Car Reviews > Lotus > Evora > Lotus Evora IPS Car Review
IPS? - Irritating Paddle System
The Lotus Evora IPS is the paddle-shift automatic version of the crisp to handle UK sports car that the Norfolk based company is hoping will have what it takes to make a mark in both the American and the Asian automobile market. The new automatic gearbox, which has been given the moniker of Intelligent Precision Shift (IPS), makes its premier appearance in the company’s newest sports car, the Evora.
While the intention behind the new design is to increase sales in overseas countries, buyers based in the United Kingdom are not being left out altogether, with IPS also on offer to customers in the British Isles. The new automatic gearbox is a six speed automatic convertor that has been supplied by Toyota and can already be found in the Lexus RS, although its management software has undergone extensive reprogramming by Lotus with the aim of improving the often-slow changes that have been associated with luxury vehicles. Now changing ratios results in a notable thump that the company claims will enhance the driver’s involvement with the vehicle without compromising the racy nature with which cars of the Lotus brand are firmly associated. The Lotus Evora IPS undeniably has a rather sporty feel and with the throttle able to be used in a very light fashion while in the standard “D” mode, the result is very smooth gear changes. Likewise, when the car is on a gentle drive it is able to search out the highest gear in a very smooth and speedy manner.
Unfortunately, however, the IPS just does not appear to be up to the job when speed is involved. A button on the centre console switches the car to the Sport mode, at which point it becomes much more aggressive in nature, blipping the throttle on downshifts and holding gears for a considerably longer period of time. Information on the steering wheel and throttle positions is then used by the setup in order to detect whether the car is cornering and is supposed to be programmed so as not to change ratios while in mid-bend… and this is where the problem lies. The gearbox does tend to shift on corners even at ordinary speeds on the road that, while not a disastrous problem in and of itself, is an irritation in what is otherwise an excellent driving experience. This problem can admittedly be resolved by changing the gears manually with the paddles (and they are certainly high quality and chunky enough, and respond with a satisfyingly weighty click that does makes them rather fun to use) but the frustration lingers and calls the effectiveness of the IPS into serious question, leaving something of a question mark as to whether the setup is in fact actually a boon or a hindrance to the Lotus Evora IPS.
The problem is essentially that the IPS set up seems to be something of a contradiction to the very nature of the Lotus Evora IPS. The Lotus Evora IPS is at its very best when working hard – whereas the IPS thrives during rather more relaxed driving. As such, it is difficult to recommend this new model to the great majority of Lotus buyers.
by Autoweb
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