Test drive of the new Lotus Evora

PostPost by: msd1107 » Thu Dec 31, 2009 10:04 pm

The new Lotus Evora is being circulated up and down the East and West coasts for short test drives. It arrived in the LA area before Christmas and I scheduled a drive for Saturday.

Unfortunately, a scheduling snafu had several of us scheduled for the same time, so I "let" my girl friend take my slot for an "around the block" test drive. She was enthusiastic about the car and said her Acura felt like a pile of lead in comparison and she had to learn to drive it again.

In compensation, they scheduled me for a longer test drive over more interesting roads. I went in this morning.

The Evora is easier to get into than the coupe Elise, but probably is still not suitable for women in skirts.

There is a full complement of amenities, including electrically adjustable side mirrors. Vision to the rear is not too good, but there is an optional rear view camera. Also available is satellite navigation, Bluetooth connectivity, cruise control, and leather.

There are two transmission options. The wide ratio transmission has taller ratios on the top four gears for better EPA mileage than the "sports ratio gearbox". With 3.538, 1.913, 1.218, 0.86, 0.79, and 0.638 ratios, this produces a Figure of Merit of -1298.1 (really poor), a drop of 84.9% between 1st and 2nd, and a small drop of 8.9% between 4th and 5th. The advertised top speed of 162 mph is achieved in 5th gear. First gear is practically a throw-away gear, and with the gap between 1st and 2nd means you would not use it often. (Note, this is from figures provided by the salesman, they are not in the Evora brochure)

The "sports ratio" gearbox ratios are 3.538, 1.913, 1.407, 1.091, 0.9697, and 0.8611 for a better but still poor Figure of Merit of -78.5. This gearbox will not achieve the advertised top speed with this set of ratios, being limited to around 150 mph at peak power rpm. This gearbox still has the huge gap between 1st and 2nd, and a close gap between 4th and 5th. On the road, I primarily used 2nd, 3rd, and 4th, and these are pretty similar to the top 3 gears on the semi-close ratio.

Clutch engagement is half way up the travel and is nicely progressive, a consequence of the Toyota ancestry. Quite a difference between my car that engages just off the floor and over a fraction of an inch.

Brakes are boosted, and are quite sensitive. If you are used to our Elan non-boosted brakes with aeroquip brake lines, you will find these overly sensitive (it is easy to send your passenger through the dash) and a little mushy. The salesman felt they were extraordinary, however.

Steering is power assisted and gets the car around corners. I could drive the car with my usual three finger grip on the steering wheel, but the steering feel felt more "remote" than we are used to feeling with our admittedly direct and sensitive rack and pinion.

Vehicle noise is apparent, but I could still converse easily at freeway speeds. Light years better than any Elan, even Sarto's with sound deadening.

Cornering was steady and precise, at least at the speeds I went at. At least the salesman was not worried. The car was responsive to steering changes, even in a corner, and with no complaint.

All in all, this is indicative of what 40 years of progress produces.

David
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PostPost by: bcmc33 » Thu Dec 31, 2009 11:45 pm

What changes have been made to the new Evora compared to the original?

I went for a hair cut 2 weeks ago and an Evora was parked outside. I chatted to the owner who said he had not had the courage to engage sport-drive in the 3 months since he'd owned it - what a plonker.
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PostPost by: gjz30075 » Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:29 pm

David, I presume it was left hand drive? When I sat in one at the LOG29, (lhd) I found zero room for the left foot because of the wheel well. Was that a problem you saw?

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PostPost by: CBUEB1771 » Fri Jan 01, 2010 3:34 pm

David,
I am pleased to hear you drove it. I went to see the Evora a few weeks ago, probably the same one you drove, when it was at the Lotus dealer here in Waltham, Massachusetts. The weather was abominable and neither the sales people nor I were keen to put it out on the road. I first impression was that it is easily the most "professionally" finished Lotus I have ever seen but it is absolutely enormous. You are generous in saying the the visibility out the back is not good. I'll try for a drive again in the New England spring. I must try not to be a luddite but watching then various logos and scripts flash by on the in-fascia display as the car "booted" seemed so un-Lotus-like. Someone will make money on an Evora app that will simulate a Smiths chronometric tach upon boot up.
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PostPost by: msd1107 » Fri Jan 01, 2010 6:54 pm

Greg,

The car was a LHD euro spec model. Speedo in kmh, temperature in deg C, etc.

I wore narrow shoes, but there was no problem with pedal spacing. There is also a dead pedal to the left of the clutch, so lots more lateral space than on the Elan.

The Evora is substantially larger than the Elan, being quite a bit wider and 2 ft longer, but still petite compared with most other cars. My girl friend remarked that the Jags and Astons on display were absolutely huge.

On the road, the visibility to the rear is not a problem, although the rear window is certainly petite. If you have driven a Prius, you will appreciate this. The side mirrors can be easily adjusted, so visibility is pretty good. I certainly had no problems in city, freeway or winding road driving.

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