Finally had my Emira experience at Hethel

[Elisemadray]

So Yesterday I finally got to drive the Emira on Track at Hethel  

Here are my thoughts, let's get my not so great bits out the way first I went, out in two cars and I would have to say the interiors are a little underealming but not a deal breaker I managed to send both cars into Limp mode so a slight concern on reliability although both cars were pre production units, the looks of the car have been a little over egged and from some angles looked like the bonnet has had a front end crash and crumpled the bonnet but overall a stunning car, we did the factory visit and I saw an all Hethel yellow model with black wheels and immediately fell in love with it no black roof for me, now the great stuff the car had amazing ability on track and Hethel is a fairly technical circuit, the steering is very precise with a great feel now I don't have the best track ability but the car forgave and helped me find my limits even in the hairpin the car stayed very flat next to no roll the steering light but precise, fantastic torque really helps you push on, some people are going to be a little disappointed with the mid to higher-end acceleration but it is seriously fast enough the brakes are a joy so at first I was braking to early until I discovered their stopping ability which is immense ! would I score the car a 10? no but that's not going to stop me buying one overall a great car and will stand out from the crowd  I should also mention I was out on track with former F1 driver Martin Donnelly that really added to the experience and Coached and help me enjoy the cars ability   the man is a legend!!!

I then had the good fortune to get a Pic of the Emira GT4 as they took the cover of to move it  

[Daveb99]

Sounds a bit mixed, like you were a tad disappointed overall Ray?

[Elisemadray]

12 minutes ago, Daveb99 said:

Sounds a bit mixed, like you were a tad disappointed overall Ray?

no not disappointed at all but you have to be realistic all cars have good and bad points , I Luv my Elise is it perfect? No  I would not be putting my money down if I was disappointed with it but is it perfect NO reviews should be Honest  good and bad it is shocking how good its ability is 

 

 

[duncx]

51 minutes ago, Elisemadray said:

  .......from some angles looked like the bonnet has had a front end crash and crumpled the bonnet ....  

:This must be the quote of the year!

Funny thing is I know what you mean about over egged Ray - when I went to the Emira roadshow at Central Lotus I looked at the Seneca Blue Emira under the showroom spotlights and I thought to myself 'yes, very nice'. Then I went outside and there were three Exige V6 parked in a row and I thought to myself 'phoaaar! Look at those beauties!' I genuinely think that the Elise and the Exige are both better looking cars than the Emira.

[Elisemadray]

5 minutes ago, duncx said:

:This must be the quote of the year!

Funny thing is I know what you mean about over egged Ray - when I went to the Emira roadshow at Central Lotus I looked at the Seneca Blue Emira under the showroom spotlights and I thought to myself 'yes, very nice'. Then I went outside and there were three Exige V6 parked in a row and I thought to myself 'phoaaar! Look at those beauties!' I genuinely think that the Elise and the Exige are both better looking cars than the Emira.

The thing you will luv is the cars on road ability  Lotus really have waved their magic wand at it,  I kid you not when I say you will never have drove a car with such poise and sport ability I drove the Sport and the Touring very little difference but due to the tires and slightly different set up I will be going for the touring  if you follow through and buy one Dunc I promise you will be amazed how well it drives  

 

 

[Daveb99]

48 minutes ago, Elisemadray said:

The thing you will luv is the cars on road ability  Lotus really have waved their magic wand at it,  I kid you not when I say you will never have drove a car with such poise and sport ability I drove the Sport and the Touring very little difference but due to the tires and slightly different set up I will be going for the touring  if you follow through and buy one Dunc I promise you will be amazed how well it drives  

 

 

Did you drive it on the road Ray, or just on track?   I reckon you’d notice a much bigger difference between Tour and Sport chassis on the road.

The poise and ability comment is interesting, the “boring, common and ugly” Cayman still has it beat in most reviews - but let’s not go there again 😂😂😂

I still want an Emira though. I think they are stunning to be honest.  I’ve seen about 7 in the flesh and sat in 4 different ones (but never driven one - yet).  One day, when they are £45k used, I’ll pick up a bargain 👍🏻

[Elisemadray]

8 hours ago, Daveb99 said:

Did you drive it on the road Ray, or just on track?   I reckon you’d notice a much bigger difference between Tour and Sport chassis on the road.

The poise and ability comment is interesting, the “boring, common and ugly” Cayman still has it beat in most reviews - but let’s not go there again 😂😂😂

I still want an Emira though. I think they are stunning to be honest.  I’ve seen about 7 in the flesh and sat in 4 different ones (but never driven one - yet).  One day, when they are £45k used, I’ll pick up a bargain 👍🏻

How did the Cayman get into this conversation? beats me,  oh you own one so it has to be good 🤣🤣🤣

[Daveb99]

28 minutes ago, Elisemadray said:

How did the Cayman get into this conversation? beats me,  oh you own one so it has to be good 🤣🤣🤣

Just saying that there are other cars out there in the same price range with the same (if not greater) depth of ability.  I think sometimes we are a bit blindfolded as Lotus addicts - I certainly have been until recently, having owned 11 of them.   I remember Drage saying the same to me last year during the Hethel trip.    I took mine out last night and properly wrung it’s neck, and it is absolutely mighty - I can see why it has been the benchmark.  

As you say though, they all have their good and bad points.   The Emira has it on looks and rarity all day long - and steering feel 👍🏻

I promise I won’t mention the Emira’s nemesis again Ray!   Oh, and I’m very envious of you having Martin Donnelly as an instructor…

[Phil Hutchins]

Any sign of the i4 making an appearance yet, Ray?

And what did you think of the ‘new’ factory production lines?

[duncx]

The 'touring vs sport' suspension dilema is an interesting one. I was told by Scott Walker that the sport suspension would be very similar to the Evora GT 410 Sport - luckily Oakmere had one of these in stock and they let me have a test drive to check out the suspension feel. I took it down some bumpy roads and it felt capable but no way did it feel too harsh or crashy. I immediately decided that I wouldn't be interested in the touring suspension, I suspect that it would feel too soft for my tastes. However, every single comment from Lotus themselves says 'sport for the track, touring for the road', and most road tests say the same - the Harry's Garage roadtest was pretty clear about this.

And then there's the i4 vs V6 question. I'm ok with the V6 engine, it's a bit long in the tooth but it sounds great and it's a solid performer with a known reliability history. But let's face it, at best the manual V6 box/clutch combo is nothing special, at worst it's sadly a bit shit! I don't know if Lotus have done anything to improve this on the Emira, I suspect not. The i4, fascinating engine, built from the scratch for performance. I expect that the i4 Emira will feel a lot more special (engine note aside) than it's mere 360hp might suggest. Although it might be only a bit lighter then the V6 overall, the weight will be centered a lot lower down and any weight saving at all (aluminium engine cradle!) at the rear of the car will be a big bonus. However (there's always a however ), what about the DCT box? Yes, they are brilliant, but is it what we want in a pure drivers' car?

For the moment I'm happy to leave my deposit in the Bank of Lotus, my name is currently on the list for a FE i4, although I will probably change it for a base i4 if (and it's a big IF) they keep the entry price at £60K. No idea on delivery, even for an FE, it looks like March 2023 at the earliest. I will be watching with interest for the roadtests on the i4

 

[Boo 111S]

15 hours ago, Elisemadray said:

So Yesterday I finally got to drive the Emira on Track at Hethel  

Here are my thoughts, let's get my not so great bits out the way first I went, out in two cars and I would have to say the interiors are a little underealming but not a deal breaker I managed to send both cars into Limp mode so a slight concern on reliability although both cars were pre production units, the looks of the car have been a little over egged and from some angles looked like the bonnet has had a front end crash and crumpled the bonnet but overall a stunning car, we did the factory visit and I saw an all Hethel yellow model with black wheels and immediately fell in love with it no black roof for me, now the great stuff the car had amazing ability on track and Hethel is a fairly technical circuit, the steering is very precise with a great feel now I don't have the best track ability but the car forgave and helped me find my limits even in the hairpin the car stayed very flat next to no roll the steering light but precise, fantastic torque really helps you push on, some people are going to be a little disappointed with the mid to higher-end acceleration but it is seriously fast enough the brakes are a joy so at first I was braking to early until I discovered their stopping ability which is immense ! would I score the car a 10? no but that's not going to stop me buying one overall a great car and will stand out from the crowd  I should also mention I was out on track with former F1 driver Martin Donnelly that really added to the experience and Coached and help me enjoy the cars ability   the man is a legend!!!

I then had the good fortune to get a Pic of the Emira GT4 as they took the cover of to move it  

Sounds like you had a great time Ray, the fact that you have chosen your colour combination gives it away, it must be a fantastic car. Look forward to following you on a Tick run!

[Elisemadray]

6 hours ago, Phil Hutchins said:

Any sign of the i4 making an appearance yet, Ray?

And what did you think of the ‘new’ factory production lines?

no sign of the i4 yet Phil, the production line has been very modernised with the latest robots to help and a state of the art award winning Paint shop it was impressive, at the moment they are suffering from the supply chain as are all the other manufacturers so have cars ready but for the last little touches so they can get the legals signed off and start getting them out

to touch on the suspension even Martin Donnelly said unless your buying it for the track there is not a lot of point buying the sport set up as there is so little difference other than a slight tweek in firmness which in feel is offset by the set up so the main difference is the tyres  so sticky Pilotsport 2's for Sport or Goodyear Eagles for the touring, Goodyear have developed these tyres specifically for the Emira ( check out the Goodyear info)  it was a dry warm day   so not the best to compare them both but the sport was very slightly firmer and if you want to be on track that with the P2's would be the way to go, if like me mainly on road may do a odd track day I think the touring would be the way to go, I dont know how true this is as I did not drive an Evora and an Emira back to back but Martin Donnelly said the Evora has more movement of Weight in the back end, what I can say is I really pushed it through the chicane and the back stayed flat!! I was pretty amazed   so it is going to be touring for me, I could never match the Sports ability on track anyway🤣

[Elisemadray]

 link to Good year Eagle Tyres 

https://news.goodyear.eu/en/goodyear-develops-a-unique-eagle-f1-supersport-for-the-new-lotus-emira-uk/

[Daveb99]

Sounds good Ray.   I’d be going for the Tour chassis too.  
 

It’s great when the tyre manufacturers develop tyres for specific cars - until you want a new set of them a few years later !

[lotus111]

Thanks Ray for your feedback. Seem to change my spec weekly with every review I read. For now sticking with sport settings with Cup 2s just because people keep saying it’s a similar setup to a 410 which I am more than happy with. Looking forward to some test drives hopefully in not the to distant future. Sounds like you had a enjoyable day my friend. More important was the fantastic donation you gave for this day out well done 👏 👏👏.