Exige S 220...disappointing or good value?
Discussion
Just wondering what everyone thinks about the Exige S as a whole? I took one for a loon around today and I have come up with the following thoughts based upon my own K-series PTP Elise.
Pros:
+ Nice positive steering, good turn in.
+ Good brakes (I'm sure the servo has something to do with that one though!)
+ Loving the 'yota gearchange compared to the k-series
+ Looks.....yummy !
Cons:
- Didn't have as much grunt as I thought, infact it didn't really feel that much quicker than my elise which I was really surprised about. Then again this Exige weighs a lot more than my Elise, still, I wasn't expecting it to have that much of an effect on performance
(and yes, I was bouncing it off the limiter too!)
- Slight tramlining under braking on changing surfaces.
- Price, £31K for the '06 example I tested seems very steep considering what you get in comparsion to 111R's etc.
Overall, I think I'm going to stick with my Elise for a bit longer!!
Pros:+ Nice positive steering, good turn in.
+ Good brakes (I'm sure the servo has something to do with that one though!)
+ Loving the 'yota gearchange compared to the k-series
+ Looks.....yummy !
Cons:- Didn't have as much grunt as I thought, infact it didn't really feel that much quicker than my elise which I was really surprised about. Then again this Exige weighs a lot more than my Elise, still, I wasn't expecting it to have that much of an effect on performance
(and yes, I was bouncing it off the limiter too!)- Slight tramlining under braking on changing surfaces.
- Price, £31K for the '06 example I tested seems very steep considering what you get in comparsion to 111R's etc.
Overall, I think I'm going to stick with my Elise for a bit longer!!
Didn't have as much grunt as I thought, infact it didn't really feel that much quicker than my elise which I was really surprised about. Then again this Exige weighs a lot more than my Elise, still, I wasn't expecting it to have that much of an effect on performance (and yes, I was bouncing it off the limiter too!)
>>>youd be surprised how much difference the weight can make - a std 111R or Exige isnt really any quicker up to 100mph than a S1 111S or S160
- Slight tramlining under braking on changing surfaces.
>>down to tyres and geo - expect that with A048s
- Price, £31K for the '06 example I tested seems very steep considering what you get in comparsion to 111R's etc.
>>I agree ...the S2 Exige compared to an older 111R offers no more performance on the road ...and the only difference on track is due to tyres/suspension which you can fit to a 111R anyway ...gone are the days when the stock Exige was 20-30bhp up on the fastest Elise of the time etc ...up to you whether the looks are worth it etc
>>>youd be surprised how much difference the weight can make - a std 111R or Exige isnt really any quicker up to 100mph than a S1 111S or S160
- Slight tramlining under braking on changing surfaces.
>>down to tyres and geo - expect that with A048s
- Price, £31K for the '06 example I tested seems very steep considering what you get in comparsion to 111R's etc.
>>I agree ...the S2 Exige compared to an older 111R offers no more performance on the road ...and the only difference on track is due to tyres/suspension which you can fit to a 111R anyway ...gone are the days when the stock Exige was 20-30bhp up on the fastest Elise of the time etc ...up to you whether the looks are worth it etc
I agree , it feels not that much quicker than the N/A and considering how much more expensive it is i thought it was a big let down . Plus i didn't like the noise ,couldn't put up with that all the time and i dont't like the colour coded spoilers and trim , looks better in contrasting black .
Each to their own though .
Each to their own though .
Boggy and I are 'hopefully' picking up our Exige S tomorrow and we can't wait!!!
We've had 2 111Rs now and the Exige S does excel itself from the 'old' Exige...
I've ALWAYS like the Exige over the Elise and now i've got my way with Boggy and he agrees
My opinion is GO FOR IT, you won't be dissapointed!
We've had 2 111Rs now and the Exige S does excel itself from the 'old' Exige...
I've ALWAYS like the Exige over the Elise and now i've got my way with Boggy and he agrees
My opinion is GO FOR IT, you won't be dissapointed!
As it stands in the current Lotus range, the Exige S is probably the best "new" package. I liked the 240 Cup better, but the extra cash you have to spend for a few more ponies isn't worth it IMO.
£ for £ I wasn't convinced enough to buy one though (the Exige S I mean). It felt heavy and cumbersome compared to my Sport 160, and compared to the Honda, just not 'enough' to warrant another £10k spend on what for me is just a toy. My main gripes were the weight, the suspension and the brakes. That said, there's no doubting that it is a good car, just wasn't the one for me.
If I were to swap back to a factory car, it'd be a 240R.
£ for £ I wasn't convinced enough to buy one though (the Exige S I mean). It felt heavy and cumbersome compared to my Sport 160, and compared to the Honda, just not 'enough' to warrant another £10k spend on what for me is just a toy. My main gripes were the weight, the suspension and the brakes. That said, there's no doubting that it is a good car, just wasn't the one for me.
If I were to swap back to a factory car, it'd be a 240R.
Edited by S Works on Friday 31st August 09:51
ptp170 said:
Just wondering what everyone thinks about the Exige S as a whole? I took one for a loon around today and I have come up with the following thoughts based upon my own K-series PTP Elise.
Pros:
+ Nice positive steering, good turn in.
+ Good brakes (I'm sure the servo has something to do with that one though!)
+ Loving the 'yota gearchange compared to the k-series
+ Looks.....yummy !
Cons:
- Didn't have as much grunt as I thought, infact it didn't really feel that much quicker than my elise which I was really surprised about. Then again this Exige weighs a lot more than my Elise, still, I wasn't expecting it to have that much of an effect on performance (and yes, I was bouncing it off the limiter too!)
- Slight tramlining under braking on changing surfaces.
- Price, £31K for the '06 example I tested seems very steep considering what you get in comparsion to 111R's etc.
Overall, I think I'm going to stick with my Elise for a bit longer!!
I have to say my experience was much the same as yours. Power just didn't seem any different, the noise was relatively uninspiring, and the lack of rear visibility was a concern.Pros:+ Nice positive steering, good turn in.
+ Good brakes (I'm sure the servo has something to do with that one though!)
+ Loving the 'yota gearchange compared to the k-series
+ Looks.....yummy !
Cons:- Didn't have as much grunt as I thought, infact it didn't really feel that much quicker than my elise which I was really surprised about. Then again this Exige weighs a lot more than my Elise, still, I wasn't expecting it to have that much of an effect on performance
(and yes, I was bouncing it off the limiter too!)- Slight tramlining under braking on changing surfaces.
- Price, £31K for the '06 example I tested seems very steep considering what you get in comparsion to 111R's etc.
Overall, I think I'm going to stick with my Elise for a bit longer!!
Only upsides were it looked nicer, had torque in the 2ZZ's <6500rpm dead-zone and it had more comfortable seats. Wasn't worth an extra £10,000 or £200 a month no mater which way I looked at it.
Great looking car, but just not fast enough for me. Im coming from a light weight modded subaru with 350bhp so it felt very slow. The NA one did feel a bit slower to me, but for driving on the road there is not much difference. I thought the S was easier to drive on the road as it did not have to be rev-ed so much to get it moving fast.
I did not buy one in the end as the price to change from my current car for a lack in performance was just too much. I may swap in a year or so if the prices come down, as I crave the design of the car!
The lack of rear vis was a pain with the S, but Im sure you would get use to it.
I did not buy one in the end as the price to change from my current car for a lack in performance was just too much. I may swap in a year or so if the prices come down, as I crave the design of the car!
The lack of rear vis was a pain with the S, but Im sure you would get use to it.
Bada Bing! said:
I have to say my experience was much the same as yours. Power just didn't seem any different, the noise was relatively uninspiring, and the lack of rear visibility was a concern.
Only upsides were it looked nicer, had torque in the 2ZZ's <6500rpm dead-zone and it had more comfortable seats. Wasn't worth an extra £10,000 or £200 a month no mater which way I looked at it.
Nail >>> HeadOnly upsides were it looked nicer, had torque in the 2ZZ's <6500rpm dead-zone and it had more comfortable seats. Wasn't worth an extra £10,000 or £200 a month no mater which way I looked at it.
think that's the big issue, they are just not as fast as people expect when they are comming from S1's etc that are that much lighter/more nimble.
then consider what else you could use your £10K to fund....
peter450 said:
My how things have moved on that a car that does 0 - 100mph in 11.5 odd secs is considered slow!
Crazy isn't it! Problem is once you've made the move from "standard" family type cars to higher performance you become immune to it. I remember going from a 1300 Beetle to an automatic Vauxhall Carlton and thinking that was fast enough. Top Gear did a comparison between current model cars you can buy in the show room and the race / rally cars of 20-30 years ago. In most cases the modern boxes one!Should add I wasn't disappointed with the S when I drove one but it wasn't what I wanted.
Edited by 21TonyK on Saturday 1st September 10:50
Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff