The Emira Is The END Of Lotus As We Know It

Join Staff Writer Chris Rosales as we review the 2024 Lotus Emira.
I love and hate the Lotus Emira. I love that it’s one of the last bastions of lightweight, mid-engined, manual-transmission sports cars. I love that it’s beautiful, genuinely a baby Ferrari in its aspect. I love that it's raw and emotional, with no particular compromises made for refinement beyond a nice interior.
I hate that the Emira isn’t long for this world, with it exiting production in 2027. And I hate that it could be so much more than it already is.
Read the full article here: www.motor1.com/reviews/721586...
00:00 - Intro
00:56 - Driving Impressions
02:49 - Sport vs. Touring
04:15 - Engine (Supercharged V-6)
04:45 - Suspension
05:31 - Emira vs. Cayman
07:08 - Engineering
08:40 - Verdict

[@mattzobian]

Chris is a fantastic car reviewer. He understands automobile physics and engineering, which makes his views so insightful. And he expresses them well, with humor.

[@bto7779]

If a review was ever going to sell me on this car, I think it’d be this one.

[@joshvanes2351]

This car sells itself.

[@jamesengelsman9369]

Great review. Concise, impassioned, researched.

[@Motor1]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@autotea]

Such a good review. I don't hate the electric future, but I'm gonna miss the combustion past. Glad Lotus is going out with something good.

[@ilyasibz]

Absolutely love this review format. Came here from the article.

[@danielhussey3631]

We’ve finally learned that power doesn’t matter anymore. Give me the FEELS!

[@andyw4874]

I have owned an emira now for almost a year and I can say it is 100% without a doubt the best car you can buy within its price range. I get 35mpg on a highway, yet the sound is so beautiful. It’s one to keep.

[@christopherkrueger4328]

I went with the sport suspension and Goodyear tires, which feels like just the right balance for me. I've owned an Elise for 16 years and still love it (won't part with it!) The Emira is still all Lotus, wonderfully refined and a beautiful car.

[@ziggerwebdesign1704]

You should try the Alpine A110, a fabulous car. Shame the US aren’t getting it.

[@patrickstarr87]

What a great review! I’ve learn so much and honestly can’t wait to get my next lotus, it’ll be stick shift and blue for sure 😉

[@redcarrot1148]

What a fantastic review. Incredible job in describing the car's driving dynamic and feel like no other car review does. Typical car reviews just recite info on a spec sheet as though they were the only ones that have access to internet.

[@Motor1]

Thank you so much! Glad you enjoyed, more to come!

[@levik12]

Great video! Enjoyed watching it, very poetic with your words describing the looks, the feel and the handling of the Lotus Emira. Thanks!😎

[@Motor1]

Thank you very much!

[@Docinaplane]

And that's why I got the Evora GT. Then modified it to have 504bhp and 405 lb-ft torque. Yes, the shift from first to second can't be rushed. The transmission was taken from a Toyota diesel truck.

[@sonydominates]

Great review! Didn't expect much, but a lot of technical information in a relatively short amount of time, which is rare for large car review channels. Good job! Definitely will look forward to more Chris videos

[@Motor1]

Glad you liked it! There are many more to come

[@jameswalsh7222]

You can order either tire with either chassis on the configurator.

[@BoxBoxBoxGaming]

really enjoyed this video.

[@Motor1]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@CarGuy11]

Excellent review! I felt the same about Touring suspension in the review on my channel. Also great to hear why I felt understeer as well!

[@darkmatter6714]

To think that when this car launched, it was priced at £59,995, which was $76,725

[@geargrinds]

Agree to disagree on the sport suspension, I have it with the Goodyears and it’s taught but beautifully dampened

[@Wiz33]

My 2024 718S have been sitting in my office warehouse ever since I got the Emira, So much more engaging and fun.

[@Motor1]

Quite the fleet!

[@Krollis_Food]

you can get sport Suspension with godyear tire as well btw.

[@JaviLavandeira]

Correct. That's what I have in mine, and I'm pretty happy with how it feels.

[@urbanstrencan]

Last of the proper Lotus cars that Collin Chapman would still approve

[@chen-yu8888]

😎Why not put a 3.5 supercharger with an eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox together? I think Lotus engineers can achieve it

[@DonBMW]

Awesome review my man. I’m in the market for a sports car and Porsches are just not doing it for me. 993 is crazy expensive. 997.1 and .2 have bore scoring issues. 991 are huge and not as raw. I have an s2000 and it’s pretty awesome. But looking for that next level and I think the Emira is it!!

[@bartpeterleroy932]

I have had 2 Elise’s, one Evora S and now the Emira V6. The Emira chassis is not an Evora’s. It’s similar, but not identical.

[@user-ei4wk8yw3v]

Future needs to happen. Great review thanks. I did not know how dull Porsche is until I drove a Lotus. Not going back love my Lotus only ever liked my 911. I feel sorry for the Norfolk staffs future. Another uk company asset stripped by the Eaton boys club and given to China.

[@SuryaDe]

Nice to see I'm not the only one who felt the Porsche feels a bit too clinical. Loved my boxster Spyder but I think it didn't ever make my hair stand like the reviewer said

[@yd5016]

Loved the emira vs cayman part hilarious and true at the same time although Ive never driven an emira

[@Motor1]

Hopefully you can get behind the wheel one day!

[@Hapkin]

Nope. Not an Evora chassis. It has the same wheelbase and length but it has a wider front track. Also I opted for Sport and love it. Tour had too much vagueness at the limit, too mucb body roll for teuly spirited driving. For California roads, mountains and back rooad I personally GREATLY prefer my spirt Emira I agree with everything else. Like many British sports cars, you habe to learn its quirks but then you realize that the quirks are actually features and give it more character. The Cayman GTS, GT4 left me cold. On my last 1k CA rally, my car kept up with everything, well above its class.

[@markd3250]

I agree with the fact it's not an Evora chassis. It's based on all they learned from the Elise through the Evora, but the Emira was designed as an evolution of all that, not just a pretty new face. I agree with the reviewer that the Tour chassis works really well with non-perfect roads. I have the Emira with Tour chassis and it's a pure pleasure to be in and drive. You have to drive it, it's not doing everything for you, but I actually like that. You have to learn your dance partner and how she moves, but when you do, oh boy... it's so much fun. I'm not sure why the reviewer wanted the steering to load up even more in the corners; I think it's fine. If it loaded up even more it would get fatiguing. They wanted it to be the best ICE Lotus they've ever made, and I think they pretty much nailed it. It has the best of just about everything all blended together in one great sports car. Now that the forced switch to EV is starting to fall apart, maybe they'll be able to still make a few more ICE cars, or at least some hybrids. This one however... what a beauty.

[@fauxvier8519]

Bruh u are in love with his car

[@Motor1]

...yes! Sad to see it go away

[@MrShaneSunshine]

You hate "understeer"....I dislike "suggestful"! 😂 I enjoyed the video regardless! I miss a manual gearbox in the new electric car.....but that is it! The sound of a good electric motor whining under load is pleasurable in it's own way. Let's move on eh!

[@LeeWu-123]

I want one but the only problem is finding the 100k 😂

[@aussie2uGA]

I'm actually looking forward to a proper electric lotus! When you think of lotus, you think of lightweight and chassis, and never about it's propulsion. Lotus has never made a great powertrain, having to outsource that to others. So let them focus on what they're good at, the chassis dynamics, and put a small light skateboard platform under it with a Tesla like a/c motor in the rear. The car would be better balanced, have a much lower center of gravity, and instantly shoot this car off of every corner with the insane torque. If done right, it could be an autocross beast.

[@Motor1]

We are too! But we still wanted to take a second to eulogize Lotus' ICE history and acknowledge the Emira's significance.

[@jasondare9747]

I have one and I think so

[@autodigitvlogs]

All that money and no synchrorev for smoother shifts.

[@GTC4cam]

I mean there’s always the option of learning how to drive 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@whatathon]

I like turtles

[@Motor1]

Us too!

[@reetspetit]

Times move on. We've enjoyed unbridled polluting. The future needs to be cleaner.

[@moimoi4725]

The Evora GT was better.

[@06VistaBlueGT1]

ABSOLUTELY!! I've driven both. My wife owns a 2020 GT and every time I drive it, heck even sit in it, it feels "special". The Emira is nice. But to me it's too tech-centric. If they offered the Sparco buckets from the GT in the Emira as an option, that would solve a lot for me (the stock seats are AWFUL). Given the choice, I'll take the GT every day. It's my dream car and every time I'm in it, I just smile. Plus with only 722 cars for the US, with only 535 of them manual, it's more rare than an Aventador SVJ.

[@PaulAndBiscuit]

They aren't all going electric. They will always make gas engines.

[@charlesrogers8420]

lol….. if Geely has any common sense, they will keep producing ICE engines. EVs are a fad.

[@agooberss]

Annoyingly loud...Bite your touring tongue!