Lotus Evora S 2+2 (2012) long-term test review
By the CAR road test team
Long Term Tests
Hello to our new long-term Lotus Evora S
There has perhaps never been a more poignant time to be running a long-term Lotus. I actually collected ‘my’ Evora S from Hethel a couple of weeks ago, but since then a media storm of epic proportions has engulfed Lotus as speculation mounted that it had fired its CEO and was about to be sold or put into administration.
Had it been my own £72,150 that had just been spent on a purple Lotus I would have been worried, but Lotus boss Dany Bahar (still very much in the job, despite the wild rumours) recently granted CAR an interview and was refreshingly honest about the company’s predicament. The trouble isn’t over, and the truth is that no one at Lotus knows exactly what Proton’s new owner DRB-Hicom will do with the Norfolk sports car company.
If things go really, really badly it might be a case of déjà vu (a la our Saab 9-5) as the administrators are called in and our Evora S is collected early. But I’m optimistic (as is Lotus itself) and with the Exige S, Evora GTE and Elise S all to be launched in 2012, there’s a raft of new product to back up the already excellent Evora. And as you walk around Hethel, look at the construction work taking place, visit the new trim shop, and the line where the Lotus-developed V8 engine will be built, it’s a realisation of the scale of what’s been invested in Hethel (and it’s not just money). Of course there are doubters, but very few of them actually want Lotus to fail; as the company’s future unfolds it’s going to be enthralling having the set of keys to a Lotus in my pocket.
Anyway, my car. Inside the factory (currently being re-worked ready to build the new Esprit) it appears grey, but in natural light it’s a lovely shade of purple. Looks great on the black wheels too, and the black leather interior (complete with contrasting red piping and stitching) feels special, with the level of fit and finish much improved versus the first Evoras off the line in 2009. (We’ll look in-depth at the MY12 quality upgrades that our car has in the near future.)
With 345bhp the trip home from Hethel was much quicker than my painful trek out to Norfolk in a underpowered hire car, but rather than the powertrain it’s the chassis and steering that are the stars: the former seems perfectly matched to ruffled British back roads (the sort we love, and that make up the majority of my commute) and the latter is simply sublime.
You and I know that though. Instead what this test is about is living with an Evora every single day. Yes, we’ll report on the driving experience, because you wouldn’t buy a Lotus if you didn’t enjoy being behind the wheel, but it’s also about commuting in it, shopping in it, those early morning airport runs, and trying to take it on holiday when the other half inevitably overpacks.
A fortnight or so into the relationship all is still rosy – nothing has gone wrong like the odd naysayer has expected. After months of having to think about every journey I took in the Leaf, it’s refreshing to be able to climb into my car and go wherever I want, whenever I want. Life with the Leaf felt like I was being robbed of my independence; having an Evora S is a helluva way to get it back.
By Ben Pulman
Long Term Tests
Hello to our new long-term Lotus Evora S There has perhaps never been a more poignant time to be running a long-term Lotus. I actually collected ‘my’ Evora S from Hethel a couple of weeks ago, but since then a media storm of epic proportions has engulfed Lotus as speculation mounted that it had fired its CEO and was about to be sold or put into administration.
Had it been my own £72,150 that had just been spent on a purple Lotus I would have been worried, but Lotus boss Dany Bahar (still very much in the job, despite the wild rumours) recently granted CAR an interview and was refreshingly honest about the company’s predicament. The trouble isn’t over, and the truth is that no one at Lotus knows exactly what Proton’s new owner DRB-Hicom will do with the Norfolk sports car company.
If things go really, really badly it might be a case of déjà vu (a la our Saab 9-5) as the administrators are called in and our Evora S is collected early. But I’m optimistic (as is Lotus itself) and with the Exige S, Evora GTE and Elise S all to be launched in 2012, there’s a raft of new product to back up the already excellent Evora. And as you walk around Hethel, look at the construction work taking place, visit the new trim shop, and the line where the Lotus-developed V8 engine will be built, it’s a realisation of the scale of what’s been invested in Hethel (and it’s not just money). Of course there are doubters, but very few of them actually want Lotus to fail; as the company’s future unfolds it’s going to be enthralling having the set of keys to a Lotus in my pocket.
Anyway, my car. Inside the factory (currently being re-worked ready to build the new Esprit) it appears grey, but in natural light it’s a lovely shade of purple. Looks great on the black wheels too, and the black leather interior (complete with contrasting red piping and stitching) feels special, with the level of fit and finish much improved versus the first Evoras off the line in 2009. (We’ll look in-depth at the MY12 quality upgrades that our car has in the near future.)
With 345bhp the trip home from Hethel was much quicker than my painful trek out to Norfolk in a underpowered hire car, but rather than the powertrain it’s the chassis and steering that are the stars: the former seems perfectly matched to ruffled British back roads (the sort we love, and that make up the majority of my commute) and the latter is simply sublime.
You and I know that though. Instead what this test is about is living with an Evora every single day. Yes, we’ll report on the driving experience, because you wouldn’t buy a Lotus if you didn’t enjoy being behind the wheel, but it’s also about commuting in it, shopping in it, those early morning airport runs, and trying to take it on holiday when the other half inevitably overpacks.
A fortnight or so into the relationship all is still rosy – nothing has gone wrong like the odd naysayer has expected. After months of having to think about every journey I took in the Leaf, it’s refreshing to be able to climb into my car and go wherever I want, whenever I want. Life with the Leaf felt like I was being robbed of my independence; having an Evora S is a helluva way to get it back.
By Ben Pulman
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Lotus Evora S 2+2,
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