[Simba]

Originally Posted by Redback

While I don't own a Cayman, I do own a Porsche and I can't help but think your arguments against the Evora are a little brand-bigoted and self contradictory.

First, no, they are anything but. I've been a die hard Lotus fan for a very long time. These days they're one of the extremely few manufacturers who make cars that are just about completely in line with my tastes. I could rant on endlessly with Porsche's recent stupidity regarding PDK, as well as go on about things that are wrong about the Cayman, but this is specific to the Evora, hence my comments on it.

I'm also not categorically writing off the Evora as a bad car, nor will I until I drive one. What I'm saying is that based on the currently available data, the Evora is not what I would want it to be for the price Lotus intends to ask for it. I'm also saying that if it were a good deal faster, it most certainly would be.

Yes, real enthusiasts care about how a car works and as you stated previously, that includes turn-in and steering feel, as well as brake feel and chassis dynamics. All of which you've conceded, the Evora may have over the Cayman.

Yes, again, based on currently available data. And while the Evora may, and given the people making it probably will out-handle a Cayman, that's not all a good car needs to do. The issue at hand is the same one that has every N/A Elise owner clamoring for Forced Induction, to the point that Lotus themselves cranked out a solution. I would have thought they'd have learned from that with the Evora.

Current road test performance figures put the Cayman and the Evora about line-ball (yet to be confirmed) so are you saying the Cayman is too slow for its price point too?

The Cayman S, while significantly detuned from the factory (read: Getting a good deal more power out of it is trivial, which I suspect will not be the case with the Evora), is still significantly faster than Lotus' current performance claims on the Evora. It's also considerably cheaper.

With the Evora being envisioned (and subtly suggested) as a car somewhere between the Cayman S and 911 Carrera, I would say that the Cayman is about as quick as it needs to be for its price point, while as I said, the Evora is not. Though, again, that's something to be conclusively determined once they're generally available.

The starting price of the two cars is different, but I suspect when optioned to a similar equipment/trim spec they will be very close.

What in your mind would be "similar equipment"? While it's true that you can make just about any Porsche amazingly expensive with stuff like PCCB and PDK, none of those things are in any way comparable to the Evora.

The Evora can also carry young children in the back too. Can't do that with a Cayman - which is why I have a Carrera...

No, you can't, though that's not really germane to my issues with the Evora vs. the Cayman, and other cars for that matter.

More power would be nice, but I don't see the Evora's current performance as a deal breaker for many buyers, - those who prefer corners to straights anyway...

The "those who prefer corners to straights" implication is just about as brand-bigoted as you accused me of being towards Porsche. I, personally, do not, which is why every car I have is rather good at going around corners. However, I'm also not willing to put up with absolutely lackluster straight line performance (or get out of corner performance) and gloss over the fact with "well, it's better in the corners".

N/A Elises are great to drive when you're wringing their necks in the twisties. However, as soon as you get out of the twisties, they're terrible. Slap a turbo or a blower on the car, and they're perfect in every way.

That's what I want in a new Lotus in exchange for my $75-odd grand. Else, I'm left looking at dumping another 10-15k and a lot of time and effort into the car to get it where I want it to be, and for that money, I'm not interested in owning one as the things it does well will not make up for the amount of attention needed to fix the things it does poorly.

Again, this is all quite subjective without an actual car to evaluate, or at least meaningful impressions to parse from those who have. Hence, I'm at odds not specifically with the Evora, but with Lotus' failure to recognize the need for more go-fast in a car that's supposed to be up-market from the Elise/Exige.

I want the Evora and everything else Lotus ever makes to succeed wildly, because I love the company and what they stand for. I just wish they'd be a little more pro-active, rather than re-active towards the "power problem".