Exige standard or Supercharged

[highflyer]

Hi guys im looking to buy an Exige around 2006 upwards have a reasonable budget but just wondered if I should go for a supercharged car or standard I won't be tracking her its mainly for fast road use I did own an Atom 300 supercharged for 3 months that was the most awesome car I have driven but dont want to be dissapointed by a standard exige will I ? what are the pitfalls between the two regards reliability etc ?
thanks.

[Munkeyfeet]

i test drove the S2 exige a number of years ago and thought the non supercharged engine whilst good needed to be revved high and kept high to be fast, something which on the road I thought would be difficult (although I am sure you would learn how to maximize it) so thought the supercharged one was the way to go as that had more punch lower down.

Ended up scratching a Porsche itch at the time but always hankered after one and hence why i bought a 350 now.

Good luck with your search and best to test drive a few.

[Petrolhe4d]

Was in the same position a few months back and opted to chuck an extra few grand in the pot and get the proper SC Exige as residuals will be better and let's be honest who wants a NA when you can have a SC. Good luck with your search as not many about. In my opinion go for mileage not age. I bought an older 07 example 16k miles rather than 09 66k. All other purchasing prerequisites go without saying. Buy from enthusiast or reputable dealer.

[greenamex2]

I prefer NA to SC. You can ring its neck a bit more for the same speed, a bit more fun.

Guess it comes down to what you want.

I am starting to look at Evora's and it will be NA for the same reason.


Too many years riding 12,000+ RPM motorbikes and racing a 10,000 RPM saloon car I guess.

[Autopilot]

To be honest, the only way you'll find out is to drive both and see if the extra noise and BHP is worth the extra money. When I had my Supercharged S2, I went on a driver training day (Car Limits) where there was a mix of Lotuses there. When I ran the circuit, I had a Non-SC (standard) attached to the back of my car the whole time and I was pushing as hard as the car would allow. Despite the 30bhp deficit, on a technical track (or B road!) there was absolutely no performance advantage over the Non-SC car even in what was pretty much drag strip conditions. I dare say the SC car would edge it, but in real-world performance, I had no additional usable power.

Despite the negotiable difference in performance, I'd rather have the SC car. The additional noise (when you put a better filter and exhaust on it) is great and due to the additional torque, I personally found it a lazier drive, you can afford to not be in the right gear as it soon picks up. For me, the SC car was just nicer to drive with better power delivery and feels more dramatic inside with all the extra noise!

[Exige77]

SC, end of thread

[Leggy]

SC every time. I had an S2 SC and did a trackday at Thruxton in an Exige S2 NA and it felt underpowered.

[Dr_Rick]

I used to have an S3 Elise S, and recently test drove an S2 N/A Exige, and will confirm what others have said.

The S cars are 'lazy' drives, but the N/A required ragging to the top of the rev range to get going.

I preferred the S delivery from the 4-pot.