V6 vs i4:
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Lotus Emira
- Thread starter 2slow2speed
- Start date
Leno video also out today.
I put a deposit down as soon as I saw the reveal (a month or two after the official reveal). The look reminded me of the original NSX. Its been a long road and quite disappointing from a communication perspective and it'll be a year late from my original delivery estimate of 2 years (and $11k more). Not thrilled with the problems that some of the early cars have had but hopeful the US cars will be better sorted. There are things I dont like such as the dash/gauges.
I've had two separate test drives and drove the car around the Hethel test track (in June). It drives great and does give the feel of the NSX I had which I really loved. I got a V6 first edition allocation and my car is supposed to be built in Feb 24. Doubtful they'll be on time...again. Wish Acura had made this car.
I've had two separate test drives and drove the car around the Hethel test track (in June). It drives great and does give the feel of the NSX I had which I really loved. I got a V6 first edition allocation and my car is supposed to be built in Feb 24. Doubtful they'll be on time...again. Wish Acura had made this car.
- Joined
- 13 June 2020
- Messages
- 162
I own a 97 Esprit V8. While I understand the allure of owning a First Edition car for investment purposes, Lotus is probably the last manufacturer that I would take a chance with on a brand new first edition car. There's going to be all kinds of issues with that car in the first two years. My Esprit was the second year of the V8 and it still had all kinds of manufacturing issues, to the point where the engine blew up at 26k miles and had to be rebuilt (and the rebuilder fixed a lot of the design flaws, like the intermediate shaft gears backing themselves out, although not sure if that's what caused my engine to fail). I love my Esprit but Lotus quality was terrible, I know it was better with the Evora but I still would never buy the first two MY Evora (wouldn't want them anyway since they were NA, but that's beside the point).
Funny story, So I will always remember, my student at Pocono who came with a nice TT esprit V8.
South course so top speeds just cresting 100 mph..any who he was doing well and at various points during his laps the car decided to shed itself of passenger wiper and side mirror....Lol..
South course so top speeds just cresting 100 mph..any who he was doing well and at various points during his laps the car decided to shed itself of passenger wiper and side mirror....Lol..
Did you get to drive the Emira at Log42? It looked like a very modern interface with cupholders. I'm sure it drives just as well as the Evora but looks bigger and has no manual parking brake.
The thing about Lotus cars is that there is a lot to love about them and a lot to hate. Despite all their problems we still love them more because they are fantastic sports cars. I would imagine the same is true for many of our older German car lovers even though they have tons of problems. The opposite is true for Tesla owners. The moment they encounter problems they abandon the brand because the cars really had nothing much to offer in the first place beyond the financial feasibility.
- Joined
- 13 June 2020
- Messages
- 162
Unfortunately, no test drives of the Emira during LOG42, although we were allowed to sit in it.
However, it was the first time I've driven the Tail Of The Dragon in the Esprit V8. I made a total of 3 southbound passes, and 2 northbound passes, so was able to form a really good comparison to the NSX. I was expecting it to be a far lesser experience than the NSX, as I expected the NSX suspension and handling to be superior. I somehow forgot that Lotus has made their name with suspension tuning for a lot of other brands. So against my expectations, the Esprit was wonderful in the mountain roads, and way superior to the NSX coming out of the turns. My rebuilt V8 engine is probably putting down close to 400hp to the crank, while my NSX C30A is 250hp (automatic). Also the Esprit tires are much wider (255 up front, 295 in rear), so that extra power went to the ground really well. So coming out of each turn, the Esprit was immediately pulling when I hit the throttle, while the NSX was just starting to pull when I had to let off for the next turn. Had much more tire squeal with the Esprit going into and thru the turns, but that could be a number of reasons, as I definitely felt like I could push a little harder, and the two cars have different manufacturer & model of tires. The Esprit had a little more understeer, my right side tires definitely went wide a couple of times and caused me to wiggle, but the wider tires also helped me recover quickly each time, and the understeer was probably because I felt like I could push on the straights a little more than the NSX. And even with all this, I still could not keep up with the Elise and Evora thru the Dragon, I watched them slowly disappear. On another mountain road we drove, the Esprit V8 ahead of me tried to stay with the Elise and Evora and ended up doing a 180 on a curve, so I made sure I was staying within my own limits.
The Emira V6 will put out similar power as my V8, but supercharged as opposed to my twin turbos. So would my Lotus experience be the same with an Emira? Don't know. I'm guessing the Emira experience will more closely compare to the Evora S/4xx experience.
I'm also now wondering if I should supercharge my C30A, as that extra power made a world of difference, and I think would give me the better driving experience I'm looking for in the NSX.
