New Lotus Evora

Project Eagle has finally been unveiled today at the 2008 British Motor Show as the Evora, and Lotus is beaming over its little eaglet. The Evora will be the most grown up and accessible Lotus in the British manufacturer's lineup. To illustrate, the automaker claims it will fit two American males in the front seats (did they just call us fat?). It's a mid-engine, 2+2 coupe (a convertible is planned) with 3.5L V6 sourced from Toyota but elevated by Lotus above its humble origins to produce 276 horsepower. The car weighs just 2,976 lbs., which might be a lot for a Lotus but is well below the average weight of most cars. The interior is unlike any you've seen from this automaker, which is to say that occupying one won't be like staying in a hostel compared to a four-star hotel. You've got leather all around, a nav system, and Lotus promises ingress and egress have been vastly improved over its other models.

 

The Evora will be built on a new assembly line at the company's assembly plant in Hethel, England at the rate of 2,000 annually, but has been designed to meet safety and emissions requirements around the world. That many cars for so many markets means the Evora will be exclusive, although we don't expect Lotus to leave money on the table if there's big demand for its new, softer, more accessible sports car. Other vehicles will also eventually be built on the Evora's new aluminum chassis, which is called the Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) and was first seen on the Lotus APX Concept. It can be stretched, widened and carry a vehicle weighing over 4,000 lbs. One new Lotus is enough for now, though, as we try to wrap our heads around a Hethel-based car with creature comforts.

Yay, No I noticed it's a double post already. lol. Well, official name Evora.

toyota camry motor

 

meh car does nothing for me

I like the interior.

I like it. Needs to push more power though. 276 for the weight isn't good enough for a Lotus when the Exige is 260+ with a lot less weight.

I like the interior.

 

Not a fan on the exterior though. I guess Lotus wants to keep the current styling with the rest of the line (possibly saving cost?) IMO the Esprit looks cooler.

...they act like 276 is a hike, isnt the toyota engine stock worth something like that?

I love the interior, I just hope it doesnt have those high sides like the elise does where its a HUGE mission to get out. The car should do well, but I really really cant wait to see what they do with the esprit, lotus is toying with all of us by just coming out with all these little models.

2976lbs and 276hp? No thanks.

2976lbs and 276hp? No thanks.

 

1997 called and they want their NSX stats back...

 

Sad to see Lotus repeat the same mistake, but at least we have the next Esprit to look forward to.

the stats are kinda....sad

Yes it's a pig. I am extremely disappointed in the weight. It weighs more than a Cayman S.

 

 

Yes it's under-powered.

 

 

 

The only redeeming hope is that Lotus intends to build a high performance 2 seater, and also they intend to build a forced induction version...we shall see.

 

 

But as it stands right now, epic fail on Lotus' part. As a loyal Lotus fan and owner, even I can't look at this car and not be disappointed (except for the styling which I love, but that only goes so far)

I understand that they have been positioning it as a womans sports car.

I know lotus was involved in the development of the Tesla but the Evora looks way too much like it...

I like the Evora. It's looks like like a real car, more than kitcarish Elise or Exige.

Driving Impression: 2010 Lotus Evora

A genuine 2+2 inside a pure lightweight sports-car body.

 

By Sam Mitani

May 2009

 

Lotus finally allowed us to sample its new sports car, the Evora. Despite the torrential downpour in Loch Lomond just outside of Glasgow, Scotland — imagine that, rain in Scotland — I drove the new car for more than five hours, and logged 350 or so miles on the area's twisty, and sometimes crowded, roads. And to be truthful, I could've done another five hours...easily. That's how comfortable this new sports car from Lotus is. But before we get into that, a quick comment about the car's styling and packaging.

 

Upon first glance, you can't imagine this car being anything other than 2-seater, but open the door and there they are: rear seats. Unlike with the Exige, you don't need a class in Chinese contortionism to get in and out of the car. The interior is tight yet comfortable. Leather surfaces on the dash and seats provide a luxurious air, and the controls are easy to use, except for those on the Alpine navigation/stereo system, which seems out of place here. The rear seats can accommodate a couple of children and, according to Lotus, a 5-ft.-tall adult who weighs about 120 lb.

 

The engine is Toyota's 2GR-FE VVt-i engine mounted behind the rear seats. It produces 276 bhp at 6400 rpm and 258 lb.-ft. of torque at 4700. According to Lotus, the 3026-lb. Evora will streak to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and to 100 mph in 12.3. It'll top out at 162 mph. My only complaint? I wish the Toyota engine produced a better sound. On the other hand, it does keep the cabin quiet, and helps the Evora achieve around 30 mpg combined.

 

 

Significantly more impressive is the Evora's chassis. This new Lotus has a modular chassis, made up of three separate pieces: A front section, center tub and rear section, bolted and bonded together to make one complete part. The Evora's handling is, in a word, tight. The steering is quick, reminiscent of the Exige's, and when attacking a winding section of road, the Evora is truly at home. Turn-in is super crisp, with body roll kept in check, thanks to the upper and lower A-arm suspension (with Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs front and rear). There's some understeer through sharp corners, but novice drivers need not worry because there's an "understeer control" program built into the car's traction control system.

 

The new Evora is indeed a sports car for a broad range of enthusiasts. When asked by an engineer how many stars out of five I'd give this new car, I pointed to the rating plaque on the hotel wall at The Cameron House where we were staying. It showed five stars. The Evora is scheduled to reach U.S showrooms in January, with a price of around $75,000.

 

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?se...mp;print_page=y

 

The Baby Ferrari That Ferrari Refuses To Build

 

By Matt Davis, Contributor Email

Date posted: 05-13-2009

 

 

About midway between, say, an Ariel Atom and a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti sits the 2010 Lotus Evora. This all-new Lotus 2+2 is a real Lotus at heart and it takes the noble East Anglian company into the third phase of its life. There was the original glory of the Colin Chapman years from 1952 up to his sudden death in 1982 and then the deeply troubled second period that ended in 1995 with the financial success of the Lotus Elise and its variants. And now the Evora is a clear signal that Lotus Cars can once again attain real worldwide glory.

 

Over the course of 200 miles through the lichen-covered landscape northwest of Glasgow, Scotland, we had the chance to check out everything about the Evora with Rob Savin, Lotus product planning manager, who was acting as passenger and navigator. There were long straights for overtaking, a lot of braking moments for harder lefts and rights and a huge number of shifts between 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears. Right off, we can happily report that heel-and-toe downshifts are easy and peak revs at 7,000 rpm are readily available.

 

Dashing through every kind of weather, the lightweight Evora devoured it all handily. Even when we got pelted by big rain (and once by hail), we discovered that the 2010 Lotus Evora doesn't really need to slow down by much. It's a sports car with four seats.

 

Choice Chassis

Of all the technical fun for which Lotus Engineering is renowned, the development of a cost-effective, durable and dynamic modular chassis has been the key to its success. The Evora represents Lotus Cars' first use of the new low-volume Versatile Vehicle Architecture (VVA) originally shown at the 2006 Geneva Auto Show and later displayed at the 2008 Geneva Auto Show as "Project Eagle."

 

This customizable architecture — designated "122" in Hethel white papers — weighs 450 pounds as it sits beneath the Evora. It has a bonded-aluminum front structure bolted to the bonded-aluminum passenger tub, which is bolted in turn to a steel rear structure that holds the engine. Even before the fiberglass body is bonded and bolted to the chassis, the structural rigidity of the Evora platform in both bending and torsion is more than 60 percent greater than that for a Lotus Elise or Exige. Add the body parts and these figures are upped by over 150 percent and just eclipse the figures recorded for the Porsche Cayman.

 

Just as in Colin Chapman's day, it's this high structural integrity that allows the compliant suspension to work its magic.

 

Toyotus

But nothing matters, of course, if the engine and transmission aren't overachieving at all times. It begins with the packaging challenge represented by the transverse, DOHC 3,456cc Toyota V6 (Toyota has provided hardware to Lotus since the days of the Esprit). The Evora is, after all, the world's only midengine 2+2, and the car's 105.3-inch wheelbase must accommodate the front passengers, the kids in back and the engine.

 

Our 2010 Lotus Evora test car came fully optioned, including both the Sport Upgrade Pack and the sports-ratio gearbox with its shorter ratios for 3rd through 6th gears. In this trim, the Evora's V6 with variable valve timing has 276 horsepower peaking at 6,400 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque at 4,700 rpm, which together get us to 60 mph in an estimated 4.9 seconds. This Lotus definitely feels about that quick, as with a quoted curb weight of 2,976 pounds (weight distribution is 39 percent front/61 percent rear), each horse is carrying just 10.8 pounds. Of course, it's definitely better for performance to keep the revs around 3,500, and we generally felt best when downshifting to 3rd for overtaking, but that's not much sacrifice. A top speed of 155 mph is possible, we're told.

 

This seemingly pedestrian Toyota V6 has until now only ever been attached to an automatic transmission in a Camry, Venza, Lexus GS, et al., so Lotus has had to adapt things to fit the Aisin six-speed manual transmission. Both the clutch and new single-mass flywheel were designed by Lotus and built by AP Driveline. As a testament to the excellent control of noise, vibration and harshness, the cabin doesn't register any engine badness, and the interaction between throttle and shifter is at once smooth and deliberate. The exhaust note is nothing to write home about, but the good news is that U.S. regulations allow Lotus to send us louder cars than the rest of the world gets!

 

There are plans for an optional six-speed automatic with shift paddles — sourced again from Toyota and heavily adapted by Lotus — to be available later in 2010. Projections give the 2010 Lotus Evora an EPA rating of 27.1 mpg combined. In fact, after 150 miles of our aggressive Scottish tour, we eyed the gas gauge and did a double-take at the meager use of fuel.

 

MacDrive, Laddie!

With a 27-month development schedule between Project Eagle's green light and the Evora we're driving, the dynamics team led by Matt Becker has worked a wonder by rendering this ultra-rigid assembly capable and comfortable over any road surface while using an undramatic conventional suspension. Becker and his team are reportedly toying with a Porsche-style variable damping option, but we reckon the Evora just doesn't need it.

 

The Bilstein dampers with Eibach springs deliver an all-around pleasing balance that we have not yet felt from any other manufacturer's default setup. Becker states, "When we started the process with Bilstein, these dampers had only 12 possible fluid-bypass shims. By the end we had together designed and tested a total of 60." New lightweight wishbones made from forged aluminum also help maintain a balance between a comfortable ride and responsive handling as we rocket along through the heather.

 

Another useful aspect of the Evora's suspension design is the application of soft suspension bushings to make the ride more comfortable, a move again made possible by the very rigidity of the whole car. As a result, we expect that Lotus can play with the suspension bushings and the rear antiroll bar to easily develop a hotter version of the Evora for the future.

 

Round and Round

At the last moment, Lotus switched its tire supplier for this car from its customary partner Yokohama to Pirelli, and the 2010 Lotus Evora now carries 225/40ZR18 front and 255/35ZR19 rear Pirelli P Zero rubber. Compared to the Yokohama Advan Sport LTS treads we tried in an earlier prototype ride at Lotus HQ at Hethel, these Pirellis make a serious difference in all-around performance at higher speeds, through testing corners, and even around town. Lotus tells us that Yokohama will still provide the optional set of winter tires for the Evora.

 

Though the Evora features hydraulically assisted power steering, we didn't ever feel anything but connected to the road while guiding it through its paces. There was no hint of numbness or feeling of being forced to on-center whatsoever. Chipping in here, no doubt, is the incredibly light magnesium inner hoop of the flat-bottom steering wheel, which heightens steering feel.

 

Braking is also spot-on with AP Racing vented discs (also cross-drilled in the Sport Upgrade Pack) and calipers fore and aft. We were literally trying to make some perceptible fade happen through repeated tight turns, but failed. Initial figures put the Evora's 60-0-mph braking distance at a tooth-yanking 110.3 feet.

 

This test car's one-piece forged wheels are a worthwhile option, as each wheel reduces unsprung weight by nearly 7 pounds. There is currently a traction control function plus ABS, but all cars arriving in North America will come with a full stability control system that can be deactivated in two stages.

 

Total Package Inside and Out

Since we're in here, we should tell you that the interior as designed by Anthony Bushell is right on the money. We feel securely placed in the Recaro seats (ready for a racing harness, if you like), there's a full-size allotment of head- and legroom, and visibility from the front and side is ample. Rear vision through the center mirror is a small disaster aided only a little when you opt for the Alpine onboard system with reverse camera, and the blind spots back there are substantial. Buyers can request either a two-seat layout with a rear parcel area or this car's 2+2 configuration to give the kids a secret clubhouse in back.

 

Whether you stick with the partial leather interior or go for the Premium Upgrade Pack's full leather treatment, the leather used is from hides supplied by Scotland's own Muirhead catalog. As a result, the 2010 Lotus Evora really does feel like a better and slightly smaller version of a Ferrari F430.

 

The exterior design by Steve Crijns is pure Lotus from several views — the grinning front with prominent air passages and the rear fascia in particular. This means that, being a Lotus, it will cause wide-ranging opinionated discussions with no resolution. Perfect, we think.

 

The famously wide door sills of the Lotus modular chassis seen in the Elise and Exige (a consequence of the big bonded pontoons that provide structural rigidity) have been narrowed an inch apiece for the Evora to improve ingress and egress, plus the door openings are more generous in dimension up top, while the H-point of the seats are 2.5 inches higher than those of any previous Lotus. As a consequence, you can now actually live with a Lotus every day.

 

It's Not Just for Kids

The Evora will roughly double production at Lotus to nearly 4,000 units annually and the plan is to produce 12,000 examples over the next six years. The first Evora deliveries in North America begin in January 2010, with the price of the two-passenger version expected to start at close to $73,000 and the 2+2 adding only a little for around $74,500. Lotus Cars USA reports 150 sold orders to date, with most dealers accepting fully refundable $5,000 deposits for a spot in line.

 

With the 2010 Lotus Evora, Lotus seems as if it's ready to break out of its niche as a maker of hobby cars to become a mainstream manufacturer. And just like one of the big names, impressive technology is the key to its accomplishment. Ferrari has long resisted a return to the portion of the market once occupied by its V6-powered Dino 246 GT in the late 1960s, the Italian company's first midengine street car, but now Lotus has built the baby Ferrari that Ferrari won't.

 

Edmunds attended a manufacturer-sponsored event, to which selected members of the press were invited, to facilitate this report.

 

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...photopanel..2.*

Evora rear seats

 

Thanks for the follow up posts. Sheds a bit more light and a quite positive one at that. I'm looking forward to upcoming sc version. This also allows for a next gen Exige to be even more extreme.

The rumored 400hp S/C version should be sweet.

I like the interior.

I like it. Same length as LP560 but the Lambo is couple inches wider and shorter. Good price point.

I like it. Same length as LP560 but the Lambo is couple inches wider and shorter. Good price point.

 

There are 4 waiting for you to choose from at you-know-where. (or have you chosen one already)?

 

I should be test-driving one soon.

There are 4 waiting for you to choose from at you-know-where. (or have you chosen one already)?

 

I should be test-driving one soon.

 

 

Post your thoughts please once you test drive it! It wasn't on my radar at all until yesterday one drove by and we thought it looked pretty good. Mind you we were stuck in a sea of mini-vans...

VCR, make sure you do a write up on what you think of the Evora. I'm still thinking of getting a AM Vantage but I do like the Evora. You have any more info (colors, options) of the 4 for sale?