Lotus Emira (2022 – current) | Knowledgeable Score

Model reviewed:
Score: 8 / 10
“The new Emira isn’t a game-changer, but it’s attractive, good to drive, and better-built than any Lotus before it.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“The Emira is a massively important car for Lotus and, by and large, it makes a decent fist of being Britain’s alternative to the Porsche 718 Cayman. It goes well, sounds great, looks sensational and has an interior that’s miles better in design and quality than any of its predecessors.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“A more traditional two-seat coupe in the mould of the Elan, Exige and Evora of recent years. While sharing much of the same spirit it’s a massive step on from those cars as well, preserving the performance and handling we loved but with the luxuries and technology modern drivers demand.”
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Model reviewed: Emira V6 First Edition
Score: 9 / 10
“As a driver’s car, it’s mostly great. On challenging stretches of road is where it’s absolutely at its best, in fact. On a road where there are loads of inputs on one side of the car and fewer on the other, strewn with cambers and crests and gradients, it shows its true Lotus origins.”
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Model reviewed:
“It feels friendly and benign, even in challenging conditions and with unfinished settings. It feels like a Lotus.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 10 / 10
“If you need an everyday accessory, take the Cayman; if you value lightness of being above all else, try the Alpine. But if you want weekend wheels with wow factor and an intricate, immersive, involving experience, then our initial encounters strongly suggest you should take a very close look at the Emira.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7.2 / 10
“The Lotus Emira looks and performs like a small supercar, but it’s also comfortable and usable.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“With great styling and superb performance, the Lotus Emira is a high-end sports car. Shame it’s not quite as practical as alternatives.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 8 / 10
“It takes very few miles to dial yourself into the Emira and after a couple of hundred extra miles you don’t want to get out, it feels every inch the next generation sports car Lotus wants and needs it to be.”
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Model reviewed: 3.5-litre petrol manual First Edition
Score: 8 / 10
“The Toyota V6 is certainly effective, but its gruff, rather workmanlike voice isn’t as exotic as a howling Porsche flat-six. I’m not wholly convinced by the notchy and slightly ponderous manual gearshift either. Nonetheless, this is the most complete Lotus ever and a reassuring reminder that, even with the electric revolution already underway, Hethel hasn’t forgotten its past.” (Tim Pitt)
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 9 / 10
“The driving dynamics are sensational, the V6 engine is punchy and the overall quality is a massive leap forward for Lotus. However, the Sport chassis option is very firm at low speeds, the manual gearbox is stiff and heavy to use, and the Emira isn’t as practical as its rivals. Quality and – let’s face it – reliability remain big question marks at this stage, too.”
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Model reviewed:
Score: 6.5 / 10
“So the best was indeed saved until last. It isn’t as light as an Alpine A110 or as relatively practical as the Porsche 718 Cayman. But the Emira is a proper Lotus, a future collector’s item and a car that gets that final ringing endorsement: Colin Chapman would have liked it.” (Jonathan Crouch)
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Model reviewed: 3.5-litre petrol V6 First Edition
“Emira is the first Lotus packed with the tech, comfort and practicality required for everyday use. Whichever engine you choose, the Lotus Emira will be an instant classic because this is the last petrol Lotus.”
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Model reviewed:
“A a car that is hugely enjoyable on track and much more refined on road than previous efforts from Lotus. It may not be enough to really worry Porsche because the 718 Cayman is so bloody good, but it does give sports car enthusiasts another high class option with similarly impressive performance, refinement and versatility.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 7 / 10
“It’s a fine-handling, enjoyable road car that keeps the driver busy enough while offering vastly better road manners and on-board maturity than any Lotus before it.”
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Model reviewed: Range overview
Score: 6 / 10
“The Emira impresses with its fine handling, luxurious interior and plush ride, but its Toyota-derived V6 engine is starting to feel its age and the gearchange could be a whole lot slicker.”
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