Lotus Elise S Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Lotus Elise SC
Prices: £32,067 – on the road
Insurance Group: 20
Emissions: 199g/km
Performance: Max Speed 150mph / 0-60mph 4.4s
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 23.9mpg / (extra urban) 44.1mpg / (combined) 33.2mpg
Safety: Driver’s Airbag / ABS
Dimensions: Length/Width/Heightmm 3785/1719/1117mm

The Ultimate Performance Car

Our Rating: No Rating Available

The Lotus Elise S, the entry level sports car from the Lotus group, is a light-weight performance car that performs by virtue of lightness rather than power. It continues Lotus founder Colin Chapman's vision by using mostly aluminium and reinforced plastic, and aToyota RunX RSI engine for its power source. The engine is transversely-mounted and can effortlessly pump out 163kW at a torque of 212Nm.

It is a minimalist car, with little or no frills and embellishments. The interior is mostly bare aluminium, with an Alpine Cd-front loader and a heater-air conditioner combine to regulate cabin temperature. There are little touches of inspiration, though - electrically operated windows (unavailable in the original 1996 Elise) and a cuteone-piece slot-mounted cup-holder. The steering wheel cannot be adjusted for reach or height, and the seats are almost fixed too - but, hey, there's central locking!

What about driving and handling the car? It is a racing enthusiast's dream, goes from 0-68 mph in under 6 seconds, has a top speed of 128 mph and handles corners like a whisper. It comes with optional limited-slip differential to tackle twitchiness on wet roads, should you think of driving through the rain. For all its sports-car abilities, however, it is surprisingly green - lower CO2 emission, at 192 gm/Km, than any other car in its category!Another obvious corollary of being lightweight is its fuel efficiency - 37.2 miles to the gallon, which also means that even after a year, or 10,000 miles, it will still measure up to 82% of its original price.

The Elise S keeps an eye on the driver's safety through a custom designed ABS system, featuring frontAP Racing calipers and back Brembo clamps, linked to 282mm cross-drilled discs. This ensures that if you break in an emergency, the system can smoothly take over and bring the car to a stop, without any shaking and juddering in the middle stretch.

As for after-sales service, Lotus has traditionally stressed on close relationships with its car owners, and having spent a great deal of time and effort in setting up a good spare parts inventory and distribution system, buyers of the car need not fret on lack of customer support. The 1.8litre VVT-i engine, of course, carries its own Toyota guarantee of metronomic reliability, and comes tuned to ensure additional durability.

What are the drawbacks? As mentioned already, the cabin is cramped, and it can also get quite noisy and uncomfortable for diving over longer stretches. There is no power steering, little room for adjustments, and getting in and out of the car calls for some serious acrobatic skills on your part. If you are on the plumper side, there is every possibility you might get stuck!

But keep in mind that the Elise S undoubtedly leads the field when it comes to lightweight sports cars. It is more powerful and sophisticated than any other car in its category, and it gives you excellent value for money. Put simply, it is a premium entry-level car.