As Semisonic put it so succinctly, “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end”. And the Lotus Emira – touted as Lotus’ last combustion engine model – represents a promising rebirth for the beloved brand.
Sure, that sounds like I’m jumping the gun a little. Nobody outside Lotus has driven the Emira, much less taken delivery. It isn’t as though Lotus is bowing their combustion engine models out with a glorious V8.
According to Lotus, the rear-driven mid-engine Lotus Emira will come in two engine flavours. Customers can opt to have the Mercedes-AMG’s 2-litre inline-four turbo with a dual-clutch. Or settle for the good old Toyota 3.5-litre supercharged V6 paired with a manual or torque converter.
No firm power and performance figures are released yet. Lotus only quotes a power output range of 269kW and 298kW “across the Emira range”, with a 0 to 100km/h claim of under 4.5 seconds and a top speed of over 290km/h.
Lotus Emira – A Beautiful New Era
In the grand scheme of things, the Lotus Emira’s performance figures are admirable, but not great. But raw performance isn’t what makes the Emira stand out from its predecessors. Instead, its trump card is plain to see, and it is in its presentation.
For once, since the emergence of the original Lotus Esprit in the 1970s, have Lotus released an expensive-looking product. The Lotus Emira looks evocative and exotic enough to steal some Porsche 718 buyers, particularly when it comes to its cabin.
No more coarse plastics and exposed chassis components here. The Lotus Emira cabin comes with soft trimmings with contrasting stitching and brushed metal finishing. It looks sophisticated too with its 12.3-inch instrument cluster that dwarfs the 10.25-inch infotainment screen.
Unlike Lotus cars of the past, you don’t have to put up with its minimalist approaching towards motoring. The Emira will come with electrically adjustable seats, adaptive cruise control, and even lane change assist.
One could argue that the Lotus Emira looks like the more convincing luxury car inside and outside than the Maserati MC20. A Lotus outclassing a Maserati when it comes to luxury and class, imagine that. Truly a wild world we are living in.
Lotus’ shortcomings
As we have explored in an earlier feature, Lotus’ models are its own worst enemy. For all the praise enthusiasts heap upon the Elise, Exige, and Evora, general audiences never warmed to the trio.
Through the years, Lotus accrued a reputation of building cars that extol handling quality rather than build quality. Hence the popular Lotus anagram – “Lots Of Trouble Usually Serious”. Even with Toyota-power coming onboard in 2001, these cars weren’t exactly winning reliability surveys. Considering how bare Lotus models are, that is a strange situation to be in.
Many driving enthusiasts defend its lack of build quality as an unimportant aspect. To them, build quality adds complexity and is only a weighty issue to the unwashed masses. Less is more and zip ties are cheap.
With the bare minimum trim and creature comforts, Lotus models are mere shades of an overpriced go-kart. But there are only so many driving enthusiasts who can afford the luxury of having an overpriced go-kart. Likewise, many buyers can’t justify spending Porsche money for a barebones car.
Why the Lotus Emira matters?
If Lotus is going to succeed, it needs to deliver a product that appeals to the masses. Those who make up the majority of luxuriously equipped 911 Carrera owners. Those who snub their noses at hardcore track-focused variants that the motoring media breathlessly glorifies for being unnecessarily intense. There is where the money is at, and Lotus needs to tap into that market.
To do that, Lotus needs to deliver a car that looks and feels its price. If it wants to take on Porsche, it must deliver a car with Porsche’s quality. A car that has the same level of visual and tactile sophistication. No more excuses of paring back to deliver barebones motoring excellence. Nobody cares if it comes with some creature comforts.
The good news is, the Lotus Emira already fits the bill, even before a car is delivered. A beautiful start to a new beginning.