2006 Lotus Elise - Sights and Sounds

[@mcnbns]

Absolute dream car. I love any and all Lotus Elise/Exige content.

[@aako-dd1ly]

No love for the esprit????😢

[@mcnbns]

@@aako-dd1ly The Esprit is the last of the older backbone framed Lotuses. I'd love to drive one, but for my money I would buy an Elise or Exige with the more modern bonded aluminum chassis. You also get a Toyota derived engine.

[@alpnstr]

I now have an Exige and a S2K and I can say from a handling and dynamic perspective these two cars deliver the best experience that can be had with roof and AC.

[@superjervis]

which one is better in driving dynamics

[@Zygrene]

Well said Harry! They are second to none, especially at their price points

[@Daniellihomes]

I have the same combo. S240 and an ap2 04' ... love them equally both

[@kalmmonke5037]

gma t43 new toyota mr2@@Zygreneetc, honda s660. is there a inline 3 version of this car aftermarket ? maybe ford 1 liter

[@alpnstr]

@@superjervis In OEM form, the Lotus wins hands down in every category of performance, except for the electric top function; that's pretty awesome. Fully modded for suspension and chassis and wheels, they are very competitive in dynamic feel, at least on the mountain road setting. S2K has more mechanical grip. My Lotus has big aero and supercharger and is crazy light. I have my first track day for the S2K is coming up so I have lots to discover.

[@SquiggyWigginz]

2005 Lotus Elise Turbo (285hp) owner here. Love love love it. ❤️

[@OjsMatte]

Sounds like a blast, i have a stock 2005, 100 more hp sounds ridoncolously fun.

[@SquiggyWigginz]

@@OjsMatte Dino 254 to wheel. It's amazing!!!

[@SquiggyWigginz]

@@OjsMatte I'm your first subscriber! Woohoo.

[@Datsun510zen]

Those who believe that quiet yearning desperation is the English way have obviously never driven a Lotus. What a magnificent sound indeed.

[@gabethomas8123]

Floyd quote?

[@Datsun510zen]

@@gabethomas8123 💥Indeed, it's Time from Dark Side Of The Moon and one of my all time favorite songs.

[@drew699]

You can keep your lardy Porkers. A quick Elise or Caterham, is where it’s at. Visceral, intuitive & fun. No substitute.

[@VQSeries]

@Zygrene To answer your question on Video Format, I actually prefer your usual inclusion of commentary with the sound (binuarl audio :) ... Not many other KZbinrs do as good a job if at all, in intricately describing a vehicle's character & overall driving dynamics so well! Been watching your channel since nearly the beginning! Please keep up the quality content!

[@feelthatfeelthat]

Green + tan works oh so well together.

[@65hi863dhyu]

I had two. There's nothing like them. Not anything that's not super niche & rare. I also had a Dino 246 GTS. Chairs & flairs. The inspiration for Julian Thomson's design. The Elise is the much better driver's car. Swear to God. Both spin to 8200 rpm. And id still take the 1.8 Celica engine over his only son's Formula 2 V6 2.4 liter. Along with the bonded aluminum chassis.

[@aroundomaha]

That was awesome and I love the driving focus in this video. Darn it also makes me want an Elise!

[@grusilag]

I prefer the usual commentary on driving dynamics and experience rather than this style. But it was an entertaining video nonetheless.

[@Zygrene]

Thanks for the feedback 👍

[@samueldowney2806]

That exhaust sounds so good! Yes we do like these, they're good fun, but only as an aside to your excellent and informative reviews.

[@eddiemason7118]

Just want to thank you for taking us along for a ride. The only negative about the video is that I’m not driving the Elise.

[@mark8menace]

Beautiful car, Cris is such a chiller too 👍

[@frederickcook87]

This is what my 997S build is trying to be 😃 (cause at 6’4” 245lbs I’m never gonna fit comfortably in anything lotus makes)

[@matteomarziali6140]

May I know what radio did you put in? I like it, it integrates well into the dashboard🙂

[@analoglyfe]

Got the pleasure to drive Cris' Elise and loved the way it felt. Nice and tight with all the right stuff refreshed! Much to emulate onto mine. Enjoyed the video footage. Curious if you ever do an external GoPro in the back for exhaust?

[@Zygrene]

I used to, but decided to standardize my 3 camera angles for my canyon drive reviews

[@getdealtwithquick]

I agree with others here that your commentary would be helpful, even in a voiceover if the noise in the car is too much. It'd be great to hear how this compares to your favorite 981/718 cars from a smiles per gallon and usability standpoint. Thanks!

[@johnmitchell2269]

The majority of cars, with a 1.8 naturally aspirated Toyota engine, would be quite underwhelming and slow. Like the last gen Celica with this engine. But..... the Lotus Elise has such a good chassis, is so light, double wishbone suspension front and rear and with it's MR layout plus short wheelbase, its not at all slow by any means. Having said all that though, the ultimate S2 Elise imo would be one with a supercharged (Rotrex) K20a swapped in. I know you have driven quite a few S2 Elises/Exiges, and I also know you have driven the Evora GT, but I would like to see what you think of the S3 Exige (not sure if you guys got those over in the states though?). Same engine as the Evora S/400/GT but in a lighter, more basic and raw car.

[@Zygrene]

We never got the S3 here, unfortunately

[@getdealtwithquick]

​@@ZygreneYes we did but only for the 2011 model year. After that, the multi stage airbags became mandatory, IIRC.

[@clamhandler8203]

Lotus Elise does not have an OEM backup camera.

[@PeteAnda]

So great. You get it. Shame Brits don’t. Love my Elise 220. Also love mx5s but ai am way too big. Way better than the fat dull 997s I had. Elise is you love to actually drive. Thanks for the content.

[@mr2death]

One of my favorite cars of all time Elise/exige ftw

[@haoranchen102]

the 2zz's sound is good, but I do want to hear your opinion, your thought

[@Savorychicken41]

Sounds amazing 👂

[@denisvogel5155]

I have yet to drive any model of Lotus but your enthusiastic review of the Elise is compelling enough to make me want to, and sooner than later. As well, the road you drove it on is a driver's dream. Out of curiosity, how long does it take you to get there from where you live?

[@Zygrene]

About half an hour. I am blessed.

[@denisvogel5155]

@@Zygrene You are indeed!

[@pnsmexico]

can you tell me what canyon area that is so i can drive up there? i think that is near LA, no? thanks

[@Unicornpirate]

No he lives in northern CA.

[@scottanthony3426]

The last of a breed unfortunately. One caution I've heard on these is that on track, they can end up spinning out. With the mid- engine and short wheelbase, that sounds like a potential issue. If so, does this car generally give some warning as you approach those limits ( I realize tire selection can play a part there too)? I've always heard that some rear/mid-engine cars exhibit snap oversteer. I can go either way on your mostly silent vs "regular" drives. You don't normally tend to overtalk (at least that I notice), and when you do, it is analytical and pragmatic analysis, but it was fun to have a few minutes of just hearing that car and the clack of the shifter. Is that the stock exhaust? Seems that these have been climbing in value. Todd over at Everyday Driver has an '06 he has featured, and I have been green with envy watching him enjoy that. I watch a lot of their reviews too, and seeing Todd just get giddy when driving that was inspiring. When he came out with those videos (5 years ago?), I did some research on price/availability, and it seems that they have gone up a good 10-15K. (Unfortunate, if you are hoping to be a buyer).

[@30hours51]

lotus engineer set the car up for smoother cornering, hence the default open diff set up, plus with proper brake/throttle managment there won't be snap oversteer

[@kgthegreatone943]

It's gotta feel like driving a go-kart

[@samueldowney2806]

That's such a cliche, but the Elise (or non V6 Exige) is the closet thing I've driven on the road to a go kart. It does feel like that. Almost square feeling track and wheelbase, super light at the front, instant unassisted steering. Lovely.

[@_sandy_]

happiness

[@hasonlavajunk9774]

I drove a modified Elise and it felt slow and bumpy compared to my 987.2 S.

[@krasnyypartii]

Next should be exige v6 and NSX

[@RolanTHUNDER]

The best thing Lotus could have done was put that great Toyota 2ZZ-GE engine in it 😌 It's more expensive than I thought it would be though - $45000...😑

[@strmshadow8411]

I'm pretty sure all the Elise/Exige cars you've driven have been n/a. You need to drive a supercharged one, I'm pretty sure it's a different experience.

[@Zygrene]

I reviewed an Exige S 240 several years ago. Wish I could review another.

[@strmshadow8411]

@@Zygrene Don't tempt me lol. Mine is at Tracspec getting worked on right now.

[@kevinbrooks1607]

2zz,best Elise engine,sounds epic

[@patrickvanrinsvelt4466]

Backup camera? Sound system? A/C? Not in mine.

[@曾择取]

a little bit like the sound of v8 of Ferrari😂

[@IS300Spartan]

under 2000 pounds... dear god.

[@killr0y]

And you hear and feel every lb. thats missing while you're trying to drive it. One thing you won't feel is the power, because it has far too little of that. Unless of course the horrible ride and lack of any soundproofing convince you that you're going fast.

[@IS300Spartan]

@@killr0y My car weighs 3200 pounds and has 215 hp, and I can feel the power just fine. To me, 2000 pounds and 200 hp sounds absolutely perfect, what are you on about ?

[@jacobliberatore19]

I think hes just upset 😆

[@Blazerghost]

@@killr0yI daily a 12 gt500, 190 hp in a 2k lb car is plenty. It’s all relative.

[@yackson4804]

@@killr0yare you speaking from experience

[@autonomousindividual7780]

Anyone with knowledge care to comment how a 220lb 5'7" fireplug with fit in here? I don't care about getting in. I mean once seated.