Test Drive: Lotus Evora

[kahmed79]

I’ve been waiting for the new Lotus Evora to be released in the U.S. for a while and finally got the chance to drive one a couple days ago. I’m excited to report that it was even better than I expected it to be. I’m a huge fan of anything Lotus and the Elise/Exige are some of the most driver oriented cars available today. However, it’s the ride/handling balance of the Esprit that I’ve always preferred. So when Lotus decided to make an all new grand touring sports car I could wait to drive it. Now there are very few cars that can be considered both GT and sports cars at the same time, the Ferrari 599/575/550 are amongst these cars.

The car that I got to drive was the launch edition Evora that has the close ratio gearbox and sports package. Xenon headlights are standard on all Evora’s. The car was equipped with an Alpine hand-held navigation system and a reverse camera. The exhaust system was standard although a sports exhaust can be installed by the dealer.

The first thing I noticed when getting in the Evora was how heavy the doors were when compared to the ones on the Elise. The seats were nice leather covered Recaro’s which looked familiar. I might have seen them in the Mazda RX-8. The quality of the interior materials and switchgear seemed pretty good. All of the buttons were solid metal and not the usual plastic covered with a metallic coating found on every single car these days.

After firing up the car I noticed how quiet the exhaust was. I would personally like a sports GT car like the Evora to have a more purposeful sound. Within the first mile of driving the car I knew it would be something really special. This is something that cannot be said about the Porsche Cayman or 997, the two cars between which the Evora is priced. The steering is nicely weighted, more like an Audi at cruising speed than a BMW. The fluid ride with amazingly well judged damping was a revelation, I couldn’t believe how well everything just flowed. The pedal placement was unusual, just like in most exotic/sports cars. However, it wasn’t the placement that irritated me, it was the initial clutch bite that made smooth getaways difficult. I guess it’s something that you get used to when you get familiar with the car but at the time I didn’t like it at all. The shift feel didn’t have the exemplary direct slack-free throws that I was expecting. It’s not horrible by any stretch of the imagination but it’s certainly not Acura NSX/Honda S2000/Porsche GT3 RS good. The steering wheel design and diameter were spot on, something that is very important in a sports car. The Chevrolet Camaro SS that I drove a few week ago had quite possibly the worst steering wheel of any performance car that I’ve driven. I could hardly get a good grip around the 3 and 9 o’clock position due to an abnormally large rim and lack of thumb indentation, surely Chevrolet didn’t intended the Camaro to be a drivers car.

The Toyota sourced V-6 is one sweet revving and sounding motor. I didn't expect the motor to be this good. I fully approve of Lotus’ choice of this engine. The Nissan V-6 in the Evora would sound too familiar with that Chewbacca sound that can be heard from the 350z/G35. Any Honda motor, although more performance oriented, would be too frantic for a finely tuned machine like the Evora. The motor isn’t overpowering but at the same time I wouldn’t want to use forced induction on it as it would ruin the perfect power deliver the stock unit has. When you rev the motor up to redline there are three shift indicator lights that sequentially light up on the tachometer, a nice feature also seen on the Lotus Exige S240.

The brakes had a nice solid feel and felt more than capable of hauling the car down. The Evora was phenomenal through the twisty roads. It was a joy to point the car with the direct steering and having the excellent damping settle the car nicely into the turns. The Evora didn’t feel nervous like a Challenge Stradale, it was actually quite relaxed and able at the same time. It was a unique driving experience that I haven’t had before. Everything about the Evora stops just shy of being hardcore and it’s because of that the Evora is able to deliver this unique driving experience.

The Lotus Evora reminded me of an Acura NSX within the first few miles of driving it. The whole car has a precision feel to it, it’s not frantic like a GT3-RS but at the same time the performance is there. You feel like you can daily drive the car without getting tired. Visibility is excellent around the front however the wide rear fenders block out a decent chunk of the side view. The rear view is just as bad as it is on the Lotus Exige, despite the glass rear window. The trunk was nicely trimmed with carpet, unlike the bare fiberglass trunk of the Elise.

Overall, I think the Lotus Evora destroys the lackluster Porsche Cayman S. Sure the Porsche is excellent as a track day tool but it lacks the character of the Evora. The Evora is quite pricey at $85K but I feel like you get a much more liveable and a better balanced car than the Cayman. I’m not even comparing the 911 to the Evora because of the different engine placement in both cars.

The Evora is such an amazing car that it made me forget about the Acura NSX and the Lotus Esprit, two cars which I absolutely love. Sure, the Evora isn’t oozing with power but that’s not what it’s all about. A good example of this is the BMW Z4 M Coupe which I drove recently. The car has too much power for its own good, you never feel comfortable using all of the power and you certainly don’t want to get near its limits. The Evora makes you feel comfortable even when you’re pushing it, thanks to the relatively modest 276 hp and 252 lb-ft of torque.

A proper sports car is all about balance and Lotus seemed to have gone one step further by blending the best virtues of a sports car and and GT car into the Evora. It’s a car that gets under your skin and you just can’t get enough of it. If I had to pay $85K for a car, any car, I would buy an Evora and that right there says it all! Sorry GT3-RS.

[AmmarFaiz]

nice review! the front sort of looks like a tesla roadster though. by the way did you post the review on the camaro SS? I want to see that

[Bilaltq]

I have a question. You say that the Evora is more liveable than the Cayman.
Do 911's feel similar in terms of liveability? If so, then I'd pick the Cayman over the Evora. I'm not a fan of the styling, and if I'd get a car that looked similar to the Tesla... I'd just get the Tesla.
That's just me though.

Great review as usual! Hoping to see what you drive next!

[salman_ksa]

The last line says quite alot about this car! Very nice review.

[MominHaq]

Once again a marvelous review!

[AmmarFaiz]

//youtu.be/http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHcLP0wvENQ

in action

[kahmed79]

Ammar

Thanks! I didn't post a review on the Camaro and probably won't. The car itself isn't very exciting to drive. The handling isn't all that special and the power is ok. It's mostly just for looks. I still have to drive the Challenger and the Mustang.

Bilal

I think the 911 can easily be considered a daily driver but i'd personally take the Evora over both the 911 and Cayman as a daily driver.

Oh btw, I drove the Genesis Coupe 2.0T. I thought the engine was too underpowered but everything else was great. I have to try the V6 soon. Also drove the Acura TL SH AWD with 6-speed manual. It had plenty of power and the lateral grip was incredible. I loved the Doppler radar weather info. Had a go in the Suzuki Kazashi as well, it's a big step up for Suzuki. I think the car would do really well in Pakistan.

Salman

Yep, you got the point!

Momin

Thanks man.

[Spano]

its a treat to watch

[kahmed79]

[kahmed79]

Here's the car in Burnt Orange.

[MominHaq]

Kahmed79: If I were to look at this car for the first time, I wouldn't believe it was worth 85k.

What do you say, does it look the part?

[kahmed79]

Kahmed79: If I were to look at this car for the first time, I wouldn't believe it was worth 85k.

What do you say, does it look the part?

You're right about that, it doesn't look exotic enough. Having said that, I love the way it looks.

[kahmed79]

Here are some interior pics.

[kahmed79]

[kahmed79]

Here's one I drove with the sport exhaust. The sport exhaust is still too quiet on idle and low revs and drones a bit at highway speeds. I'd personally stick with a standard exhaust.

[ToofaneBatameezi]

Nice write up man.

After the Espirit, this is the best looking Lotus with nothing to follow.

85k? even a M3 with DCT won't cost that much?! I would rather go for the M3 which can serve on track as well as off track.

[Hasnain3958]

wow looks great to me

[sami_voodoo]

Wow, that good huh? Reading all the magazine reviews, I had the impression that people were slightly underwhelmed by this car. Maybe it's the relatively high price? - which incidentally seems to be problem for the Noble M600 as well what with the new Mclaren coming out.

Going by your review, I'd say that it has the agility and tactility to compete with the 911 and Cayman and still be more comfortable and liveable day to day. The Toyota engine wouldn't hurt there either. And I agree, for a car like this a good wide powerband is better than a high RPM power hit. It'll make gliding over unknown roads all the much easier.

About the gearbox, I read it was from an Avensis diesel. That means it'll be tough enough to handle abuse and torque, but it might be as you said, a bit slack and imprecise.

As for the sound, these days, I'm more into induction noise than exhaust noise. With an NA V6, I suppose one can make a pretty fruity engine note. Not "GT3-RS raw", but nice and rorty.

Do you think someone who's looking at this car will also be looking at a GTR and an M3?

[kahmed79]

Wow, that good huh? Reading all the magazine reviews, I had the impression that people were slightly underwhelmed by this car. Maybe it's the relatively high price? - which incidentally seems to be problem for the Noble M600 as well what with the new Mclaren coming out.

Going by your review, I'd say that it has the agility and tactility to compete with the 911 and Cayman and still be more comfortable and liveable day to day. The Toyota engine wouldn't hurt there either. And I agree, for a car like this a good wide powerband is better than a high RPM power hit. It'll make gliding over unknown roads all the much easier.

About the gearbox, I read it was from an Avensis diesel. That means it'll be tough enough to handle abuse and torque, but it might be as you said, a bit slack and imprecise.

As for the sound, these days, I'm more into induction noise than exhaust noise. With an NA V6, I suppose one can make a pretty fruity engine note. Not "GT3-RS raw", but nice and rorty.

Do you think someone who's looking at this car will also be looking at a GTR and an M3?

The price is indeed pretty high and imo it's the only real let down. The Evora was Evo magazines car of the year.

Yeah I just read about the Avensis diesel gearbox. I guess I can't complain too much then.

Induction noise is great because you don't hear it all the time, only when you really get on it.

I don't think the M3, GTR, and Evora can be cross shopped. I think the most direct rivals of the Evora are the 911 and the Cayman. The GTR is not a true drivers car. The M3 is a great car but once you drive the Evora you'll forget about it real quick.

I drove a Ferrari California recently. The interior is beautiful but the exterior much less so. As efficient as the twin clutch gearbox is, I really don't like it. It's still manual trans first for me and then maybe a single clutch sequential. I find the single clutch boxes to be more involving with the proper soundtrack to match. The new twin clutch boxes are just making cars even more sterile. I hope the GT3 RS is never available with a DCT. On a slightly different note, I can't even begin to comprehend how amazing the upcoming GT2 RS will be.

Oh btw, i'll reply to your email soon InshaAllah.

[BMW7Series]

awesome review (Y) & nice car