My Evora Review + Pictures So Far - Long Read!
Discussion
Well after much searching and driving various cars trying to find a replacement for the RRS, I decided on the Evora. The RRS was great, but not for me, too boring and grown up. Took my time this time finding the replacement, and looked at pretty much every car on the market! :clown:
Criteria for me was.. Fun, unique but still have a bit of an all rounder/practicality, and not have huge running costs. Something I could drive long distance, yet still provide something I would take out for a ‘drive’. Somewhere between an Exige and M3. Previous cars include an Exige, T350, and Gallardo. I was looking for a mix of the three really.
Along the way I drove/looked at –
R8 – Came a close second, only due to the fact that for my budget it would have been out of warranty.
GTR – Disappointing IMO. Fast, VERY fast should I say, but dull. Does everything very well, but just didn’t push my buttons. Plus the running costs are huge!
V8 Vantage – Awesome. Looked at one when I looked at the Lotus, and again, same as the R8, it didn’t have warranty which always worried me with the Lambo. Quite a grown up car aswell.. Probably too grown up for me!
911T – Probably the best all rounder, but I just didn’t get excited about it either. Again age/warranty came into the equation.
FRS – Ok. Drove well, sounded ok, but couldn’t bring myself to spend £30k on a Focus. The exterior looks a bit ‘add-on’ IMO aswell.
370Z – Loved this! Was quite scared of the depreciation side after looking at the 350Z prices.
Cayman S – Not for me either, too many of them around.
Last car I tried was the Evora, and loved it for the word go. Sure it’s a bit compromised in a few areas (small back seats etc), but its still got that Lotus magic without the harshness of the Exige. Its probably the best car I have ever driven, it goes from a comfy cruiser (80mph @ 2kRPM) to a very very good fast road car. The steering and feel of the car inspires huge confidence. Can’t wait to try it out on track!
All the used/nearly new ones were all quite poorly spec’d IMO and in quite conservative colours.. Silvers/Greys etc. Decided on buying new as there really wasn’t one in the system that I fancied. I drove two brand new ones, one with sports exhaust and CR box, and one without.
Decided on the following
Chrome Orange/Satin black wheels
2+2 (not sure why you’d not spec the rear seats, albeit tiny ones)
Tech Pack (Sat Nav/Cruise Control/iPod/Bluetooth/Parking sensors)
Sport Pack (Sports mode button/Cross drilled brakes/Calipers/Sports diffuser)
Xenons
Sports Exhaust
Close Ratio Gearbox
Colour coded door handles
Reversing Camera
Decided against the following
Powerfold mirrors (the mirrors still fold, just not electrically)
Premium Pack (Leather colour choice, and extended leather) – Prefered the ‘half leather’ look, and it was pricey.
Initial thoughts..
Right up until I picked it up I was unsure on my colour choice, but glad I picked orange. It looks very nice in the sun. The black wheels set the whole car off aswell. Its much better looking in the flesh than the photos.
Currently up to 1500 miles, and the first 1000 were the run in part, which went quickly enough. The attention it has been getting already is quite scary! And I’m yet to see another one on the road.
The car has a lot of nice touches, the interior handles, the headlights, and various other bits.
Drive - Well it took me a few adjustments to get the driving position right, but now I have, its superb. Very Exige like, and typically Lotus. Everything seems to fall to hand nicely, apart from the buttons behind the steering wheel! Its handling really is VERY good. It’s a very comfy cruiser on the motorway, and yet show it a back road and it comes alive. So well balanced and the steering feel is second to none. Power wise I’ve never really felt me wanting more, although if Lotus offer a SC upgrade, similar to the Elise/Exige, I’ll look into it. Its plenty fast enough for me, and comparing it to the Gallardo, its got a much bigger sense of speed, which makes it a lot more fun when within the speed limits.
Exhaust is slightly quiet for me (coming from a JP’d TVR and Tubi’d Gallardo) but at the same time, I like how civilised it can be. No longer need to worry about waking the neighbours at 3am! It does have a very nice ‘V6’ noise when pressing on though.
I always liked the gearbox on the Exige and this is just as good to use IMO. I love being back in a good manual. Averaging 30mpg so far, which is pretty good.
Interior – The seats are the best I’ve sat in. Really comfy, and yet very supportive at the same time. The ergonomics inside however aren’t great. The steering wheel blocks a few of the dash buttons, and the mirror adjustment is a bit awkward to reach. Saying that, once they are set, they won’t be moved again. I really like the funky interior buttons and layout, it gives the car character.
The rear seats are also quite small, but I’ve had 3 of us in it a few times, and its do-able over a short journey. I wouldn’t want to spend too long in there though. Its also great for extra luggage space. We could quite happily go away over the weekend/week without worrying. The last couple of cars has always required strategic packing!
Negatives – None really so far worth noting. The rear head room would be ideal if it just had a few extra inches. The rear view isn’t great, but its ok. I find the Alpine head unit a bit fiddley but its not too bad. Its actually a great idea, having all the tech going through it, but it just seems a bit glitchy and cheap. I’ll call these all Lotus ‘quirks’.
I’ve also got a couple of negatives about buying a new Lotus experience, but I don’t really want to post them up just yet.
Overall
Very happy so far, it really is just what I wanted. I guess I’m still in the honeymoon period just now, but so far so good. The true test will be in 12 months time when I’ve been through four seasons with it. The positives far outweigh the negatives for me, and can’t wait to put some more miles on it. I’d definitely recommend anyone to go and try one out before writing it off. I love it!
Some pics
Typical roads near me!
Comments welcome
Sorry for the length!
Criteria for me was.. Fun, unique but still have a bit of an all rounder/practicality, and not have huge running costs. Something I could drive long distance, yet still provide something I would take out for a ‘drive’. Somewhere between an Exige and M3. Previous cars include an Exige, T350, and Gallardo. I was looking for a mix of the three really.
Along the way I drove/looked at –
R8 – Came a close second, only due to the fact that for my budget it would have been out of warranty.
GTR – Disappointing IMO. Fast, VERY fast should I say, but dull. Does everything very well, but just didn’t push my buttons. Plus the running costs are huge!
V8 Vantage – Awesome. Looked at one when I looked at the Lotus, and again, same as the R8, it didn’t have warranty which always worried me with the Lambo. Quite a grown up car aswell.. Probably too grown up for me!
911T – Probably the best all rounder, but I just didn’t get excited about it either. Again age/warranty came into the equation.
FRS – Ok. Drove well, sounded ok, but couldn’t bring myself to spend £30k on a Focus. The exterior looks a bit ‘add-on’ IMO aswell.
370Z – Loved this! Was quite scared of the depreciation side after looking at the 350Z prices.
Cayman S – Not for me either, too many of them around.
Last car I tried was the Evora, and loved it for the word go. Sure it’s a bit compromised in a few areas (small back seats etc), but its still got that Lotus magic without the harshness of the Exige. Its probably the best car I have ever driven, it goes from a comfy cruiser (80mph @ 2kRPM) to a very very good fast road car. The steering and feel of the car inspires huge confidence. Can’t wait to try it out on track!
All the used/nearly new ones were all quite poorly spec’d IMO and in quite conservative colours.. Silvers/Greys etc. Decided on buying new as there really wasn’t one in the system that I fancied. I drove two brand new ones, one with sports exhaust and CR box, and one without.
Decided on the following
Chrome Orange/Satin black wheels
2+2 (not sure why you’d not spec the rear seats, albeit tiny ones)
Tech Pack (Sat Nav/Cruise Control/iPod/Bluetooth/Parking sensors)
Sport Pack (Sports mode button/Cross drilled brakes/Calipers/Sports diffuser)
Xenons
Sports Exhaust
Close Ratio Gearbox
Colour coded door handles
Reversing Camera
Decided against the following
Powerfold mirrors (the mirrors still fold, just not electrically)
Premium Pack (Leather colour choice, and extended leather) – Prefered the ‘half leather’ look, and it was pricey.
Initial thoughts..
Right up until I picked it up I was unsure on my colour choice, but glad I picked orange. It looks very nice in the sun. The black wheels set the whole car off aswell. Its much better looking in the flesh than the photos.
Currently up to 1500 miles, and the first 1000 were the run in part, which went quickly enough. The attention it has been getting already is quite scary! And I’m yet to see another one on the road.
The car has a lot of nice touches, the interior handles, the headlights, and various other bits.
Drive - Well it took me a few adjustments to get the driving position right, but now I have, its superb. Very Exige like, and typically Lotus. Everything seems to fall to hand nicely, apart from the buttons behind the steering wheel! Its handling really is VERY good. It’s a very comfy cruiser on the motorway, and yet show it a back road and it comes alive. So well balanced and the steering feel is second to none. Power wise I’ve never really felt me wanting more, although if Lotus offer a SC upgrade, similar to the Elise/Exige, I’ll look into it. Its plenty fast enough for me, and comparing it to the Gallardo, its got a much bigger sense of speed, which makes it a lot more fun when within the speed limits.
Exhaust is slightly quiet for me (coming from a JP’d TVR and Tubi’d Gallardo) but at the same time, I like how civilised it can be. No longer need to worry about waking the neighbours at 3am! It does have a very nice ‘V6’ noise when pressing on though.
I always liked the gearbox on the Exige and this is just as good to use IMO. I love being back in a good manual. Averaging 30mpg so far, which is pretty good.
Interior – The seats are the best I’ve sat in. Really comfy, and yet very supportive at the same time. The ergonomics inside however aren’t great. The steering wheel blocks a few of the dash buttons, and the mirror adjustment is a bit awkward to reach. Saying that, once they are set, they won’t be moved again. I really like the funky interior buttons and layout, it gives the car character.
The rear seats are also quite small, but I’ve had 3 of us in it a few times, and its do-able over a short journey. I wouldn’t want to spend too long in there though. Its also great for extra luggage space. We could quite happily go away over the weekend/week without worrying. The last couple of cars has always required strategic packing!
Negatives – None really so far worth noting. The rear head room would be ideal if it just had a few extra inches. The rear view isn’t great, but its ok. I find the Alpine head unit a bit fiddley but its not too bad. Its actually a great idea, having all the tech going through it, but it just seems a bit glitchy and cheap. I’ll call these all Lotus ‘quirks’.
I’ve also got a couple of negatives about buying a new Lotus experience, but I don’t really want to post them up just yet.
Overall
Very happy so far, it really is just what I wanted. I guess I’m still in the honeymoon period just now, but so far so good. The true test will be in 12 months time when I’ve been through four seasons with it. The positives far outweigh the negatives for me, and can’t wait to put some more miles on it. I’d definitely recommend anyone to go and try one out before writing it off. I love it!
Some pics
Typical roads near me!
Comments welcome
Sorry for the length!
Thanks all, I'll keep this updated as the miles climb 
Mr Purple said:
Brilliant write up , this is exactly what i want to hear being on the cusp of placing my order , real world experience good and bad. Not sure the colour is for me but it does look very tasty.
Feel free to email me if you have any questions.. Hedgerley said:
Just want to say how great the roads are up there Justin - I had a day out with half a dozen other owners last Sunday. We met at the viewpoint you've shown and went up over the Lecht and Glenshee back again. Awesome roads but a bit tricky in the wet at the speeds I had to go to keep up! And some of those single track roads are not ideal for a V8 Esprit - no wonder the Elises and Evora left me for dead....
I'm so glad those roads are just an hour away for me. Great therapy.
Indeed! I'm gutted I missed it. Joys of working I'm so glad those roads are just an hour away for me. Great therapy.
Redlake27 said:
Thanks for the write up.
I currently have a Europa 225, but still feel the need to own another car for high mileage hacking (I do 25k miles a year in total across 2 cars). I'm looking for something that does both jobs well.
My choice is to keep the hack (a 100k mile diesel Alfa 159) and either modify the Europa, buy a 10yo 996GT3, 5yo Z06 or a 5yo Maserati Gransport as a weekend toy......
....or buy either a Cayman S, Evora or M3 as my sole car.
My heart says Evora, but more reports like yours might be enough to convince the head as well!
I look forward to further updates. You might be responsible for a rare opening of my wallet.
You need to try one! Two car set up doesnt work for me, and so far the Evora is a great all rounder.I currently have a Europa 225, but still feel the need to own another car for high mileage hacking (I do 25k miles a year in total across 2 cars). I'm looking for something that does both jobs well.
My choice is to keep the hack (a 100k mile diesel Alfa 159) and either modify the Europa, buy a 10yo 996GT3, 5yo Z06 or a 5yo Maserati Gransport as a weekend toy......
....or buy either a Cayman S, Evora or M3 as my sole car.
My heart says Evora, but more reports like yours might be enough to convince the head as well!
I look forward to further updates. You might be responsible for a rare opening of my wallet.
Mag1calTrev0r said:
OP: Do you have these pictures in a larger size? I really like them and would love to pinch them (for personal use) for my screensaver
Ta!
I do, but they are on my home computer, I'll email them over next week Ta!
Bit of an update again, 6 months on from my original post/thoughts.
I’m up to 4000 miles now and the Evora feels like its loosening up quite nicely. I’ve done my first track day in it, and its quite a nice feeling being able to drive to the track in such a compliant GT car, and suddenly switch to a typical ‘Lotus’ like feeling car when on track. The car might not be as pin point as the Exige, but I’d put this down the tyres, and the weight. Performance wise there didn’t seem to be a lot between the Evora NA, and the Exige SC.
I’m finding the Evora much, much comfier for all driving than the Exige, and the seats are also more supportive.. So win-win IMO. The exhaust is starting to soot up nicely now aswell and sounding nicer as the mileage climbs.
The rear seats haven’t been used by a human since my last update, all they have been used for is shopping and luggage. They are just ever so small for a normal sized adult which is ashame.
The car has been getting plenty of positive attention which is nice. Most people don’t know what it is (I’ve removed the afterthought Evora badge from the rear).
I’ve also recently driven the SC Evora, with a half intention to upgrade if the car was much better. As an all rounder, it is absolutely superb. Few points/differences I did notice though –
Gear shift seems ‘lighter’. I’m not sure whether I preferred this to mine, but I’m told it’s a simple cable mod which can be done during my next service if I want.
There wasn’t much build quality improvements that I noticed, but the seats are noticeably softer, and this is down to the 20mm thick pads for the heated seats element..
Power is much more readily available, its very effortless. Loads of torque compared to the NA, but at the same time, it changed my driving style to lazy. Rather than reving the car (and really having fun) I found myself changing up earlier and riding the torque more.
The car was louder than mine aswell with the sports button on, which I’m told opens an exhaust valve. Nice touch as it means it also has a quiet mode!
I didn’t feel that right now, I could justify the change. I’d like the extra power, but everything else, it would just feel like the same car sitting on the driveway. I’d probably even go for the same colour again!
Biggest problem I now feel is I don’t know what I’ll change to next. The Evora is probably the best all round car I’ve owned for my needs. And as with all Lotus’, every other car after driving a Lotus feels very numb and disconnected.
I know the Evora doesn’t get the best of reviews in some of the magazines, but I’d urge people who are looking at cars such as the Cayman/911, to at least try the Evora before writing it off. All in all, very happy so far. My local dealer MMC after service has been fantastic aswell, which also helps.
And a few more pics..
I'm considering getting the roof/mirrors wrapped black..
Thoughts?
I’m up to 4000 miles now and the Evora feels like its loosening up quite nicely. I’ve done my first track day in it, and its quite a nice feeling being able to drive to the track in such a compliant GT car, and suddenly switch to a typical ‘Lotus’ like feeling car when on track. The car might not be as pin point as the Exige, but I’d put this down the tyres, and the weight. Performance wise there didn’t seem to be a lot between the Evora NA, and the Exige SC.
I’m finding the Evora much, much comfier for all driving than the Exige, and the seats are also more supportive.. So win-win IMO. The exhaust is starting to soot up nicely now aswell and sounding nicer as the mileage climbs.
The rear seats haven’t been used by a human since my last update, all they have been used for is shopping and luggage. They are just ever so small for a normal sized adult which is ashame.
The car has been getting plenty of positive attention which is nice. Most people don’t know what it is (I’ve removed the afterthought Evora badge from the rear).
I’ve also recently driven the SC Evora, with a half intention to upgrade if the car was much better. As an all rounder, it is absolutely superb. Few points/differences I did notice though –
Gear shift seems ‘lighter’. I’m not sure whether I preferred this to mine, but I’m told it’s a simple cable mod which can be done during my next service if I want.
There wasn’t much build quality improvements that I noticed, but the seats are noticeably softer, and this is down to the 20mm thick pads for the heated seats element..
Power is much more readily available, its very effortless. Loads of torque compared to the NA, but at the same time, it changed my driving style to lazy. Rather than reving the car (and really having fun) I found myself changing up earlier and riding the torque more.
The car was louder than mine aswell with the sports button on, which I’m told opens an exhaust valve. Nice touch as it means it also has a quiet mode!
I didn’t feel that right now, I could justify the change. I’d like the extra power, but everything else, it would just feel like the same car sitting on the driveway. I’d probably even go for the same colour again!
Biggest problem I now feel is I don’t know what I’ll change to next. The Evora is probably the best all round car I’ve owned for my needs. And as with all Lotus’, every other car after driving a Lotus feels very numb and disconnected.
I know the Evora doesn’t get the best of reviews in some of the magazines, but I’d urge people who are looking at cars such as the Cayman/911, to at least try the Evora before writing it off. All in all, very happy so far. My local dealer MMC after service has been fantastic aswell, which also helps.
And a few more pics..
I'm considering getting the roof/mirrors wrapped black..
Thoughts?
Superb! Which spec did you go for again.. Get some pics up when it arrives!
Slight update..
I won a competition! Maybe not in true Lotus style, but never mind
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/show-and-s...
Slight update..
I won a competition! Maybe not in true Lotus style, but never mind
http://www.polishedbliss.co.uk/acatalog/show-and-s...
Update time.
I've now had the car almost 2 years, which itself is the longest I have owned a car, which says a lot. The Evora really is a great all rounder.
Its now ticked over 10,000 miles which is pretty low for two years, but I don't use a car for work, so none of those are commuting miles. I've serviced it once, (£350) and had two rear tyres (£500 although Lotus wanted £450 EACH!)
Since the last update I've had a few small niggles sorted out, and have another couple to get sorted next time I am down at the dealership - nothing major, just the reverse camera has stopped working, which I suspect happened over the winter and has filled with water. The passenger door pin is loose and has a annoying rattle when above 50mph. Just now I just lock the door and it doesn't rattle. No show stoppers, but the trip to the garage is 250mile round trip which can become a chore!
Everything else has been great, I've been out on track again and a few people commented how good it sounded - standard with a Lotus Sports Exhaust. I'm averaging around 24mpg, but have seen 28mpg when on a long run.
Performance wise, the car is plenty fast enough, I'm finding the fun is in the corners. To me the Evora is almost a perfect compromise, the only thing it doesn't do well is carry three people. I have used the rear seats a few times, but its not ideal, handy for short journeys I guess where a 2 seater would be useless. Only other slight negative is the sound it makes. A little tame at times, but perfect for long journeys. I've been tempted by louder exhausts/decats etc, but worried it would make long distance driving a pain.
As a GT car, I would have no issues driving it any distance at all, the Recaro seats are absolutely superb! Comfy, and very supportive.
As a track car, again, given how good it is on a tour drive, its astonishing how well it works on track. My driving skills run out well before the car's does!
It never fails to bring a smile, and the attention it gets is all positive, I think the colour helps slightly. Also, thanks again to Murray Motors, they have been fantastic throughout, a complete pleasure to deal with.
However, as usual I'm still finding myself looking out for something different in the classified, and I can really find much that fits the bill. The only reason I am looking for a change is simply to try something different. It seems to boil down to the same cars, and after a tour of the usual cars/garages here are my thoughts.
Evora S IPS MY12 - New updated Evora, have not driven it yet, but given how much I like my current Evora this would be a safe choice. IPS would help make it feel a bit more different, although the overall car might be a bit too similar.
V8 Vantage - Can't get over how good these cars look, the sense of occasion, the sound.. Need I go on!
F430 - Running costs scared me. Looked at a black F1 coupe but I didn't really blow me away, maybe I was expecting too much
R8 - Need to get round to trying one ASAP.
Anyways, enough rabbling, if I can't find a car worthy of changing, I'm going to look into some slight modifications I think. Radium CAI, Exhaust, and possibly new wheels. I'm not sure. Will update again in time..
Some more pics
On the traffic cam!
Think I would also need to go for a different colour Evora.. Sienna Bronze perhaps?
I've now had the car almost 2 years, which itself is the longest I have owned a car, which says a lot. The Evora really is a great all rounder.
Its now ticked over 10,000 miles which is pretty low for two years, but I don't use a car for work, so none of those are commuting miles. I've serviced it once, (£350) and had two rear tyres (£500 although Lotus wanted £450 EACH!)
Since the last update I've had a few small niggles sorted out, and have another couple to get sorted next time I am down at the dealership - nothing major, just the reverse camera has stopped working, which I suspect happened over the winter and has filled with water. The passenger door pin is loose and has a annoying rattle when above 50mph. Just now I just lock the door and it doesn't rattle. No show stoppers, but the trip to the garage is 250mile round trip which can become a chore!
Everything else has been great, I've been out on track again and a few people commented how good it sounded - standard with a Lotus Sports Exhaust. I'm averaging around 24mpg, but have seen 28mpg when on a long run.
Performance wise, the car is plenty fast enough, I'm finding the fun is in the corners. To me the Evora is almost a perfect compromise, the only thing it doesn't do well is carry three people. I have used the rear seats a few times, but its not ideal, handy for short journeys I guess where a 2 seater would be useless. Only other slight negative is the sound it makes. A little tame at times, but perfect for long journeys. I've been tempted by louder exhausts/decats etc, but worried it would make long distance driving a pain.
As a GT car, I would have no issues driving it any distance at all, the Recaro seats are absolutely superb! Comfy, and very supportive.
As a track car, again, given how good it is on a tour drive, its astonishing how well it works on track. My driving skills run out well before the car's does!
It never fails to bring a smile, and the attention it gets is all positive, I think the colour helps slightly.
Also, thanks again to Murray Motors, they have been fantastic throughout, a complete pleasure to deal with. However, as usual I'm still finding myself looking out for something different in the classified, and I can really find much that fits the bill. The only reason I am looking for a change is simply to try something different. It seems to boil down to the same cars, and after a tour of the usual cars/garages here are my thoughts.
Evora S IPS MY12 - New updated Evora, have not driven it yet, but given how much I like my current Evora this would be a safe choice. IPS would help make it feel a bit more different, although the overall car might be a bit too similar.
V8 Vantage - Can't get over how good these cars look, the sense of occasion, the sound.. Need I go on!
F430 - Running costs scared me. Looked at a black F1 coupe but I didn't really blow me away, maybe I was expecting too much
R8 - Need to get round to trying one ASAP.
Anyways, enough rabbling, if I can't find a car worthy of changing, I'm going to look into some slight modifications I think. Radium CAI, Exhaust, and possibly new wheels. I'm not sure. Will update again in time..
Some more pics
On the traffic cam!
Think I would also need to go for a different colour Evora.. Sienna Bronze perhaps?
Gassing Station | Evora | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff