By Mark Kleis
Monday, May 17th, 2010 @ 12:00 pm

Lotus waited 15 years to delight the world with an all-new model, but the wait is over and the Evora makes that wait worth it – every painstaking minute of it. The iconic British automaker decided to take a new approach with the Evora, making it the world’s only mid-engine 2+2 – and possibly the only truly daily-drivable Lotus in the bunch to boot.

The Lotus Evora is a departure from the traditional approach to Lotus sports cars, as this slightly larger Lotus was designed with the intention of being every bit as much a tourer as a track car – obviously no small challenge given the contrasting approaches to achieving those respective ride qualities. Unlike its smaller and four-cylinder powered Elise and Exige stablemates, the Evora finds its motivation from a mid-mounted 276 horsepower 3.5-liter, naturally aspirated and Toyota -sourced V6. That 2GR-FE Toyota six otherwise does duty in cars like the rather less-than-sporty Toyota Camry and Sienna.

Putting the power to the rear wheels is a six-speed manual transmission with two available sets of gear ratios.

Evolution. Vogue. Aura.
Lotus says that the name for its latest 2+2 was derived from three words: evolution, vogue and aura. Lotus explained that the Evora, although it represents striking contrasts from its smaller counterparts, is truly more evolutionary than revolutionary in terms of Lotus taking a 2+2 approach (Lotus built the Elan +2 in 1967). Vogue because the Evora has a look and feel that Lotus believes will prove to be very popular and relevant with current tastes and culture. The aura of the Evora is unmistakable – this mid-engined two-door has a truly unique style and presence, drawing stares, “oohs” and “ahhs” from passer byes.

Whether the folks at Lotus truly sat down and came up with a handful of words to dissect and create a unique name for the car, or if they named the car and then found words which shared meaning and phonetics we may never know, but what we do know is that whether it was the chicken or the egg, the end result is one hell of a road runner.

Lotus pens a strikingly beautiful (and unique) car
For those who may have missed the long heritage that helped make Lotus what it is today, to you, the iconic British sports car maker may seem to lack individuality with the shared lines of the Exige and Elise. No longer. Lotus started with a truly fresh design for the Evora, finding a way to create a car that shares very little with its smaller stablemates and yet still is very much a Lotus.

The Evora’s exterior designer, Steve Crijns, set out to create an athletic form which conveyed velocity, agility and sophistication. It’s fairly safe to say that Crijn nailed it. Walking around the Evora, it appears as if the design language shares elements with a myriad of other vehicles on the road. The windshield and greenhouse closely resemble the unique and blunt style of the latest Saab 9-5; sit in the cabin and utilize a properly positioned side mirror and you may notice a very familiar rear quarter panel when considering the Ferrari 360 Modena; walk behind the Evora (a view other motorists will be most familiar with), and you will find the unmistakable lines and lights that are found on the Exige and Elise models.

Early literature provided by Lotus shows this 2+2 weighing in at 2,976 lbs in prototype form. Jump to production form, and you will find a very modest gain of just 70 lbs, for a total of 3,046 lbs. Although traditionalists may cry foul at a 3,000+ lb Lotus: Not so fast. Lotus did not get lazy and decide to cut corners just because this car has room for the kids in the back. Quite the opposite, in fact.

For starters, the Evora’s chassis was significantly strengthened over the new small car Lotus platform, more than doubling stiffness from under 10,000 Nm per degree in the Elise to 26,600 Nm per degree for the 2+2. The end result is a Lotus that can pass the same 60 mph rear crash test as required by law enforcement vehicles yet still light and agile enough to provide for driving dynamics that are undeniably Lotus.

The Evora finds its nature preserve
When wild animals such as lions or tigers are found roaming in the streets of the world’s urban landscapes, they are often quickly sedated and returned to the safety of a nature preserve, created to make the creatures feel at home. Like with the lions and tigers, Lotus decided to first introduce Leftlane to its newest beast in the tame downtown streets of San Diego, from where we made relatively sedated ride out to an automotive nature preserve of sorts that began in the remote area of Jamul, California.

Once our Evora reached the safety of Jamul, we began a hasty and twist-and-turn filled retreat on Lyons Valley Road to the the Cleveland National Forest. Whether by accident or luck, we found our Evora choosing to ignore our push-button commands, refusing to enable both the Sport mode and the traction control system. To the would-be Michael Schumachers of the world, that may seem like a blessing, but Lotus promises the ESP to be extremely passive and certainly unobtrusive. Regardless, we found ourselves not needing any assistance from the car’s ESP systems. Why? Because the Evora – even in its wildest and most pure form – offers so much inertia-defying grip that we simply couldn’t find a safe enough opportunity to push the Evora up to its mechanical limits.

Lyons Valley Road eventually led us to Campo Road, both routes notoriously famous for their generous helping of on and off-camber twists and turns, making them the playground of choice for street bike and exotic car owners alike come Saturday and Sunday. Being as that we were making our trek on a Wednesday, we found few wild or tame drivers in our way, allowing us to push the Evora to its limits time and time again. While doing so, we found the steering was pleasingly precise, yet somewhat expectantly heavy. The result was a controlled and worry free ride that made quick work of every twist and turn – a welcome attribute on these narrow and shoulder-less roads.

Once set free, the Evora showed its wild side
Given that the Evora is being marketed as a car intended for touring, one might expect the handling to suffer. Not so. The Evora proved to be very capable in all situations, even while traversing the pothole filled roads of Sunrise Highway as we made our way to Julian on the outskirts of the Cuyamaca Rancho State Park. It was in the mountains of Cuyamaca that we managed to make several stop-and-go runs with the Evora, finding the sub-five second 0-60 acceleration to be plentiful and thoroughly rewarding – even at 5,000 feet above sea level.

Bringing the Evora to a halt after hastily finding the upper limits of the posted speed signs was nearly as much fun, and certainly as impressive. The Evora is capable of grinding to a dead stop from 60 mph in 100 feet – a feat unmatched by any road-going car currently in production, according to Lotus. Leftlane managed to log well over 100 miles of furious acceleration and braking while en route to our midway stop, with the brakes not skipping a beat, showing no signs of fade.

Why you would buy it:
Because you appreciate the fact that, unlike your 911 GT2, the Evora was designed from the ground up with the intention of being a truly viable daily driver – providing for a reasonably quiet and potentially civilized ride when wanted, yet still capable of being an impressive track car when posted speed limits just aren’t enough for you anymore.

Why you wouldn’t:
You’re getting too old to climb into your cars as if they are a second layer of clothing – your knees are on their way out, and the idea of changing lanes and parking the car with limited visibility just isn’t what the doctor ordered. Besides, you want something that will blend in with the masses, not stick out like an exclusive sore thumb – Lotus promises only six or seven hundred examples of the Evora shipping to the U.S. and Canada each year.

Leftlane’s bottom line
The Lotus Evora is a driver’s sports car, yet will still be kind enough on your kidneys should you choose to take it out for more than the occasional weekend spin. The price eclipses Lotus’ smaller, less sophisticated offerings, but still packs quite a value whether stripped or loaded when compared to models which might be cross-shopped with the Evora. If you are looking for a sub-$100k sports car with exotic appeal, a comfortable ride and a mean sporty side, the Evora should be on your short list.

2010 Lotus Evora base price, $73,200.

Words and photos by Mark Kleis.

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