S2 Exige vs Elise 111S

[Darren888]

Hi,

Hoping to sell my S2 elise 111S this weekend and possibly thinking of replacing with a S2 Exige. (non supercharged version)

Firstly, on paper the 0-60 is closely matched (i think) between the exige (non s) vs elise 111s - Am i going to notice a difference in performance or experience? Anyone have experience of both cars.

Secondly, Anyone looking to sell a cheap s2 exige please give me a message? (budget is on the low end)

Thanks ALL.

[Phil S1]

Sim@n looks to have a non-supercharged Exige for sale, not sure where that sits with your budget...

http://fulwoodmotorcompany.com/car_detail.cfm?id=593

He's a top bloke and Lotus enthusiast...give him a call.

[Jonathan E]

I doubt you’ll see much difference in performance if anything at all. More horses on the Exige but the weight has a big affect. I went 111s to 111r, these days I’m back in a 111s. Says it all really😉

[jonnyfox]

Buy the Exige! I would so buy another 190 NA tomorrow if I had the garage space. Not driven a 111S but I would definitely test drive an Exige. Simon's looks lovely. 

[richbk]

Hi Darren.

Welcome to MLOC.

I ran a standard k series Elise for 5 years before swopping to my current NA exige 8 years ago. The power on my Elise was obviously lower than the 111s but the delivery was similar.

Experience wise the exige feels a more track focused as a car, wider wheels, more grip and aero, but on the road the performance proberbly wont feel that much different.

What will feel different is the engine and delivery of power. You need to rev the NA cars to get the performance, but when you do, and hit the second cam it really makes you smile and keep chasing it. I had the cam point dropped via the lotus ecu flash from 6250 to 5750, which doesn't sound much, but it makes a big difference when making progress and overtaking on roads. it also flattens out the cam change a little which smooths the transition a little, which is no bad thing, as it can feel a bit too on / off, if that makes sense.

The toyota engine isnt very characterful, but the addition of a tubular (or similar) exhaust helps the noise a lot and the breathing a little with an air intake upgrade along side it.

I miss open top motoring in my elise, but have bought a succession of cheap(ish) summer sports cars for that buzz which i buy carefully, improve and sell on when i fancy a change. i have had an alfa spider, Honda S2000 and currently 987 boxster S and am in profit on those if you ignore fuel and insurance.

But what i wont be doing is selling the exige as it gives me more smiles per mile than any other car i have driven.

Power wise I know we all like more BHP, but i am constantly amazed when we do a hassop meet how the standard S1 and S2 elises  more than keep pace with S2 exige S's and near 400BHP exige and evora S3's, at sensible, but enthusiastic road speeds. If you fancy doing a few track days the exige is very well suited.

 For me if you fancy a change, go for it, the driving experience is definitely different and if you dont like it you can sell it and know you wont lose any money and go back to an elise.

 

I am based at Blackbrook mid week and some weekends and will have the exige mot'd and taxed by end of next week, so if you want to have a short run out in the exige i am sure we could sort something 

 

Happy shopping

 

Richard

 

 

[The Cakes]

Good post Richard, says about all. I’ve had a 111S, N/A Exige and a supercharged Exige and if I’m honest I thought the N/A Exige was perfect for the road. I even preferred it to the S which was a 260. It was just more useable. 111S was a great car too but I wanted the looks of the Exige. I had the soft top conversion so you still get the best of both worlds. Out of all the Lotus I’ve owned i still think the S2 Exige’s are the best. Just great cars.

[jonnyfox]

I think the event of owning a characterful NA car will be something worth keeping in the locker in years to come. 

[scatty]

Looks wise, I reckon the exige wins. 😀

[DeanB]

I know Simon's blue Exige.  It's a very nice, straight, un-molested car.

[duncx]

My thoughts, my first Elise was an S2 111S and to be honest I found it a bit disappointing, just not very exciting.  My next Lotus was a 111R (same engine as the NA Exige) and I loved it - everything and more that a real sports car should be. I think this is due to my driving style, I love stirring the gearbox and an engine that revs - I'm an old git so it reminds me of the days when a peaky/cammy engine was the best way to get power  The Toyota engined cars are a bit heavier but I couldn't notice any difference tbh and they come with servo brakes which I much preferred.

Having said all that you need to drive a 111R or Exige na to see how you get on with it. Some people really dislike the peaky power delivery.

Good hunting

edit: and whatever Lotus you get make sure you bring it to Lotus in the Peak!!!!!

 

[DeanB]

Dunc prefers a brake servo but don't read too much in to that as he's got very skinny, feeble legs  🙂

[Alex B]

On 04/04/2019 at 08:52, jonnyfox said:

Buy the Exige! I would so buy another 190 NA tomorrow if I had the garage space. Not driven a 111S but I would definitely test drive an Exige. Simon's looks lovely. 

Your na Exige 😍😍😍 it sure was a thing of beauty. 

[jonnyfox]

55 minutes ago, Alex B said:

Your na Exige 😍😍😍 it sure was a thing of beauty. 

Fun while it lasted 🤷‍♂️

[Daveb99]

Different cars here, as I have an S1 Elise Sport 160 (well......co-owned), and an Exige V6.  The S160 is peaky with hot cams and needs to be revved to 6500+ to deliver full satisfaction (which I love), with no brake servos etc of course either.    The Exige, being supercharged, is totally different with tonnes of torque, and can be too much for the road - so you have to keep an eye on your speed far more often.

I haven't driven an S2 Exige but I'd imagine the comparison with an S2 111S is not that dissimilar in terms of supercharged vs NA.    There's something about extracting the power from an NA engine, working hard, overall it probably puts a bigger smile on my face...

[Alex B]

I'd try for a supercharged car if you can because that charger whine is mega.