How does the Elise compare to the Exige?

[keo]

I want a Lotus as my next car, would love a 240 exige but i just cant afford one. So i am thinking about getting an Elise R i have got arounf £15k to spend once i have sold my Clio Trophy. How do the two cars compare? My head is saying i will only get the best from the exige on track so an elise will be more than enough for the road. Heart the exige is the ultimate for me.
Another option is to save like mad for another 12 months and hopefuly be somewhere near to buying an exige. But i am getting impaitent i have had the clio 3 years and fancy a change. The swing ball could be a VX220 turbo, they are a bargain but i have had one i loved it, but not sure if i should go back.

Sorry for the ramblings just trying to figure all my options out. Any opinions appreciated thanks

[Thorburn]

Personally prefer the Elise - to me it rides and handles better on British roads while the Exige can get to be a bit of a handful over bumps.

Some Elises have the Sports Pack and wider wheels that gives them the same setup as the Exige, and there is plenty scope to change things after market in terms of suspension, supercharging the 111R engine, etc.

[21TonyK]

As already said, the main difference between an R and an Exige is the suspension and I think the Exige has slightly wider fronts which reduces understeer. Other than that it's looks. I've not driven an R but an early 'yota Elise felt very soft compared to my Exige.

[ad243S]

I switched from a 111s to a 240pp exige, the ride is harder but the car is a lot more stable than the elise at speed. In the elise there wasn't much difference with the 111r until the 2nd cam kicked in but with the exige the supercharger kicks in straight away and the power is constant.

You could try an elise SC that give 90% the power of a 240 but with the ride of the elise

[mr2mk1g]

The difference between a 111R and a NA Exige is largely aero. You can set an Elise up to be essentially the same. The engine is the same. Plenty of people put Exige wheels on the Elise and they're a straight swap on the 111R. Suspension, again, may be the same already or can be easily upgraded. For more power there's the SC Elise, essentially the same as the Exige S. No stock Elise comes out with the same figures as a 240 cup though. But on the road, a fully track spec'd car can be rather less compliant and actually slower over our roads.

[mikeulster500]

I have the Elise R and love the looks of the Exige, however the cost to change is simply not worth it and I think the exige looks a little odd with the roof off.

I've got myself a wider set of wheels and some nitron suspension which makes it much more 'exige' like on track

[keo]

Thanks for the replys everyone. I have been looking at 111s as well, but not sure if one would be quick enough for me. I know Lotus is not about straight line, even so i woulndt want it to be slower than my clio. I only do 2-3 track days a year so i know an exige makes no sense. I just love how they look.
Maybe get an elise this year and then trade up to an exige in a few years? I shouldnt lose much money either as they seam to depreciate very slowly

[Thorburn]

There isn't that much in it between a 111S and a 111R really in terms of pace - try both and pick the one you prefer the power delivery of as they are quite different engines.

That said 2-3 track days a year wouldn't be wasting an Exige, plenty use them as road cars only. Best bet is simply to get out and drive one and make your own mind up. £15k might be a bit optimistic for one though.

[kambites]

The 111R feels a bit more frantic than the 111S because of its power delivery and it is a bit faster, but there really isn't that much in it - 0-100 in ~13s vs ~14s. Either will be a lot faster than any standard Clio (according to the web, your Clio takes a little over 17 seconds).

Edited by kambites on Sunday 17th February 11:58

[randlesf]

I was in a similar situation 2 years ago, I had a Clio 197 and wanted to change to an Elise/Exige. I had, had an Elise in 2006, but it was an S with only 120bhp, great handling, but kids in corsa's could leave me standing, so I decided my next Lotus would be more powerful.
So I bought a 2006 Blue Sportsracer, which has all the suspension, lighter and bigger wheels as the Exige, and then had a Lotus Supercharger, sports exhaust & new air box fitted.
So now I have the best of both worlds.

Edited by randlesf on Sunday 17th February 12:31

[Jamesf288]

keo said:

Thanks for the replys everyone. I have been looking at 111s as well, but not sure if one would be quick enough for me. I know Lotus is not about straight line, even so i woulndt want it to be slower than my clio. I only do 2-3 track days a year so i know an exige makes no sense. I just love how they look.
Maybe get an elise this year and then trade up to an exige in a few years? I shouldnt lose much money either as they seam to depreciate very slowly

I also have a Clio Trophy and my brother has had an S1 and S2 111s, followed by an S2 Exige. In terms of straight line speed between the Trophy and 111s, there is no comparison, the Elise is significantly quicker. As has been said, the S1 was around 14.5 to 100, with the series 2 being a little quicker again I think. The S2 Exige is in the low thirteens; 13.2 I believe. Hence this again, is a noticeable increase on the 111s.

Though the 60-100 time is the crucial difference here. The Trophy takes around 11 seconds to get from 60 to 100, though the Elise is nearer 7-8 seconds. When you consider the Elise is 1-1.5 seconds quicker to 60, that is very noticeable.

In terms of handling, as good as the Trophy is, the Elise is on an entirely different level. I found the Elise easier to drive quickly from the off than the Exige, though over the long term my brother said the Exige was ultimately more rewarding. The immediate difference was in the steering, which required more commitment on the Exige, resulting from the wider front tyre over a 111R.

I too, hope to make this move in around 3 years.

[keo]

Jamesf288 said:

keo said:

Thanks for the replys everyone. I have been looking at 111s as well, but not sure if one would be quick enough for me. I know Lotus is not about straight line, even so i woulndt want it to be slower than my clio. I only do 2-3 track days a year so i know an exige makes no sense. I just love how they look.
Maybe get an elise this year and then trade up to an exige in a few years? I shouldnt lose much money either as they seam to depreciate very slowly

I also have a Clio Trophy and my brother has had an S1 and S2 111s, followed by an S2 Exige. In terms of straight line speed between the Trophy and 111s, there is no comparison, the Elise is significantly quicker. As has been said, the S1 was around 14.5 to 100, with the series 2 being a little quicker again I think. The S2 Exige is in the low thirteens; 13.2 I believe. Hence this again, is a noticeable increase on the 111s.

Though the 60-100 time is the crucial difference here. The Trophy takes around 11 seconds to get from 60 to 100, though the Elise is nearer 7-8 seconds. When you consider the Elise is 1-1.5 seconds quicker to 60, that is very noticeable.

In terms of handling, as good as the Trophy is, the Elise is on an entirely different level. I found the Elise easier to drive quickly from the off than the Exige, though over the long term my brother said the Exige was ultimately more rewarding. The immediate difference was in the steering, which required more commitment on the Exige, resulting from the wider front tyre over a 111R.

I too, hope to make this move in around 3 years.

Thanks for the info James. I am a little bit worried about the elise being slow, as i had a test drive in a VX220 NA a few years ago and i felt underwhelmed by it. My EP3 CTR which i had at the time felt faster. But you and kambites have cleared that up for me.

Thorburn i agree £15k for an Exige is very optimistic! The cheapest on ph i have seen is around 17kish i think that was a 190bhp na one. I realy fancy the 240sc one though, so i guess i will be saving a bit longer

Edited by keo on Sunday 17th February 15:59

[kambites]

keo said:

Thanks for the info James. I am a little bit worried about the elise being slow, as i had a test drive in a VX220 NA a few years ago and i felt underwhelmed by it. My EP3 CTR which i had at the time felt faster. But you and kambites have cleared that up for me.

Thorburn i agree £15k for an Exige is very optimistic! The cheapest on ph i have seen is around 17kish i think that was a 190bhp na one. I realy fancy the 240sc one though, so i guess i will be saving a bit longer

Yeah, the 111S is a rather different engine to the standard K-series Elise. An extra 40bhp without a significant increase to the weight makes itself felt. It's a very linear engine though, so it never feels as quick in the way that the decidedly non-linear 111R does.

The Toyota engined cars are heavier and feel it, but they're still lighter than almost anything else mass-produced on the road.

[GTRene]

buy a Elise 111R with hardtop and some goodies to make it look a crossing between a Elise and Exige?
and you still have rear view through your mirror

of course at some point the 192 or so hp will not be enough and then you go for a update like this and not many will bother you I guess

you can go for 2 options...Rev300TVS so you can leave the rest standard but still have lots of power...

then you can later update to the Rev400TVS specs but then you also need better clutch and internals so more expensive but 400hp, I guess that 300 system will be enough for some time ;-)

http://www.boefabrication.com/index.php?/boe/produ...

looks like a nice system, there are also some video's and seen some I guess the sound is ok, not that much wining like some systems do.

[chevronb37]

I had a 111R for two years and they're a superb blend of usability and outright dynamic capability. Having been out in convoy with a friend in his 111S, the 111R is fractionally - and I mean fractionally - faster in a straight line. But of course the 111S has the benefit of being lighter so it will brake later and turn in harder. My general impression is, though, that the 111R is the more robust option.

Whether the Exige is worth the extra will just be a matter of preference. I didn't feel the S2 was worth the extra when I bought the 111R. The visibility is compromised and I didn't like the looks with the soft top in place or roof off altogether. The Elise seemed the better option.

I don't think folk should be afraid of admitting that they like the Exige for reasons of a) vanity and b) because it looks badass. I cannot pretend my Exige is twice a Sport 160 but it is so unutterably awesome to look at that its desirability goes off the scale. I'm also not afraid to admit that I love the cachet of owning something genuinely race-derived. As a motor racing enthusiast that pushes my buttons. Of course there are other reasons I love the car, but I think there is always some subjective decision-making which goes beyond mere dynamics - after all, you should rarely trouble the ultimate capabilities of any car while driving on the road.

Whatever you get, you'll love. They're wonderful cars and, having spent 6 hours today blasting around the Yorkshire Dales today, I can confirm they only become more infectious with time. Buy the car which is right for you in every way and enjoy it. Oh and don't forget to spend more time driving it than cleaning it!

[kambites]

Nothing wrong with looks being a significant criteria when buying a car. Personally, I don't like all the useless plastic appendages bolted to the Exige, but if you do, there's nothing wrong with buying it over an Elise on that basis.

The Elise and Exige are so similar to drive and so easy to modify to drive like each other that the biggest thing between them is probably the looks.

[chevronb37]

I actually think looks are as relevant as ultimate grip, downforce or traction for most drivers. I'm mediocre at best and ham-fisted at worst. The Exige is way beyond what I need. But it's just the full package of awesome which makes the financial sacrifices worthwhile. Rationally, an Elise is perfect; irrationally the Exige is perfect.

[Hulie]

I have had both an Elise S1 and currently have an Exige S2 NA. The Elise was an easier car to drive on the road and probably more fun with lower levels of grip and no roof. The Exige is a much harder ride with greater levels of grip and considerably faster. I enjoyed them both for different reasons but the Exige is a fantastic looking car and sounds great when on cam, much more of an event to drive.

[Thorburn]

keo said:

Thorburn i agree £15k for an Exige is very optimistic! The cheapest on ph i have seen is around 17kish i think that was a 190bhp na one. I realy fancy the 240sc one though, so i guess i will be saving a bit longer

Upgrades are always an option - there are a few supercharger kits out there for the 111R/Exige n/a cars to take them to 220bhp (official Lotus upgrade), 240bhp (Essex Autosport Katana) and beyond (I've seen some over 300bhp, but might need to be an Exige to fit an intercooler at that level.

Standard 220bhp Exige S' can be upgraded as well, I think there was a Lotus kit to take them up to the same spec as the Cup 260 cars.

[SeanyD]

randlesf said:

but kids in corsa's could leave me standing

Personally this is not the reason to own a Lotus, enjoy the excitement, the looks, the moment. If you want to leave everyone standing get a Scooby/Evo. If you want to enjoy an exciting piece of British Heritage, get a Lotus, regardless of which model.