Manual V6 auto or i4 DCT

[jamesgareth]

A very good afternoon to one and all.

I am kinda new here so apologies if you've raked through this topic a million times - I've looked and can't see anything much but if there is please provide a link and I will leave you all in peace.

So I found £45K behind the sofa and together with my hard earned savings I have around the required £65K to get me into one of these cars. I took a look at one last year but they wanted £85K then.

How times change.

So - I'm old - old-ish (64 to you). With a slightly dodgy left knee (due to WAY too much football and squash). This doesn't mean I can't drive a manual - I test rode an Emira manual version last week and got on OK (loved the car of course) - but that was for a few minutes - not every day. So I have some concern that longer term my knee just won't like the manual.

So then of course - which auto to go for (assuming I do go the auto route which is no certainty - most people out in internet land seem to say the manual is the one to go for - with or without a dodgy knee).

Which is where you come in...

Anybody here got any actual experience - that does not include watching youtube videos - of these two autos? Of course I like the sound of the V6 but the drawback there of course is that the auto box on that is not dual clutch. I currently drive a Scirocco R DSG box which is great - so to go back a generation techology wise...... not sure I'm going to like that - I mean how bad are those old non-dual clutch automatics?

I tested an 07 Vantage with a sports shift and f'g hated it. Like how anybody could put up with that is beyond me.

How bad/good are the V6 3.5L auto boxes?

How bad/good is the i4 auto box?

Anybody?

[BertBert]

I too am 64 years old and can add a little bit of info.

I have driven the V6/slushbox auto combination in the Evora and thought it was actually very good indeed. Clearly you are going to need to test drive to decide for yourself on the Emira, but I would consider that a very good option if you find yourself set on the V6.

[Panamax]

jamesgareth said:

How bad/good are the V6 3.5L auto boxes?

They are the least of your worries. "Job one" is to find out whether you can actually get in and out of the car.

[jamesgareth]

Panamax said:

They are the least of your worries. "Job one" is to find out whether you can actually get in and out of the car.

No trouble. I've had hip problems too so I'm used to sitting down first then swinging my legs in.

[jamesgareth]

BertBert said:

I too am 64 years old and can add a little bit of info.

I have driven the V6/slushbox auto combination in the Evora and thought it was actually very good indeed. Clearly you are going to need to test drive to decide for yourself on the Emira, but I would consider that a very good option if you find yourself set on the V6.

Thanks it seems those boxes are not as bad as some would make out. And yes I will get a test drive in one if it comes to it.

[Nightmare]

Definitely need to try one to see - IME no two autos are quite the same (and clearly some people like different things as evidenced by the single clutch Aventador box still existing)

I have an auto Evora and think the gear change is spot on. It’s decent if just left alone and great with the paddles - shifting is slick and immediate. It isn’t quite the same video-game experience as a dual clutch, but infinitely better than something like the aventador which is outright appalling (IMO) or the vantage which feels like it has an auto from about 30 years ago

[jamesgareth]

Nightmare said:

Definitely need to try one to see - IME no two autos are quite the same (and clearly some people like different things as evidenced by the single clutch Aventador box still existing)

I have an auto Evora and think the gear change is spot on. It’s decent if just left alone and great with the paddles - shifting is slick and immediate. It isn’t quite the same video-game experience as a dual clutch, but infinitely better than something like the aventador which is outright appalling (IMO) or the vantage which feels like it has an auto from about 30 years ago

Thanks. I think you're right about trying it out. And yes that Vantage box was an absolute joke - I couldn't believe somebody wanted £35K for a car with such a horrible gearbox.

I've just got back from a 3 hour test drive (on my own). It was the manual V6. Brought it back home to make sure I could get it down our narrow lane and in and out of our drive which is always a bit of a challenge. It's not as wide as I thought. So it passed that test. I absolutely loved the car. And my knee was fine and the clutch though not light was not a problem. It seems right now the manual is the way to go - I don't so any city driving - it's all country roads round here (Surrey Hills).

But then reading various comments here makes me think maybe I should at least try one of the autos. Fuel economy is not majorly important but nobody likes throwing good money away.

I'm thinking the blue one with black wheels and black interior. There's one on sale privately for £61.9K - it's registered first of Jan 2023 so that would mean I'd have one year of the 3 year manufacturer's warrantee left. Then there's a dealer selling the same car (spec wise) at £65K - with 18 months manf' warrantee left. Can't see what benefit buying off a dealer is when it's under the manufacturer's warrantee anyway. Only thing is I'd be paying another £3K for 6 months more of that.

There's also a couple of i4s with less than 1000 miles on the clock - 2024 models - for £62.5. From a dealer....

Decisions decisions!

Edited by jamesgareth on Tuesday 15th October 17:01

[cayman-black]

Are Lotus letting you test these cars on your own?

[jamesgareth]

cayman-black said:

Are Lotus letting you test these cars on your own?

The one in Southampton has yes. First I went for a short test drive with a salesman (Ed - very nice bloke) - who then suggested I could have it for 'a few hours' on my own at a later date. So ytd I picked it up at 11am and drove it home and played around with it and got it back for 3pm. £250 excess if I'd have totalled it (I didn't).

[Undirection]

jamesgareth said:

cayman-black said:

Are Lotus letting you test these cars on your own?

The one in Southampton has yes. First I went for a short test drive with a salesman (Ed - very nice bloke) - who then suggested I could have it for 'a few hours' on my own at a later date. So ytd I picked it up at 11am and drove it home and played around with it and got it back for 3pm. £250 excess if I'd have totalled it (I didn't).

Yep, they let me out on my own as well. however trundling around Southampton on Saturday afternoon was utterly pointless.

[jamesgareth]

Undirection said:

Yep, they let me out on my own as well. however trundling around Southampton on Saturday afternoon was utterly pointless.

Yeah that's not much fun. I drove up to home about 40 miles north east - some nice country roads in places and some A3 cruising too.

Of all the Emiras I've looked at this is the one I am going for at the moment:

It's a V6 auto green with silver wheels and ice-grey interior. My mind changes most days but it's the one right now I am most keen on.

[cayman-black]

Many Thanks all, perhaps i will take the wife! Very nice James may i suggest yellow calipers?