Caterham to Elise/Exige
Discussion
I currently run a Caterham R400 as a fun car that comes out of the garage in the good weather and for the odd track days. I am being drawn to an Elise or Exige as they seem more usable with the British weather.
Has any one gone from a Caterham to either an Exige or Elise? If so do you miss the speed and rawness of the Caterham?
Has any one gone from a Caterham to either an Exige or Elise? If so do you miss the speed and rawness of the Caterham?
Yep
Went from a Westfield to an Elise. Was a basic Westie with ~120bhp and bought an S2 111S Elise with 156hp - so similar power to weight but a lot more practicality.
From a driving perspective...
The similar points: brakes and steering - hard to beat a seven on steering but the Elise does a pretty good job of it. Brakes - not much in it.
Differences: The Elise has significantly more composure on rough roads (ie: anything not a race track) and ultimately better road holding because of that. That does mean that the tail out hooliganism and laugh out loud fun of a Westie/Cat is not readily achievable in an Elise in public (it is possible... but the edge is much higher and catching a wayward rear much harder).
If I had a bigger garage I'd have both
Went from a Westfield to an Elise. Was a basic Westie with ~120bhp and bought an S2 111S Elise with 156hp - so similar power to weight but a lot more practicality.
From a driving perspective...
The similar points: brakes and steering - hard to beat a seven on steering but the Elise does a pretty good job of it. Brakes - not much in it.
Differences: The Elise has significantly more composure on rough roads (ie: anything not a race track) and ultimately better road holding because of that. That does mean that the tail out hooliganism and laugh out loud fun of a Westie/Cat is not readily achievable in an Elise in public (it is possible... but the edge is much higher and catching a wayward rear much harder).
If I had a bigger garage I'd have both
I have an Exige and a friend has a Caterham. I am a lot more stable round corners, with him bumping and skitting about.
It won't be quite as raw as you're obviously more enclosed, however the Exige would be quicker if you get the right one. Also as you say, they're a lot more usable with a roof and a very usable boot!
It won't be quite as raw as you're obviously more enclosed, however the Exige would be quicker if you get the right one. Also as you say, they're a lot more usable with a roof and a very usable boot!
I've owned two Caterhams, an Elise and a 2-Eleven and my first Caterham was sold to buy my Elise. To me the Elise and Caterham are just different really; I'd liken the Caterham to a live gig and the Elise to a studio recording. To expand on that analogy a bit, I found the feedback and driver interaction in the Elise much more detailed and finer, whereas the Caterham was a bit more rough around the edges and louder. The same goes for the ride and handling of the two cars.
I think that pretty much sums it up, although the two oddities of the cars are that in the Caterham you sit almost on the rear axle, so you feel rear end grip much more prominently than front end grip; by contrast the Elise is in delightful stereo. The oddity of the Elise is where the engine is, meaning that it's really rear engined, not mid engined. That trait was most pronounced in the 2-Eleven, because the front end was super light and the engine was the all bells and whistles supercharged Toyota unit.
It's worth noting the extreme difference in practicality between a Caterham and a short tailed roof Elise, or an Exige. I used my Elise as my everyday car, so I got to enjoy it constantly, whereas the Caterham's hood was so fiddly I only took the car out if I knew it wasn't going to rain.
Finally, and sorry to end on a depressing note, it's worth mentioning that using both cars regularly very much depends on the type of driving you do. When I owned both my Elise and my Caterham I almost exclusively drove on C and B roads. I've since moved house and 95% of my driving in on the motorway, with the other 5% on narrow C roads littered in mud and pot holes. I do sorely miss my Elise, but I know if I owned another one now I just wouldn't get to drive it much, as they're not really much fun on motorways and at a steady 70mph for an hour or more I'd far rather be in a 'normal' car.
I think that pretty much sums it up, although the two oddities of the cars are that in the Caterham you sit almost on the rear axle, so you feel rear end grip much more prominently than front end grip; by contrast the Elise is in delightful stereo. The oddity of the Elise is where the engine is, meaning that it's really rear engined, not mid engined. That trait was most pronounced in the 2-Eleven, because the front end was super light and the engine was the all bells and whistles supercharged Toyota unit.
It's worth noting the extreme difference in practicality between a Caterham and a short tailed roof Elise, or an Exige. I used my Elise as my everyday car, so I got to enjoy it constantly, whereas the Caterham's hood was so fiddly I only took the car out if I knew it wasn't going to rain.
Finally, and sorry to end on a depressing note, it's worth mentioning that using both cars regularly very much depends on the type of driving you do. When I owned both my Elise and my Caterham I almost exclusively drove on C and B roads. I've since moved house and 95% of my driving in on the motorway, with the other 5% on narrow C roads littered in mud and pot holes. I do sorely miss my Elise, but I know if I owned another one now I just wouldn't get to drive it much, as they're not really much fun on motorways and at a steady 70mph for an hour or more I'd far rather be in a 'normal' car.
Thanks for all the info guys, think I'm going to go and have a look around Bell and Colvill this weekend as they have 2 Black Exige S I like the look of.
http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
I don't suppose any one knows either of these two cars or has experiance of Bell and Colvill?
http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
I don't suppose any one knows either of these two cars or has experiance of Bell and Colvill?
clumsen said:
Thanks for all the info guys, think I'm going to go and have a look around Bell and Colvill this weekend as they have 2 Black Exige S I like the look of.
http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
I don't suppose any one knows either of these two cars or has experiance of Bell and Colvill?
Yes, B&C looked after both my Elise and 2-Eleven and they sold me the 2-Eleven. I can recommend them highly; both sales and service have always been very friendly, efficient and accommodating. They'll be the first people I call if I ever get back into Lotus ownership.http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
http://www.bellandcolvill.co.uk/usedcars/cardetail...
I don't suppose any one knows either of these two cars or has experiance of Bell and Colvill?
Don't expect the Exige S to feel fast or exciting after the Caterham, but what you will find is that the ownership proposition is very different, with Euro trips and days out suddenly available in any weather and over any distance. The feedback is all there compared to the 7, but it'll be much more subtle, and notice how front and rear axles can be felt equally, compared to just the rear in the 7. Performance won't feel anywhere near as strong, but Exiges are deceptively capable because the suspension is just designed and tuned so well and the platform is so stiff. With Justin Wilson at the wheel, the Elise 111R outlapped a Caterham R400 at an Autocar handling day, despite having half the power to weight ratio (that surprised me, but the figures were there so we have to believe it!).
Personally, I went there looking for an Exige S a few years ago and did ultimately come away disappointed, but I returned to buy a 2-Eleven from them a week later, which ticked the Lotus and Caterham boxes all at the same time, the only problem being that it was ultimately less practical than a Caterham!
Been with Caterham for years and still own a JPE.
Bought this last week and love it. Plenty quick enough for road use, feels like a very modern car and going for a fun blat with windscreen, heater and all the comfy bits is a nice change. I'm more impressed with it than I thought I would be, one hell of a little car and I reckon a long term keeper.
Bought this last week and love it. Plenty quick enough for road use, feels like a very modern car and going for a fun blat with windscreen, heater and all the comfy bits is a nice change. I'm more impressed with it than I thought I would be, one hell of a little car and I reckon a long term keeper.
I'd recommend an Elise if you can get a high powered variant, as you'll get the roof off fun in the summer (and winter if you want). Try and find one that's had some money/love spent on it and in my mind there is no difference to the exige (v1/2).
I have a Honda engined S2 and it pretty much as fast as you'll ever want for public roads, and in the mix nicely for TDs.
My mate has a cat, and for me the largest difference driving wise is the mid engined setup. If you love drifting your cat, the Elise won't be for you but other other aspects are sublime
I have a Honda engined S2 and it pretty much as fast as you'll ever want for public roads, and in the mix nicely for TDs.
My mate has a cat, and for me the largest difference driving wise is the mid engined setup. If you love drifting your cat, the Elise won't be for you but other other aspects are sublime
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