Project Eagle was hatched just 27 months ago, and in that remarkably narrow window has fledged as the Evora, a car that promises to propel Lotus into the big league.
Evora is a hybrid of the words ‘evolution’, ‘vogue’ and ‘aura’, the sort of marketing mumbo-jumbo that only the big league would dare try on, but does this glove really fit a Lotus?
The Evora looks the part, of that there can be no doubt. On the outside it’s a thoroughly modern interpretation of the mid-engine sports car, with its integrated aerodynamics and wraparound windscreen.
There is a real presence about it, a purpose without excessive menace. Entirely new, it’s also characteristic Lotus.
Inside is perhaps the deal-breaker. Lotus has gone radically upmarket from the Elise/Europa frill-free philosophy and is gunning for an altogether more demanding consumer.
Acres of hand-stitched leather, posh machined metal switchgear and masses of visible tech.
There’s also a rear row of seats, nominally at any rate, making this the first 2+2 Lotus in 18 years, and one of the only mid-engine cars with that layout to have ever gone on sale.
The packaging is neat but real world practicality is as dubious as ever with a 2+2. Small kids and amputees only back there.
Meanwhile, and this is the real kick in the balls, the whole interior lacks the quality it needs to compete in this market.
The Evora is going to start at a whisker under £50,000, and when specced up to the degree that the launch cars were at with sat nav, ‘Premium’ and ‘Sport’ packs, it gets perilously close to £60,000.
Which is Porsche 911 territory.
And there are just too many aspects of the interior design and finish that fall well short of the Stuttgart benchmark. Lotus is peeing on the wrong lamppost.
On the move the Evora is superb. An all-new modular chassis with the usual bonded aluminium tub and steel rear box for the 3.5–litre V6 is light and stiff, making up for modest power with low weight and exceptional handling, true to Colin Chapman’s ancient, excellent ideology.
We had limited scope to really push the Evora due to appalling Scottish weather and appalling bank holiday traffic, but it feels secure, confident and composed in the corners, goes like stink up the straights and stops in the blink of Highland constable’s eye.
There is definitely scope for more power here, and that seems like a sure thing for the future, although Lotus were reluctant to admit to much.
What they did tell us was that an auto ‘box is imminent, a fact that really underlines the breadth of market Lotus is hoping to reach with the Evora.
But the really successful elements of Project Eagle – stiff, versatile chassis, stunning looks and superb handling – are what the Elise was about fifteen years ago.
The simple stuff. Not sat nav, perceived luxury and expensive exclusivity.
The Evora is a great Lotus in the sense we already know, but may struggle to break new ground for the brand at this price and against a formidable establishment.
(^_^)
it looks a bit girly
IT LOOKS BRILLIANT now I really want one
I don’t know about this….. While Lotus have rightly stuck to the Colin Chapman philosophy, trying to compete with the likes of Porsche purely on quality is questionable. A Porsche can survive a Nuclear winter, especially the early ones. Could a Lotus do the same???
I’ve driven one of these virtually on Gran Turismo 5 Prologue (if you don’t know what it is then Google it). I found the Evora a bit slow in a way. The acceleration isn’t like the current Lotus Elise but it’s cornering isn’t too shabby. You get the sense of Lotus when you stick it in a corner but it’s just not as sharp as an Elise. Odviously i’ve driven it virtually with a PS3 controller so it won’t have had the same driving experience.
It looks. Well… all i can say is that it’s best colours are probably orange, dark blue or black. But the angle at which that photo has been taken makes the Evora seem exceptionally ugly.
Tell me please TG what it feels like to drive it with a steering wheel and pedals.
No matter how many seats it’ll have, it’s still a Lotus, which means you’ll have to do some unstylish moves to squeeze into the cabin.
plus it looks stunning from the right angle.
I think if somebody should try to go into that market is Lotus. They are entitled to. If they fail, well, too bad. But why not?
The lack of power is the thing that might be a handicap. Most people who spend that money want to have a big something pushing even if it means to sacrifice of the Lotus handling.
I also think that they are working on it, and they will not release a bigger engine until the handling is perfect.
- What’s upsetting is that people will come up to you and ask “Is that a Tesla”?
oh my got!
oh my got!!!!!!!!!!!! wana fight?
The front end, specifically the windscreen, remind me a great deal of the Koeningsegg CCX, which is by no means an insult!
i think this is uglier than older…
@ pacmariner
Looks like a CCX that crashed into a bathtub moulding factory, or Bond’s next amphibious Lotus.
HOW CAN YOU THINK THAT LOOKS GOOD!!! THE FRONT END IS UTTERLY HIDEOUS!!! WHY THE WELL WOULD YOU BUY THIS MONGREL WHEN THE 911 IS SO MUCH BETTER AND FAR MORE ENJOYABLE TO LOOK AT?!?!
Bye bye Lotus…it was really nice knowing you but it looks like you created the car that will finish you off for good.
Really? I quite like it to be honest…
Do I smell dissent in the TG camp…? Clarkson loves this thing! http://www.timesonline.co .uk/tol/driving/jeremy_cl arkson/article6205379.ece
Everything in this car seems to be fine, yet, even not liking the 911, I wouldn’t buy it. It just has nothing to make it stand out of the crowd. It’s not extremely powerful, nor is it very comfortable, and if you want good handling you know you’ll get the Exige. It doesn’t look exciting too, on the contrary, it’s rather dull for a mid-engined Lotus. The Esprit had real style, this just seems boring.
Nice
went to a launch of this thing. its really rather comfortable and quiet nice inside. yes its not porsche quality but what lotus is and what other companys for that money come close to porsche there like machines!
also it is quiet easy to get in to not as hard as an elise. more like a convertable with the top up than climbing thru a needle like the last few lotus offerings.
up close you pick up alot more little design flairs you dont pick up on in the pictures, i urge you all to go see one in person when they come in to your local lotus dealer. ( yes everyone should have one of these)
It’s better than the Europa, which is like saying it’s better than a sack of organic fertilizer on wheels, but it’s too much a redressed Elise. The nose is too pleasant, like a tap dancing duffy duck where as the others in the class it’s aiming for look more like spike the growling bulldog.
Oh, and I forgot to mention above. I WANT ONE!!!
Ugh I hate neish cars… They always turn out akword and pointless.
Lotus should really stop trying to be something it’s not. It’s a little bit like if Asda started stocking caviar and Moet champagne. Asda knows it wouldn’t sell them so sticks to what it knows best – why can’t Lotus just stick to what it does best? Phenomenally grippy, frill-free cars best suited to summer and trackdays instead of trying to imitate luxury. Lotus’ have always been the equivalent of tupperware, not fine china and I fear if they continue, they just might break.
this lotus go all the ingerdients to become a classic…well when yo look at it ..you can that it looks modern ..and it has this history under it..
good job lotus…
i just dont see the point of this car. its mid-engined 2+2 sportcar, pointless. why cant they bulid a 4 door supercar, like porsche pana… bad example, mmm… like the maserati quattroporte. the engine could be a 5.0 litre jag’s v8, mmm…. and it could have the exige s handling. that would be a evora, not that ugly lotus on the picture. lotus should not even make this car. i really feel sorry for the guys or girls who like this girly car. anyway does anyone know what happened to the 7 seater suv thingy what lotus was planning?
Good interiors ei?? Go the Scuderia style..make it lighter and more faster and it would easily creep into the Porsche category!!
at least it has looks over the 911… actually most things have looks over a 911. probably just about worth while just buying an old beat up Toyota Carolla if you only really want a car that looks better than a 911
I see that the Evora is getting a very mixed review. It does stand out from the crowd.
I see from the 2008 lotus accounts that they quote a figure in the region of 11 million pounds for R&D on new products. So I am sure they are very confident of getting very good sales figures on this model.
I hope they are right.
It would have been a very goodlooking car if they got rid of the rearspoiler and made the whole car WIDER. It just looks to thin. Forgive my poor English but I just ate some fungus that was growing on the inside of my fridge.
I too drove an Evora on GT5P, and roughly thought it cornered as fast as a 911 (though with no Porsches, it’s hard to be certain ¦-<), but had the straightline pace of a Cayman S. You sort of, want more on the straights, but the cornering’s brilliant.
I wouldn’t say no, though. It looks great.
This is gorgeous, and is something new, and everyone knows Lotus makes great handling cars. Who cares if its the same price as a Porsche (have they done anything new in 30 years apart from the Cayenne?). This looks great and will go great, and for everyone who isn’t a dull copy-cat is a helluva lot more interesting than any Porsche. PLUS estate agents won’t buy it – SIGN ME UP!
The front looks a like a ferrari 430 so should call it “the lotus long lost son”.
I think it is refreshing and quite allright, to be honest.
And being brutally honest, Porsches are not the best looking thing on the face of earth, to say the least. Meaning that if you have a Porsche, you´ll probably have to explain yourself too much at why you do own a car that makes you look like a, well, wanker.
The Porsches [and overall, all german cars, from Vaxhall to Ford, through VW to BMW] tend to look, specially inside, well, too german. Lackluster.
I´d rather have something that breaks but has charachter than a white good, however fast it is.
They should have priced it to compete with the Cayman, its better looking and probably the same in performance.
If you read some of the other reviews, the comments about the interior are rather mixed. Some have said it has a “real supercar feel” others are disappointed by build quality. Yes, the build quality is maybe not as good as a Porsche but sitting in an Evora it looks a lot more stylish than a Porsche (go and see for yourself!). If you want to be boring buy a Porsche. If you want something more fun to drive which is still good quality and a damn site more interesting, buy the Evora. This car offers a true alternative to Porsche, and if you don’t believe me go and get a test drive!
As for price, it’s price is competitive. Yes, a high specificatio version is close to £60000 pounds. To buy a low powered 911 at the same specification it will cost at least £75000. If you spent £60000 on a 911 you don’t even get a front windscreen!!!
So if you want a drivers car with great handling and ride that can be used on a daily basis, you really should take a look at the Evora. If you want pose buy a Porsche.
It was all going so well, until i read that price tag: £50 – 60K, ouch. Don’t lotus realise that noone has got any money any more? Seriously though, this won’t be an everyday car for someone, and 50K for a weekend cruiser that can take the kids/ luggage is a bit steep. and, i’m not convinced by it’s looks either.
I want to be proved wrong, i want it to be stonking in every respect, but i just know it won’t be.
I remember seeing this car at the car show last year and it looks alot nicer in person. But i dont know if its going to be good enough for the price.
I’d buy it over a porsche!!!
WOWOWWWWWWWWW
Well for a bunch of turnip farmers who build/ sell 2000 cars at most each year.. I don’t think its to shabby, girly of not I’d drive one. Good luck to em, it’ll be nice to have another option than a just a “911″ tired of hearing about those.. great cars but geesh.. its about time someone/something stepped up and challenged them.. even if it is just a stage in the proccess.
Good Luck Lotus.
That is so better than a 911 – I’d rather have one of these. Nice.
would have looked cooler with bigger, lambo like bottom. although parking wouldve been a problem them then.
Good point EN, after being re-introduced to Porsche’s car configurator in that news article a week ago, I must say that a 911 Carrera 2 most certainly does not cost £65,000. Whereas this tops out at under £60k.
I’d have one if I were filthy rich and had numerous cars, but if I could only have one sports car, it would have to be the GT-R for that money (I have GT-R on the brain).
http://www.facelesspeople .com/ — the official website. Go to Overview, click ‘ROAR’ in the bottom left corner. Oh yes. Now that’s a 6-Cylinder engine.
I do find it most amusing that people are basing their opinion of the car on a computer game. A bit like all the people who slagged off the Europa as “soft” – obviously never having driven one.
I do wonder why so many Brits are so keen for Lotus to fail.
it looks a bit boring compared with the elise and exige
Always the same problem with Lotus…the best cars in the market but too expensive.
My favorite Lotus was the Esprit which was really cheap for what you get.
But the Elise, Exige, Europa and Evora are all too expensive…even if they are still the best cars available today…as long as they are Lotus…they are magic.
Another thing about this evora is that it looks to be the final edition of the M250 prototype that looked so much better than this…
I really don’t understand why Lotux wasted time designing a car like M250 if then they are going to sell an uglier car like the Evora…
The Evora still looks good but it’s too soft for being a Lotus…
Remember the Esprit,the Elise, 2-Eleven and the 340R….they all have much more aggressive styling.
If you build a car that looks like a Murcielago with cheap mechanics it will be a cheap car that will sell a lot !
If you Sell an expensive car with Murcielago’s technology und ugly looks it will never sell a lot…things may get better if you improve styling.
So styling and price is really very important for business in this high end brands…
Why don’t they (Pagani, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Lotus, TVR and etc etc) build a car with extreme looks and technology that already exists to save money and improve sales ?
i agree with “him”. it is about time there was more option than the 911 but that isnt what lotus is about. they’r light, nippy little pocket rockets that are meant to be reasonably affordable. they’r the kind of car you buy for a bit of fun at the weekend not a week day car which is what you would expect it to be at 60K. so when a car steps into this price bracket you want more wow factor. poor interior and not to mention poor space in the back just doesnt cut it. lotus have a good idea here but you get the impression its a bit of a half hearted effort when they know the quality of the competition. what do they expect?…..
not good
This is what I call ugly! I dare you to park it next to any Porsche!
well, if it is in 911 territory, the question is would you buy the evora or 911? dunno about anyone else, but id have the evora any day
Everybody keeps saying it is going to break, There are still many Elans around with the Jap Isuzu engine in going strong almost 20yrs on!! and this is a modern Toyota engine.
Come on guys give it a chance at least. Undecided on the looks till I see one in the flesh though!
Anyone else think it has a hint of a modern Lancia Stratos about it’s look?
Give the producers of ’007′ a white one and see if it ends up in a film?!?!?! Liking the look of it a lot but it’s not as radical as the Esprit was in its day.
It’s not actually that good.
Top speed: 160mph
Dissappointing
elise thanx
When lotus finaly makes a new car, why it must look same as rest of the line up?
Porsche is a more rounded car them lotus.But if you want a different car go for the Lotus.
I love the evora. It’s the only lotus i can actually fit in now!
so its this, or a rapide, or an estoque??? hmmm….. i’d wait for the lambo, and then laugh hard and loud at those who sacrificed their sense of living by buying the panamera, ha bloody ha!!!
pretty and “practical” as the evora may be, the others have vastly deeper pockets to dig into to get it right. but hopefully it’ll be a success, at least then we can shout about how britains car business aint dead in the water
not bad but would you let me losse in one
this car so fun when you drive it
this car got vvti from v6 aurion and i think it has 360 hp .
it looks sooooooo hot from out side and from in side it looks mooooore defrint becuse it got navegation systime . I LOVE YOU LOTUS
this car so great to me i love it
i dink du car is guood luooking and i like how they av done du name
Good Car!
get oasis on the show
Get oasis on the show
BrowntheRockCat u r stupid 911 is much much better
p.s. Get noel gallagher on the show
hi
it is a class car
this is a class car
but ive only seen one but in hat 1 see it was class…nice car
Whould you buy wall’s sausages or asda smart price?
Wall’s every time and that’s why in the real world it will only be Lotus fanatic’s and those who can’t afford the wall’s sausages that will buy the Asda smart price Lotus.
LOOK LIKE ELISE
I had a good gander at the Evora at the recent “top marques” show in Monaco;
Certainly looked the part although Porsche are streets ahead on their finish; (Perhaps less important for track day specials ,which ,I suspect, this is not); Still, a mid engined +2 is quite a feat;
The steering wheel shape makes me feel very uncomfortable.And i want it a bit more hardcore, like the exige.
it looks a bit heavy. all though it would be nice for fattness not to affect 0-60 for once.
they better make an exige style version of that it would be one nice ride
“You” yea you, you must be really stupid, or ur just fn around, or you might be American (almost forgot that)!
I like their idea, and I really hope it’ll work! Should’ve left a bit more room in the back though.
EVORA = Name of a city in the south of PORTUGAL!!! Forget that mumbo jumbo crap!!!
Evora is also the name of a Portuguese city.
Maybe Jeremy should come to Portugal and drive the Evora in Évora for the television series.
doesn’t look like a proper Lotus :C too… squarish.
I like the rounder / squashier Lotuses
Off the mark. Lotus should aim at hardcore motorists, like they always did. This is not it. Looks like any Toyota you (I don’t) care to name. If anything, I’d buy a Noble.
Looks like the girls form Volvo decided to migrate to Lotus…however…it being a Lotus, it probably goes like stink…I WANT!!!
The lotus should look to move upmarket but still should keep the elise – exige lineage alive. The problem with this car is that it seems to try to be too many things – a pure racer AND luxury car AND family car which why it ends up being ‘Not the best track car’ AND ‘Not the best luxury car’ AND ‘Not even a decent family car’. Lotus should stick to the philosophy – “make the car for one purpose and be the best in that”.
when ever i pass an exige or any old lotus for that matter i think too small, track day, not practical enough to drive every day, if only they could do it a bit bigger and leave in the mod cons. two extra seats in the back mean practial storage space for what ever, and it means you can leave it on your wish list if you’ve just become a 2+2 family. A decent boot for this kind of car is a big bonus. theyve basicly stretched the exige making it more practical why are poepel complaining. as for looks the front is bland but you can spend a long time looking at this car from different angles and the more you look at it the more the stylimng makes sense, interesting not always beutifull but i wouldnt go as far as ugly!!
evora is also a small historical town in portugal
What’s all this rubbish people talking about Asda SmartPrice and Lotus “always” being known for selling cheap no-frills – err, you are aware they have been making cars for some time before the Elise, right? Lotus Esprit V8 – nice car, much more than £50k and full of toys. Given how often Lotus gets bought so companies can steal its intellectual genius clearly they need to make some more expensive cars to fit the mark-up they deserve rather than squeezing low margins from selling more Elise’s.
Plus, it helps having a car people can fit in – I can only get in/out of Elise if the top is off, otherwise its crawling out on your hands and knees.
Hmmmmmmm……. a bit long for a sports car i think. Looks slightly out of proportion. Plus i would always pick a Mk1 elise over any lotus, and i think a few will agree with me on that. Just need 2 take out the Rover engine and put a Vtec in it. I still think that the new cars are not as good as the old. The Evora will never match the Esprit on styling, performance and bang for your buck. The same with the new elise against old, and the Exige against the Motorsport elise. And does anyone know WHY they made the Europa? Because it just looks like another elise! But then again, this new approach to sports cars is getting Lotus sales and they are surviving, rather than TVR’s Traditional sportscar method. So it must be working…..
Errr and arent we getting SLIGHTLY carried away by reviewing the evora on Gran Turismo. I have the game (lovin the Blitz Skyline
) and its not a true realistic driving simulator, because if they had castle coombe race circuit (where i go every month) on there it would feel soooo unrealistic. you cant feel every bump, temperature changes and the G-force on your neck when you whallop it into a corner. So in a word you can NEVER compare real track racing/track days to a computer game. Even if those graphics are sweeeeet 
WHY DOES `BOND` KEEP POSTING CARS MOVIE YOUTUBE CLIPS IT’S NEARLY ON EVERY FORUM.
SAYING THAT THOUGH IT’S PRETTY GOOD.
Supposing you want a real sports car with fantastic handling and performance but you also want to have a kids seat in the back (and lets face it none of them are any good for adults).
What are your options (assuming you are aiming under £70k):
911
jag XK
evora
perhaps a top of the range TT if you stretch the imagination a bit
i cant think of any more
..and i am not including M3, RS4, GTR, Evo, Imprezza etc as these are entirely different types of machine in my view
if you only want 2 seats then there are more options but if you really want the extra back seats then choice is very limited
so in this company the evora is reasonably priced but very exlcusive due to limited numbers of production.
personally i dont want to be another number i would rather be individual and so i quite like the evora.
however would i spend £50k on one over an 18 month old 911…..probably.
You say the handling, chassis, steering etc is the simple stuff that Lotus already does well with the Elise.
Noooo, that is the hard stuff where almost all other cars fall down. The Evora brings these wonderful characteristics to a new market.
It isn’t as wonderful as the Elise, but should be welcomed as a breath of fresh air against a Cayman etc. It probably won’t be very successful though.
Paul (no. 14)-Go to specsavers
How do I get my hands on this and can it take a baby car seat? artofthestate.wordpress.c om/
I remember before 9 years of Elise ownership, when people said that comparing Porches and Lotuses was like chalk and cheese and I never really got it. All these years later I get it. I’ve just done 1000 miles in two days in a mark 1 Elise from the Spanish border to NW England – a hand built ultra-lightweight car (with bespoke interior admittedly – my own addition) and no air con. Was it as comfortable as a Cayman? Almost certainly not. Was is yet another of my greatest motor experiences possible in a true classic (nothing handles like it or gets a reception like it) …. what do you think?!
wow. this is really cool! cyprus car
sorry I am a little disappointing about Lotus making a car with four seats. lotus is always been only two seats I think it almost takes the sport out of sports car…