How do we feel about the Lotus Evora?

"Textured Soy Protein" (texturedsoyprotein)
11/08/2016 at 16:25 • Filed to: None

This is the new Lotus Evora Sport 410. It takes the still-new Evora 400 and adds lightness. So now you’ve got a bonded aluminum & carbon fiber mid-engined sports car with a 410 hp supercharged Toyota Camry V6 with AP Racing brakes and a Torsen LSD. Do we like the Evora?

I feel like the Evora has been kinda ignored over the years because it was bigger and heavier than the Elise & Exige, and didn’t really get interesting until it became the Evora S and gained a supercharger. It also is supposed to be the comfortable Lotus, a goal it mostly achieves, except it still was pretty tricky to enter & exit, with big huge door sills, narrow footwells and no dead pedal.

The original Evora interior

So the Evora 400 comes along, and on top of the performance improvements (55 hp on top of the Evora S, improved suspension & brakes, Torsen LSD, etc.) it also has a bigger, easier-to-access interior. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! ,

That new structure allows door sills that are 2.2 inches lower and 1.7 inches narrower. The front footwell is 3.3 inches wider; the rear seat has gained a staggering eleven inches in width.

The sills are still chunky, but way smaller than before, and I bet you could find a half decent place to rest your left foot.

The Evora 400 interior

You even get cute little British flag emblems on the front fenders.

And now !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , that’s the silly track rat version pictured at the top of this post with big 410 decals, no back seat, air conditioning, rear bulkhead glass, sound insulation, or door trim; assorted carbon fiber body panels including the roof, rear deck and fenders; a lithium battery to save 25 lbs (and hopefully not catch on fire like a Samsung Galaxy Note 7); revised aero for more downforce; stiffer shocks; and bigger, wider tires. It’s supposed to be 3 seconds faster around the Lotus factory test track than the Evora 400.

Which is all well and good, but I might actually still take the 400, because it’s now a properly cool car that supposedly is livable on a daily basis. The 410 is more hardcore and there are people who like hardcore. But the point is there are now two very interesting versions of the Evora, and that’s a very good thing.

Amirite?

DISCUSSION (17)

HammerheadFistpunch > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 16:27

I’ve never not loved the evora .

LongbowMkII > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 16:28

I adora the evora.

Best used sports car value. try finding a 2010 911 for under 40k.

sm70- why not Duesenberg? > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 16:31

I am going to copy and paste my response directly from an earlier post about the 370Z.

I don’t have any particular hate for it, it’s just one of those cars where I can’t think of any situation that would cause me to choose it over something else.

Only difference is I actually find the original, basic Evora to be quite attractive. Also, the fact that they are now <$50,000 might be enough to change my mind. I’d have to drive one.

Galileo Humpkins (aka MC Clap Yo Handz) > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 16:31

A neighbor in our previous building had one and I can honestly say that every time I walked by it, I instinctively took an extra 30-90 seconds to stop and appreciate it’s beauty. The 410, while beautiful, is taken down a bit by the graphics.

As far as driving/living with one, never have so can’t comment on that.

BeaterGT > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 16:38

It’s beautiful and I want to drive one very badly.

Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell. > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 16:41

I like it but I dont think I would buy one. Which unfortunately is an opinion many seem to share since they dont sell all that well.

Textured Soy Protein > Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell.
11/08/2016 at 16:51

Supposedly there were 250 pre-orders on the Evora 400. Not exactly huge numbers but they seem to be doing well within the quantities that they’re trying to build.

marshknute > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 16:53

I’d buy one over a Cayman simply because it feels more exotic. It’s worse, but more exotic. Same logic as how an Alfa 4C competes with the Cayman on paper, but feels more like a 4-cylinder Ferrari.

The Evora also has a crippling case of derp-face, but that can be solved with the GTE front bumper.

Kinja'd!!!

Neil drives a beetle and a fancy beetle > BeaterGT
11/08/2016 at 17:00

What he said.

interstate366, now In The Industry > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 17:08

I actually quite like the Evora.

MarquetteLa > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 17:12

No dead pedal, no buy.

This is exaggeration of course, but seriously what the hell? My 323 GTX doesn’t have a dead pedal and I sorely miss it when I’m not driving my Miata. But I’m not tracking my GTX. And if you’re getting an Evora Sport 410, a mean track machine, you’re going to go with the dual-clutch transmission. So what is your left foot doing while you’re taking corners at high speed?

Textured Soy Protein > MarquetteLa
11/08/2016 at 17:32

I’m not sure whether the 400 & 410 have an actual dead pedal but there’s at least improved foot room over the earlier Evoras.

BJ > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 18:22

We feel that it’s wonderful and we would like to have one in our garage.

misfitmascots > Textured Soy Protein
11/08/2016 at 19:30

Don’t hate it, don’t like it. I’d rather buy an Esprit

moltenwok > Textured Soy Protein
11/09/2016 at 06:57

Should be fun to drive.

moltenwok > Textured Soy Protein
11/09/2016 at 07:36

To give an idea of the experience:

Nauraushaun > Textured Soy Protein
11/11/2016 at 04:26

I think this is the car the market wants - an Elise that’s bigger and more comfortable/practical. But I don’t think it’s done that well. The styling is particularly questionable, from every angle.

People wax lyrical about cars like the Supra and RX-7. People call the 300ZX fat and lazy. But the 300ZX sold so many more cars you wouldn’t believe! The fatter model should be the volume seller.