2012 Lotus Evora Reviews

Porsche Cayman S and Lotus Evora S go head-to-head in this comparative review.

When you're the sort of carmaker that goes 15 years without a fresh model line, then the wheels you eventually roll out are going to get a lot of scrutiny. So it is the Lotus Evora, which went on sale here in January. The Evora moves Lotus away from sole reliance on the Elise in all its guises, and means the British brand has something up-market and comfortable to offer.Unlike the tiny track-focused Elise (and hardtop Exige variant), the Evora is sufficiently civilised for the daily commute: a rival for the class benchmark, the Porsche 911, only more exclusive. Or at least that's the theory. The reality is a bit more complicated.The good news about the Evora is that it feels utterly like a Lotus. Unfortunately, the bad news is also that it feels utterly like a Lotus. The Evora is Lotus's first proper crack at a luxury model since the Esprit was finally deleted nearly a decade ago.I have never so much as sat in an Esprit, so I've no idea what the Lotus track record is like at the elite end of the market. However, it's immediately obvious that the Evora has the same non-mainstream feel that distinguishes the Elise. There are compromises here that volume carmakers have long since left behind.For example, in supercharged versions of the Elise and Exige, rear vision is almost nonexistent thanks to the engine plumbing. It can make life awkward, but oddly it's also part of the charm.I didn't expect to find a similar problem in the Evora, in which half the tiny rear window is obscured by the engine. At this level, that doesn't feel good enough. It adds a layer of difficulty to the usual problems of seeing out of a coupe which here, as usual, involve reflections off the dashboard on to the front glass.To solve the rear vision problem, the Evora can be fitted with a rear camera and parking sensors. These come bundled into one of the three options packs, and the test car -- in common with the first 1000 Launch Edition cars -- was fitted with the lot.On a normal Evora, that would nudge the price up to almost $200,000, where the alternatives for buyers get really interesting. Desirable performance cars from all the German brands would leave you with change.Of course, you could buy the Evora without all the trimmings. A stripped-out Elise is still an appealing prospect because it's essentially a toy. However, I couldn't imagine buying an Evora without most of the goodies. And then the problem becomes that some of the goodies aren't very good.Chief among them is the premium Alpine satnav and audio system, which looks after-market and has poorly resolved graphics, screen-saver aside. It's part touchscreen, part button-operated and simple things -- adjusting volume, for example -- are a pain. The buttons are minuscule and the system logic inscrutable. This $8200 option is bundled with cruise control, parking sensors and Bluetooth for the phone, all of which would be difficult to do without.Something I could probably do without are the rear seats, which cost another $7000. They are useless for adults or children larger than infants, and even then I wouldn't want the job of installing them. They work for luggage, although cargo space is what you get anyway if you don't tick the box.It's certainly handy to have space behind the seats because other storage options, boot included, are small. Supposedly, the boot has aircon channelled through it to prevent the engine cooking your shopping. Unfortunately, it doesn't work.The luxury option pack adds more leather to the cabin and it's offset by good-looking metal dash trim plus one or two classy ingredients, such as the gearstick. But many other bits, such as the pedals and vents, appear to have been carried over from the Elise and the quality of finish still trails the mainstream, with a poorly fitting passenger airbag cover in the car I drove.Unique to the Evora is a steering wheel that adjusts in two directions and aircon with settings other than hurricane and off. The seats adjust only for distance and backrest angle, but these Recaros are comfortable all day.The main driving position problem involves the pedals, which are offset towards the centre of the car in a way most makers can avoid these days. The clutch has a fairly strong spring, the gearshift action is mechanical and the brake pedal has extremely short travel. But they are nicely grouped and pleasing to use with a little familiarity.The steering wheel is suitably small and hydraulic assistance means that, unlike the Elise, the Evora doesn't have to be wrestled into a parking spot.However, the instruments are awkward to read, with speedo increments at 30km/h, 60km/h and so on, then a halfway mark between. Does this indicate 45km/h? Tiny red display panels on either side of the dials are difficult to see in any light conditions and the trip computer functions they display are rudimentary. Also irritating are windows that don't drop all the way into the doors, or auto-up.Getting into an Elise is impossible for many and, although the Evora sills are narrower, ingress will still be a challenge for some because it's so low to the ground.One big lift over the smaller Lotus cars involves interior refinement, with much less engine noise in the cabin. There's tyre roar and thump and occasional metallic thunks, but fewer of them and they're less noticeable.Ride is another advance, with a sophisticated feel that's on the acceptable side of brittle for a sports car.  Despite this, the Evora would be frustrating to live with day-to-day and the difference between it and an Elise is a matter of degree, rather than kind.Of course, that's also the good news. Take the Evora on a long country drive and you won't want to get out. On the right road at around the legal limit, the Evora comes alive.The chassis is gorgeous and seems to respond intuitively to small inputs from the throttle and steering. It quickly adopts a balanced stance for fizzing around bends without any effort from the driver.There's a delicacy to its movements that's every bit as engaging as an Elise, only the Evora has more poise and feels less frenetic.  The Evora is also less inclined to transfer kickback through the steering wheel or get bumped off line.The Evora's aluminium chassis is derived from the one developed for the Elise, and it also has double wishbone suspension all round.  The Evora is heavy by Lotus standards, at 1380kg, but light by the standards of everyone else, thanks to aluminium panels and a composite roof.The Evora continues Lotus's association with Toyota engines, only this time it's the 3.5-litre V6 from the Aurion and Kluger. It lacks the feistiness of the four-cylinder units supercharged by Lotus for the Elise/Exige, as well as some of their pace, with a 5.1 second time to 100km/h against low fours.However, the engine sounds really sweet when given its head and pulls in a nice linear fashion to a maximum speed of 261km/h, according to the company.  Opt for the sport pack, and there's a switchable sports mode that sharpens the throttle response, increases the rev limit and sets higher thresholds for the electronic intervention systems. It also brings sports tailpipes and an engine oil cooler, plus cross-drilled discs for the four-piston AP Racing calipers.The exterior design is pure Lotus, with Coke-bottle sides and a wraparound look to the glass. The rear is wide and houses 19-inch alloys against 18s at the front, giving the car a great road stance. It's unmistakeable. It will be much rarer than most of its rivals with a production run of 2000 a year and just 40 destined for Australia.  The Evora is too desirable to fail, but as a grand tourer it makes a great sportscar. Even by elite standards, it's a bit rich putting things such as power mirrors on the options list and some of the compromises, and letdowns, are unavoidable. Which makes a 911 the sensible choice. Only now, having driven the Evora, I'd have to have one of each.

Only 40-odd lucky Australian buyers will get the chance to slide into Lotus's most ambitious new model in years, the Evora 2+2.  Globally it will be the company's most desirable car, with just 2000 being built this year.Some cars already have names to them and Lotus Cars Australia general manager sales and marketing, Jonathan Stretton, says anyone ordering now will have a six-month wait.The newest Lotus, which flew by the codename of Project Eagle during its development, is the company's break-through car.  Its brief is to go head-to-head against some fancied German rivals, particularly the benchmark Porsche Cayman.Stretton wants the Evora to attract new customers to the brand.  "We're hoping to lure buyers across from other premium brands," he says.  The car's small production number is a key component important for the car's image, he says.  "It is a low-volume car so it is something that will stand out from the crowd," he says.  The cost of that exclusivity is $149,990 for the two-seater and $156,990 for the 2+2.Although the Evora is more than sum of its parts, some the pieces that go into the mid-engine sportscar are not so exclusive.  The engine is a Japanese 3.5-litre V6 that will be familiar to Toyota Aurion drivers.However, Lotus has tweaked the V6 so it now pumps out 206kW/350Nm with the help of a remapped engine management system, freer flowing exhaust and Lotus designed racing flywheel and AP Racing clutch.  Unlike the Aurion, the car gets a six-speed manual gearbox from a UK-model Toyota Avensis diesel.  A six-speed sequential automatic with paddle shifters is not due to arrive until later this year.Sourcing a well respected drivetrain has its advantages.  The car's light weight and composite bonded body panels helps deliver a combined fuel economy figure of 8.7 litres/100km from the V6.  Even the flat bottom steering wheel is made from forged magnesium to reduce weight and the interia of the wheel.As expected of a sportscar the suspension uses light-weight forged double wishbone suspension, Eibach springs and Bilstein dampers tuned by Lotus.  Engineers have also stuck with a hydraulically assisted power steering setup in favour of an electric system.Stretton says the Evora will also allow existing Lotus owners to upgrade into a bigger, more refined car.  "It will also help broaden the audience," he says.  Initial cars will come fully loaded in "launch edition" specification which includes tech pack, sports pack, bi-xenon headlights, premium audio system, reversing camera and electric mirrors.The tech pack is normally $8200 and the sports pack $3095.  Despite its compact dimensions - it's 559mm longer than an Elise - the mid-engine 3.5-litre V6 is a true 2+2, with rear seats large enough to accommodate smaller folk in the back and soft luggage in a 160 litre boot.  "It also has a proper boot and is more accommodating that some of its competitors," Stretton says.Visually the Evora takes some design cues from the Elise but at the front has a more modern take on the Lotus grille and headights.  Lotus executive engineer, Matthew Becker, admits there are elements of the famous Lancia Stratos rally cars in the Evora's design."One of the key elements was not to make the car too big," he says.  To ensure it has enough room for four, the Evora is 559mm longer, slightly wider and higher and sits on a 275mm longer wheelbase than the Elise.  The chassis uses the same structure as the Elise, which is extruded aluminium but is longer, wider stiffer and safer."The Elise chassis was designed 15 years ago," Becker says.  "So we've taken the good bits of that chassis and developed it."  The car is the first example to use Lotus's low volume versatile vehicle architecture and is expected to support more models in coming years.It uses removable front and rear subframes so they can be replace and repaired easily after an accident.  Three other new Lotus models, including the 2011 Esprit, are expected to use a similar platform over the next five years.Lotus has always held aspirations beyond just being a small niche sportscar carmaker. And while we love driving the Elise and Exige they will never crossover into the mainstream.  They are pure sportscars for hard-core enthusiasts. Weekend warriors.The Evora is a very different proposition.  It has been designed with comfort in mind without sacrificing the Lotus pedigree for performance and handling.  Every aspect that marks the Elise and Exige down for occupants has been addressed in the Evora.  The sills are lower and slimmer and the doors are taller and open wider, making entry and exits less of a contortionist's nightmare.It looks like a serious sportscar but Lotus recognises that to compete against the likes of a Porsche Boxster, it has to be more user friendly.  They have succeeded.  Slipping into the Evora is like putting on a well-tailored Armani suit. It fits very well yet in a snug, reassuring way.Once seated in the hip-hugging sports seats there is still plenty of leg and headroom without any sense of claustrophobia.  That's the first hurdle overcome.  The second hurdle is the hugely variable quality of past Lotuses and their "kit-car" reputation.  The Evora goes a long way to dispel such preconceptions.Design-wise it feels different to a thoroughly efficient and Germanic Boxster. Probably our only gripe about the interior is that some of the minor switchgear still feels as if it's come for a Toyota parts-bin.  But the quality is the best we've seen from the British carmaker for ages, from the headlining to the well-crafted leather seats.All is forgiven though when you turn the key and hit the road.  The steering is sharp, there is a good balance between ride and handling and the mid-engine V6 has a sweet note.  Like some of its rivals, the Evora gets a "sports" setting, which heightens driver involvement by limiting some of the in-built safety nannies.Lotus has wisely stuck with a hydraulic steering rack, rather than an electric system, for better feel and feedback.  Like the Elise, the Evora benefits from lightweight high-tech manufacturing technology, which is the key to the car's sparkling performance.At 1380kg the low-slung sportscar is on a par with average Japanese hatch, yet the worked over Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre six provides plenty of grunt.  The six is efficient and smooth, delivering seamless power and plenty of low-down urge that builds quickly once the revs go beyond 4000 revs.On full song, the engine has a wonderful note yet at highway speeds it is composed and quiet.  For some enthusiasts, the V6 might not have a big enough soundtrack to identify it as a car that hits 100km/h in 5.1 seconds or reach 261km/h but the crispness and urgency of the six's delivery is still impressive.Equally impressive are the massive brakes - 350mm front and 330mm rear - and grip from the Pirelli P-Zero tyres.  The V6 is mated to a Lotus-tweaked Toyota-sourced six-speed manual gearbox.  At first the gearshift feels a little notchy between first and second but familiarity helps smooths the changes.Once mastered, you can confidently push the Evora well beyond normal handling threshholds.  We didn't get anywhere near the car's very high dynamic limits.  Yet even without sports mode activated, it remains utterly entertaining.There is no doubt the Evora feels like a more grown up Elise.  It might just have enough cache to lure some performance buyers across from the more established German brands.  It is an every day Lotus you can finally live with.