Elise Reviews

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From 4 Car:

Whitewall tyres and cupholders next?

Incredibly, this was the first-ever international launch of a new Lotus. Usually, a new model from the Hethel manufacturer is quietly released into the hands of journalists who make the long trek to Norfolk. But here we were on the fashionable end of the southern French coast, hot on the heels of departing Japanese journalists and comfortably in front of the Germans and Italians due in a few days. Lotus has never made such noise - or spent such money - on the launch of a new model. But to be honest, the fanfare surrounding the launch of the Elise 111R was as much about where the company sees itself going than the new car itself. Namely, Lotus believes that more and more people are abandoning their Audi TTs and Porsche Boxsters in favour of the stylish little Elise. And these are people for whom electric windows, central locking, air conditioning and, crucially, power-assisted brakes with anti-lock, are taken as read. The Elise 111R gains all of these, as well as more sound insulation. Even more significantly for Lotus, the 111R also forms the basis of the car that goes to the U.S. At the heart of this new car is a screaming gem of an engine borrowed from Toyota. It's the 189bhp VVTL-i (Variable Valve Timing and Lift-Intelligent, if you must know) unit more typically resident in the Celica. All very well, but the purists will wonder whether the Elise is losing its edge. Read on... One version available, priced £27,995.

No version or price information available.

4CAR RATING

Small Sports Convertible

Gavin Conway

Thriving on sky-high revs Reliability and Quality    Lotus has learned much about how to apply quality processes on an assembly line, thanks in no small part to its experience building the VX220 for Vauxhall. The result is the best-built car in the history of the company. That said, the Elise is still much closer to being a handbuilt car than, say, a Toyota Celica, and that means the occasional inconsistent panel gap and the odd rattle. Overall, though, the quality of materials and construction is far from being the issue it is with some other small-volume British manufacturers. Contemplating a long road trip, the Elise really does inspire confidence. Image    This is precisely what Lotus is hoping to trade on with the new car. The company has a rich motorsport heritage, as well as a sterling reputation for building cars that are among the best-handling on the planet. Add to that its quite funky looks and you've got a formula to tempt buyers away from the aging Audi TT and rather predictable Porsche Boxster. In fact, Lotus happily admits that one targeted segment of buyers, a group that it calls 'peacocks', are primarily interested in the image of the car they drive. The Elise will work well for this group, even if for them the notion of a 'track day' is as alien as 'lift-off overseer'. Performance    No car capable of 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 150mph is ever going to be found wanting on this score. It is, though, the character of the engine which makes it so right for the Elise 111R. The 1.8-litre 16-valve four's 189bhp is developed at a high 7800rpm, the torque of 133lb ft at an equally stratospheric 6800rpm. Simply put, this is an engine that absolutely thrives on sky-high revs, giving an urgency to progress that is nicely matched by its snarling yowl of an exhaust note. The slick, close-ratio six-speed manual is a really good match for the engine, too, allowing the driver to make the most of the power band. And the engine's variable cam profile enables it to adopt the optimum breathing characteristics right across the rev range. You can feel it, too - at about 6200rpm, the cam profile reconfigures and you feel a little surge as the rev counter races toward its 8300rpm limiter. Lotus has done a lot of work to make that transition smooth, as this engine normally resides in a much heavier car - without the retuning, the 'surge' would feel more like a sharp punch to the head... Ease of Driving    The Elise is a remarkably compact package, and as such, it is a delight to place accurately and precisely through corners. The view forward, punctuated by those shark-fin wings, is clear and uncluttered. Rearward vision is slightly obstructed by blind spots created by those buttressed B-pillars. You'll quickly get used to this, though, and visibility isn't as badly affected as it is on other mid-engined sports cars. Getting in and out of the Elise is the work of a moment with the roof down, but considerably more of a pain with it in place. In fact, the entry and exit issue with the roof up is probably the biggest adjustment that those coming from cars such as Audi's TT will have to make if they use the Elise as a daily driver. Otherwise, the driving environment is fine, with large, clear and easy-to-read instruments, a gearshift lever perfectly positioned and a small, thick-rimmed steering wheel with just 2.8 turns from lock to lock. And when you're not going for gold on your favourite B-road, there's even a handy footrest for your left foot. One of the more controversial additions to the Elise 111R is servo-assist and anti-lock for the brakes. Lotus again sites those people coming out of Audis and Porsches - it believes that, particularly at lower urban speeds, these drivers will be unused to the higher degree of brake pressure the unassisted brakes required. It's true; the 111R does feel easier to drive around town. But as we'll see later, there's a price to pay.

Small Sports Convertible

Gavin Conway

Where's the airbag? Safety and Security    Lotus has certainly taken a step toward the mainstream with the fitting of servo-assist and anti-lock to the 111R's brakes. But in an age when six and even eight airbags are becoming more common, the total absence of such basic safety items in the Elise is looking less acceptable. The fact that the Elise is so brilliantly responsive and manoeuvrable counts in its favour, and the basic structure is quite strong. That said, on our increasingly congested roads, the provision of at least a driver's airbag would seem to constitute a minimum. Standard central locking is a welcome addition, and a Thatcham category 1 alarm and immobiliser help ward off thieves. Roominess    One look at the Elise will tell you that space isn't the point. However, there is a very welcome 115 litres of space in the boot that resides behind the engine, enough for a couple of soft bags. Inside, as always, the Elise remains a cosy fit for two (if you're tall, remember to get in before your passenger, roof up, as you'll need the space to thread your legs in first). There's not much in the way of secure storage for your bits and pieces, though, and while that little shelf under the dash seems sensible, it becomes a launch ramp for your mobile phone at the first serious corner. Running Costs    For a car with such stunning performance potential, a combined fuel consumption of 32.1mpg looks pretty good. The Elise's lightweight construction also means that you'll be replacing brake pads, clutches and tyres less often than you would with a heavier car. And the engine, being a Toyota, should prove just about bulletproof as it enjoys an even less stressed life than it would in a Celica. The news isn't quite so good on the insurance front, especially if you don't have a garage. Comfort    Lotus is keen to ease the shock for those coming to an Elise from the relative luxury of an Audi TT or Porsche Boxster. To this end, the 111R gains standard-fit ABS and servo-assisted brakes, central door locking, a Blaupunkt radio and CD player and half leather interior trim. The Touring Pack, which costs an extra £1995, ads electric windows, full leather interior, full carpeting, an interior stowage net, extra sound insulation and a soft top with thermal and sound insulation. Pony up another £1295 and you'll gain air conditioning. All of these options will take the roughest edges off the driving experience, which is complemented by a surprisingly compliant and quiet ride quality. That said, don't come to the Elise expecting Audi levels of noise and vibration refinement - this is still a focussed driver's car, not a boulevardier.

Small Sports Convertible

Gavin Conway

Still driver's favourite Fun to Drive    The Elise would normally get an absolutely unqualified five stars in this category, but we need to hold off on that verdict to see what Lotus does with the brakes. It isn't the way they deliver stopping power - the ABS stays out of the way until the driver has well and truly run out of ideas, and the power assist is actually quite welcome around town and perfectly acceptable on the open road. Rather, it's the amount of brake travel and the relative positions of the throttle and brake pedals. It makes it much harder to heel-and-toe (braking while also being able to blip the throttle for matched-rev downshifts), a fairly essential part of the Elise experience for the enthusiast driver. Lotus insiders admit that this feature needs attention, and there's a fix in the pipeline, so we'll keep you informed. Otherwise, the Elise is still sensationally good to drive, with telepathic feedback through the steering wheel, electric responses and faithful, predictable attitudes during cornering. Still one of the greats. Stereo/Sat Nav    Frankly, a two-star showing here isn't at all a condemnation of the Elise. The absence of Sat nav on such a focussed driver's car is hardly surprising, and with the addition of a standard-fit Blaupunkt Lausanne radio and CD player, the 111R covers the most basic entertainment needs. And we apologise in advance for the cliché, but that engine really is all the aural stimulation you'll need. Value for Money    Add the cost of the Touring Pack and air conditioning, which gives you a more competitively luxurious Elise, and the price of the 111R rises to £31,285. That puts the Lotus in direct contention with the biggest engined 3.2-litre V6 Audi TT Roadster, as well as the 2.7-litre Porsche Boxster. In its favour, though, the Elise has rock solid residual (resale) values and it should also cost less to run than the other two. Unlike other sports car offerings, the Elise 111R isn't a particularly risky proposition. Used    The Elise has been around for nearly eight years now, so used buyers need to exercise a fair bit of caution when buying - Mk1 examples are now looking quite affordable, but a service history is an absolute must, especially as the cambelts need changing every 27,000 miles (that's a very expensive failure...). Needless to say, specialists are the best people to buy from, and it's also important to know how much time your prospective Elise has spent on the track. For that reason, you must get the car properly inspected, and again, a specialist is your best bet.

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PistonHeads Review:

Ted gets behind the wheel of the Toyota engined Elise

Well it's been a long time coming! The Toyota engined Elise is finally here. In line with Lotus's increasingly confusing naming policy the 187bhp Toyota Motor gets the moniker of 111R to differentiate it from the 160bhp 111S.

The car is a biproduct of the project to launch the Elise in the USA. This was a project that filled Americans with excitement and Europeans with fear. More power would of course be welcome, but would loading the diminutive roadster up with air-con, ABS, electric windows and sun visors compromise the Chapman principle of performance through light weight?

The good news is that it doesn't. The air-con is essential for the USA and is a treat for hot days in the UK and Europe. 'leccy windows are also a bit of a luxury but at the end of the day these items aren't the thin end of a heavy wedge, they are just a few creature comforts (and not compulsory).

Power

So that's the extra weight - what about the extra power? Well, from cold the engine is nothing special. Whizzing up the country lanes in near Castle Lotus in Stansted, I didn't immediately fall in love with the environment. The engine and cabin suffer from boom and buzz, and power in the low part of the rev range is adequate rather than inspiring.

  Giving the throttle a bit of a prod gave me more noise and a red light at 5,000rpm but I needed to let it warm up before I could explore the part of the dial between 5,000 and 10,000rpm!

Whilst I waited for things to warm up I concentrated my thoughts on the ride and handling. The abilities of the Lotus engineers to come up with a good compromise between ride comfort and handling remains unparallelled. Grasping the miniscule steering wheel gives you a direct line to the road. You can almost feel the exact placement of the wheels and it's absolutely inspiring. The overused analogy of go-kart like handling has never been more appropriate than with this car.

That feedback hasn't compromised ride quality though. Over rough surfaces the clever bits soak up the harshness of the road yet you can still feel the wheel at each corner doing its job.

The engine's warming up now and I'm warming to the car. Firmly jammed in my seat I'm comfortable but the concave shape would certainly give my back a bit of jip in the long run. Side support is excellent and the seats are good looking but those with back problems may have to give it serious thought. Then again those with back problems probably couldn't get into an Elise!

In Gear

  With the engine warming I had a play with the gears ready to give the car a bit of a caning. The long lever seems a little out of place in such a sporty car, and the action isn't perfect. I wouldn't go as far as calling it sloppy but there's more 'freedom' in the movement than would be ideal and the way it moves the plastic shrouding around the base makes that look cheap. It's easy enough to use though.

Some open road and it's time to see what all the fuss is about. Putting my foot down reveals a very lengthy throttle travel and I have to point my toes to eek the most of the Toymotor. All is quite K Series like to start with and then as the dial climbed to 6,000rpm and I was approaching a comfortable, yet rapid pace, all hell broke loose. Toyota's VVTL-I system doesn't get out of bed below 6,000rpm but as soon as that limit is breached it leaps up, doesn't bother getting dressed and legs it down the road at full pelt. The Elise hurtles forward when you hit the Vario-cam-thing zone like it's been hit from behind.

Like Honda's VTEC system, once into that zone everything starts happening twice as quick. The revs climb, you hurtle forwards and suddenly you need to be paying twice as much attention to not hitting the red line or a tree.

A Blur

  The engine really does transform the Elise. Forget how you might drive a conventional car - don't change gear. You need to hang about in second gear if you want to make the most of the 111R. Trailing along behind a car at 40-50mph waiting for an overtaking opportunity now requires use of second and an engine screaming at 6,000rpm in order to be on the power for your manouvre. Get it wrong and you'll amble past only to get a boot up the rear halfway through the process as the valves start doing their vario gymnastics.

Quite where the 111R red lines I don't know. The few times I successfully used the power band I was either holding it between 6 and 8,000 rpm or the indicator was sweeping round the guage and I was concentrating on staying on the road. A flash of a red light or the sense that I shouldn't make the engine scream any more had me grabbing for the next gear.

Slowing the car was an inspiration. I thought I'd try the ABS out but couldn't find it! 30mph on a deserted country road with a bit of dirt and grit should have seen the car grabbing for the ABS as I planted my weight on the middle pedal. No such luck, the car simply stopped in an instant. If I'd have had a sixpence I could have stopped on it. The brakes are immense but the ABS has been set up to interfere only in the most extreme conditions so that it doesn't compromise track or extreme road use.

Quality

The 111R should be a great success. The process of building a car for the US has reflected well on it. The build quality is excellent. The extra features make the car slightly less spartan and don't compromise the car.

  I've said before that I'm not keen on the VTEC style engines in road cars and I could level the same criticism at the 111R. It'll be a blast on track where you can keep it in the 'zone'. For road use you'll need to change your driving style to ensure you're near the power band when you need it. That gets a bit harsh on the ears after a while and making use of the performance is always a drama. Performance could almost be described as not enough and then too much!

Personally I still long for an Elise with an easily accessible and rich power band that compliments the stunning ride and handling without me having to thrash the knackers off an engine.

That said, I'd recommend trying the 111R. The blistering performance is sure to entice some new recruits to the Lotus religion.

Thanks to Castle Lotus for the loan of the car

Car tested: Elise 111R
Retail Price: £27,995
Air Con: £1295
Metallic Paint: £595

Touring pack was fitted including: Electric windows, interior stowage net, leather, sound insulation, carpet set with passenger foot rest, auxiliary lamps, Blaupunkt Woodsotck DAB Radio, CD & MP3.

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The television pictures proved it. Cars with the longitudinal orientation of the their wheels altered by the side of a mountain suddenly don’t handle so sweetly. Not that I appreciated the reminder at midnight.

Thoughts of a potentially similar fate were fading nicely when the gentle drift towards slumber was jolted into reverse by hardcore highlights from the weekend’s Monte Carlo Rally quietly blazing from the box in the corner of my bedroom. Fact is, I remembered the several-billion-tonne wall of stone that spannered the front wheels of Solberg’s Subaru all too vividly. It was the same one that lunged at me earlier in the day.

I admit this particular surprise was on the latest in a number of surprises. The first was that I was in the south of France at the bequest of Lotus, a company driven by the quest for efficiency and not traditionally given to extravagant displays of media junketry. Second, that the morning’s rain in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat quickly turning into the kind of blizzard conditions up in the hills that made this year’s Monte so eventful. And third, finding anti-lock on the spec sheet for Hethel’s new 189bhp 1.8-litre Toyota VVTL-I-engined Elise 111R had lulled me into a false sense of security. Should have known better. As with Lotus’s DNA doppleganger, the Vauxhall VX220 Turbo, anti-slip electronics, however sophisticated (and the Elise boasts a state-of-the-art servo-assisted four-channel system that individually monitors and distributes braking force to each wheel as required), can only make the best of what grip they’re given by lightly laden front wheels.

I know this because, a few feet from Elise’s sexed-up rump on the excitingly slick stretch of WRC Impreza-anointed black-top, road tester Adam Towler suffered the same sudden evaporation of front-end grip under light braking in the VX220 T he’d driven from Blighty. Something of a heart stopper for us both.

These aren’t the conditions we’d chosen for our first drive in what Lotus is calling not only the most powerful production Elise ever but also, unequivocally, the best – much less the battleground for it’s first encounter with the frankly astonishing Hethel-made turbocharged VX, a car that has swiftly established itself as a towering pocket-supercar talent. With a 150mph top speed and a 4.9 sec 0-60mph time, the 197bhp VX won’t get the chance to let it all go today. Neither will the Elise (guess what – 150mph and 4.9sec). Tricky and edgy it is, then, and given the form in previous Elise/VX220 confrontations, the smart money has to be on the compliantly sprung Vauxhall, with it’s extra-ordinary flexibility, and remarkably linear power delivery, coping is better.

The 111R’s delivery is anything but linear, but that’s the big idea. The Elise has finally, after years of making do with fizzed-up K-series power, been equipped with a motor that fits it’s “performance through light weight” design philosophy and unrivalled chassis purity like a kid glove. And it’s a screamer. Lifted from the Celica 190 T-Sport, Toyota’s normally aspirated 1796cc VVTL-I (Variable Valve Timing and Lift-Intelligent) 16-valve four develops its 189bhp at a dizzy 7800rpm but supplements this with a relatively puny 138lb ft of torque at 6800rpm. The 220 T’s 197 horses lines up at a comparatively calm 5500rpm and its persuasive 185lb ft of torque at a positively chilled 1950rpm. Hard to imagine a greater contrast. Yet it’s the Elise that scalps the VX when it comes to pure power-to-weight, it’s 860kg at the kerb giving 220bhp per tonne versus the 70kg portlier Vauxhall’s 212 bhp per tonne.

Lotus chose the Toyota lump specifically for it’s sky-rocket power curve, light weight and compact metal matrix composite alloy cylinder block. The attached C64 six-speed gearbox completed a compelling package. Naturally, they didn’t leave it at that, developing their own (T4) engine management system which sets the valve lift ‘blue touch paper’ point, under optimum conditions, at 6200rpm while making the transition from brisk to bloody hell somewhat less switch-like that it is in the Celica. A bifurcated exhaust down-pipe with twin pipes exiting through the rear diffuser and a bespoke gearshift mechanism were also designed and developed by Lotus for the 111R. Inside, the new composite sport seats are shapelier, better to look at and more comfortable, while the graphics of the usual (but now orange back-lit) twin dial instrument pack have been simplified for greater clarity. At any rate, these are the headline changes. Clear from the moment you ease your butt into the leanly cushioned seat is that Lotus’s continuing efforts to improve the quality, fit, habitability and ambience of the interior are starting to pay off. It’s no Boxster (owners of which Lotus claims are switching to Elises in increasing numbers) but a quick comparo with the VX parked alongside shows that there’s now clear blue water between the two, despite there being built in the same factory.

The impression is massaged by the option Touring Pack specified for the launch cars. It comprises auxiliary front driving lights, a choice of either full leather or Alcantara trim, a soft-top with sound and thermal insulation, electric windows, and upgraded Blaupunkt Woodstock DAB radio, CD player, and MP3 player, an interior stowage net, sound insulation, and full carpet with a lightweight aluminum passenger foot rest. Standard kit isn’t exactly lacking and included half-leather interior trim, tiny sun visors, central locking, a Blaupunkt Lausanne radio CD player and Blaupunkt high-performance front and rear speakers.

All right, the hood still isn’t 100% waterproof. As we drive out of the hotel and head for the hills, a couple of drips plop down on to the broad aluminum sill from the top of the driver’s door. But then it’s bucketing down and as Adam’s blast through France in the VX has already made clear, being able to monitor the odd ingress of moisture would have been a luxury; in the Vauxhall you simply get wet.

That said, we’re more interesting in the weather’s influence on driving pleasure. And, once again, Lotus has upped the ante. To go with the considerable extra grunt (another 69bhp over the standard 1.8 Elise), the already sublime chassis has been treated to another round of improvements with the aim of enhancing agility, body control and poise while, at the same time, improving both small and large bump isolation. The major hardware mod is a new, stronger rear subframe offering improved suspension and silencer mounting points. But the Eibach coaxial coil springs and Bilstein high-pressure monotube gas dampers have also been retuned and optimized. The upshot is what sounds like an alarming 20 per cent hike in spring stiffness, but Lotus chassis development ace (and current Autocar Sideways Challenge champ) Gavan Kershaw has already assured us that the figure has to be viewed in the context of the overall changes, and, indeed, the countless hours his backside has put in getting it right. The Bridgestone Potenza RE040 tyres (175/55R16 front, 225/45R17 rear) are carried over from the Elise 111S.

It isn’t hard to understand why Lotus has been so keen to produce a pukka ‘super-Elise’. As thunder-stealing acts go, the VX220 T’s has been formidable, acutely pointing up what Lotus has been crying out for all this time: a decent engine and gearbox. And the combination of that epoxy-bonded aluminum tub chassis and circa 200bhp wrapped up in a package that weighs under a ton really is phenomenal. In the dry, this Vauxhall would accelerate, corner, and brake at a level that would leave many a supercar driver’s face reddened. It’s reputation as a pure and exhilarating driving machine shines very brightly indeed. But up here in the slippery Monte country under a smoky, snow-laden sky, the VX seems, if not out of sorts, than at least not on top form. The finesse and balance that accompanies its fabulous grip in the dry seems largely to have deserted it, Understeer is setting in early and the tail seems unusually sensitive to the onset of turbo-swelled torque, requiring swift jabs of opposite lock to collect. It’s far from a handful but needs careful watching and stoked-up concentration levels.

As we drop below the snow belt and the roads return to being merely wet, the VX starts to feel it’s old self again. My attention is more frequently drawn to the broad-tracked chassis’ increasing speed through bends with little roll and that remarkably flat and smooth (if occasionally loose-floorboard-rattly) ride. Few cars key into the road the way the superbly lithe and supple VX220 T does. The steering is just about perfectly weighted and feeds back road surface information in a gently writhing 911-esque style. Again I’m reminded why this car is so special. Mainly it’s those clean, clear and effortless fluent helm responses. But the way the five perfectly spaced ratios and the swift, swet-actioned gearchange meld with the huge, linear thrust of the turbo’d 2.0-litre four comes a close second.

Even at this point I’m expecting the Lotus to finish second. But then I’m unaware of how much easier a time Adam has in the Elise tracking the VX through the snow. Or how effortlessly he kept up on a brief autoroute strop.

All soon becomes clear, though. Vanishing anti-lock apart, the Elise makes a nonsense of the Vauxhall’s clumsy behaviour through slush and snow. It turns in at speeds where the VX ploughs on and scavenges traction where the VX’s wheels begin to spin. It may be that it simply has more outright grip and traction in such conditions. But, beyond that, and much more significantly, it inspires confidence. Such is the utter transparency and honesty of its responses that it bids you push that bit harder, revel in the purity of the feedback, the exquisite balance between steering and throttle inputs.

And that engine. It’s exciting enough in the Celica. But honed and re-programmed by Lotus for the featherweight Elise – its output sliced into perfect chunks by the short-throw, lightning-fast six-speeder – it delivers the best high-end action rush this side of a Honda NSX Type-R.

Back down on the wet autoroute and surrounding roads, the issue is settled. The Elise feels faster than the VX220 T. More connected, more biddable, more involving and, ultimately, more of an experience. The detail of feedback it shows the driver is frankly stupendous: so pure, so precise, so free from bump and thump. And considering how good the Vauxhall is, it’s a little short of miraculous that the Elise 111R betters it in every way: more hardcore and exciting at one extreme and more refined and comfortable at the other. Even at 27,995 pounds (no more than the 111S was: Lotus has realigned its price structure) it’s still 2500 pounds more than the Vauxhall. Amazingly, though, it’s the Lotus that’s the better value.

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From http://www.topgear.com/

Road test

Lotus Elise 111S [March 01 2004]

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