Elise vs Exige

[LordZ]

Originally Posted by melvinator

I do like the styling of the exigencies alot more it just looks alot meaner. How is the room on the inside different if any at all

No difference inside the cabin.

Although once I got my CF roof on (which removed the trim above the windshield) my Exige feels roomier than a stock ExigeS. I never noticed it until I drove a friends S to the shop for him. Probably the same feel as an Elise with the softtop on.

[eliiz]

Elise is lighter, and many say that exiges are all show and no go. But they sure look nice! I like both, but Elise is better for me, since trying to build light road legal track machine. Atleast early ones.

[Ren Man]

Originally Posted by chapster5

Shouldnt really need to look back in an exige only forward at the competetion.

then your doing it wrong they should all be behind you getting smaller all the time unless you are laping them

[Ren Man]

I have one of each as well both '06. The seats in the Exige are a bit wider than the Elise. the rear view in the Exige is almost non existant even without the intercooler so I have goten much better with my side mirrors. Other than that it is all in the look of the car. Go for what you will walk out to everyday and feel like a kid in a candy store.

[melvinator]

As of right now I'm leaning more towards the exige but how's the noise in em when your driving cuz I've heard it's loud and can't have a conversation while your driving and what about the maintance cuz I live in Kansas and the closest dealership is in st Louis or Texas which one is going to be the most reliable and easy to work on

[RichS]

Again, mechanically they are the same car so maintenance would be identical. The Exige adds a fastback, splitter and wing and hand laid fiberglass clams instead of injection molded fiberglass in the Elise. So this means more to repair (the splitter and the wing), but easier fiberglass repairs because the Exige clams are thicker.

If the Exige was louder than an Elise it would only be by a single DB or so, and only because the fastback design would trap more noise inside the car. For all practical purposes you should consider them to be identical cars.

[...m...]

Originally Posted by RichS

For all practical purposes you should consider them to be identical cars.

...c'mon, rich, this thread is supposed to bring out your inner seven-year-old, not rational discourse: tell me about how your dad can beat up my dad...

[bgsterling]

Originally Posted by melvinator

As of right now I'm leaning more towards the exige but how's the noise in em when your driving cuz I've heard it's loud and can't have a conversation while your driving

They are loud. You're encased in an aluminum and glass tomb that maybe has a little bit of carpet and sound deadening (if you have the touring pack). They also have big sticky tires that create all sorts of noise, especially on concrete freeways. However, having a conversation in one isn't all that hard because you're sitting very close. Depending on your size and the size of your passenger, you might be touching shoulders. When you go to buckle your seatbelts, you won't both be able to do it at the same time. Seriously.

Somewhere in an old post, an Elise/Exige driver relayed a story about giving his buddy a ride in the car:

As they were getting in, the driver said to the passenger, "Are you homophobic?"
"No. Why?"
"Because I'm going to be touching you."


-Brad


Oh and ...m..., you're ugly and you're mother dresses you funny.

[melvinator]

That's cool there basically the same motor so no ones had any problems with theirs cuz I'm worried something will break and it'll cost me a fortune to fix since there's no dealership in Kansas

[melvinator]

And why do you think I want a lotus cuz I'm ugly and need it to pick up chicks lol

[Demonized]

"Cuz" isn't a word, if you're worried about rattles and cabin noise, you might consider a new M3, or 135i.

[LordZ]

Originally Posted by melvinator

That's cool there basically the same motor so no ones had any problems with theirs cuz I'm worried something will break and it'll cost me a fortune to fix since there's no dealership in Kansas

lol, I don't think I know of a Lotus owner personally that hasn't had some sort of trouble... Wait no, I know of one. Chili Red has been very lucky with his. The other five or six have all had stuff replaced. From motors and transmissions to brake calipers. Then again we all track our cars alot too.

I can't talk on the phone in mine, the ac freezes up, I have more rattles and squeaks than I can shake a stick at. I've even had a turn signal pop out and flop around on the front clam. Last week a bumpy road broke the plastic supports in my headlight cover so I had to rig that back on so I wouldn't have to pay the $800 for a new one since I'm out of warranty.

Even with all that I still love the car. It's just awesome on track and it suits me perfectly. But if you are looking for a car with Porsche like quality and luxury on the inside you might be a bit disappointed.

Have you even test driven one yet? Or better yet take a ride in someone else's that has all the rattles and quirks from being driven more than around the block at some dealership.

[Mr. Know]

I laugh to myself every time someone says they are loud and there is a lot of road noise...seriously, my last car was an older Corvette with dual Flowmasters and gi-normous tires...all in a fiberglass body. That's road noise and engine/exhaust noise. The Elise and Exige are mosquitoes compared to that...

[melvinator]

I understand that there's gonna be problems with any car and even though lotus lacks the luxery inside of the car it makes up for it with it's beauty on the outside.. It's like a hot model with an evil soul on the inside

[...m...]

Originally Posted by melvinator

I understand that there's gonna be problems with any car and even though lotus lacks the luxery inside of the car it makes up for it with it's beauty on the outside.

...i know i'm not alone in considering the 'lack of luxury' to be a major asset of these cars: you won't find anything else in production this side of a kit car with such a minimalist, raw, simple, and bare aesthetic sensibility, and many of us adore that school of design...

...well, possibly the tata nano, but it's not available yet...

[LotusStig22]

So I guess to reiterate what everyone's been saying (Hopefully) :

Elise - Better rear visibility because of a back window (or a better back window), and
I believe it's a little bit lighter (correct me if I'm wrong).

Exige - More aggressive look, a just as easily removable top, no rear visibility, but a rearview camera or the multivex mirrors will fix that easily, and a more aggressive fastback look, which adds downforce. I also believe some Exiges came with engines that had more horsepower, like the S240/260.

So if you want a daily cruiser, the Elise is a bit more practical, but if you're seriously tracking it, then the Exige is a better option.

(P.S. Not saying I know much about the cars, but I've been here for a few months and picked up some stuff, plus I'm just kind of reposting what everyone said in one post)

[texige]

The 2007 and later American Exiges are faster by a decent amount. They also cost more.

[...m...]

...for identical power, the elise accelerates quicker (less weight) and has a higher top speed (less drag), while the exige carries more speed through turns (more downforce)...the differences both ways are trivial by comparison to driver skill, however, and readily mitigated with aftermarket modifications...

[Darth G-F]

Well I think the Elise is a better track car. The car is lighter. And the difference in price can be much better invested than buying an Exige.

Here in Canada,the Exige is about 15,000$ more than the Elise. For that price you get 30hp and 90lbs of downforce but also a 100lbs weight penalty over an Elise. That same 15,000$ will give you an Elise with 300hp, 300lbs of downforce, still be lighter, and money left for track days, tires, rims.

The Exige is the poser car.

Here's what a serious car looks like:

[texige]

Lotus makes a serious track version of the Elise. It's called the Exige. The Elise is cute thought.