To move on or not to move on?
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Have test driven and Audi TTS, a BMW Z4 (even though they rather bizarrely produce a 2.3 instead of the 3.0 that I requested!!) and a Cayman S.
No competition .... still have a grin like a Cheshire cat on acid and am hopefully picking the Cayman up on Wednesday
No competition .... still have a grin like a Cheshire cat on acid and am hopefully picking the Cayman up on Wednesday
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 11,445
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From: Plymouth
Originally Posted by MB,Mar 27 2010, 09:54 AM
Uh oh, this is sounding like the Megane again Steve
Hardly in the same league, as Nick suggests.
I loved that Megane, but I wanted one car that does it all.
And the BMW is in another league to anything else I have ever owned.
Have never owned one at all until now, as I never liked the cock image.
But who cares, if I had to cross Europe in a car, this one (with all its tech) is the one I would pick in a heartbeat.
I never had a car you could talk to before - voice control and iDrive are quite special...
Kay, glad you settled on something, an excellent choice I think
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Originally Posted by m1bjr,Mar 28 2010, 12:50 AM
Kay, glad you settled on something, an excellent choice I think
Am actually surprised to find that insurance is the same, if not a little cheaper than for the Honda, but not so surprised that the road tax scam is the same
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 573
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From: Manchester
Right, I've had a bit of time to "come down" from the Evora, so I can be more objective about it now.
The one I test drove was in a lovely (Ice) white colour. Externally, it looks like the general fit and finish transcends that "kit car" quality that I personally find puts me off the rest of the lotus range.
I originally contacted the garage (JCT Brooklands Leeds) with a view to trying out a Europa, as they were showing an S variant (200bhp) in stock. However, when I described what I was coming from (modified S2K), the Lotus chap (Stephen) expected that I would be "bored" with the Europa, and that if I was considering the Exige, that would be the only way forward. Anyway, when I mentioned the Evora, I was invited for a test drive and took it up right away.
Back to the Evora, I was really impressed with the red interior and you're left in no doubt that you're in special car when you sit in there. As for the controls etc. I just can't help comparing them with the S - I've been driving it three years:
Pedals are offset to the left, which may take some getting used to - they are also close together, so you can find yourself pressing two pedals if you're not careful. The clutch is a little stiff, I might have expected them to have got it absolutely sweet for a flagship car. Though to be fair it probably has some torque to deal with.
Gearbox was a little disappointing, it can't really hold a candle to the gearbox in the S, compared to the stubby ricks knob I had on my S, this was like driving a van. It was better than a Boxster gearbox, however. When I mentioned this to Stephen, he did inform me that there is a sport gearbox option, that also alters the gearing. The standard 'box is well geared though, You can get ~75mph out of second (verified by experience ) and >120mph out of third!
Looks No doubt this is a beautiful car, and it certainly attracted a lot of attention, in fact whilst driving around I had a few people trying to race, an E36 M3 and an MR2 turbo - that I noticed. It looks at least interesting from every angle and looks outstanding in profile.
Ride/handling The suspension absorbs bumps really well under load without compromising the balance, you can feel a lot of travel in the dampers yet the car is still quite stiff, It's obvious there's little flex in the chassis. Naturally, I'd love to try it on a track. I couldn't do more than attack a couple of roundabouts, but with that it gets the power down really well and feels well assured throughout.
The Brakes have an alarming amount of initial bite, but there doesn't feel to be much after, I wasn't impressed by the feel through the pedal either. Again, I think I've been spoiled by the Dixcel setup on my S where the intitial bite was excellent and the progression at the very least linear.
The engine sound was a real treat - I normally regard this as a superficial aspect of the driving experience but I couldn't help laughing when raising the revs. I'm probably going to raise a few eyebrows here, but I don't think the throttle response is any better than the F20C. It isn't a *very* fast car, but it's quick enough and there's scope for more power in the future.
Space for a large car isn't exactly generous, the boot is about the same size as the Exige, and though you do have the rear seats for storage - this compromises security IMO.
I had a lengthy discussion with Stephen about the car after the test drive and the fact that you have a one-stop shop with your Lotus dealer is a big plus; none of the getting fobbed off by a multi-national like Honda for warranty issues, travelling half way across the country for a geo' etc. You can retro-fit options to the Evora - even the forth-coming supercharger, apparently. I'm sure you'd get looked after by Lotus particularly when the car is manufactured in such a low volume. Tax on this Evora is only £215 and servicing little more than the S2K at the same intervals, fuel economy is good too.
Stephen reckoned that if the Evora was £10k cheaper, they wouldn't be able to make them quickly enough. I have to agree because if it was £40k, niggles aside, it moved me enough to seriously contemplate buying one.
The problem I have now, is that the NSX is a very simliar specification, a lot cheaper and probably has mechanical characteristics closer to my S2K benchmark.
Maybe the best idea would be to get a stopgap for a year, say an Exige, then re-evaluate things. Alternatively, I could get another S, modify it to the same extent as my last one and supercharge it for ~£21k and just take the insurance on the chin...
The one I test drove was in a lovely (Ice) white colour. Externally, it looks like the general fit and finish transcends that "kit car" quality that I personally find puts me off the rest of the lotus range.
I originally contacted the garage (JCT Brooklands Leeds) with a view to trying out a Europa, as they were showing an S variant (200bhp) in stock. However, when I described what I was coming from (modified S2K), the Lotus chap (Stephen) expected that I would be "bored" with the Europa, and that if I was considering the Exige, that would be the only way forward. Anyway, when I mentioned the Evora, I was invited for a test drive and took it up right away.
Back to the Evora, I was really impressed with the red interior and you're left in no doubt that you're in special car when you sit in there. As for the controls etc. I just can't help comparing them with the S - I've been driving it three years:
Pedals are offset to the left, which may take some getting used to - they are also close together, so you can find yourself pressing two pedals if you're not careful. The clutch is a little stiff, I might have expected them to have got it absolutely sweet for a flagship car. Though to be fair it probably has some torque to deal with.
Gearbox was a little disappointing, it can't really hold a candle to the gearbox in the S, compared to the stubby ricks knob I had on my S, this was like driving a van. It was better than a Boxster gearbox, however. When I mentioned this to Stephen, he did inform me that there is a sport gearbox option, that also alters the gearing. The standard 'box is well geared though, You can get ~75mph out of second (verified by experience
) and >120mph out of third!Looks No doubt this is a beautiful car, and it certainly attracted a lot of attention, in fact whilst driving around I had a few people trying to race, an E36 M3 and an MR2 turbo - that I noticed. It looks at least interesting from every angle and looks outstanding in profile.
Ride/handling The suspension absorbs bumps really well under load without compromising the balance, you can feel a lot of travel in the dampers yet the car is still quite stiff, It's obvious there's little flex in the chassis. Naturally, I'd love to try it on a track. I couldn't do more than attack a couple of roundabouts, but with that it gets the power down really well and feels well assured throughout.
The Brakes have an alarming amount of initial bite, but there doesn't feel to be much after, I wasn't impressed by the feel through the pedal either. Again, I think I've been spoiled by the Dixcel setup on my S where the intitial bite was excellent and the progression at the very least linear.
The engine sound was a real treat - I normally regard this as a superficial aspect of the driving experience but I couldn't help laughing when raising the revs. I'm probably going to raise a few eyebrows here, but I don't think the throttle response is any better than the F20C. It isn't a *very* fast car, but it's quick enough and there's scope for more power in the future.
Space for a large car isn't exactly generous, the boot is about the same size as the Exige, and though you do have the rear seats for storage - this compromises security IMO.
I had a lengthy discussion with Stephen about the car after the test drive and the fact that you have a one-stop shop with your Lotus dealer is a big plus; none of the getting fobbed off by a multi-national like Honda for warranty issues, travelling half way across the country for a geo' etc. You can retro-fit options to the Evora - even the forth-coming supercharger, apparently. I'm sure you'd get looked after by Lotus particularly when the car is manufactured in such a low volume. Tax on this Evora is only £215 and servicing little more than the S2K at the same intervals, fuel economy is good too.
Stephen reckoned that if the Evora was £10k cheaper, they wouldn't be able to make them quickly enough. I have to agree because if it was £40k, niggles aside, it moved me enough to seriously contemplate buying one.
The problem I have now, is that the NSX is a very simliar specification, a lot cheaper and probably has mechanical characteristics closer to my S2K benchmark.
Maybe the best idea would be to get a stopgap for a year, say an Exige, then re-evaluate things. Alternatively, I could get another S, modify it to the same extent as my last one and supercharge it for ~£21k and just take the insurance on the chin...
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From: Sunshine Coast - England UK
Originally Posted by Stevo071077,Mar 28 2010, 11:35 AM
Gearbox was a little disappointing, it can't really hold a candle to the gearbox in the S, compared to the stubby ricks knob I had on my S, this was like driving a van. It was better than a Boxster gearbox, however. When I mentioned this to Stephen, he did inform me that there is a sport gearbox option, that also alters the gearing.
I think the standard gearing is great for a road car, sport ratios are more for backroad blasting.
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From: Survivalist enclave
Originally Posted by Stevo071077,Mar 28 2010, 11:35 AM
Stephen reckoned that if the Evora was £10k cheaper, they wouldn't be able to make them quickly enough. I have to agree because if it was £40k, niggles aside, it moved me enough to seriously contemplate buying one.