Lotus revises Emira lineup (again) with new V6 SE
There's a new four-cylinder Turbo too, both available to order now, with tech upgrades and more colours...
Having seemingly held back new Emira derivatives for yonks, Lotus is now all guns blazing when it comes to making the most of its last purely combustion car. In just the past few months it has announced the Turbo SE and Jim Clark special edition; now the V6 flagship gets the SE treatment, and the four-cylinder gains a regular Turbo model.
The new versions arrive as part of a wider refresh for the Emira. Changes for the mid-engined sports car include revisions to the cooling system, said to improve efficiency and reduce overall weight, plus advanced driver assistance systems are now standard fit. More exciting is the fact that the eight-speed DCT in the 2.0-litre car, always a source of some frustration, has apparently been reworked for ‘faster shift times, improved shift quality and smoother interaction between transmission and driver.’ That’s encouraging, especially with the 400hp potential of the Turbo SE; it always felt like there was a great four-cylinder sports car in the 2.0-litre, so let’s hope this update is the realisation of that.
The new Turbo model boasts the spec of the original i4, with 360hp and 171mph potential. It can be identified with specific badges, yellow-black Lotus emblems and satin silver details, with options like a Lower Black Pack as well as new colours - Eos Green and Purple Haze are seen here - to further the visual drama. It costs from £79,500.
Arguably of more interest, however, is the new V6 SE; while no more powerful than all the other 3.5-litre Emiras, rated at 400hp, it does have additional damper and alignment tweaks over previous versions for ‘sharper handling and increased ride comfort’. The choice of a Tour and Sports chassis remains. A new compression mount for the manual promises greater precision to the shift, so this really ought to be the best Emira V6 yet - a tantalising prospect.
Certainly it’ll be the most expensive series production one, the V6 SE coming in at £96,500. And that’s before the new Racing Line option, offered only on the SE versions; it adds a pinstripe and colour codes the mirrors to the paint chosen for the calipers, then replicates it inside with contrast stitching. To ensure things aren’t too colourful, the Racing Line wheels are black.
The updated Emira lineup, complete with the new models, colours, wheels and options, is available to order now, arriving in showrooms this September. And if that’s too long to wait, you know where to look for those already registered - sadly none on PH are purple…
I don’t think that the pricing is unreasonable, if anything they look like very good value.
It is a typically Lotus situation that when they finally get bought (again) by a large company that is able to invest, develop a great car, only for the the world economy to fall apart/interest rates to rise and thereafter few are buying that kind of thing. You could almost use them as a barometer for impending economic troubles.
'The new Turbo model boasts the spec of the original i4, with 360hp and 171mph potential. ...... It costs from £79,500.
Arguably of more interest, however, is the new V6 SE; while no more powerful than all the other 3.5-litre Emiras, rated at 400hp.....costs from £96,500.'
Why the assumption that the Toyota V6 is of more interest than the AMG i4?
The i4 is the more fitting engine for a Lotus, almost all Lotus ever have been i4 and they only ended up with the Toyota V6 because they couldn't source an i4 back then which had the power they needed. The i4 in this instance is £15 cheaper for the much more expensive engine and the owner can tune it way beyond 400bhp if desired.
And then one has to wonder just how many clients wanted the manual option instead of feeling obliged to opt for it so as to not look like a loser who can't drive and isn't a real man?
AMG all day long and keep my £15k for any changes to the boost I may desire.
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