Test drive of the new Lotus Evora
Posted: 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
1968 36/7988
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
1968 36/7988