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By EWAN
KENNEDY
25 January 2010
Lotus
is a company that specialises in pure racing and sports machines.
Whereas other makers of sports cars also design sedans, SUVs,
even, heaven forbid, people movers and vans, this British company
concentrates on nothing but cars aimed at providing unadulterated
driving pleasure. Cars intended for those who are willing and able
to put their all into getting the best from their cars.
The all-new Lotus Evora is the first major new-car release in
Australia for 2010. It's a mid-engined machine that's to be sold
as either a pure two-seater or as a two-plus-two (2+2) with a
small back seat. More about the extra pair of seats in a moment,
but let's look at the mechanical side of the vehicle first.
Power for the Lotus Evora comes from a Toyota sourced 3.5-litre,
V6, twin-cam engine. While this may sound strange to those not
familiar with cars, Lotus has used powerplants from the Japanese
maker for many years, with a great deal of success. The British
marque is tiny by world standards and couldn’t possibly afford
to develop and build its own engines.
Naturally the 3.5-litre engine has received considerably reworking
by Lotus engineers to suit its new home in a pure sports car. This
results in a maximum power output of 206 kilowatts and peak torque
of 342 Nm. The emphasis on the Lotus version of the V6 is on
throttle response and willingness to rev. But there's good torque
at everyday engine speeds as well, so those who want to use an
Evora as their only car won't find it a pain in constant commuting
driving.
Transmission from the mid-rear engine to the back wheels is by way
of a six-speed manual gearbox. As well as the standard gearbox,
there's also the option of a close-ratio six-speed for racing use.
An automatic transmission is reported to be under development for
the Evora. This may make the purists sad, but some of the
new-generation automatics can give almost as much performance as a
manual – it's just that you lose out on that feeling of getting
the best from the car that a full-manual provides.
Our introductory road test of the Lotus Evora began at the
company's head office in Sydney and took us down through the Royal
National Park, south on the coast road for quite a distance, then
up a series of passes to the Southern Highlands. Just the sort of
route that an owner would choose for an exciting Sunday drive.
Evora works brilliantly. The engine makes all the right sounds,
with aural emissions not all that different to those of a racing
car, though regulations do prevent it reaching the sort of volumes
the revhead owner would prefer. Throttle response is all-but
instantaneous and the Evora can be steered on the throttle with
ease on tight and winding roads.
The gearbox is light and positive in its feel, though not so light
that you can't get a good feel of what it's doing. The brakes are
huge and haul off big speeds in far shorter distances than you
might believe possible. At no time during our road test did we
feel any signs of fade.
Handling is simply wonderful. This is a mid-engined machine with
all that means in the way of balance both fore-and-aft and
vertically. The big tyres – wider at the rear than at the front
– hold on like grim death and the feel through the steering
leaves you completely confident in knowing what the car is doing.
Yet despite the superb road grip, the Lotus Evora maintains a
level of ride comfort that was simply not possible in full-on
sports machines a few years ago. New developments in tyre and
suspension design mean the aforementioned owner who uses the car
on a daily commuting basis doesn't have to compromise.
Mid-engined cars with four seats are a rarity, but Lotus has
squeezed a pair of occasional seats just in front of the engine.
When the extra seats aren’t installed the area is taken up by
added luggage stowage space. The rear seats are among the tiniest
we have ever seen with very poor head and leg room. Even children
are likely to feel cramped back there.
The Evora 2+0 has a recommended retail price of $149,990 and the
Evora 2+2 has a tag of $156,990; government and dealer delivery
charges have to be added. The extra price of the Evora 2+2 over
the Evora 2+0 includes not only the rear seats, but also an
upmarket Alpine audio system, cruise control and a reversing
camera. There is also a good range of option packs and
accessories. May we suggest you see your Lotus dealer for
information on these?
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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