[shay2nak]

My daily driver is an Acura TSX. Basically a Euro Accord with a 6-speed. It's not a bad car, there are some things I would change like the seats and adjustment of the steering wheel and the door hinge stops. Anyway, I can never really find a seating position that I'm comfortable with along with a steering wheel that doesn't pull out far enough. I'm always under stress it seems when I'm driving this car no matter what (traffic or no traffic).

Then I hop in the Lotus and I'm totally relaxed. I can be tearing up the canyons or just driving around, even in traffic. I don't know what the difference is between the 2 cars, but I've always felt at home driving the Lotus - from the very first test drive. For me, everything is in the right place, the right position, the seat, the steering wheel, the shifter. I guess it also helps the car hauls ass when I need it to and because of that I don't have to wind it up.

Anybody else feel more relaxed driving their Lotus?

 

[Aedo]

:wave: - sure do! The Elise gives me precise control and such detailed feedback that driving it is never stressful!

 

[vasracer]

funny, i was thinking the same exact thing, my daily is a bmw 135i which has a million adjustments for the seat and memory etc...i just can't seem to get it right...meanwhile, no prob in the elise, even though I slide the seat back and forth everytime i get in and out. It's called choice psychology i think.

 

[ads_green]

I use the 211 as a great stress relief - never come back stressed

 

[dasmoofler]

Yes, it seems as if it was made for me.

 

[Christophe111]

Same for me: the sitting position of the Lotus is perfect.

I get some back-problems from my Honda Civic if I drive it more than two hours.
A Nissan Note I had for rent was a nightmare: my right leg hurt after 20mn. A real torture!

I have to say, that the seats of my S1 were terrible.
The Probax seats are an amazing improvement.

 

[Dragon]

It relieves much stress but also works my adrenal gland Pretty sure I'm addicted...

 

[RichardNHCooper]

Sure does, took my son on a drive 2400 km in three days. Two days ten hours at the wheel up to 155kph at times no sore anything. Love this car.
PS no it's not legal over here either.It is my daily drive and now with the VF stg 1 it's even more fun.

 

[darkSol]

Complete opposite for me - driving the Elise stresses me out x2.

- Always worried about losing traction
- Always worried about other drivers
- Too freakin loud

I seriously just had more fun driving the minivan in to work.

No I'm not joking. Wish I was.

 

[kestrel74]

:up::up::up:

 

[Bavarian Motorist]

I'm more relaxed because unlike in my BMW, there's no idrive to play with, no Satellite radio, no Bluetooth (I never make phone calls driving my Lotus), and I hardly ever touch the AC controls.

I think for the fact I can just focus on the road & driving, I am more relaxed.

 

[glb]

A friend and his wife had TSX, neither could ever get comfortable in it; sold it.

I've been in Elise for ~ 20 hrs straight....never felt uncomfy.

 

[MattG]

My Elise is the most comfortable car I've driven on long trips, even without having cruise control.

 

[blankdan]

While I'm totally comfortable while driving the Lotus, can't say that it's stress free. Always worried about what other drivers are going to do, and where the next cop is lurking.

 

[CrusaderTBC]

yep.. every time I'm in the Lotus, I feel the stress melt away. Even in heavy traffic, I'm still filled with an overwhelming sense of one-ness with the road. Though just because I'm not stressed, doesn't mean I'm not intensely defensive in looking out for other traffic around me.

 

[glacialmoraine]

- Always worried about losing traction
- Always worried about other drivers
- Too freakin loud

Couldn't you practice losing traction in a safe environment so you know what to do if it happens on accident? I would think it would be not a worry if you know how to handle it and under what circumstances it will happen. I have TC which keeps traction, and LSD which has caused a couple of inadvertent power slides :evil:

I am with everyone else, it relaxes me too. I just put a stage 2 on last night, and if it stops relaxing me, the stock muffler will go right back on. If yours is too loud, why not reinstall the quiet muffler? There is no performance advantage. Maybe weight, so get a stage 1 and save some lb and keep some quiet?

take care,

gm

 

[glb]

My Elise is the most comfortable car I've driven on long trips, even without having cruise control.

Amazing, isn't it? Given that the seat has few adjustments.

On really long trips, i move the seat one notch fwd or back, and pump the lumbar bladder here & there.

Another good thing: The headrests cannot be adjusted incorrectly. Most people do not realize how high they must be properly.

Yrs ago, read an article about M-Benz accident investigators who flew all over Europe. 1st thing in their rental cars: adjust the headrests all the way up.

In 90s my Supra was one of few cars to pass some (gov't?) seat safety test, because the headrest was integral and couldn't be too low.

 

[Monsi]

everything is out to get me when I am driving the lotus... I am never relaxed when driving it, always focused

 

[tko211]

My elise is certainly the most responsive car I have owned / driven. In that regard it is the most rewarding. But it is NOT the most comfortable. My Shelby Mustang is lots more comfortable especially on trips over 2 hours.

The Lotus is a momentum car. The Shelby is well... a muscle car with lots of low end torque. 2 totally different cars! Someday I plan to own a Ford GT. I imagine that car to be the perfect marriage of the Lotus and the Shelby.

 

[milehitom]

I'm with Shay on this. Because I'm focussed on driving and nothing else, it's very relaxing-I don't think about work and any of my daily concerns-I'm just driving. It's like a mini-vacation. That's why it's my daily driver.

DarkSol may feel more worried because his Lotus puts down 280+ whp. That could freak me out

It's funny-I tell friends I feel I'm at my most relaxed when karting, so I guess the Lotus is like a slightly bigger version of that. You just forget about everything else.

Tom