Anyone else prefer the Exige190 to the Exige 'S'?

[Walton]

Is it just me or do others here prefer the S2 Exige 190 to the 'S'.

Having previously owned a 190, I test drove an 'S' the other day (both in Touring spec). Before going out the salesman told me the '06 car had the new seats, revised damping, drive by wire, and more sound proofing - making it a better 'everyday' proposition. (maybe clouding my judgement).

I took the car on decent drive, all types of road for about 45mins. I must admit I was very sad. Taking the obvious dirvability of the engine out of the equation I left feeling Lotus had truly buggered up the Exige by over softening it. In particular

Steering; Much more numb and didn't transmit the road surface in the wonderful delicate squirming way of my old car (or the S1 Exige I'd recently driven). More comfortable on bumpy stuff but I'd buy a 4x4 if I wanted that.

Suspension: Softer with more roll

NVH: Much quieter in the cabin, even with the S/C. Almost could have been in a normal car.

[21TonyK]

Not sure I'd go so far as to describe the Exige S as a "normal car" in terms of comfort and ride but I specifically chose a NA car over the S. I wanted to move away from cars with low down grunt to the high revving "manic" engined type of car.

For me the NA is a bit Jeckyl and Hyde in the sense that it potters around without any drama but can become an all out race car when you want it to. For me the NA demands a bit more driver attention to get the best from it, you can;t be lazy and drive is quickly.

I bought the car purely for driving fun not transport. If I was driving it all day, every day on the road I would have bought an S and retained a degree of sanity!

[Phil-CH]

Walton,

I think your post hits it on the nail. Not to take away from the Exige-S - it's a very fine car, but perhaps it shows a bit the direction Lotus has been taking lately which IMO isn't what I really want (from an Exige). I don't want traction control, I don't want drive-by-wire and I don't want the better sound proofing. The Exige should be as raw and as focused as possible IMO.

I'd would have taken a Exige S1, if it weren't for the looks of the S2 that I think is absolutely stunning.

Thus, I am very happy with my MY05 Exige S2. It isn't NA though (Bemani supercharged) which perhaps gives the best of both worlds.

Cheers phil

[Bada Bing!]

I drove an Exige S when they first came out, and considered trading in my 111R for one. I just wasn't as gobsmacked as I thought I'd be, and it felt all far too civilised and linear. It was more comfortable than my Elise FFS!

It's a great car, and I'll probably "trade up" at some point to one. I really would miss the shove up the backside at 6500rpm though.

I just wish Lotus would do an OEM supercharger for the Elise and I'd be delighted.

[aelord]

I think people will reappraise the N/A cars in time and their stock will rise again. Lotus are probably dropping the N/A cars form the line-up from 08 on, so they will be rarer as well.

Edited by aelord on Thursday 23 August 22:35

[Esprit]

Should get an Exige S1.... quicker than an Exige S unless you're doing silly speeds, all the raw-ness you'll require and looks a million times better (IMO).... maybe not quite the long-term reliability and certainly not the useablity factor.... although the positive trade-off is the rock-solid residuals given the desireability of the "classic" S1

(can you tell I've just bought one? )

[S Works]

No. The original map is a bodge and a half, I hate it.

[beak]

Bada Bing! said:

I just wish Lotus would do an OEM supercharger for the Elise and I'd be delighted.

apart from eating into Exige S sales, is there any reason they havent done it yet ? couldnt you take the SC from a scrapped Exige and put it in an R ?

[tricky 100]

beak said:

Bada Bing! said:

I just wish Lotus would do an OEM supercharger for the Elise and I'd be delighted.

apart from eating into Exige S sales, is there any reason they havent done it yet ? couldnt you take the SC from a scrapped Exige and put it in an R ?

Cut a big hole in the engine cover and have it protruding out ? it would be just like a 50's hotrod , nice .

[Phil-CH]

beak said:

Bada Bing! said:

I just wish Lotus would do an OEM supercharger for the Elise and I'd be delighted.

apart from eating into Exige S sales, is there any reason they havent done it yet ? couldnt you take the SC from a scrapped Exige and put it in an R ?

As noted, Lotus used a air-air intercooler and mounted it directly ontop of the engine in the Exige. Since Lotus have found a new way to mount a air-air intercooler in the 2-eleven, I'm sure it would be possible to install it the exact same way in a 111R - I don't think for a second though Lotus will go that route or offer anything in that direction, as this would limit the appeal of the Exige-S. I think this was a bit of a concern with the NA models (Exige S2 and 111R don't differenciate themselves enough), which is why they are droping the NA Exige with the 2008 models.

There are aftermarket superchargers available for the 111R (and Exige S2) though.

You have Komo-Tec in Germany, I hear there's a sector111 one coming as well, and then you have Bemani in Switzerland - the latter which is sold in Switzerland by official Lotus dealers.

[21TonyK]

Phil-CH said:

I hear there's a sector111 one coming as well...

£2750 + shipping for an extra 50+hp & 24 ft-lb at the wheels according to their site. Cheap upgrade if your handy with a spanner (or 5!)

[Phil-CH]

21TonyK said:

Phil-CH said:

I hear there's a sector111 one coming as well...

£2750 + shipping for an extra 50+hp & 24 ft-lb at the wheels according to their site. Cheap upgrade if your handy with a spanner (or 5!)

Yes indeed! Thanks for pointing out.

Nice info there (probably deserves its own topic).

Though I'm a bit concerned about it not having a intercooler...?

Edited by Phil-CH on Friday 24th August 18:10

[Bada Bing!]

That sounds sweet! I never bothered with aftermarket ones as they all seem to be the thick end of 7 grand which is just ridiculous.

Anyone got any more info on this? I'd gladly spend 3k on a supercharger for those extra 50 horses.

As long as I could keep that thump in the back at 6500rpm of course.

Edited by Bada Bing! on Friday 24th August 21:49

[21TonyK]

Bada Bing! said:

That sounds sweet! I never bothered with aftermarket ones as they all seem to be the thick end of 7 grand which is just ridiculous.

Anyone got any more info on this? I'd gladly spend 3k on a supercharger for those extra 50 horses.

As long as I could keep that thump in the back at 6500rpm of course.

Edited by Bada Bing! on Friday 24th August 21:49

http://www.sector111.com/handler.cfm?cat_id=20442&prod_id=8480

Basically it appears to retain the twin cam characteristic but as HP and torque. However, might be worth waiting for a UK shop (Sinclaires) to start knocking them out, comments elsewhere are not 100% complimentary.

[purpleperil]

21TonyK said:

http://www.sector111.com/handler.cfm?cat_id=20442&...

Basically it appears to retain the twin cam characteristic but as HP and torque. However, might be worth waiting for a UK shop (Sinclaires) to start knocking them out, comments elsewhere are not 100% complimentary.

There was a thread about this on seloc but it appears to have been removed?!

btw I'm running the SP-K (from Silverstone Performance) in an elise with an air/air intercooler (without a hole in the bonnet ) - but with a £7k price tag it may be a bit too high for some to justify the 250bhp and 185ftlb you get? Me? - I think it's worth every penny!

Edited by purpleperil on Saturday 25th August 14:43

[Bada Bing!]

Is it cost effective to just buy the 2 Eleven supercharger and mounting kit, or would that be more expensive than just buying an aftermarket jobbie?