S2 Lotus Elise S
Discussion
I have heard alot about the S2 VVC 111s and the Toyota powered 111R and the 120bhp or 135bhp K-series Elise, but almost nothing about the Toyota powered Elise S, specs say 134bhp, 0-60 in 5.8 where does this one fit in the Elise market place, It seems to be the successor to the entry level Elise but is it as good as the K? is it as good as the 111S?
miro said:
I have heard alot about the S2 VVC 111s and the Toyota powered 111R and the 120bhp or 135bhp K-series Elise, but almost nothing about the Toyota powered Elise S, specs say 134bhp, 0-60 in 5.8 where does this one fit in the Elise market place, It seems to be the successor to the entry level Elise but is it as good as the K? is it as good as the 111S?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lotus_Elise Hope this helps
It's not as quick as the old 120hp K engined car. About a second slower to 100mph and a fraction slower to 60. There are very few modifications available for the 134hp 'yota engine. It also weighs about the same as a 111R - 850 Kg... so about 100 more than the 120hp K engined car. A 111S (156hp VVC K engine) is a much quicker car.
It's a nice car but I don't think it will ever be as popular as the car it replaced. But then things have moved on now - people that might have bought a K engined car 5 years ago are more interested in 111Rs and Exiges these days.
Compared with other sports cars in its class though like MX5's and such the Elise S is still in a league of its own!
It's a nice car but I don't think it will ever be as popular as the car it replaced. But then things have moved on now - people that might have bought a K engined car 5 years ago are more interested in 111Rs and Exiges these days.
Compared with other sports cars in its class though like MX5's and such the Elise S is still in a league of its own!
Edited by NathanE on Tuesday 18th September 13:53
Edited by NathanE on Tuesday 18th September 13:55
I might be missing something? That page doesnt mention the Elise S, 111S, standard S2, 111R but not the S. I have had a look around various pages and have found a review but its all a bit 'the elise is impractical but great fun' no real info that you cant apply to any S2 elise and no real comparason. most test pilot reviewers never give you the whole picture
Just saw the post Nathan, Cheers
Just saw the post Nathan, Cheers
Edited by miro on Tuesday 18th September 13:52
I have one. It could be quicker, but how fast do you want to go on public roads? The lack of oomph compared with an R might be more noticeable on track I guess. Importantly (at least IMHO) all the other gear (brakes, suspension etc) is just the same as the R, so it does what an Elise is meant to do (i.e, out-brake, out handle and out manoeuver most other cars on the road)
My Main Concerns are that they might not hold value as well as a 111s or a 111r despite the toyota reputation for reliability or that I might be craving more (111s/135r) I have driven the 111r and think its possibly a bit too much car . then again it was the first Elise i drove so perhaps a little over awed by the whole experience.
TTwiggy said:
I have one. It could be quicker, but how fast do you want to go on public roads? The lack of oomph compared with an R might be more noticeable on track I guess. Importantly (at least IMHO) all the other gear (brakes, suspension etc) is just the same as the R, so it does what an Elise is meant to do (i.e, out-brake, out handle and out manoeuver most other cars on the road)
Its a good point about the speed. Im after a car thats fun without being driven licence loosingly fast not going to be tracking it every other weekend thats the plan at least... miro said:
My Main Concerns are that they might not hold value as well as a 111s or a 111r despite the toyota reputation for reliability or that I might be craving more (111s/135r) I have driven the 111r and think its possibly a bit too much car . then again it was the first Elise i drove so perhaps a little over awed by the whole experience.
You can pick up Elise S (2006 plate) from a few dealers (and definately private) for under £20k. So about £4-5k in 12 months... fairly inline with just about any other non-Lotus 2 seater sports car I think?Not buying new but looking at Dealer prices, Selling my car then looking for another is a bit of a pain, if I can get reasonable price on my car Part ex and good deal Its the way I will go and id rather get a newer 04/56 around 20k. than an 02/03 for 15k. But im am always open to suggestions and advice 
In terms of performance, I guess the question is 'what do you drive now?' - because that's going to have an affect on how fast the Elise in either guise feels - for info, my three cars before my S were an Audi TT (225bhp), Alfa 147 Gta (250bhp) and mini cooper S (163 bhp) - so my Elise is 'down' on power compared to all of them, but it feels quicker than all, except perhaps the alfa (though only in a straight line)...
TTwiggy said:
In terms of performance, I guess the question is 'what do you drive now?' - because that's going to have an affect on how fast the Elise in either guise feels - for info, my three cars before my S were an Audi TT (225bhp), Alfa 147 Gta (250bhp) and mini cooper S (163 bhp) - so my Elise is 'down' on power compared to all of them, but it feels quicker than all, except perhaps the alfa (though only in a straight line)...
BHP means nothing until you divide it by the vehicle's total weight...NathanE said:
TTwiggy said:
In terms of performance, I guess the question is 'what do you drive now?' - because that's going to have an affect on how fast the Elise in either guise feels - for info, my three cars before my S were an Audi TT (225bhp), Alfa 147 Gta (250bhp) and mini cooper S (163 bhp) - so my Elise is 'down' on power compared to all of them, but it feels quicker than all, except perhaps the alfa (though only in a straight line)...
BHP means nothing until you divide it by the vehicle's total weight...NathanE said:
TTwiggy said:
In terms of performance, I guess the question is 'what do you drive now?' - because that's going to have an affect on how fast the Elise in either guise feels - for info, my three cars before my S were an Audi TT (225bhp), Alfa 147 Gta (250bhp) and mini cooper S (163 bhp) - so my Elise is 'down' on power compared to all of them, but it feels quicker than all, except perhaps the alfa (though only in a straight line)...
BHP means nothing until you divide it by the vehicle's total weight...TTwiggy said:
NathanE said:
TTwiggy said:
In terms of performance, I guess the question is 'what do you drive now?' - because that's going to have an affect on how fast the Elise in either guise feels - for info, my three cars before my S were an Audi TT (225bhp), Alfa 147 Gta (250bhp) and mini cooper S (163 bhp) - so my Elise is 'down' on power compared to all of them, but it feels quicker than all, except perhaps the alfa (though only in a straight line)...
BHP means nothing until you divide it by the vehicle's total weight...And a 'certain' speed that doesn't exceed 70-80mph on the roads
miro said:
I have heard alot about the S2 VVC 111s and the Toyota powered 111R and the 120bhp or 135bhp K-series Elise, but almost nothing about the Toyota powered Elise S, specs say 134bhp, 0-60 in 5.8 where does this one fit in the Elise market place, It seems to be the successor to the entry level Elise but is it as good as the K? is it as good as the 111S?
My take on the Elise-S:The engine is less peaky and has quite a lot amount of torque in the confortable mid-range. It may only be making around 135bhp, but compared to an R, the engine produces quite a bit more power through the midrange. It doesn't rev as high, and at the point the rev limiter kicks in on the S, the R really only starts to go.
On the other hand, and if you're not against aftermarket "upgrading", you can get a supercharged Elise-S (230bhp) overhere for Elise-R money and more grunt than an Exige-S. That particular car also has more torque than the supercharged Elise-R's.
Of course not saying that performance upgrades are necessarey (up to each their own to decide) - but IMO, it's good knowing that if you do go for an S, there are options to upgrade if at one point you figure that a bit more grunt would be nice.
Best advice though: Driving them in person beats any opinion you can get on the net.
Cheers Phil
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