Lotus Elise

[GNAT]

This car is gonna be badass

This enable the new Exige to exceed 140mph and accelerate from rest to 60mph in under 5 seconds.

http://www.lotuscars.com/engine-announcement.html

http://www.sandsmuseum.com/cars/elise/press/press/press2003/fedelise.html

http://autozine.kyul.net/0_News/Latest/Current/News.htm

Supposedly (road & track along with lotus) claims this car to have a mid 12 sec quarter mile.

Fast as hell and great handling... not to mention affordable!

 

[Saladin]

lol, want a lotus? i can hook you up with one, just not an elise.

 

[UncleOsmov]

I'm excited, the Lotus will be a unique car in the US market. I don't know if there are any other models that small but still have 190 bhp.

 

[novak]

Wish I lived in the US. Cars cost a ****load of money up here in Finland and it really pisses me off. A car like that is something I don't even dare to dream about. Sigh. /Rant

Oh well, looks pretty sweet anyways.

 

[GNAT]

that car is going to be killer... its already considered the 2nd best handling production car in the world next to a ferrari. Pair that with mid 12sec quarter miles and you have a car that will TEAR UP the road. Its in the price range of 30-40k, and you have some serious performance value. Its a cobra killer with 190hp! heheh ohh yeah and a rex killer. Toyota power plant reliability to boot(because they couldnt get the current engine to pass increased smog laws). Its going to be light as a feather and one badass car.

 

[GNAT]

Here is a road and track article

The bottom line is that the new Elise is arguably the most exciting sports car in the world to drive...

In our evaluation of the world's best-handling cars, the previous 160-bhp model ranked second behind the Ferrari 360 Modena and won the objective performance category.

The Elise runs to 60 mph in a claimed 4.8 seconds, with the quarter-mile mark coming at about 12.0 sec. Top speed is estimated at 141 mph.

THe amazing thing is, this car is almost affordable in the US. How can you not buy a 39,000$ sports car that is the second best sports car in the world!?!?!?!? This is really exciting IMO, and I'm suprised others here aren't enthusiastic about such a low priced world class sports car.


http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=6&article_id=868&page_number=1&preview=

 

[The_Fur]

heh the opel/vauxhal version with the 2.0l turbo is better, and cheaper It's the same car but with more HP for less money.

 

[GNAT]

I think I'd rather have the US version with the toyota powerplant. It has air conditioning, stereo, and other things that make it more of a daily driver. Not to mention you can't beat toyota reliability/durability.

I'd be interested in knowing the actual numbers that the 2.0l powerplant produce on the street. Power isn't everything, it has a different transmission and gear ratios so it doesn't necessarily mean its faster. Ohh, and they also upgraded the suspension/tuned it for this powerplant.

 

[sublime]

A guy I know on the Audi borads has already put down his deposit. I get a ride and maybe a drive when he gets it. Maybe I can steal it.

 

[GNAT]

A guy I know on the Audi borads has already put down his deposit. I get a ride and maybe a drive when he gets it. Maybe I can steal it.

heheh well if you get a ride in it by yourself you should be able to get away ;P

 

[Chow Yun-Fat]

as i recall, it doesn't boast that high of a top speed. the 0-60 is decent though, and the handling is apparently one of the best in the world. the price tag isn't bad... but you could pick up something used and probably get more bang for your buck depending on how you look at it. the 12 second 1/4 is very very nice though. my car makes 190bph and does it in 14 something. so thats like two seconds for um.. 30k more than what i spent on a maxima.

 

[The_Fur]

you could get a used lotus carlton/omega for that, that would definately beat the elise in the speed department same acceleration but it tops out at 280km/h in it's standard version. The factory specs state it's only 0.1 second slower from 0-60mph but the top is much higher. Then again the engine outputs 377Bhp standard.

You should be able to pick up a decent one for about 25k

 

[GNAT]

I dont see any of those cars on par with the handling of the elise.... Of course you can always buy used vehicles, but thats not a fair comparison. Apples n oranges as they say. New car for new car, the elise is a serious package for the money.

As I remember the 190hp maxima I had pulled around a quarter in 14.9-15.1. 12.0-12.5 is an eternity away from that at a strip. People spend tons of money on lless than 2 second gains. What about the price of a new maxima? They're a wee bit closer to the Elise price, and then you'll put it in the ditch tryin to keep up with one on a real road.

 

[UncleOsmov]

Gnat's right perhaps the only cars that will be able to keep up with the Elise on real roads would be Ferrai's and the new Boxster S, which I believe currently holds the fastest slalom speed of any car R & T has tested. It's going to feel like a go-kart in comparison to 4 door sports sedans.

 

[TheShiningWizard]

What about the price of a new maxima? They're a wee bit closer to the Elise price, and then you'll put it in the ditch tryin to keep up with one on a real road.

Yeah, but at least you'll be in the ditch while comfortably seating four adults

I love the Maxima. It was a close second behind my Bonneville on the list of family-sized cars I looked at.

 

[Chow Yun-Fat]

well you're talking qt's... thats pretty straightline... don't need much in the way of handling. i didn't say necessarily go maxima.. but you could get a really jacked m5 or 540 that could do some decent qt's.

 

[Big_Duke_06]

Chow Yun-Fat: Yeah, or you could spend maybe $5k on a Mustang 5.0 and get low 12s. Or we could spend the next ten years listing out all the cars that could be built or bought used for less money and perform better in one area.

But the point is, none of these mentioned cars have the total performance package that the Elise has - acceleration, braking, handling, etc. Factor in the low price (for a supercar) and factory warranty, and the Elise is one hell of a deal. Considering that it's in the price range of a 350Z Track, it's a frikken steal.

Not my cup of tea, per se, but still a great car at an even better price.

Matthew

 

[GNAT]

I'm not just talking qts, each and every post mentioned the handling on level with that of the modena. That coupled with the acceleration performance makes the car remarkable for the money.

Big_duke, exactly.

 

[Ranger 223]

Gnat, this car will in no way be an everyday driver. Im stoked about this car. Im not one for toyota's engines. personally, i think a volkswagon VR6 engine in there would be pretty fun (a great engine) My favorite car still goes to the 2003 BMW M5. After driving that, every car i have ever been in is inferior. Now to drive an elise. If your a racer like me, top speed isnt the real big deal, it's about how fast you get to that speed. This car's got handling, and acceleration, and awesome braking. Thats what you need if you do real racing (none of that quartermaile crap which this thing kicks ass in, or nascar ovals)

 

[Ranger 223]

oh BTW, i get pictures developed of me at the track in a few nice cars. I'll get em up ASAP. best drive of the day was the RX8. hands down that car is awesome.