[rickj]

I finally got to test out an evora s IPS with all the options.
very fun car to drive. the IPS wasn't as bad as I thought it would be; pretty quick on up shifts, maybe not as quick on downshifts or so it seemed to me.
much better than an smg in an m6, but of course that was a single clutch manual with an electronic clutch
the car was pretty quick but not blistering fast. seemed slower than an m6 (but the numbers are the same, but way way more fun than a 4500 high center of gravity bmw.

of course the most impressive was feature was the steering wheel and what it felt like with your hands on it didn't do any twisties, just some highway work with a couple turns.
visibility was restricted out the back, but not nearly as bad as I had feared,
still not sure about an IPS vs manual. I shifted one of the dealer's manuals on the showroom just to get a feel for it and see about the long throw knock.
I didn't think it was that long. I have an old stingray and the throws seem longer. I agree with some of the posts that the IPS seems well suited for the car. may end up going that route.

the one thing I did think was that I didn't think I would enjoy it as much if it were any slower, which may rule out a NA for me.

the dealer told me that all of the 13's have now been punched warranty wise. so the clock's ticking for all 13 MY. The austin guy didn't want to go below low 80's, which seems unnecessarily high now with the 14's out.
so I guess the search and education continues, but I see one of these in my very near furture.

really fun car. almost wish I had a commute.

fyi: car was arctic white with tan interior (cognac). the white was alittle bright for me; From pictures I think I'd prefer ice white. The tan was ok but I like the carbon fiber seat look and I like pipping. to me the best looking interior
is the black with red pipping/stitching. they had a carbon with that interior and black wheels. looked pretty good. the laser blue was also very good looking, much better in person than the pictures. My personal preferences anyway.
lucky you folks that drive them.

 

[jet37ski]

The hardest thing about the Evora test drive was driving anything else afterwards. I got back into my 3 series and it handled like a wet mattress.

 

[MTLDean]

Hi Rick,

I recently picked up a 2013 IPS, naturally aspirated. Coming from a 2011 supercharged Elise, it's obviously slower and less frenetic, but if you lay into it can be really aggressive and is a better daily driver by a huge margin. I find the engine note at higher rpms feels less dramatic than the 1.8 in the Elise - I was still breaking in the Evora before storing it for the winter, but as the revs climbed I find the engine settled into a much nicer resonance and note. When it's done breaking in I think it will be very happy to be revving all day in the 5-6k range. I would have preferred the supercharged model, but the $15,000 price difference was just too much. I'm sure the S is a riot after the breakin period.

I find the shift delay really unacceptably slow at times on the IPS, but I've learned to live with it because I commute in it a lot and it's all stop/go in the city so I preferred IPS to manual. The rev-matching on downshifts is a nice touch though, and very entertaining. On the track, the slushbox is pretty good at finding and keeping the right gears.

In terms of the interior, the cognac is really something else - everyone that gets in is wowed by the leather. It's really rich and luxurious. However, the indigo color from jeans rubs off onto the side bolsters and the seat, so be prepared to clean the leather weekly. It won't stain permanently so there's that. If you don't like the white paint, wrap the car! The paint is really thin and scratches easily on the Evora, so I plan to wrap it in the spring to protect a bit against door dings and stuff like that.

Anyways, good luck and I'm sure whatever you get, it'll be awesome.

 

[rickj]

One thing I was alittle disappointed in was the exhaust note. Seemed alittle quiet. Maybe it's because it's a few cylinders less than I'm used to.
My current dd is a 928s4 4 with rear muffler delete (stock pipes) nice low burble at idle and sounds good when stomped on.
Seems like it needs more exciting popes, but from the forum seems like there are good options. A roof wrap or black package might be good too.
Well I can wish anyway

 

[invictusmaneo]

FWIW..these cars gain speed deceptively fast. I agree it isn't "Exciting" acceleration..but it is definitely there. Even certain NA cars

 

[MTLDean]

One thing I was alittle disappointed in was the exhaust note. Seemed alittle quiet. Maybe it's because it's a few cylinders less than I'm used to.
My current dd is a 928s4 4 with rear muffler delete (stock pipes) nice low burble at idle and sounds good when stomped on.
Seems like it needs more exciting popes, but from the forum seems like there are good options. A roof wrap or black package might be good too.
Well I can wish anyway

Did you press the sport button btw? Sounds stupid, but it transforms the car completely. The engine note goes from dowdy to pretty throaty.

 

[MTLDean]

FWIW..these cars gain speed deceptively fast. I agree it isn't "Exciting" acceleration..but it is definitely there. Even certain NA cars

I'm very happy with the NA acceleration. I came from an Elise SC which felt slow (heavy flywheel?) but apparently does 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, and an Audi S4 which felt like a sledgehammer whacking you in the back but only did it in 4.7 seconds. The Evora (base) is somewhere in between, but accelerates smoothly and with a balance that the other cars lack. I think it's great.

 

[Julian73]

One thing I was alittle disappointed in was the exhaust note. Seemed alittle quiet. Maybe it's because it's a few cylinders less than I'm used to.
My current dd is a 928s4 4 with rear muffler delete (stock pipes) nice low burble at idle and sounds good when stomped on.
Seems like it needs more exciting popes, but from the forum seems like there are good options. A roof wrap or black package might be good too.
Well I can wish anyway

Yes easiest think to fix.

 

[Julian73]

I'm very happy with the NA acceleration. I came from an Elise SC which felt slow (heavy flywheel?) but apparently does 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, and an Audi S4 which felt like a sledgehammer whacking you in the back but only did it in 4.7 seconds. The Evora (base) is somewhere in between, but accelerates smoothly and with a balance that the other cars lack. I think it's great.

Shape of power curve can be very deceptive to the senses. Smooth linear does not feel fast but may be faster than a spiky curve. Example are some turbo cars, 930, FD RX-7, with very non linear concave curves, but at end of day a heavier docile Evora is quicker.

 

[rickj]

Did you press the sport button btw? Sounds stupid, but it transforms the car completely. The engine note goes from dowdy to pretty throaty.

Oh yea, the sports button was pressed, but because it was a test drive in a car with under 300 milles, I only revved it to 5k or less.
When does the pipe open up fully? Lower than 5 I would think

 

[Julian73]

Was it 4800 or 3800 rpm, I forget now.

 

[rickj]

Shape if power curve can be very deceptive to the senses. Smooth linear does not feel fast but may be faster than a spiky curve. Example are some turbo cars, 930, FD RX-7, with very non linear concave curves, but at end of day a heavier docile Evora is quicker.

Drove a 996 turbo ahile back. Didn't care for the turbo lag. Scary and seemed like it would be hard to control especially in a turn, or even too dangerous (I'm.not a race driver)

Had an m6 convertible with a very linear v 10. Too heavy and high. Evora felt a quantum level better with less power at 80 plus, but still got it to close to 90 without realizing it and it happened pretty quicklyfrom highway speeds.
Did I say it was a really fun car to drive?

 

[dt34]

I have an e92 M3 and it feels like a boat compared to my Evora S. I do love the V8 and comfort though.

The exhaust on the Evora is an easy upgrade and can be done at home by almost anyone with a few tools

 

[Ron Avery]

I finally got to test out an evora s IPS with all the options.
very fun car to drive. the IPS wasn't as bad as I thought it would be; pretty quick on up shifts, maybe not as quick on downshifts or so it seemed to me.
much better than an smg in an m6, but of course that was a single clutch manual with an electronic clutch
the car was pretty quick but not blistering fast. seemed slower than an m6 (but the numbers are the same, but way way more fun than a 4500 high center of gravity bmw.

of course the most impressive was feature was the steering wheel and what it felt like with your hands on it didn't do any twisties, just some highway work with a couple turns.
visibility was restricted out the back, but not nearly as bad as I had feared,
still not sure about an IPS vs manual. I shifted one of the dealer's manuals on the showroom just to get a feel for it and see about the long throw knock.
I didn't think it was that long. I have an old stingray and the throws seem longer. I agree with some of the posts that the IPS seems well suited for the car. may end up going that route.

the one thing I did think was that I didn't think I would enjoy it as much if it were any slower, which may rule out a NA for me.

the dealer told me that all of the 13's have now been punched warranty wise. so the clock's ticking for all 13 MY. The austin guy didn't want to go below low 80's, which seems unnecessarily high now with the 14's out.
so I guess the search and education continues, but I see one of these in my very near furture.

really fun car. almost wish I had a commute.

fyi: car was arctic white with tan interior (cognac). the white was alittle bright for me; From pictures I think I'd prefer ice white. The tan was ok but I like the carbon fiber seat look and I like pipping. to me the best looking interior
is the black with red pipping/stitching. they had a carbon with that interior and black wheels. looked pretty good. the laser blue was also very good looking, much better in person than the pictures. My personal preferences anyway.
lucky you folks that drive them.

This all very subjective. For me I would only get the Evora with a stick. It is a sports car after all. I have a 2011, and I find the shift quality just fine. My daughter just got a new Miata. It is way better than my Evora in the shift quality. However I don't find it to be a problem in my Evora. I think if you had a lot of traffic to deal with, then the IPS may be the way to go for you. If it was me, I would only go for the IPS in The "S". In the N/A, the stick makes it a very quick car. Again just my $.02.
Ron:shift:
Ron

 

[CPA4S]

i only had mine on the road for about 3 weeks before putting it up - the exhaust noise is the only thing i miss from my various P cars.

the IPS is not as fast as the latest PDK, but it was still fun and if you compensate a bit for the lag and shift a touch early, you are fine. i found i only used full auto for puttering and full manual on sport. nice thing about IPS is left foot braking - keeps both feet in the game & in manual mode you have to think about the shifitng points as much as in the stick so your gray matter still gets a work out.

the car will be a change from a 928 to say the least - way more connected allthough my last 991 was getting surprisingly close to the 928's GT style of driving.

 

[Ravenred]

the dealer told me that all of the 13's have now been punched warranty wise. so the clock's ticking for all 13 MY.

this is what i ran into while shopping for mine recently and i found it hugely disappointing to know that the warranty had already been kicked in on most of the ones i looked at which were the MY12s and 13s ....Who wants to go out and buy a "new" car and have about 1.5 year or so left on a new car warranty???
Dealerships are hurting and what they've done is "take the money" from Lotus, because lotus gives them a kick back buck for "selling" the car...so the dealership "claims" they sold the car in order to get the Lotus kick back money in which case, warranty is then activated because Lotus thinks the car is sold...
sneaky sneaky sneaky and for those of you shopping for a new car, please keep this in mind...try to find one where the dealership has been honest....they will LIE, and tell you that LOTUS makes them activate the warranty...this is not true.

 

[Allan Gibbs]

I doubt any dealerships will NOT have punched the warranties. They'd probably just give up the franchise all together. The cars are overpriced to start with an those incentives do help move cars....a little and probably more so than a full 36 month warranty.

On the other side of the coin, Lotus is quite good a covering issues under warranty. That said, they much have spend at least $10K on my n/a Evora alone with the labor rates and parts they've replaced (like several trips due to a/c issues ultimately replacing the condenser and then compressor which involves taking off the rear claim each time and dashboard replaced due to minor warping, and the odd assortment of buttons not working). Then, on my S, the replacement of the entire headliner (which I'm told required the seats to be removed. So, warranty issues are costing Lotus quite a bit.

Then, on the other side of the coin, I probably won't keep my car after the warranty period ends (32 months). So, in a sense, that's an incentive not to wait if you're on the fence. Warranties for the 2011s were punched on 12/28/12 and I bought in April 2013. So, I'm kind of surprised they've started the clock on the 2013s. I figured they'd punch the 2012 now.

 

[F1 SML8R]

Well this is a bit harsh. I would say dishonest would be to lie about having a full warranty. The reality is, they are coming clean and telling people that the warranty has been started.

As far as telling people why, well you have to remember, they are in the business of selling. Do you really think a dealer wants to start negotiating by saying "yeah, I took the the 5-10k that Lotus offered a few months ago, but let's not talk about that, let's talk about how much you can afford a month...". Try to show me ANY dealer (for any make) that has been 100% transparent, trust me that unicorn doesn't exist.

The reality is, do your homework, go in educated and have a polite, professional conversation about what you believe their cost is and how much profit you are comfortable allowing them to make on the deal. Any conversation that doesn't account for the real cost of the car and either a break even (if the dealer just needs to move it) or small margin, is just asinine and complete waste of everyone's time.

the dealer told me that all of the 13's have now been punched warranty wise. so the clock's ticking for all 13 MY.

this is what i ran into while shopping for mine recently and i found it hugely disappointing to know that the warranty had already been kicked in on most of the ones i looked at which were the MY12s and 13s ....Who wants to go out and buy a "new" car and have about 1.5 year or so left on a new car warranty???
Dealerships are hurting and what they've done is "take the money" from Lotus, because lotus gives them a kick back buck for "selling" the car...so the dealership "claims" they sold the car in order to get the Lotus kick back money in which case, warranty is then activated because Lotus thinks the car is sold...
sneaky sneaky sneaky and for those of you shopping for a new car, please keep this in mind...try to find one where the dealership has been honest....they will LIE, and tell you that LOTUS makes them activate the warranty...this is not true.

 

[invictusmaneo]

On the other side of the coin, Lotus is quite good a covering issues under warranty. That said, they much have spend at least $10K on my n/a Evora alone with the labor rates and parts they've replaced (like several trips due to a/c issues ultimately replacing the condenser and then compressor which involves taking off the rear claim each time and dashboard replaced due to minor warping, and the odd assortment of buttons not working). Then, on my S, the replacement of the entire headliner (which I'm told required the seats to be removed. So, warranty issues are costing Lotus quite a bit.

I am over $25,000 in warranty work so far, with a currently ongoing clutch repair. To be clear, a lot of the warranty problem solving is dealer dependent (I have had MUCH better luck out here with my servicing dealer than my previous) and a lot of the expense in my case comes from expensive parts-leather trim pieces, new headlights, shift cables and now a new clutch.

After all my warranty work replacing with the updated parts, I haven't had a problem again. So that is telling of the increased effort Lotus has put into QC and the new suppliers. And I agree. Lotus in my case has been really quite good with warranty work, being fair and understanding and also appreciating that I treat the car right and am honest with my dealer. I have no complaints in that regard and still love my car to no end.

Also-seats out is a quick job, front and back. Headliner probably is a bit faster than you think the interior comes out quick after you've done it a few times -eek-



The Lotus market new/used has not changed in years. This is how these cars work when buying, new or used. People complain an awful lot about pricing but considering most are going for at least 5k under MSRP, that isn't much to complain about. And I don't buy the "overpriced to begin with" argument considering I have an aluminum tub chassis with everything coated in leather and high end mechanical bits with the exception of the engine which is a torquey reliable and easy to service motor. Spec out a porsche cayman with a full leather interior and real aluminum trim and let me know what that price works out to.

It really cracks me up all the grief people give...then don't buy the car, shop elsewhere. It is the reality of the manufacturer, the dealer network and the market. It hasn't changed, it's nothing new, and it is what we deal with. Some of us love these cars, understand and have no complaints. Others just can't seem to get it and many of those on here don't even own the damn car. /rant

 

[Ravenred]

Well this is a bit harsh. I would say dishonest would be to lie about having a full warranty. The reality is, they are coming clean and telling people that the warranty has been started.

As far as telling people why, well you have to remember, they are in the business of selling. Do you really think a dealer wants to start negotiating by saying "yeah, I took the the 5-10k that Lotus offered a few months ago, but let's not talk about that, let's talk about how much you can afford a month...". Try to show me ANY dealer (for any make) that has been 100% transparent, trust me that unicorn doesn't exist.

I was told an out and out lie ....a Florida dealersihp salesman told me that Lotus requires that they start the warranty immediately....that is a lie....i have a problem with liars, be it attorneys, real estate agents, car sales persons....:thwack:
the Dallas dealership where i actually bought my car was honest....this is why i bought the car through them...