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The Emira is the first new Lotus to launch since its Geely acquisition, and it's also the very last to be combustion powered. Jethro Bovingdon puts the V6 First Edition through its paces around Anglesey Circuit.
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0:00
It is a perfect day here in Anglesville
0:29
and a huge day for everybody's favourite underdog, Lotus. This is the moment where finally there's a new sports car
0:41
a new dawn for Lotus, for which we need to make no excuses, no apologies
0:47
This thing has to stand toe-to-toe with the very best cars there are
0:52
This is it, the gorgeous Amira, and we're going to find out just how good it is
0:56
I can't wait. guys we can't bring a cayman it's not even a gts it's a gt4
1:05
not okay well we are going to find out just how good the emira is because apparently we have a
1:13
cayman gt4 so let's guess what happens next this isn't a full comparison test we've waited too long
1:21
for the emira to not give the car its moment but we happen to have a cayman gt4 at anglesey for
1:27
another shoot happening simultaneously and so, well, it seemed crazy not to reference it
1:33
It is the undisputed benchmark. Just looking at the new Lotus will make you forget the Porsche
1:40
even exists though. It's more exotic, it's fresh and there is so much promise. Lotus Know How
1:47
a development budget from Geely, who have done such a great job allowing Volvo to breathe and
1:52
flourish, it's perhaps the most exciting car of 2022. This highly specified launch edition costs
1:59
from £79,110, just a few thousand shy of that GT4 and considerably more than a Cayman GTS
2:08
Lotus has to deliver. This is it, the Amira out in the wild. Okay, before we get into it
2:15
let's talk a little bit about the specs because this is unusual. It is a sport chassis car
2:21
The Amira comes in either Tour or Sport. This has got the stiffer dampers of the Sport
2:29
but it's wearing the tyres from the Tour, so instead of Cup 2s, it has a Goodyear Eagle F1 tyre
2:35
Not ideal for the track. So while we would love to grip your tyre
2:41
everything else is going to give us a really, really good impression of this car
2:46
The engine is right 3 V6 400 horsepower 310 foot The gearbox the brakes everything that you care about is correct So let review what we have and not worry about those sticky tyres
3:04
This is going to be a track review. I'm going to talk a tiny bit about the road first
3:09
So on the road, I've driven it very briefly but I can't imagine why you would want the tour set up
3:15
This does not feel stiff, it does not feel harsh. The steering, that hydraulic steering, weird chunky square steering wheel
3:25
Too chunky for me. But so much inflammation, it wriggles and rides around when you're on the road
3:34
I guess if I had one thing to say about its road performance, it does have this lovely flow to it
3:41
It feels just a little soft at the front. It feels like the car needs some rake in it somehow
3:50
And so while you get lots and lots of information through the steering
3:56
kind of erode your confidence a little bit that the front end doesn't just snap its line
4:03
But in other ways, it's such a big step on the Abora
4:08
I watched a few videos on this car, read a few things early on about it
4:14
and I was really frustrated that no one compared it to an Avora. But now I sort of understand why, because it doesn't call to mind an Avora
4:22
It doesn't feel like a rebodied Avora or development of the Avora
4:28
It's just a different feel. The interior is so much better. The quality feels better
4:34
It just, for the money, for the first time ever, a Lotus feels like a bargain rather
4:43
than something that's really pushing and will only appeal to super hardcore Lotus enthusiasts
4:50
OK, the track
5:03
The track is a different animal, of course. What we want to know on the track is all about that on-limit behavior
5:18
Does it feel bespoke and exciting? Does it feel like a proper little supercar
5:25
Does it live up to that feel? Well, let's talk about the engine
5:32
It's okay. It's not inspirational. Let's put it that way. It revs to six and a half just over
5:41
and you find yourself hitting the limiter quite often You want another 1 RPM You have to look for the rev counter because it doesn naturally have this amazing crescendo
5:54
and climax that your ears tell you to change up. Good power, though
6:01
And it does give you the ability to really steer the car on the throttle if you want to
6:16
OK, the gearbox. I'm going to say it again. The gearbox is OK
6:24
The whole drivetrain is basically the same as an Abora. So the shift quality is the same
6:32
And it feels pretty good. But it's not easy when you actually start to try and drive the car quickly to do a full
6:42
lap without messing up a shift. And that shouldn't be. Across the gate, second to third, third to second, fourth to fifth, whatever, it just
6:55
doesn't really work. This is a key point. In the Cayman GT4, you never feel constrained
7:03
The gearbox is fabulous and you can hit shifts so hard and fast and still the car seems to expect more
7:09
It snaps between direction changes with such control and speed. In the Cayman, you feel completely liberated to push and push and test yourself
7:19
No patience required. Action and reaction locked together. Again, I understand that the track-focused GT4 comparison is perhaps a little unfair
7:29
but even a GTS nails this sense that you can unleash its potential with freedom
7:35
The Lotus is much more about management. I don't know if you can actually sense in the car, but this is the stiffer sport car
7:45
But there's still plenty of body roll. The front end, just as on the road, does not give you huge amounts of confidence
7:53
You have to really peel it into corners. And if you try and carry too much speed, it will just understeer
8:00
I feel like it should be this vague on turning. It's lovely when it's sliding
8:09
It's easy. But it feels a bit soft. And it doesn't feel track-focused
8:16
And that is a Lotus thing. When they develop a road car, they really mean it
8:21
And I think this is very much a car set up for the road
8:26
even in the sport mode. I love the way the Amira looks
8:32
I loved that when I got in it this morning it felt like a brand new completely different car the interior is cool i live with a square steering wheel i just i it just felt like a proper little
8:49
i don't know mini ferrari or something very distinctly different to a porsche its own thing
8:56
but on the track on these tires it doesn't have the front end grip it needs
9:03
the gearbox is not as good as it should be. The engine is pretty cool and pretty fun in isolation
9:14
But we said this was a Lotus with no compromise, no excuses
9:18
and in isolation doesn't cut it really. Compared to a Porsche GTS engine
9:26
it's not really on the same planet. Lots of promise. About how long have we been saying that
9:43
So frustrating. So frustrating. So frustrating. This is not the story we wanted to tell
9:57
There remain caveats, the chassis and tyre mismatches perhaps the biggest, yet the fundamental issues would remain I think. The engine is old and whilst it sounds fantastic
10:06
from the outside it's not one of the greats to use. The manual gearbox simply isn't good enough
10:13
and the Amira feels oddly heavy and reluctant at times. For me it's like the old Lotus formula
10:19
has been turned on its head where previously you lived with the shonky interior and cramped
10:24
accommodation because the dynamics were so sparkling. Now the design and interior are the
10:30
real highlights, but the powertrain and chassis don't quite cut it, not on track at least
10:36
As the storm clouds gather, I leave Anglesey wondering if the new four-cylinder dual-clutch
10:40
Amira will be the one to have. Lighter, with a much more modern engine that has character and
10:46
revs like a lunatic, it really could be exciting. But for now, I'll keep wondering that from the
10:52
driver's seat of the ever-present benchmark, even if somebody paints it pink
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