DRIVE: Lotus Evora

Lotus Evora

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How much?	$ 78000 (est)
Engine:	3456cc, 6cyl, 276BHP @ 6400, 252lb ft @ 4700
Transmission:	Manual
Fuel Economy:	8.6 - l/100km
Performance:	5.1 sec 0-100kph , 260kph
How heavy?	1382kg

15 June 2009

By Chris Chilton

So Lotus is rinsing out another Elise variant, eh?

No, the Evora really is new, the first all-new Lotus for nearly 15 years in fact. It’s built to take on the likes of the Porsche Cayman and 911 and slots into the Lotus range above the Elise and below the forthcoming Esprit.

How can the new Lotus Evora take on both the Cayman and 911?

A couple of reasons. First, a £47,500 ($77,000) UK price puts it squarely between the two Porsches, and secondly, buyers have the option of adding a couple of tiny rear seats for a $4000 premium. The Evora is the world’s only mid-engined 2+2 and certainly much prettier than the last volume effort, Ferrari’s ungainly Mondial (although we’ve got a soft spot for its wedgy Bertone predecessor, the 308 GT4).

Like a 911’s rear chairs, they’re no use for normal-sized adults other than for a quick trip round the corner. But they’re perfect for kids. The Evora’s wheelbase is the same regardless of configuration – if you haven’t got kids and don’t need the seats you save money and get some extra luggage space.

How does the Evora differ from the Elise?

The chassis is all-new. It’s still made from bonded aluminium extrusions but this time it comes in three parts: the central tub, a front frame and a rear frame. Splitting the chassis like this has huge benefits when it comes to repairing crash damage. In fact, when Lotus was conducting crash tests, it ended up not using a couple of the central tubs it had brought along.

After stoving in the front or back end, engineers just unbolted the subframe at the requisite end, fitted a new one to the undamaged tub and moved on to the next impact. No wonder Lotus claims the Evora is 2.5 times stiffer than an Elise.

Click ‘Next’ below to read the rest of CAR’s first drive review

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