Elise vs Caterham
Discussion
I had the pleasure of being offered a Caterham 7 overnight last week and thought it may be of interest to some to share my impressions when comparing the 7 to my Elise 111R.
The 7 I had was a 2005 1.6 K series SV which has around 140bhp. I'll write this around comparing a few of the key areas-
Handling/ride - being an SV, the 7 is quite softly set up. I certainly felt the drop in weight compared to my Elise, purely from the car being thrown around more by the wind and the road surface. Surprisingly I felt the steering was actually lighter on the 7 but had similar levels of feel. It needed a bit more placing than the Elise due to it moving around on the road. It became pretty fidgety at higher speeds whereas the Elise is incredibly well dampened and can therefore go significantly quicker down a rougher road (it is firmer though). For me I found the 7 happier at 5/10ths in situations where I'd be at 8/10ths in the Elise. Amit also should be noted that at speed in the 7 the wind buffeting meant the doors flapped and meant seeing anything in the mirrors almost impossible.
Performance - I really enjoyed the K series engine for its torque. I could pull out of villages at 20mph in 5th and not need to change down. The Elise feels flat by comparison off cam however on cam I'm sure the Elise would leave the 7 standing, particularly at higher speeds. The brakes on the 7 required some serious input being unservoed and in my opinion did not match the quality of the gearbox and engine.
Noise - the 7 was much louder than my Elise and I thought it sounded bloody fantastic. This is something I need to address asap in the Elise - it needs more noise. The K series was full of character with low speed burbles, pops and bangs on the overrun. Superb.
Practicality - it rained when I had the 7 so I got wet. There was only a half hood and water poured in to the interior when braking. No secure boot, no locking doors etc. The Elise I can leave parked for a short period, the 7 I could not. The boot is also tiny although we did strap bags to the roll cage.
As an ownership proposition - these cars are both worth similar money. To me the Elise is far prettier and my Elise is also very clean whereas most 7's I have seen are a bit scrappy. The lotus is more reliable by a mile and much more useable. There is however a place in my garage for a 7 and that would be as a track car. They are quite simply brilliant fun and possibly even more involving that an Elise/Exige.
The 7 I had was a 2005 1.6 K series SV which has around 140bhp. I'll write this around comparing a few of the key areas-
Handling/ride - being an SV, the 7 is quite softly set up. I certainly felt the drop in weight compared to my Elise, purely from the car being thrown around more by the wind and the road surface. Surprisingly I felt the steering was actually lighter on the 7 but had similar levels of feel. It needed a bit more placing than the Elise due to it moving around on the road. It became pretty fidgety at higher speeds whereas the Elise is incredibly well dampened and can therefore go significantly quicker down a rougher road (it is firmer though). For me I found the 7 happier at 5/10ths in situations where I'd be at 8/10ths in the Elise. Amit also should be noted that at speed in the 7 the wind buffeting meant the doors flapped and meant seeing anything in the mirrors almost impossible.
Performance - I really enjoyed the K series engine for its torque. I could pull out of villages at 20mph in 5th and not need to change down. The Elise feels flat by comparison off cam however on cam I'm sure the Elise would leave the 7 standing, particularly at higher speeds. The brakes on the 7 required some serious input being unservoed and in my opinion did not match the quality of the gearbox and engine.
Noise - the 7 was much louder than my Elise and I thought it sounded bloody fantastic. This is something I need to address asap in the Elise - it needs more noise. The K series was full of character with low speed burbles, pops and bangs on the overrun. Superb.
Practicality - it rained when I had the 7 so I got wet. There was only a half hood and water poured in to the interior when braking. No secure boot, no locking doors etc. The Elise I can leave parked for a short period, the 7 I could not. The boot is also tiny although we did strap bags to the roll cage.
As an ownership proposition - these cars are both worth similar money. To me the Elise is far prettier and my Elise is also very clean whereas most 7's I have seen are a bit scrappy. The lotus is more reliable by a mile and much more useable. There is however a place in my garage for a 7 and that would be as a track car. They are quite simply brilliant fun and possibly even more involving that an Elise/Exige.
J66JBo said:
Practicality - it rained when I had the 7 so I got wet. There was only a half hood and water poured in to the interior when braking. No secure boot, no locking doors etc. The Elise I can leave parked for a short period, the 7 I could not. The boot is also tiny although we did strap bags to the roll cage.
As an ownership proposition - these cars are both worth similar money. To me the Elise is far prettier and my Elise is also very clean whereas most 7's I have seen are a bit scrappy. The lotus is more reliable by a mile and much more useable. There is however a place in my garage for a 7 and that would be as a track car. They are quite simply brilliant fun and possibly even more involving that an Elise/Exige.
A 7 Owners perspective: Regarding the Boot we have toured Europe several times for a couple of weeks.....just pack as if your going to travel on a Motor Bike. As an ownership proposition - these cars are both worth similar money. To me the Elise is far prettier and my Elise is also very clean whereas most 7's I have seen are a bit scrappy. The lotus is more reliable by a mile and much more useable. There is however a place in my garage for a 7 and that would be as a track car. They are quite simply brilliant fun and possibly even more involving that an Elise/Exige.
Regarding security...... if you have a removable steering wheel take it with you along with the battery cut off theres nothing inside to nick!
For a real perspective between a Lotus Exige and a Caterham 7 have a look here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpeDoqEXW3k
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