Driven: Lotus’s new Porsche challenger
The first all-new Lotus in 15 years has arrived in Australia – and the Evora’s dynamic talents suggest it’s ready to challenge the Porsche Cayman.
This is probably the closest you’ll get to a family car from Lotus.
After nearly two decades of two-seaters, the Evora has arrived inAustralia as the British sports car maker’s larger, all-new modeldesigned to broaden Lotus’s audience beyond its fun but cramped andimpractical Elise-based models.
Lotus, of course, doesn’t do volume. It’s annual build numbers of3000 is the antithesis of mass production, and this year it expects tosell only 30-40 Evoras locally.
Even the niche manufacturer concedes the ‘+2′ rear seats “are away of getting the car past the wife”, though it’s surprising there’seven room for the kids considering the still-compact Evora places itsengine behind the cabin.
There is a family-car link to its engine, however. The Evora,which has just gone on sale in Australia pitched as a GT, borrows itsV6 from the locally built Toyota Aurion.
And the Aurion’s V6 has never sounded so good. Press hard on theEvora’s accelerator and the six-cylinder engine shrieks as it racestowards its 7000rpm redline.
The smoothness and tractability of the Toyota engine remain, butLotus’s new engine management electronics and a different exhaustsystem increase power by 6kW to 206kW and introduce a more urgent,higher-revving character better suited for a sports car application.
Lotus’s long-time obsession with light weight means the 1350kgEvora is not just notably faster (0-100km/h in a claimed 5.1 seconds)than an Aurion, but also more economical (8.7L/100km; 9.2L/100km withthe optional sports ratios).
A run along the snaking bitumen of Sydney’s Royal National Parkreveals the Evora’s underpinnings are capable of coping with even morepower.
Not that the 206kW feels insufficient as the Evora’s exquisitelybalanced chassis, tenaciously grippy tyres and sensationally fluid andcommunicative steering combine to involve the driver as any greatsports car should.
The only blemish on the driving experience is a six-speed manualthat disappoints slightly with its clunky lever action and sometimesaudible gearchanges.
The front seats are also spot-on for blending body-hugging support andlong-distance comfort, the latter aided by a near-perfect suspensionset-up capable of delivering a relatively supple ride despite theEvora’s handling focus.
And the Evora needs to be a great driver’s car, because it’s$149,900-plus starting price (for a two-seater version; it’s $156,990for the 2+2 model) places it smack-bang in the middle of Porsche Caymanterritory. and close to BMW M3 money.
In such exalted company, the Lotus needs to bring a higher degreeof interior quality than experienced on previous models – and itdoesn’t quite succeed, despite a liberal helping of stitched leatherand genuine metal trim throughout the cabin.
The air-con in our test car struggled to deliver an icy blastfrom the door vents even when turned to maximum, while the (Alpine)audio looks more like an aftermarket fitment rather than a systemharmoniously integrated into the dash.
Ergonomic flaws include offset pedals, speedo increments that aredifficult to judge (and the additional digital speedo is in MPH ratherthan KM/H), and side-mirror switches that are awkwardly placed behindthe door handle. The tiny rear window also restricts visibility.
Still, at least this is a rare Lotus where occupants can step out of the car rather than stumble out of it.
Limited cabin storage and a small boot confirm the usual lack ofpracticality associated with sports cars, though the Evora signals agreater expansion of Lotus’s own family.
The Evora’s new platform – called the Versatile Vehicle Architecture -will spawn new models in the near future, including a new version ofwhat is arguably the most famous Lotus of all: the Esprit.