07 Elise S or 07 Exige n/a.

[David Gray]

I am contemplating buying one of the above.

The Exige (Starlight Black)is £2k more to buy and has done 5k miles the Elise (Aspen White)has done 500 miles.

Just wondering what the good folks on here would recommend?

[21TonyK]

They are both very different cars in terms of performance, engine and suspension. Bit like chalk and cheese so impossible to say what will suit you best. You really have to drive both back-to-back and see what you prefer.

Edited by 21TonyK on Friday 28th September 09:10

[David Gray]

21TonyK said:

They are both very different cars in terms of performance, engine and suspension. Bit like chalk and cheese so impossible to say what will suit you best. You really have to drive both back-to-back and see what you prefer.

Edited by 21TonyK on Friday 28th September 09:10

I have driven the Elise and a Exige S, liked the Elise but loved the Exuge but again i suppose the Exjige NA and Exige S have massive differences??
What year did they stop putting the K Series engine in the Elise?

[Boggy]

I agree here,

You can always get the Cup kit fitted at a later date to the Std Exige if it's not quick enough

Boggy

[S Works]

Exige S everytime. The NA car simply isn't quick enough.

[David Gray]

S Works said:

Exige S everytime. The NA car simply isn't quick enough.

I understand whay you`re saying aboiut the Exige S but is the fact that it isnt quick enough the only difference in your opinion??

The Exige S isnt an option due to the price. Its the Exige or Elise S.

[21TonyK]

David Gray said:

21TonyK said:

They are both very different cars in terms of performance, engine and suspension. Bit like chalk and cheese so impossible to say what will suit you best. You really have to drive both back-to-back and see what you prefer.

Edited by 21TonyK on Friday 28th September 09:10

I have driven the Elise and a Exige S, liked the Elise but loved the Exuge but again i suppose the Exjige NA and Exige S have massive differences??
What year did they stop putting the K Series engine in the Elise?

I *think* (should know by now) the K was phased out in 03/04? But the S2 Exige started with a 'yota lump so no K option. There is a huge difference in the power delivery between the NA Exige and the Exige S. The S has a very consistent range where the NA is very peaky and only really gets going properly above 6250rpm but this can be tweaked down to 5500 with a ECU flash which helps keep the car on 2nd cam. You can improve the power/torque below 6250/5500 on a NA car but not to the standards of the Exige S.

Seems to be a love it or hate it thing with the NA Exige.

[David Gray]

21TonyK said:

David Gray said:

21TonyK said:

They are both very different cars in terms of performance, engine and suspension. Bit like chalk and cheese so impossible to say what will suit you best. You really have to drive both back-to-back and see what you prefer.

Edited by 21TonyK on Friday 28th September 09:10

I have driven the Elise and a Exige S, liked the Elise but loved the Exuge but again i suppose the Exjige NA and Exige S have massive differences??
What year did they stop putting the K Series engine in the Elise?

I *think* (should know by now) the K was phased out in 03/04? But the S2 Exige started with a 'yota lump so no K option. There is a huge difference in the power delivery between the NA Exige and the Exige S. The S has a very consistent range where the NA is very peaky and only really gets going properly above 6250rpm but this can be tweaked down to 5500 with a ECU flash which helps keep the car on 2nd cam. You can improve the power/torque below 6250/5500 on a NA car but not to the standards of the Exige S.

Seems to be a love it or hate it thing with the NA Exige.

Apart from power, are there any physical differences to the way the car looks?? I know you can convert the NA so that a soft top can be fitted but IMO i think it spoils the look of the car.

[Boggy]

David Gray said:

S Works said:

Exige S everytime. The NA car simply isn't quick enough.

I understand whay you`re saying aboiut the Exige S but is the fact that it isnt quick enough the only difference in your opinion??

The Exige S isnt an option due to the price. Its the Exige or Elise S.

Sorry I think both myself and S work's misread your post. Thought you were looking at an Exige S & Exige

Don't get the Elise S it's not quick enough you'll get fed up quickly buy the Exige

Boggy

[S Works]

Essentially S2 Elise and Elise are the same car underneath, both wearing slightly different clothes. The main difference between the Elise S engine (sorry, missed that important point!) and the 111R/NA Exige engine is the power output and the WAY the power is delivered.

Tony is bang-on about the reflash. I've not driven a car with that, but I've pax'd in one, and that was enough to tell me that it was worth it. SimonK had it done and I doubt there's a person in the land who's put more road and track miles down in an NA Exige on here, so he's your boy for opinion on that.

The NA engine as-is, is a hugely Marmite/Guinness affair. You won't half-like or half-dislike it...

After a Sport160 S1 it just didn't feel THAT much quicker to warrant the spend, and after an NA Honda'd car it feels pedestrian, and the cam-change... well, clumsy to be honest. I was disappointed with the standard suspension too. On the Elise they have a really good compromise as-is, but the Exige just didn't ride well on anything other than a very smooth road surface.

But then that's me being uber-picky. They both are GREAT cars, and frankly, what a brilliant choice to have to make... you're not buying some dull euro-box after-all

[tricky 100]

Get the Exige , you'll only end up regretting it if you buy the Elise .
How can you say the Exige isn't fast enough on the road ? its one of the fastest vehicles 0-60 available today .

[David Gray]

S Works said:

Essentially S2 Elise and Elise are the same car underneath, both wearing slightly different clothes. The main difference between the Elise S engine (sorry, missed that important point!) and the 111R/NA Exige engine is the power output and the WAY the power is delivered.

Tony is bang-on about the reflash. I've not driven a car with that, but I've pax'd in one, and that was enough to tell me that it was worth it. SimonK had it done and I doubt there's a person in the land who's put more road and track miles down in an NA Exige on here, so he's your boy for opinion on that.

The NA engine as-is, is a hugely Marmite/Guinness affair. You won't half-like or half-dislike it...

After a Sport160 S1 it just didn't feel THAT much quicker to warrant the spend, and after an NA Honda'd car it feels pedestrian, and the cam-change... well, clumsy to be honest. I was disappointed with the standard suspension too. On the Elise they have a really good compromise as-is, but the Exige just didn't ride well on anything other than a very smooth road surface.

But then that's me being uber-picky. They both are GREAT cars, and frankly, what a brilliant choice to have to make... you're not buying some dull euro-box after-all

I hate marmite and guinness !!!

[21TonyK]

tricky 100 said:

Get the Exige , you'll only end up regretting it if you buy the Elise .
How can you say the Exige isn't fast enough on the road ? its one of the fastest vehicles 0-60 available today .

I think the point is that its not easy to drive a NA Exige quickly all of the time. You cannot be a passenger, you must drive the car taking into account it's limitations and play to it's strengths. It has plenty of performance, more than most people know what to do with. But, it's not as easily accessed as in an Exige S where power is more readily available. I found the NA a more challenging car to drive quickly and thats what I wanted having come from a line of "press here to go quick" cars. If it was something I was using every day I would have gone for an S or even the Elise S which I found relaxing by comparison.

[Cino]

Why not go for the best of both worlds and get a 111R? Virtually the same performance as a N/A Exige, but you can take the roof off and see out of the back. I think (correct me if I'm wrong) that the suspension is less hard/crashy as well. About the love/hate engine thing - I think you'd be pretty cynical not to enjoy the 2nd cam kick. If you want a more conventional feel, just change gear before 6000 RPM and it will be similar to an Elise S anyway (someone on here did comparison graphs and found the S and R very similar up to 6000, after which the R pulls ahead for obvious reasons.

[S Works]

tricky 100 said:

Get the Exige , you'll only end up regretting it if you buy the Elise .
How can you say the Exige isn't fast enough on the road ? its one of the fastest vehicles 0-60 available today .

You've clearly had a few decent cars, and one of which is a Sport 160 (nice choice) so you'll be able to appreciate I'm sure that the NA Toyota engine in the Exige or 111R package is not any faster... or at least if it is, it certainly doesn't 'feel' faster to me. Quick car no doubt, but as I said, at the time it didn't represent a jump which felt worthy of a ten thousand pound investment.

[David Gray]

S Works said:

tricky 100 said:

Get the Exige , you'll only end up regretting it if you buy the Elise .
How can you say the Exige isn't fast enough on the road ? its one of the fastest vehicles 0-60 available today .

You've clearly had a few decent cars, and one of which is a Sport 160 (nice choice) so you'll be able to appreciate I'm sure that the NA Toyota engine in the Exige or 111R package is not any faster... or at least if it is, it certainly doesn't 'feel' faster to me. Quick car no doubt, but as I said, at the time it didn't represent a jump which felt worthy of a ten thousand pound investment.

Mr S Works, what are your views on the Europa??? I dont think i have ever seen a post on here discussing them. They have a couple at CN that are almost £6k cheaper (06) plate than almost everywhere else. Any ideas why that may be?

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

Was looking at those yesterday, first time I'd seen a Europa up close, look much better in person than in pics.

[David Gray]

LivinLaVidaLotus said:

Was looking at those yesterday, first time I'd seen a Europa up close, look much better in person than in pics.

I dont think they get a very good press. I seem to remember a discussion on here a long time ago that slated them. I quite like them although they dont come in many different colours.

[LivinLaVidaLotus]

Pictures certainly don't do them justice at all IMHO. My GF really liked them as well.

[David Gray]

LivinLaVidaLotus said:

Pictures certainly don't do them justice at all IMHO. My GF really liked them as well.

so does mine but she thinks the Exige is ugly so her opinion doesnt really count.