what a sweet little nugget this is turning out to be

I miss the Espirit…

Now they’re really calling that a back seat (as if that’s the point of the car)? The Lexus SC430 had rear seats as well and these look just as useful. If you have 2 chihuahas they’d be very comfy.

The front end looks kind of Porsche-like from certain angles.

What a stunning car. Under 3000 pounds? Sounds impressive except that it’s a 2+2 and the RX-8 weighs that much as a true 4 seater with a cast iron engine and a heavy drivetrain layout (i.e. a driveshaft).

If this was priced the same as an RX-8 I’d be quite interested though (as I don’t care much for rear seats).

…though I don’t know if I could live with myself for buying a luxury Lotus. Added lightness my a$$

sounds good but why not honda/acura J37 for 300-305 hp instead ??

or nissan’s VQ37HR for 330 hp

ya that too i guess…

Does look good, but I like the Elise better. Kansei, how about the Evora being faster than the RX-8, but they would be good competitiors.

Cool. Looks like a mini Koenigsegg. I think it will be a very competent competitor for both Porsche 987 variants.

I would like to test drive to form an intelligent opinion, but one thing for sure it is not Nissan/Honda coupes. It is mid engine (handling) very light (speed and control) and plain great looking. I hope it will not be very finicky like most of exotica cars are ’cause of Toyota drive gear.

Is anyone else impressed by the features list. Very uncharacteristic of Lotus to give us 2 cup holders and a radio as standard equipment.

Nice that they’re finally building a car just for families with two adults and two double-amputee children.

orangecones, true, but perhaps cost of this “packaging” hides the fact that $99.95 radio is going for $1,000 and ditto for cupholders.

I don’t know if this is true, but i hear the only reason automakers put those fun sized rear seats in is for insurance. anybody hear something simular?

Now, if we can only talk Lotus into offering a dual-clutch transmission for the Evora. That way, you get manual gear shifting faster than any human could do (no need to press the clutch pedal and cross your fingers you found the right gear with the shifter!) and switch to full-automatic operation for commuter driving as needed.

I’m still trying to figure out how they built a mid-engined car AND intalled two backseats AND kept the car small and light. There must be magic afoot.

with that one interior shot that kinda shows the ‘back seat’ area it looks as if the “+2″ aspect of this car will be the world most ridiculous yet. It doesn’t even look as roomy as the back of a TT or 911.

jimbo, that’s my understanding as well…the +2 seats are really to make ownership costs lower in terms of insurance…a strict 2 seater will run you more in insurance, even if it’s the same hp/price/etc as a 2+2…i haven’t seen real numbers to support that, but it seems logical…

i’m not really a fan of this thing…for one, 45k pounds is a lot of cash…i can almost fool myself into thinking that someday i could snag a used elise, but not one of these…i also like the wasp-ish look of the elise, which seems to have been purged from this car…

borat we weren’t talking about honda or nissan cars, we were talking about honda or nissan engines!! jack ass !

as in the toyota/lexus v6 that sits behind this car’s seats !

and even if you did know that, the honda/acura J37 doesnt come in any coupe…

The back seat is optional. You can get the Evora with just the front seats if you want a parcel area in back. Mind you, the car also has a decent trunk that can fit the prerequisite golf clubs.

To compare the Evora to a Mazda, Honda or Nissan is simply sophomoric. You can’t compare the handling or performance because thy operate on different levels. To even suggest such a comparison shows that you have never driven a Lotus. Having owned all the aforementioned cars including several Lotus, there is a clear difference between the cars.

The move to Toyota powerplants has added reliability to the Lotus vehicles but even the Esprits were fairly reliable if maintained properly. Certainly they were much more reliable than comparable Ferrari or Lamborghini.

The Evora will have a paddle shifter option within a year after launch which will address the desires of the core demographic for the Evora. It is rumored to be a torque-converter automatic however and not a electronic clutch. That said, Porsche only switched from the tiptronic to a dual clutch auto box this year and no one really complained so I don’t think the application will cause too much of a issue among the perspective buyers. Real enthusiasts can still get a manual and even an optional close ratio box if they like.

ok so now wallaby guy as well as borat are fools who cannot read… no one was comparing handling to a nissan (VQ37HR) or honda (J37a4) only the engines that are both better and just is (if not more) reliable

only the engines that are both better and just AS (if not more) reliable THAN THE TOYOTA V6 **

this is very nice, great way to step it up lotus

nickop, you are a flaming sphincter muscle, I was not writing about rectal disorders (you in particular)!

wow what a clown lol

oh btw borat my grandma knows more than you do about cars.

nickkop,

I understand your point about the engines but there have been comparisons drawn on this site as well as others that are totally inappropriate like those I mentioned. My point was you need to compare the vehicle within the class.

The Japanese manufacturers are very restrictive with use of their engines. The relationship with Toyota took the head of US operations to actually buy a Celica engine, with his own money, in cooperation with the head of production in the UK, all behind Toyota’s back. They installed it in a S2 Elise and showed it to Toyota finished to prove to them that the concept worked. The car ended up becoming the federal Elise released in 2004.

The reason why Lotus stuck with Toyota for the Evora is that the engine they selected was very refined and allowed for a wide variety of upgrade routes. Lotus has already announced a supercharger upgrade in a couple of years.

OK, Wallabyguy, so you are pretty intelligent. Good to know, very informative…

I just wish they had persued the same relationship with the Honda or Nissan V6. Either one would have given the car more character, and in my opinion the Honda/Acura J37a4, with its VTEC would have sounded quite menacing behind one’s head. Also, I doubt the Toyota V6 has more upgrade potential than either of the other two V6′.

I believe it was Borat who misread and started comparing the lotus’ handling to “Honda and Nissan coupes” that leaves Borat as the fool.

There’s a SEAT back THERE?

Doesn’t look too useful, but the car in general looks wonderful, seems like a great little vehicle. I’m a fan of central rear exhausts, but I think that if a left and right pipe on this particular rear end were put on the far corners, it could widen the look of the car, separate it visually from the Elise, and accent it’s more upscale styling.

Either way is fine though.

How does Lotus get away with raiding the parts bin from different manufacturers?! So this thing has a Toyota 3.5L engine, but if my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me, this thing has the exact same steering column and turn signal/windshield wiper stalks as the Ford Focus / Ford GT…

the more i look at this thing, the sexier it appears…. it just really needs a better V6 from Honda or Nissan

Just wait for the supercharged version in about 12-18 months. With 400HP it will be a rocket. That said, while Lotuses have always been quick, they have never been about HP. Lotuses are all about handling and a true sport car driving experience. Fact is, when everything is said and done, Lotuses have capabilities which far exceed the average driver’s ability.