This guy must know Anita....obviously doesn't get it... feel free to respond to his e-mail address at the bottom.....Maybe he is a pissed off Yankee fan....
ROAD TEST
Tom Incantalupo
A delightful and expensive weekend toy (with constraints)
Oct 22, 2004
Depending upon their build and their agility, people develop their own styles of climbing behind the wheels of their cars. A popular one is the "butt first" method, in which one backs into the seat, then makes a graceful swing of the feet into the foot well.
Also popular is the "one leg first method," in which one leads straight-legged with the right foot, sits down, then bends the left knee and brings the other foot aboard.
There's the "Dukes of Hazzard" method - you don't see this one much - of entering both feet first through an open window.
A method for dashing, adventurous types is the "Hertz" technique - named after a TV commercial decades ago in which a driver sailed feet first into the seat of a convertible from above but this one's tough to do if you don't have access to a crane. Much safer is to crawl head first into the front seat, then carefully twist, sliding feet onto pedals and butt onto seat.
Whichever style you prefer, this is to formally advise you that it won't work on this week's test car - the Lotus Elise, an exotically beautiful, composite-bodied roadster that, unfortunately, has been produced for those willing to put up with vexing and even ludicrous inconveniences in a $41,000 car, along with some sloppy assembly and the nearest dealer not near at all.
The new Elise is, at its heart, a delightful weekend toy whose four-cylinder, 190-hp. Toyota engine produces an exhaust tone that's almost as pleasant to hear as the words "no charge for this" from a mechanic.
The Elise is very fast, with an under-5-second zero to 60 mph time and a 13.6-second quarter mile time. Its near- race-ready suspension connects the driver to the road as in a go-kart; its good looks, I can testify to, will collect enough neighbors for a block party the first time you bring it home.
The Elise's structural design, guaranteed to please your chiropractor, forces driver and passenger to step over huge side frame rails to enter. The seats are virtually on the floor and are thinly padded - certainly unsuitable for the hard landings of the Hertz entry method.
Once inside the Elise, driver and passenger also will find that, even for a base price of $41,000:
There are no side air bags to help protect them from the 99.9 percent of vehicles whose bumpers are higher than those frame rails.
That foot room is severely limited by the inward tapering of those frame rails toward the front of the car.
That the loose-fitting plastic center console looks like a cheap afterthought purchased from auto parts discount store.
That the driver's seat has just two adjustments: fore and aft and lumbar support. There is no height adjustment or even one for the backrest angle. Nor does the steering wheel adjust. Either you like the driving position or you lump it. And the passenger's seat has no adjustments at all - not even fore and aft.
That the stereo has tiny controls best suited for the deft fingers of a neurosurgeon.
That the accelerator pedal's narrowness and location very close to the brake pedal is an open invitation to unintended acceleration and also renders driving this car with your Timberlands on quite impossible. The pedals' proximity to each other is to facilitate "heel and toeing," a technique in high performance driving in which the driver works the accelerator and brake pedal simultaneously with the right foot.
That installing the soft top is a multistep process that takes pages to explain in the owner's manual. A hardtop is available for $1,475.
That there's no glove box, no coin holder, no cup holder and no trunk to speak of; the last is behind the midmounted engine, which is behind the cockpit. There's no storage compartment up front, either, as one would find in a Porsche 911, because the Elise's radiator eats up most of that space.
But, numerous as they are, those flaws tend to shrink into near-insignificance when the day is sunny, the road is clear and the Elise's tachometer needle reaches about 6,000 rpms - at which point the Toyota variable valve timing system delivers a surge of power almost like that of a turbocharger.
The engine's rumble becomes thunderous, driver and passenger are pushed backward into the seats, and all is right with the world.
Peak horsepower is reached at a high 7,800 rpms. This engine needs premium gas, which is stored in a 10.5-gallon tank.
The Elise's steering isn't power assisted and requires considerable effort at parking speeds but feels just right on the road, although the tiny steering wheel kicks a bit at high speeds. The Toyota-sourced six-speed stick shifter snicks precisely through the gears, the clutch is easy to modulate, there is no body lean in corners, and the powerful brakes and huge tires inspire confidence.
On sale since July, the Elise has been the only Lotus offered here since production of the $95,000 Esprit was discontinued late last year.
As noted in the data box, the test car stickered at more than $47,000, with options that included $590 metallic paint, a $1,350 "touring" pack, a $2,480 "sport" pack and a clear protectant, for $995. The touring pack includes a double insulated soft top, additional carpeting and sound deadening, a storage net behind the two seats and power windows. The sport pack includes a firmer and lowered suspension, larger and lighter wheels and larger tires.
At less than 2,000 pounds and 149 inches bumper to bumper, the Elise is one of the smallest cars in America, sized between the smaller BMW Mini Cooper and the larger Mazda Miata.
Lotus' owner's manual for the Elise seems to present the high frame rails as a safety feature, saying that driver and passenger ride in "a cockpit tub surrounded by substantial chassis side frames." But the company does not claim they're a substitute for side air bags.
There is no federal government crash test data on this car - and probably won't ever be because of its low sales volumes. Ditto the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Neither organization's Web site even recognizes the existence of Lotus.
It's the same story for reliability info: nothing available on Lotus or its cars from Consumer Reports or J.D. Power and Associates. Caveat emptor.
Lotus says it expects to sell about 2,300 Elises a year in the United States and an equal number elsewhere.
The nearest Lotus dealerships for Long Islanders and Queens residents are in Manhattan and the Eastchester section of the Bronx - hardly convenient, except perhaps for folks who have other business in those areas.
Fans of these cars might say that such concerns are quite beside the point - that a pure performance machine should never be expected to have the practicalities of a family sedan and should never be measured by the same yardstick.
There's some truth to that, but cars like the Honda S200, Toyota MR2 and the most recent iterations of Chevrolet's Corvette are proof that a sports car buyer nowadays can almost have it all - terrific performance and the practicalities that add to the experience: modern ergonomics and conveniences, a choice of dealerships, and a record of safety and customer satisfaction a prospective buyer can check.
Even for $40,000 plus, this Lotus gives us one without the other.
2005 Lotus Elise
Engine: 190-hp., 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder.
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive.
Safety: Dual air bags, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock, rear fog lamps.
Place of assembly: Hethel,
Norfolk, England.
Weight: 1,975 pounds.
Trunk: 4 cubic feet.
EPA fuel economy rating: 26.1 mpg city, 37.5 highway.
Price as driven: $47,140, including destination charge.
Email: [email protected]
http://www.newsday.com/business/columnists/ny-whtomxx4014272oct22,0,3787559.column?coll=ny-business-columnists
ROAD TEST
Tom Incantalupo
A delightful and expensive weekend toy (with constraints)
Oct 22, 2004
Depending upon their build and their agility, people develop their own styles of climbing behind the wheels of their cars. A popular one is the "butt first" method, in which one backs into the seat, then makes a graceful swing of the feet into the foot well.
Also popular is the "one leg first method," in which one leads straight-legged with the right foot, sits down, then bends the left knee and brings the other foot aboard.
There's the "Dukes of Hazzard" method - you don't see this one much - of entering both feet first through an open window.
A method for dashing, adventurous types is the "Hertz" technique - named after a TV commercial decades ago in which a driver sailed feet first into the seat of a convertible from above but this one's tough to do if you don't have access to a crane. Much safer is to crawl head first into the front seat, then carefully twist, sliding feet onto pedals and butt onto seat.
Whichever style you prefer, this is to formally advise you that it won't work on this week's test car - the Lotus Elise, an exotically beautiful, composite-bodied roadster that, unfortunately, has been produced for those willing to put up with vexing and even ludicrous inconveniences in a $41,000 car, along with some sloppy assembly and the nearest dealer not near at all.
The new Elise is, at its heart, a delightful weekend toy whose four-cylinder, 190-hp. Toyota engine produces an exhaust tone that's almost as pleasant to hear as the words "no charge for this" from a mechanic.
The Elise is very fast, with an under-5-second zero to 60 mph time and a 13.6-second quarter mile time. Its near- race-ready suspension connects the driver to the road as in a go-kart; its good looks, I can testify to, will collect enough neighbors for a block party the first time you bring it home.
The Elise's structural design, guaranteed to please your chiropractor, forces driver and passenger to step over huge side frame rails to enter. The seats are virtually on the floor and are thinly padded - certainly unsuitable for the hard landings of the Hertz entry method.
Once inside the Elise, driver and passenger also will find that, even for a base price of $41,000:
There are no side air bags to help protect them from the 99.9 percent of vehicles whose bumpers are higher than those frame rails.
That foot room is severely limited by the inward tapering of those frame rails toward the front of the car.
That the loose-fitting plastic center console looks like a cheap afterthought purchased from auto parts discount store.
That the driver's seat has just two adjustments: fore and aft and lumbar support. There is no height adjustment or even one for the backrest angle. Nor does the steering wheel adjust. Either you like the driving position or you lump it. And the passenger's seat has no adjustments at all - not even fore and aft.
That the stereo has tiny controls best suited for the deft fingers of a neurosurgeon.
That the accelerator pedal's narrowness and location very close to the brake pedal is an open invitation to unintended acceleration and also renders driving this car with your Timberlands on quite impossible. The pedals' proximity to each other is to facilitate "heel and toeing," a technique in high performance driving in which the driver works the accelerator and brake pedal simultaneously with the right foot.
That installing the soft top is a multistep process that takes pages to explain in the owner's manual. A hardtop is available for $1,475.
That there's no glove box, no coin holder, no cup holder and no trunk to speak of; the last is behind the midmounted engine, which is behind the cockpit. There's no storage compartment up front, either, as one would find in a Porsche 911, because the Elise's radiator eats up most of that space.
But, numerous as they are, those flaws tend to shrink into near-insignificance when the day is sunny, the road is clear and the Elise's tachometer needle reaches about 6,000 rpms - at which point the Toyota variable valve timing system delivers a surge of power almost like that of a turbocharger.
The engine's rumble becomes thunderous, driver and passenger are pushed backward into the seats, and all is right with the world.
Peak horsepower is reached at a high 7,800 rpms. This engine needs premium gas, which is stored in a 10.5-gallon tank.
The Elise's steering isn't power assisted and requires considerable effort at parking speeds but feels just right on the road, although the tiny steering wheel kicks a bit at high speeds. The Toyota-sourced six-speed stick shifter snicks precisely through the gears, the clutch is easy to modulate, there is no body lean in corners, and the powerful brakes and huge tires inspire confidence.
On sale since July, the Elise has been the only Lotus offered here since production of the $95,000 Esprit was discontinued late last year.
As noted in the data box, the test car stickered at more than $47,000, with options that included $590 metallic paint, a $1,350 "touring" pack, a $2,480 "sport" pack and a clear protectant, for $995. The touring pack includes a double insulated soft top, additional carpeting and sound deadening, a storage net behind the two seats and power windows. The sport pack includes a firmer and lowered suspension, larger and lighter wheels and larger tires.
At less than 2,000 pounds and 149 inches bumper to bumper, the Elise is one of the smallest cars in America, sized between the smaller BMW Mini Cooper and the larger Mazda Miata.
Lotus' owner's manual for the Elise seems to present the high frame rails as a safety feature, saying that driver and passenger ride in "a cockpit tub surrounded by substantial chassis side frames." But the company does not claim they're a substitute for side air bags.
There is no federal government crash test data on this car - and probably won't ever be because of its low sales volumes. Ditto the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Neither organization's Web site even recognizes the existence of Lotus.
It's the same story for reliability info: nothing available on Lotus or its cars from Consumer Reports or J.D. Power and Associates. Caveat emptor.
Lotus says it expects to sell about 2,300 Elises a year in the United States and an equal number elsewhere.
The nearest Lotus dealerships for Long Islanders and Queens residents are in Manhattan and the Eastchester section of the Bronx - hardly convenient, except perhaps for folks who have other business in those areas.
Fans of these cars might say that such concerns are quite beside the point - that a pure performance machine should never be expected to have the practicalities of a family sedan and should never be measured by the same yardstick.
There's some truth to that, but cars like the Honda S200, Toyota MR2 and the most recent iterations of Chevrolet's Corvette are proof that a sports car buyer nowadays can almost have it all - terrific performance and the practicalities that add to the experience: modern ergonomics and conveniences, a choice of dealerships, and a record of safety and customer satisfaction a prospective buyer can check.
Even for $40,000 plus, this Lotus gives us one without the other.
2005 Lotus Elise
Engine: 190-hp., 1.8-liter, 4-cylinder.
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive.
Safety: Dual air bags, four-wheel disc brakes with antilock, rear fog lamps.
Place of assembly: Hethel,
Norfolk, England.
Weight: 1,975 pounds.
Trunk: 4 cubic feet.
EPA fuel economy rating: 26.1 mpg city, 37.5 highway.
Price as driven: $47,140, including destination charge.
Email: [email protected]
http://www.newsday.com/business/columnists/ny-whtomxx4014272oct22,0,3787559.column?coll=ny-business-columnists
