you have on?
I'm 1,100 miles in and it is one of the easiest cars to heel and toe I have had. Narrow footwear definitely recommended though.
The KEF gets immensely better with some miles on the clock as the speakers run themselves in. At first it sounds flat and very restrained.
I'm 1,100 miles in and it is one of the easiest cars to heel and toe I have had. Narrow footwear definitely recommended though.
The KEF gets immensely better with some miles on the clock as the speakers run themselves in. At first it sounds flat and very restrained.
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