Which Elise to go for?
Discussion
hi there. i was wondering if anyone could give me some information regarding buying an Elise? whats the one to go for? whats the difference between the 111R and the 111S? which is the most powerful? i currently hve a new Focus RS which i use as a second car. ive done 5k in one year so im fancying something completely diferent and a little more extreme. i am afraid though, of the Elise being underpowered?? The RS has lots of power and torque but im afraid some of the les powerful Elises i may not be happy with. am i wrong?? i would also like to go for something a bit cheaper than what my car is worth now. which Elise is the 190 bhp version? was the supercharged only brought out in 2008?
sorry for all the questions but have been really trapsing the net and struggling to find any good info. im from south wales, can anyone recommmend any dealers that they have had good experiences with?
thanks very much.
sorry for all the questions but have been really trapsing the net and struggling to find any good info. im from south wales, can anyone recommmend any dealers that they have had good experiences with?
thanks very much.
The 111R (or just R on later cars) is the 189bhp car with a Toyota VVTLI engine. It's quicker to 60 and to 100 than the FRS but not having experienced the Ford I wouldn't like to guess which feels quicker - on one hand, NA high revving cars often feel slower than they are, on the other low, loud, raw cars don't cover their speed up like bigger, plusher cars. Focus is quicker in the wrong gear than the Elise is, and having a substantially higher top speed I expect it it quicker once into three figures. From AutoCar;
Ford/Lotus
0-60 : 5.7/5.1
0-100: 13.9/13.0
30-70 through the gears : 4.9/4.9
50-70 in top : 6.3/7.8
The supercharged Elise (SC) is another couple of seconds quicker to 100 again.
The Rover K-series engined 111S is less powerful than the R at 156bhp, but is lighter. It's a couple of tenths slower to 60 and about a second slower than the 111R to 100, so again fairly similar to the Ford. The difference in performance is less important in choosing between the 111R and 111S than is the character of the engine's power delivery and whether you prefer brakes without servo assistance to brakes with ABS - and of course whether you prefer the feel of the lighter car.
Don't confuse the 111S with the low powered Elise S models, which come with 1.8 or 1.6 Toyota engines and around 134bhp. I think you might find these a little lacking in go, though the best bit of the Elise is how it communicates, and they all do that.
Ford/Lotus
0-60 : 5.7/5.1
0-100: 13.9/13.0
30-70 through the gears : 4.9/4.9
50-70 in top : 6.3/7.8
The supercharged Elise (SC) is another couple of seconds quicker to 100 again.
The Rover K-series engined 111S is less powerful than the R at 156bhp, but is lighter. It's a couple of tenths slower to 60 and about a second slower than the 111R to 100, so again fairly similar to the Ford. The difference in performance is less important in choosing between the 111R and 111S than is the character of the engine's power delivery and whether you prefer brakes without servo assistance to brakes with ABS - and of course whether you prefer the feel of the lighter car.
Don't confuse the 111S with the low powered Elise S models, which come with 1.8 or 1.6 Toyota engines and around 134bhp. I think you might find these a little lacking in go, though the best bit of the Elise is how it communicates, and they all do that.
I went through the "which Elise?" conundrum last year, and tried the various models.
Interestingly, I preferred the Toyota 1.8 engined Elise 'S'. Found that it offered the brilliant qualities of the original S1, but with the worthwhile developments and conveniences.
Power-wise, I preferred the lower to mid-range delivery, although like all Elises it benefits from a few recognised upgrades (better pads - I went for CL 5s, better exhaust system - I went for 2bular with 4-2-1 manifold, sport cat and TRD filter, plus Nitron SSs). IMO these tweeks transform the Elise with no downside (other than the cost). Real world performance feels 'just right' (and my day-to-day car is a 997 turbo S).
Interestingly, I preferred the Toyota 1.8 engined Elise 'S'. Found that it offered the brilliant qualities of the original S1, but with the worthwhile developments and conveniences.
Power-wise, I preferred the lower to mid-range delivery, although like all Elises it benefits from a few recognised upgrades (better pads - I went for CL 5s, better exhaust system - I went for 2bular with 4-2-1 manifold, sport cat and TRD filter, plus Nitron SSs). IMO these tweeks transform the Elise with no downside (other than the cost). Real world performance feels 'just right' (and my day-to-day car is a 997 turbo S).
andySC said:
I've got a SC...plenty of poke. She's gotta go in favour of a more practical alternative. Focus RS is on my shortlist of possible Elise replacements strangely enough.
You'd never get out of a SC & wish/want more performance.
I do...You'd never get out of a SC & wish/want more performance.
love the 'involved' and 'connected' feel you get from the Elise but kinda miss the torque my 996T had (though not the running costs!)
Always find myself looking lustfully at 2-11's in the classifieds, 996T 1600kg / 500bhp to the 2-11's 700kg / 260bhp hmmmm...
Back on topic though definatly the SC Elise!
Robbie_FRS said:
Andy. i can highly recommend a focus RS!!! wonderful car to drive, plenty of power and it looks good too! only has 4 seats though! is your elise for sale?
Not officially as yet but it'll be advertised in a few weeks when I get back from my holidays. Its a lovely thing but I just don't use it anywhere near enough. Edited by andySC on Sunday 12th June 21:51
I drove a 111r - honestly the power didn't feel too different to a MK5 GTI but the handling and noise was a different kettle of fish!
I loved the noise it made when it to the top end of the revs - there was a distinct change in note pass 6k revs from memory. The handling and feedback was sublime.
Would I get one? Well almost...I'm thinking about it quite a lot at the moment (vs. 996 Turbo)...the 111R just missed that shoved in the back feeling to make it 'feel' fast...might try a vx220 turbo or an elise that is SC.
I loved the noise it made when it to the top end of the revs - there was a distinct change in note pass 6k revs from memory. The handling and feedback was sublime.
Would I get one? Well almost...I'm thinking about it quite a lot at the moment (vs. 996 Turbo)...the 111R just missed that shoved in the back feeling to make it 'feel' fast...might try a vx220 turbo or an elise that is SC.
otolith said:
Hmm, the noise was the biggest letdown with my 111R - now ameliorated to some extent courtesy of 2bular - but I never had any complaints about the performance. I am used to cars that need revs, though.
Wait until you drive a non-PSE (water cooled) Porsche...once you come from that the elise sounds epic ! http://hazelnet.org/elise/index.htm#111r - brief descriptions (and usually links to more info) of most of the Elise variants
otolith said:
The Rover K-series engined 111S is less powerful than the R at 156bhp, but is lighter. It's a couple of tenths slower to 60 and about a second slower than the 111R to 100, so again fairly similar to the Ford. The difference in performance is less important in choosing between the 111R and 111S than is the character of the engine's power delivery and whether you prefer brakes without servo assistance to brakes with ABS - and of course whether you prefer the feel of the lighter car.
And your attitude to repair bills!mg_dot said:
http://hazelnet.org/elise/index.htm#111r - brief descriptions (and usually links to more info) of most of the Elise variants
Very useful link - thank you.Gassing Station | Elise/Exige/Europa/340R | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff