Lotus Emira review

The Lotus Emira is a pretty big deal for the celebrated car maker: it's expected to be the last Lotus with an internal combustion engine before the brand goes all-electric.

If it’s good, the Emira could become as iconic as the Lotus Esprit or the Lotus Elise but if it’s merely average it will be a sad footnote in petrol-powered Lotus sports car history.

It's the successor to the Evora, a 2+2 coupé that was brilliant to drive but challenging to live with. However, given that the track-focused Lotus Exige is no longer available, this new model could be expected to plug that gap too.

It also faces some tough rivals, including the Alpine A110, the Porsche 718 Cayman and the more GT-focused Jaguar F-Type and Toyota GR Supra. In other words, the Emira has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, it will be available with two distinct engines that should each give the car a different personality.

The Lotus Emira arrives with a 3.5-litre V6 provided by Toyota and supercharged for its Lotus application, for a healthy 400bhp. Lotus gives you a choice of a six-speed manual gearbox or a six-speed automatic.

There's also a Mercedes-AMG turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder with 360bhp and an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic. We’ve experienced that engine in the Mercedes-AMG A45 (a former best hot hatch at our Car of the Year Awards) and it sounds fantastic and packs a proper punch.

To find out whether the Lotus Emira is a hit or a miss, keep reading this comprehensive review. We've driven it, and will tell you how we rate its performance, comfort, running costs and more. We'll also compare it with the main sports car rivals.

If temptation gets the better of you and you decide to treat yourself, make sure you check out the savings to be had on our free What Car? New Car Buying pages. They offer lots of the best new sports car deals.

We've driven the Lotus Emira First Edition with a 3.5-litre V6 engine provided by Toyota. It’s an engine we know well, having experienced various versions of it in two discontinued models (the Evora and Exige), and it's positively bursting with character.

When you push the starter button – after lifting its bright red rocker cover – the engine blares into life with real enthusiasm before settling into a deep timbre at idle. It really is a lovely sounding thing, which makes it somewhat disappointing that the car's performance doesn’t quite live up to the menacing soundtrack.

You see, it can be a little slow to gather momentum if you mash your right foot into the carpet without selecting the ideal gear – something we suspect is down to the not insubstantial kerb weight of 1486kg (more than 350kg heavier than the Alpine A110). When the supercharger kicks in at around 3000rpm, the saunter transforms into a full-on sprint, but you don’t have long before the performance tails off quite suddenly at around 6000rpm.

As a result, you find yourself having to row between the gears. That won’t be a problem if you’re an ardent manual gearbox fan, but we do wish the shifts were a little crisper. You need to really concentrate to execute a clean shift from third to second gear, and engaging reverse can be a challenge. 

We suspect that the base model, with its four-cylinder AMG engine and dual-clutch auto gearbox, will feel a little more punchy and energetic. And while it will miss the extra layer of engagement provided by a manual, it should have a more flexible spread of power and is likely to be lighter. 

When it comes to handling, the car does a genuinely stellar job of hiding its kilos. We drove it with a Touring suspension set-up (there is a stiffer Sport alternative as an option), and on challenging stretches of flowing roads, body control is superb. Sudden changes of camber, big compressions and vicious crests do little to upset the balance of the car – it simply grips and goes. 

Then there's the steering, which is pretty close to faultless. Even in a straight line, it chatters away in your hands, streaming little messages about the road’s surface for you to interpret.

That could get a little tiring on a long journey, but once you reach the right road, the way the steering weights up in a quick corner is impeccable. The feedback through the steering wheel leaves you in no doubt about what the front tyres are up to and how much grip they have – and it’s usually plenty.

Speaking of long journeys, road noise will be the biggest bugbear at a cruise, but the same can be said for the Porsche 718 Cayman. If you need a sports car with better cruising manners, take a look at the much quieter Alpine A110 or Toyota GR Supra.

The interior of the Lotus Emira is a big step forward from the Evora in terms of design and overall quality. Everything feels well screwed together and there's a pleasant mix of materials, from plush Napa leather on the seats to Alcantara on the hexagonal steering wheel. We also like the aluminium gearlever, which is connected to a visible gearchange mechanism. 

Just above the gearlever sits a 10.3in central touchscreen. It’s pleasingly high-definition and is instinctive to use, but we found it a little laggy at times and struggled to get Apple CarPlay to work. Hopefully the system will improve with future software patches, but if a slick infotainment system is really important to you, take a look at the Toyota GR Supra. 

More impressive are the 12.3in digital dials. They're not particularly configurable, but they are very easy to read at speed, with a race car-style bar rev counter, which works well. We also love that the heating controls are separate physical buttons and not tucked away in the touchscreen, and the graphic of a driver in crash helmet is a nice touch.

The driving position could be improved upon, though. The seats are reasonably supportive, but some What Car? road testers found the minimum seating position too high for a sports car – you don't feel as cocooned as in some models. The pedals and steering wheel are a little offset too. 

The Emira is relatively easy to see out of due to its high seating position and low front windscreen. Seeing out of the back is trickier, but the First Edition car comes with a high-definition reversing camera.

Getting in and out of the Lotus Emira is easier than it was in its predecessor, the Evora, but the high, broad sill means you have to stretch one leg a long way into the interior before you can plonk yourself down on the seat. The Alpine A110 and the Porsche 718 Cayman are much easier to access.

Once you're inside, you'll find a roomy interior with decent head and leg room. Interior storage is rather impressive too, with space behind the rear seats to pop some soft bags or your jacket. There are also decent-sized door bins, a deep well under the centre armrest and a slot for your smartphone. 

So, what about boot space? Well, if you’re planning to go touring, our advice is to pack light. The rear boot has a volume of 151 litres, but there's no front boot as there is in the A110 and the Cayman (which has 334 litres of storage space).

We've tested the priciest version of the Lotus Emira available: the V6 First Edition. It comes absolutely packed with kit, but is significantly more expensive than the Audi TT RS, the Alpine A110 S and the Toyota GR Supra. Even the magnificent Porsche 718 Cayman GTS (our 2023 Sports Car of the Year) costs less.

Thankfully, lower-spec V6s launching shortly will be priced more in line with rivals, while next year’s AMG-engined four-cylinder looks like it will undercut our favourite Cayman. Resale values on the Emira are expected to be in line with its premium rivals, which shouldn’t come as a surprise considering that the now discontinued Lotus Elise and Exige are highly sought after.

Entry-level Emiras get luxuries such as power-fold mirrors, LED headlights, climate control, keyless entry, cruise control, rear parking sensors, digital dials and a touchscreen infotainment system. First Edition cars add lighter forged 20in alloy wheels (rather than cast), electrically adjustable heated seats, a premium sound system, rain-sensing wipers, front and rear parking sensors, a dimming rearview mirror and aluminium sports pedals. 

You get a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty which essentially mirrors what you get from Porsche for the Cayman. In terms of fuel economy, on our real-world test route, we saw just over 25mpg, which seems reasonable for a supercharged 400bhp V6. 

There isn’t a Euro NCAP safety rating for the model. Its fine handling should help you stay out of trouble, but it’s a shame it doesn't have automatic emergency braking (AEB) – although neither does the A110 or the Cayman.

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