not a fan

Let’s see how it does against a C6; I think that would have been a fairer comparsion. But we wouldn’t want to embarass the British any more………

damn. thats tight.

The Lotus Exige would be a great car to own, it’d be great fun on twisty roads near where i live in the UK. But having driven a Lotus Elise i wouldnt consider having one in the US – imagine driving serious distances in it?! Harsh suspension, no sound insulation, crappy CD player. For cruising i’d take the Mustang, track days a Lotus. Now I just need the £££ for both!

This must not be the supercharged version? I’ll take one please.

They compared two very different cars. Heavy, American muscle vs light but powerful British car. Obviously you can turn easier and stuff… irrelevant comparison.

I’d take the latter car, but I can’t afford any so whatever

yeah whatever rod – it beats an M5 and the gallardo on their test track. for a car with a 190hp that’s damned impressive. any idiot can stuff a huge engine in to a box with 4 wheels and make it go fast in a straight line. not to mention the price.

#2: How on earth would that be a fairer comparison. The Lotus Exige S has an inline 4 generating 189 bhp and 133 lbftft of torque whereas the C6 has a V8 generating 400 bhp and 400 lbft of torque. If you want to argue that the Exige S is much lighter so that justifies it, the Lotus actually has a lower power to weight ratio (216 bhp/ton vs 250 bhp/ton). They are both great cars, and TG was even very complimentary of the Z06 as a performance car in last weeks show.

On top Gear’s track,
the C6 did the lap in 1:26,
C6 Z06 did it in 1:22,
and this Exige did it in 1:25.
1:25 is slightly faster than the Gallardo.

But damn this car is fugly.

haha, you guys take clarkson so personally. you have to understand when you live in europe your opinion of american cars arent that great. so you americans should quit whining and stop bringing up the corvette. the Z06 is a great car, hands down. but its also a ****ty one.

who would drive a lotus as a daily driver? its best as a weekend car.

the one in this test is superchargered. 240 hp

if you gonna compare this to a ****ty Z06 and say its better because it faster then (beeing twice the price, you surprised) then you might as well compare the Pagani Zonda F (fastest car on the board) to the Z06 then watch the zo6 get ripped another bum hole.

“the Z06 is a great car, hands down. but its also a ****ty one.”

hahaha its true man, its true. I love it, and its awesome, but it still sucks in so many ways.

I’d drive a Lotus Exige anyday & everyday if I had one, although I’d prefer the Elise with the removeable top. It’s just a tad more practicle than a motorcycle. I thought it was funny the remark in the story about things “sold by the gram are better than things sold by the pound.” Hmmm…Sounds like he’s referring to some of that nose candy

Would you uneducated idiots stop calling the mustang a muscle car? It never has been and never will be. It’s a pony car.

I agree, nearly everything Clarkson points out about American cars is true too. And I’m an American car lover!

clarkson praised the z06 on its track ability but gave it low marks as a daily driver….he could barely squeeze out of that lotus but nothing but praise all around….hes such a douche.

14, lets not forget the difference between the price of the Z06 and the Pagani – hundreds of thousands – and the price difference between the Z06 and the Lotus.. only hundreds. These two extremes of performance are a good comparison because they each have their own advantages, while the Pagani is built to beat the hell out of either of those two rides.

Clarkson has on many numerous occasions pointed out that its incredibly hard to get in and out of, not just in this review. He also mentions that its noisyt and that you get absolutely no options. Obviously you didn’t watch the review.

Comparing the Exige-S with the Mustang is silly, they’re both great cars in their way. I’m not that big a fan of american cars, but who cares? Many others are…

No current plans to bring it to the US. Guess we’re stuck in base model hell over here, though I guess with the Exige that isn’t so bad…

“clarkson praised the z06 on its track ability but gave it low marks as a daily driver….he could barely squeeze out of that lotus but nothing but praise all around….hes such a douche.”

Think about it though. He even says Lotus doesn’t think what could I give the consumer, it’s what can they do without? That’s the point of the car. That’s not the point of the Z06. The Z06 is stuck in some kind of car purgatory where it’s trying to be a normal car but just can’t.

Several points. The exige tested was the S. It is supercharged and has 218 bhp (source grouplotus.com). The exige cup has 240 bhp but was a limited edition. It was faster than the Gallardo but the Lambo was tested in the rain. The other thing to remember is that in England the Exige cost £34,000 and the Z06 cost in the region of £60,000. Of cours in the US the exige would probably cost over $60,000 and the Z06 cost $65,000.

As someone who has lived and driven in both the US and England I can attest to how different cars need to be to suit each country. Most US cars are way to stiff for typical English bumpy roads. While cars setup for England can come over as to soft for the US.

Post #2 got hard owned by Post #10.

Rod? Americans? Shame the British? LOL

I swear that’s the funniest thing I’ve heard in ages…

You’re delusional mate. Ariel Atom still smacks the Z06 :p

And anyone will tell you that, aside from perhaps a Z06 with a GOOD driver, an American car = death.

Hell you couldn’t navigate a roundabout without pissing your pants.

and an original Shelby Cobra kicks the crap out of an AC Ace… what’s the point of this pissing match though?

What would you rather have, a $3,000 shift cart or a $3,200 ATV? APPLES AND ORANGES, just like this comparison, just like all the other pissing and moaning in the posts above.

Maybe I’ll compare a Dodge Ram and a Z06: knock the Z06 for not being able to carry enough, and knock the ram for not having quick enough reflexes around the track….

Of course Shelby Cobra i.e the AC Cobra is british right, Mike?

And the Z06 vs Atom is a valid comparison because both are marketed as road going track cars. While your Dodge Ram vs Z06 comparison is nonsense.

compare the size of the Atom to the Z06
compare the weight of the Atom to the Z06
Compare the power of the Atom to the Z06
compare the Cyl. count of the atom to the Z06
compare the street registration of the atom to the Z06 (Kit car vs. production)

Still apples and oranges.

Atom, Elise, GX3 and only a few others compete in a select category.

Shelby is not a direct import of the AC, there were modifications to powertrain AND suspension… only the bodies and frames stayed *mostly* the same. We took a good looking body, and added a lot more substance.

As far as my Ram V Z06 comparo, not nonsense at all. Aples and oranges, yes. Nonsense, nope. Reinforces the point that apples and oranges have their individual plusses and minuses, but simply because 2 vehicles have 4 wheels and hold at least 2 people doesn’t mean they compete.

Why should I compare their size, weight or any other stuff? It’s a fact that the Atom absolutely rapes the Z06. Both are road legal cars targeted for the track. The post #2 that American cars can embarass the British is absolute nonsense. You guys are just looking for excuses.

And your Ram vs Z06 comparo isn’t analogous to Atom vs Z06. There is nothing stopping GM from making the vette lighter and smaller because it’s targeted as a track car. While the Ram being a truck needs to be big in the first place. So please give it a rest about American cars embarassing the British. You guys will be torn apart in seconds.

The Exige looks the business. Ford should back the aesthetics of cars like the GT and dump the 70’s meathead look. -mt

Full episode is here: http://www.finalgear.com/shows/topgear/8/3/

One of the best episodes ever.

this is pathetic, look towards that power to weight ratio that all american cars can put out. the british build purpose built cars. the majority of which have as much performance as a damn turtle. american cars are meant to be daily drivers. the z06 is a daily driver with more performance than the lotus. american cars will dominate the british.

That’s a shame this show is in jeopardy. Granted, I disagree with Clarkson on several of his opinions (ie. his belief that the 911 is…crap), however there’s no one else like him on television, certainly not here in the U.S.. The show’s footage always looks great, they really go out of their way to test cars that the rest of us fall asleep dreaming about, and his unabashed honesty is amusing and refreshing. I hope this show retains any right they have to test these cars, and share the footage with us Yanks across the pond.

Where did you hear that the show is in jeopardy?

I actually went to see TG being filmed on Wednesday, i.e. the episode to be shown tonight. Absolutely excellent stuff. And the Koenigsegg CCX is back with its new spolier.