Lotus Elise Supercharged by autocar.co.uk

[chrismark889]

i bet this guy is from liverpool

[chrismark889]

hi

[halflifemasta]

why do all brits add an r at the end of words. hondar toyotar

[glitchuser4]

@ansgarscos Coming from a kid that doesn't drive.

[EVERLIVERPOOL]

MK1 elise is still the best !!

[ansgarscos]

Stupid lazy, fat ass, americans:

"I can't drive stick".... "I can't drive around corners"...

THAT IS THE ONLY WAY OF DRIVING.... LOL...

[BlueAvenue22]

@ansgarscos what are you going on about? it is the European makes that are pushing double clutch transmissions and paddleshifters on the market. I've also never heard an American going on about not being able to drive around corners. Racing on b-roads in the country side is popular where I am from.

It's better to look stupid than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.

[drmanos1]

this is the best car in the world,excellent handling,great engine and is very reliable.what else do you need and everybody can afford it

[Annihilator1111]

the 2002-present Lotus Elise is assembled in

Hethel, Norfolk, England.

[FTWSmoshFTW]

Is this car a stick shift and if it is can you get it with automatic

[Molo9000]

@FTWSmoshFTW

It's stick shift only, but I think Lotus is planning an Elise replacement that will most likely have paddle shifters. (Didn't they show a concept car at some car show a few months ago?)

But why not learn to drive stick?

[blahblop123]

@FTWSmoshFTW no... auto + lightweight cannot go together... sports car + auto dont go together...

[77cohete]

check out evo channel for more of mr harris. the best video road tests by some margin, detailed, intelligent & enthused

[cibaca1]

howcome every car gets heavier and heavier? even the new lotus has about 200 kg more than the older one.

[ChristewieTV]

ZED ZED

[Gurksallad10]

This I think is the best roadtest ever by Autocar...

[ParaglidingCorinne]

Nice commentary without the usual motoring journalese crap that one normally gets. And... thank God he didn't mention the silly cup-holder which seems to give so many journalists an orgasm.

Corinne

[23raad]

i aint got all day for this advertisement bullshit

[samodaen]

I had one of those and sold it, too much speed for me.

[shiznitbitslap]

Your a Very Fucked up Showman. Good God. If I did a demo like that and said we'll get to that shortly I'd be Fuckin Fired.

[aztek13soul]

esta mejor el mastreta hijos de púta

[combatalpha]

the dude is on coke.... why do you sniff up all the time and avoid eye contact with the camera?

[Australian22]

got a 2003 lotus elise turbo charged best car i ever drove

[McLarenF114]

It's small and it wooks weak. But I think that is one of the most nimble cars I've ever seen.

[IIproductionsII]

@McLarenF114 wooks?

[McLarenF114]

@IIproductionsII I meant to say looks my bad man.

[dirtbikeryzz]

Cool looking car but whats the point of them? Why waste time making a 4cyl fast, when they could release a 6 or 8 cheaper for the same speed?

[AlexanderBlueAvenue]

@dirtbikeryzz its simple, the one thing lotus will not compromise now is the weight. large displacement engines are extremely heavy theyve saved lots of weight by using a 4cyl keeping the car nimble. also lots of people use to complain that lotus wasnt reliable so them using a toyota celica engine is making a pretty big statement. you get all of the lotus performance, 40 mpgs on the highway, extremely low weight, and to top it all of toyota reliability. not a bad formula

[AlexanderBlueAvenue]

@dirtbikeryzz not to mention lotus is more concerned with producing the best handling car they can make not the fastest in a straight line. Im not an engineer by any stretch but I always thought making a great handling car is harder than a fast car. you can bolt on a humongous turbo to a honda civic and have a fast in a straight line car. but do get something to handle well the entire chassis has to be purpose built

[carlylespicks]

@dirtbikeryzz The point is FUN! My favorite EXOTIC is the Lamborghini LP670 SV but this car is way more fun to drive. Lambo is more powerful yes, but it's fat and "slow"(heavy in corners and you can't see anything). If I'm looking to have fun driving on some nice winding road I will take this any day over the heavier cars you propose.

[dirtbikeryzz]

@carlylespicks Well I'd gladly take both.

[carlylespicks]

@dirtbikeryzz Yes! That is the problem for the true car enthusiast. No one car does it all. You need the lightweight fun toy, the powerful monster, the fat luxury car...

When does it end? Then again...there is the Sesto Elemento! 2,200 pounds and monster power. hmmm

[ramonet27101993]

its recorded in catalonia? i can see the montserrat mountain

[IMxAxKINECTxADDICT]

THIS GUY KNOWS WHAT HES TALKING ABOUT

[xAbre1200]

thumbs up!!!

[Gurksallad10]

Why doesent all cars have a turbo or supercharger... serius question.

[JasonTyberiusKirk]

@Gurksallad10 Added cost and the issue of complexity,packaging and reliability.

[gurlsingerfan]

@JasonTyberiusKirk Exactly right, and there is one other factor: Superchargers and turbochargers require some engine speed higher than a non supercharged engine to really produce their horsepower,  That is fine for performance cars, but for normal sedans or saloon cars, the larger engine with no supercharger/turbocharger makes more sense in most cases than a small engine with supercharger, because a larger naturally aspirated engine makes more torque at lower revs.

[matthewcardinals]

@Gurksallad10 superchargers can be quite unreliable and expensive... Most consumers dont need the power

[saintninian]

Thumbs Up for Thumbs Up!

[auggles]

new lotus sucks lotus should always be light and low on power not heavy with v6's and v8's tsk tsk lotus uve rly fucked up

[AlexanderBlueAvenue]

@auggles dude what are you talking about? that car is still a 4cyl and is still light.

[auggles]

@AlexanderBlueAvenue all of their new cars r heavy yes the new elise will hav a 4 but itll weigh 2400 pounds

[AlexanderBlueAvenue]

@auggles the average production car is over 3000 lbs so the lotus is still light compared to the majority of the market. since when was 2400 lbs heavy for a car? and all cars will be getting heavier as safety standards become more strict

[auggles]

@AlexanderBlueAvenue compared to 1800 pounds thats heavy, and what standards obvioulsy its still hear for the moment with airbags and good milage, and a large sedan does that sound like a lotus?

[Mr1wd]

cup holder demostration was priceless

[Giova2774]

bla  bla bla... I wanna hear the engine... anyway beautiful car

[Hudson12829]

my neighbor down the street owned a Lotus Evora. But then she moved D:

[LloydBanksizPLK]

Rice cars.. why? cuz theyre all cosmetic and no goo... Hahahaha!!

[SuperDee1978]

awesome review. filled with insights. sweet ride.

[3rdEyeVision]

you give perfect thumb ups

[tanner87]

wish he'd stop talking and drive the bloody car!

[MrRunforyourlife]

@tanner87 mate, the proper way to test the car is explaining while driving. youll forget what to say after the drive. cheers :)

[JasonTyberiusKirk]

This car could use a glove compartment, extra sound proofing, carbon fiber hood and bonnet, 10 mph bumpers and a damn arm rest.

[MrRunforyourlife]

@JasonTyberiusKirk it will be heavier, more expensive and you wouldn't want to put your arm on the armrest because this car does drive properly.

[JasonTyberiusKirk]

@MrRunforyourlife It would not be heavier as this car is not engineered to be as light as possible. It's engineered to be as light as possible for $45,000. The weight of a glove compartment, 10 mph bumpers and "extra" sound proofing could be easily mitigated with a carbon fiber body. The cars price would increase but so would the day to day livability and performance.

[MrRunforyourlife]

@JasonTyberiusKirk lotus is made cheap because(i think) it is most probably used as a track day car. so i think the lotus designers left that bit out. according to the lotus philosophy, the lighter, the better. they consider cup-holders "luxuries". what madness.

CHEERS :)

[legendragon]

@MrRunforyourlife I think the cup-holders is for practicing :)

[MrSupertits]

this car looks like a bug

[kah1e1]

just saw one of these in silver city new mexico. wanted to see more. can't understand half of what this guys says.

[MSUTri]

I like this guy.

[missH92]

nice looking car!!! but what happens when you get hit by another one??? Semi???

[MrJuan7721]

this guy dosent talk back i want to know what is in the front of the carr where the engine should be

[hunghuge12]

I'm not so sure about Lotus having a great future. They sell cars based on their light weight giving them an advantage. Other car makers will have to cut weight to keep emissions down so once they have where's the advantage with the lotus?

[mikers73]

@hunghuge12

They are already 1,000lbs. to 1,500lbs, ahead of the rest of the market with the Elise and Exige.

[hunghuge12]

@mikers73 I know but I'm saying when the rest cut weight - something they will have to do - then Lotus will lose the advantage they have had for so long. For the next few years they're sitting pretty because they already make cars the others will in 10 years but after that then what?

[bboyduskblade]

would this smack on a skyline ?

[cody227]

@bboyduskblade nope, pretty close. Well it wont beat the vspec r33 GTR or the R34

[JellyBird12]

@cody227 Will beat an R33 below 120mph, and every track cept Nordi,

[monsterenergy713]

If you died right now are you 100% sure you'd go to heaven?

[kevynspeed]

well they left out the luxury part

meh who need that when you got a Beast like that

[vincentweb]

under proton , i afraid lotus will die soon.

[imhuge]

Right thumb up. : )

[vtstomc2]

brilliant review, much better than the fifth gear review, hes not objective at all, well done autocar.

[CheeseWithWorms]

am i the only one who thinks that this guy's face looks like a monkey's hairy ass?

[SandWraith123]

When he said 34,000 pounds i was like holy shit! that thing must be made of iron!

[Zealless]

@SandWraith123

you must be american lol

[ALB437]

@SandWraith123 - plastic!

[wertuiking]

proton sucks

[Mysticalhate]

I love 2:10 to 2:19

[GerGa769]

toyoter

[paizzaeater]

i got a booner the first time i saw this car in a parking lot

[Sammoful]

lotus is probblay one of the most unpractical little tiny thing ive heard of , looks cool though but other than that get an m3

[supergenius18]

@Sammoful whats really unpractical is that +95% of all the vehicles on the road have only 1 or 2 people in them...thats not counting the millions of trucks on the road that have no load and are simply driven to work. i know that the lotus is a luxury sports car and a little pricey, but the concept of having a small 2 passenger vehicle is anything but......unpractical.

[EarlRausch]

The Britts always do great car reviews. This one is no exception !

Thanks for the post.

[veyr0n1]

Great review, the elise never looks dated

[BornInTheCreek]

the only problem i really had when i test drove an 05 elise were the seats. there quite uncomfortable

[saphie77]

He likes the thumbs up eh ?

[pantsman29]

I want one . . .

[rockyscarlet]

the whole video was Chris talking. i wanted to see the car not Chris

[cammyammy]

@bmants im the 6ft and I get on just fine esp with the roof off. You dont get these cars for comfort, you get them for going fast. Uprated suspension is a must, it makes the world of differece to the driving experience. If you want a comfortable lotus then save up and get the evora although id wait until they launch the supercharged edition. Lotus is one of the last standing things that shows british technical and mechanical engineering at its pincale.

[itstherealdealtoday]

this guy is hilarious with the pointing and the thumbs up!!!! hes bangable

[omgitsnorm]

@itstherealdealtoday

lolwat

[ImAilenesFan]

If I'm not mistaken Lotus Exige is like a better Elise and Exige has Toyota Celica engine and it has a chickenwire behind :)

[Ulordk5]

this car is pretty cheap if u compare it with Ferrari or Lambourghini. Only 40000-70000

[Bmants]

I'm 6'1, I cannot try a Lotus, that's why I dont like them.

[tomhodgson77]

@Bmants I'm 6'1. I have no difficulty with Lotus's at all, sure it doesn't look very dignified getting in/out. But nobody does getting into a Lotus..

[lancekimmons]

@Bmants  I'm 6'3 and was fine in my exige.

[Hppyhppy2]

haven't actually driven either the lotus or the porsche 911 although i simulated driving for both and though porsche has more power i prefer the lotus because it is rear engine and provides a different type of handling

[RedSockAward]

You should try a Lotus. It is much more fun. The Porsche are great and really fast (I drove them for years) but you can not really feel the speed. Now, after I sold the Porsche, maybe it is the same speed in my Elise SC, but it feels much faster :).

Believe me, try one.

[emixcube]

@Hppyhppy2 ahahaha you are a real expert thx for your opinion

[jacco121212]

@terder123

i think the 911 is a bith better and you havo more on it

[mritothes]

thumbs up!

[aznrocka89]

it saves gas only cause its so light

[percypelican]

Go for it mate, the 911 and exige have very similar stats only thing is the lotus is considerably smaller and doesn't have all the fun gadgets and instrument controls in the dash. Get what you pay for though so your call. Personally I'm looking at the exige

[terder123]

I am thinking of getting one of these or a 911.

Any suggestions?

[6UNLEASHED]

alot to consider, since i am on the same path, except the Cayman S or a 911 Targa for me. The basics for me are, a well put-together interior, obviously not the case here since the car was made for purists only, bare essentials. The Porsches combine everything else plus extras (heated side powered mirrors, heated seats, power steering) the list goes on and on, my only gripe is, can the Lotus be driven on a semi-regular basis? 2-3 times a week? i live in NY and our roads arent the friendliest.

[RJBism]

Lotus is nowhere near expensive! It is just like a Ferrari. Its goes from 0-60mph in 4.3 seconds. And only 2500 of these cars are delivered in North America, so it is really exclusive.

[sarokas12]

Lotus are too expensive!!

[yoekss]

lotus is stupid. put a turbocharged honda engine in it.... toyota is crap compared to honda's engine's. it is quality toyota but honda is faster more revs etc

[TheVtieg6]

@yoekss

First of all Toyota prob gave them a better deal with thw engines.

Secondly theres nothing wrong with Toyota engines

Thirdly a supercharger gives better low end torque ans smoother power delivery.

[LostChildOfTime]

@yoekss Fourth, Lotus has modified the engine and it runs on a Lotus engine management system instead of a Toyotas. They did more than just snatch it from Toyota and throw in a supercharger. Lotus has squeezed 270 HP out of that engine (260 for a production model) which still isn't too much but who really cares.

Why does it matter that they use a Honda engine? It's not like Lotus will take the engine to hell and back. If you can afford the Lotus, have fun engine swapping it yourself.

[gmanzeroalpha]

it is not pulled out of a toyota and mounted in the elise engine bay mate. The torque and fuel delivery mappings are completely redone. The cam change system is a lotus system, it is stripped and then balanced by Lotus and that is what Honda do with their engines to get them doing what they do. This is Toyota parts with Lotus precision and tuning. Its a completely different engine when finished. Your getting Toyota manufacture reliability with lotus performance.

[TheVtieg6]

@MrDemolitionman99

So your saying just because his britsh and the car is britsh his an asshole of he thinks its good?

[claudeleason]

i bet Chris Harris is a Virgo

[bugsy791]

wth. i dont get it. lotus is in f1, yet they cant make their own roadgoing engine.

cmon lotus stop using soulless toyota lumps. chop chop...

[Dantakurasaki]

i cant belive this thing cost 40,000-50,000

[ECheGuevera]

Simply the Best, Better than all the rest. I prefer my SC to my recently purchased Ferrari 55XX.

[BSed31]

hahahahahahahaha YEAH okay

[ECheGuevera]

Yea dick head what do you drive? A rusted out Ford Probe with a pair of dice hanging from the rear view mirror? If you want to check out the vehicles I have bought Naples Motor Sport sold me the Ferrari, the Lotus was purchased and has been serviced exclusively by Weissach Motor Sport Vancouver Canada, 2009 Aurca TL West End Acura Edmonton Canada, 2001 Acura CL Series S West End Acura and oh yes my 2007 Harley Soft Tail Black Widow Harley Englewood Florida. Anything you want to race tough guy

[synette]

@ECheGuevera How do u enjoy being someone you are not especially on the internet oh the irony you insignificant little shit has the time to actually think people believe you.

[bugsy791]

yeah rite...

[NarKoticK]

i been looking to buy a lotus as my next car, and i see that i can get a 2006 or 2007 for about 25,000 is that correct?

[leelguy]

Depends on the model and options... but yea since they are only $40-$80k new, they usually sell for around $25-$45k used (again depending on model and options). Good luck, its an amazing car.

[potatotruck]

Hat tip to Chris Harris and Autocar. As always, they get it. Lotus has indeed found themselves in the sweet-spot of where the industry is going. Despite all the moaning from the dinosaurs, I find that a great thing.

[GovernmentGuy]

Why can't there be a ........DIESEL engine in one of these? It would trounce this car for TORQUE & MPG & RUNNING COSTS & CO2 EMMISSIONS & the technology is much more advanced than today's electric vehicles. Okay it wouldn't sound great but so what?

[scribblescrabble2]

Maybe because diesel engines are low revving boring engines that require massive size (weight) to be effective.

[Molo9000]

Diesel in a Lotus? that's blasphemy!

Diesel wouldn't just make the car slower but also much much much much less fun.

Diesel engines add weight, make an unpleasant noise and don't rev properly.

Diesel makes a lot of sense in big saloon cars (U can't hear the 6cylinder diesels anymore in Mercs, BMWs, Jags, etc. and the low down torque is good in a saloon car) but in a sports car they are horrible.

[SagaraSouske]

@Molo9000

Are you familiar with the Audi R10 and R15 racecars. The R10 during it's first season dominated Lemans and prototype racing, the R15 on the other hand has a vehicle weight of under 2000lbs . While the diesel/racing technology derived R8 roadcar concept was the star of auto shows.

I am sure diesel engines, hybrid engines, and even electric engines all have a lot of potential if they are considered as being power plant choices for sports cars.

[Molo9000]

@SagaraSouske

Diesel works in long distance racecars (because they have to stop for fuel less often) but we are talking about sportscars here.

[Nicklacruz]

lol what's up whit the dumbs up and down nice car its a little beast!

[simsy1962]

Professional review, well done....

[seroyer2]

Chris Harris, is always a gentleman, I like him more then the Top Gear guys. Top Gear is entertaining, but those guys are not racing drivers, and are not very informative about the cars, still a great show. But I would not take them word by word like so many do on the internet.

[multini]

indeed~

at first i was a bit worried about his script

but he did a fine job overall!

[achp400]

@simsy1962 He is a professional!!!

[Timdogzakapfl]

@simsy1962 i concur

[dillonl93]

and where exactly do you live?

[freshyip]

to much bullshit talking

[wiihomepage]

It gets warm, but not hot.

It is also a bigger boot than you think, so if you push things right back in the boot then they don't get warm at all.

[Freudenfurz]

today i drive a Elise SC and i love it...but i was always to fast ;-)

[Wells1955ATC]

I WANT ONE!

[BigBeamer]

me tooooooo

[fullmetalmc]

me too lol

[ozielsolis]

i've driven one of these and they are fun to drive, the only thing i don't like is when you get in, the seats are lower than you expect.

[itix1]

...I love low seats :D

[Spkyqq]

I want one

[starionboi]

its funny how they use mph now instead of kmh...

[Scotracer]

What do you mean? We've always used the mph...

[nospaulatu]

i agree. i'm canadian, and i find it strange that the british are fine to use kg for mass, yet they cling on to using miles for distance/speed.

then again, here we still measure our TVs in inches, engines in horsepower (metric is kW), and personal height and weight in feet and pounds (in everyday use, not officially).

what's so difficult about switching COMPLETELY to metric? can't we just get on with it?

[MersiCZECH]

He have same sweatshirt like year before, when he testing Veyron.:D

[S2Kimporter]

i new it !!! it does have a toyota engine i told my friend that and we bet 50 bucks i going to show him this vid : )

[DJwrush]

i want one :)

comfort on bumps like a soloon !! nice

[Stratboy999]

I like the shape, but there's something about the Elise that looks...well...a bit cheap... and that makes me feel bad because they are a real performance car.

[Krieger91]

I think the back looks like crap.

[TakeBackTheWorld]

I adore this car.

[lawrencelugar]

I Finally saw a Lotus Elise on the road today!

After a long time wishing. (I have a Corvette)

We were at opposite stoplights. He was first in line, so he kind of punched it.

I saw it drive past me, and heard that engine red line.

I kind of had high expectations of the sound - it sounded like an Asian tuner, which is bad, if you ask me.

As for seeing the body in person, it looks pretty cool - but not in line with exotic Italians.

[viralthings]

I remember seeing one for the first time as well. It was orange and I was impressed with how small it was. Didn't really geta chance to hear it, but I can't imagine it sounding anything like the growl of an American V8.

[genro1080]

it's a toyota engine.

[Georgenfla]

mishontu, you got that right!

[Georgenfla]

Very well stated video. This car is something that only Europeans will appreciate. Amerikans are too obese for a car of this size, and amerikans don't understand how to drive a car with a manual transmission. I lived in the states for 3 months. The company I did free-lance work for gave me a choice of a lease car during my stay. I asked for a sports car. The amerikans gave me a v8 ford mustang with an automatic transmission. They said, most amerikans cant drive a stickshift. I laughed, how dumb!

[Abzstar111]

lol americans can only drive in a straight line or in circles lol!

[joseacevedo559]

like the car......but hate the shity interior......would be better if they added some cauge pods......and more computer in it......if you get a vette,porshe or other supercars you get all that........but not this one....

[mhesvik]

the point is to keep the weight of the car as low as possible. the earlier models didn't even have electric windows.

[mishontu]

you're wrong, this is an elise, lotus have a equivilant called exige which has all that and obviously more power.

[touge2000]

joseacevedo559 are you on crack?

You are complaining about the interior on an elise and want more computers? It is a small british sports car that weighs 900kg, I think you are missing the point of a car like this....

[Panditha666]

ah ah ah british AND japanese.

[Marauder1981]

Idiot thats the concept of this car!

[billoakesattablthree]

beautiful car with performance to match- biggest bang for the buck

[tontot77]

exactly... but I guess if you had too much tq, and the parts of the drivetrain gave out, it would be a SUPER bitch to try and find heavy duty parts that could withstand the abuse.

[tontot77]

will a 2jz fit in there... or some serious engine?