Tuesday 5th May 2015

Lotus Evora: PH Buying Guide

In the market for a used Lotus Evora? Here's how to buy the best

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Lotus's move upmarket with the Evora in 2009 made sound sense. It built on the technology of the Elise and Exige models while adding more refinement and practicality to take on the Porsche Cayman and even the 911 thanks to the option of a 2+2 model.

Launch car was 280hp and manual only

Unfortunately for Lotus, launching during the grip of a recession is never easy, particularly when the Launch Edition run of 450 cars was priced at £59,000 and the base price was £47,500. Even so, the Evora was well received by the press and it has gone on to be a steady, though not fantastic, seller for Lotus.

Search for Lotus Evoras here

Offered from launch with a Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 engine, the Evora started off with 280hp in normally aspirated form and a six-speed manual gearbox. This took the Evora from 0-62mph in 5.1 seconds and on to a 162mph top speed. If you chose the optional Sport close-ratio gearbox, acceleration from rest to 62mph was unaffected as the first two gears are identical.

Sports Racer adds aggression to Evora look

A year after launch, Lotus announced the Evora S with a supercharged version of the Toyota engine that gives 350hp at 7,000rpm for 0-62mph in 4.6 seconds and a 172mph top speed. The Sport gearbox was also standard, with the IPS (Intelligent Precision Shift) six-speed automatic gearbox launched at the same time as an alternative to the manual.

On top of the 450 launch models, which were loaded with every option pack as standard, there have been several special editions. The most sought after of these is the GTE. Only six right-hand drive and 16 left hookers have been made and you can expect to pay up to £95,000 for one. At the other end of the market are early normally aspirated cars for around the £30,000 mark, or even lower. This makes the Evora a very tempting alternative to its Porsche rivals and here's what to look out for when searching.

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PHer's view:
"We regularly use the Evora for 250-mile non-stop runs, the car is very comfortable and quiet and the drive is relaxing. There is plenty of luggage space in both the 2+0 and 2+2 (using the rear seats) so extended holidays are easy in them (compared with an Elise or Exige). Both my cars have been N/A models with more than adequate performance for me (I did have an Elise SC before which was faster!)."
Alan Baker

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Buying Guide Contents:
Introduction
Powertrain
Rolling Chassis
Body
Interior

Search for Lotus Evoras here

[hughcam]

As a second hand purchase I think these are a much better way of spending £30k than the German equivalent. Top notch mechanical reliability, half the maintenance bill and an proper mini supercar look. No need for £1,000 annual warranty bill to enable a good nights sleep and fairly stable residuals - fantastic buy I recon

[jpf]

How do I buy the best?

The article says nothing about how to buy the best. What are the weak points? What should I expect to pay? Were there safety recalls?

[unsprung]

The secret sauce of this car is the Toyota-sourced engine. Lurk on German / Italian forums and cackle at the mentions of costly repairs.

The body is right out of a Bond film. If you have to go to work each day, and most of us do, why not get there with an appropriate level of fun and intrigue.

You will not arrive at the party and find your analogue already parked there.

[stuno1]

I'll hopefully be getting in to a evora s MY2012 onwards next year having considered all the other typical options. Lovely looking cars and the quality improvements as well post 2012. Hardly an informative article though.

Stu

[torqueandhorses]

one of the least informative article as buying guide this millennium
What about what to look for,known issues an proper info
Lovely motors though, may have a go soon

[Krikkit]

See one every day on the way to work, and I never get bored of it. Lovely looking thing, and sounds like it's a doddle to maintain by comparison to the usual German rivals!

[saaby93]

jpf said:

How do I buy the best?

The article says nothing about how to buy the best. What are the weak points? What should I expect to pay? Were there safety recalls?

http://www.parkers.co.uk/cars/reviews/lotus/evora/coupe/

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/lotus/evora-2...

http://www.rac.co.uk/buying-a-car/car-reviews/lotu...

[daytona365]

Sorry to be dismissive, but in effect all you're buying is one of Toyota's finest engines with a plastic bathtub plonked on top.....Though I must say it doesn't look too bad.

[flyingscot68]

daytona365 said:

Sorry to be dismissive, but in effect all you're buying is one of Toyota's finest engines with a plastic bathtub plonked on top.....Though I must say it doesn't look too bad.

Really? Guess you've not driven one then.

[stuno1]

daytona365 said:

Sorry to be dismissive, but in effect all you're buying is one of Toyota's finest engines with a plastic bathtub plonked on top.....Though I must say it doesn't look too bad.

Do you think the same of the LFA? Just because it has a very reliable, robust and tuneable Toyota engine it does not make it a Toyota car. What you are buying is a high end sports car with a reliable engine.

Stu

[roboxm3]

stuno1 said:

Do you think the same of the LFA? Just because it has a very reliable, robust and tuneable Toyota engine it does not make it a Toyota car. What you are buying is a high end sports car with a reliable engine.

Stu

I thought the LFA was a Yamaha engine??

[daytona365]

flyingscot68 said:

daytona365 said:

Sorry to be dismissive, but in effect all you're buying is one of Toyota's finest engines with a plastic bathtub plonked on top.....Though I must say it doesn't look too bad.

Really? Guess you've not driven one then.

....Can't afford one. Still have an opinion though.

[HustleRussell]

daytona365 said:

Still have an opinion though.

Well done, good for you. I'm sure everybody here found your observations about the origin of the engine and the material used to contruct the body very witty.

[daytona365]

Why thank you sir, though Id prefer 'informative'.

[Lazydonkey]

torqueandhorses said:

one of the least informative article as buying guide this millennium
What about what to look for,known issues an proper info
Lovely motors though, may have a go soon

There aren't many issues and each of them was covered in the article. Only bit i didn't notice on a quick skim was the difference between CR box and the standard "long" box.

I've done 10k (taking me to 40k) since June and only had the air con fault mentioned in the article.

[HustleRussell]

daytona365 said:

Why thank you sir, though Id prefer 'informative'.

I'm sure you would- however, miraculously you managed to be less informative than the article itself.

[saaby93]

HustleRussell said:

I'm sure you would- however, miraculously you managed to be less informative than the article itself.

I was thinking the same

He's not too far wrong though



Does it need bumpers, or something similar to bumpers?
Maybe the number plate moved to the top of the opening

[Lazydonkey]

The front doesn't photograph well IMHO.

In the flesh / plastic it looks much better

[XBOW]

Great cars

Had the S model for approx 6k miles over 9 months, used as a daily driver. Remarkably comfortable for a sports car.

Bought from Lotus Silverstone who were great to deal with. Did encounter problems with water ingress into the boot and front footwell, but all sorted by the dealer. Being a 2011 car I found the gear change too stiff. Had the 2012 cable change and completely transofrmed the feel of the gearbox.

The £200'ish decat to the back box is a no brainier for a meatier exhaust note. Drive by vid http://youtu.be/kWdGKVI9vq8

Re clutch, what isn't mentioned in the article is the potential 40hr labour to change it ! Some indies have reputedly shortened this process but best to budget £3k for a new clutch.

About £300 gets you a sports racer look with vinyl wrap (black roof, sills and splitter) which works really well with the lairy colours.

I tried the IPS model but although the actual gear change is quick, the time it takes from pulling the paddles to actually initiating the change is embarrassing for a sports car.

The car always got a positive response on the road and expect people to ask about the car when you fill up with petrol. Funnily enough the majority of people have never seen one before.

One of the few cars I've owned that still feels an event when driving at sensible speeds

Overall really enjoyed the ownership of an Evora and wouldn't mind another if the right one came up. Any true petrol head should take one for a test drive

Edited by XBOW on Monday 4th May 10:15

[samoht]

daytona365 said:

Sorry to be dismissive, but in effect all you're buying is one of Toyota's finest engines with a plastic bathtub plonked on top.....Though I must say it doesn't look too bad.

Quite an insightful comment IMHO - not about the car, but gives a good insight into the perspective of the 95% of the market who don't actually know or care about handling and ride, and just want a German tank with the right badge.

It's thinking like this which explains why you see Porsches every day, while I've seen approx four Evoras ever on the road.