Road Test: Lotus Exige S

Review by Chris Shumack - 20/August/2008

There's no mistaking it for a generic sports car. It's a Lotus Exige, sitting low and wide with extreme curves hiding the obvious race machinery beneath.

It's as exotic as any Ferrari, Lamborghini, or Aston Martin sharing the showroom. It's small but aggressive stance demands attention – and after just 10 seconds behind the wheel I find myself answering questions for an enthused fellow motorist at the traffic lights.

It gets attention everywhere. Well, apart from four wheel drive blind spots, that is. It's low stance (1.16 metres) can be a weak spot meaning that many drivers will not even register your presence, however this car has few attributes that weren't fully researched, engineered and tested, and in my eyes the pros far outweigh the cons.

The Exige is an out and out race car with every bit of R&D shaping the car for pure performance. It becomes apparent once a good speed is reached (100km/h is only 4.1 seconds away from standstill in our tester) and the driver becomes aware that he keeps braking for corners and bends where it is simply not required. 

The brakes are far oversized for general road use, and combined with it's low weight of 935kg, double wishbone suspension, brilliant steering and semi-slick road legal racing tyres, I believe the car outshines it's lower safety equipment rating with the very best ‘crash avoidance’ equipment I've experienced.

Drive: 5/5

Many words were voiced under testing of the Lotus, some savoury and some otherwise, but 'unbelievable' was the word that seemed to describe the experience best. 

With the mid-mount supercharged engine roaring away behind you, the twisties in front just seem to disappear behind you, with the G-force being the only reminder that the corners were as sharp as they appeared. Many times I felt the feline precision handling to be approaching the feel of a lightweight Italian racing motorbike; eager to turn, light and nimble with excellent braking but with good torque available to power through and out of corners. 

Normally when praising a vehicle I find one part of the car to provide the main talking point, but the whole product is stunning.

The rear-view reveals nothing but the roof mounted ram air intake for the intercooler, (it's fitted for compliance only). This in conjunction with the shape of the cabin makes it difficult to see blind spots and to the rear the driver must become well accustomed to the use of the side mirrors alone. 

It is another obvious fact about the Lotus – rear vision is not too good, but if you are using the Exige, even half-using it as it was designed, there won’t be much of anything behind you!

It will crush the zero to 100km/h run in 4.1 seconds, on par with Ferrari and Lamborghini models that cost about three or four times as much, and has a stated top speed of 238km/h. It accelerates effortlessly, increasing its speed at an amazing pace as you flick through the gears in search of more speed.

Because of its immersive driving experience, close roadgoing comparisons would be the Porsche GT series or the Audi R8 or BMW M3 (which are both slower to 100 clicks at 4.6 seconds), but it could be said that the Exige is a 'weekend warrior' that is more closely related to purpose-built race cars like Caterham and Elfin.

This time, the Porsche, Audi and BMW high performance models are the daily-driver compromisers. At-speed driving you can hear the engine working in the Exige, which is good for ending conversations, but at a cruising speed beneath the hardtop we had no problems agreeing that the car could be a daily driver for an enthusiast.  

While some may complain about the lack of memory seats, factory sat-nav and driving-aid software, keeping up with the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini where other exotics fall behind is an obvious choice for purists.

If the acceleration could be termed 'awesome' then the handling is awe-inspiring. Direct steering, no body roll, huge grip and good communication deliver what is one of the best handling cars ever made.

Traditional traction control itself is an option, which discerning drivers who like to control their own traction may prefer not to order. Coupling to the road is achieved through Yokohoma Advan A048 LTS race-ready semi-slicks wrapped around 8 spoke Y Lotus alloys as standard, or 7 spoke ultra-lightweight splits for speccy Exiges. The fronts are 195/50 R16s, the rears 225/45 R17s.

Pulling back the other way, the Exige brakes are cross drilled and controlled by a four channel race-tuned servo, and can be upgraded to the massive 308mm four piston AP Racing braking rig which make every newton of available Advan traction usable underfoot.

As a big fan of suspension wizardry, the unequal length dual wishbone independent suspension kept me in awe just as long under the car as bracing against heavy G forces. Completing the bridge from sprung to unsprung weight is handled by Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs, and the anti roll bar up front and double-shear track control arm bracing keeps the geometry solid while pouncing through those twisty corners. 

The anti-roll bar can be upgraded to be adjustable, and Bilstein coilovers with adjustable dampening and ride height can also deck out the suspension components.

Built for the race track but 100% legal for the road, the Lotus Exige is a stunning vehicle to drive with mind-blowing amounts of acceleration, grip, and braking. Buy it for the sublime style, drive it for the pleasure.

Engine: 4.5/5

The British racing firm has paired the Exige's body with a Toyota/Yamaha MMC (Metal Matrix Composite) and aluminium motor in the boot (with Lotus treatment, of course). The 2ZZ-GE engine choice is a great match for chassis, borrowed from the Celica and MR2 with Yamaha motorbike engine technology, capable of great torque delivery and very tractable power all the way up to its 8500rpm limits.

Belting out the standard 162.5kW (218hp) and 215Nm (158.6lb.ft) of torque it's a reliable block, allowing a top power to weight ratio of 174kW/t (233hp/t). And it really barks from it's perch not 100mm from the firewall behind you. Lucky for us, our Exige had the performance pack option, bumping these numbers up to 179kW (240hp) and 230Nm.

The ‘Lotus touch’ on the already high tech DOHC, electronic throttle, VVTL-i, 4-valve per cylinder engine includes some nifty tricks from the track: multipoint EFI, race rocker arms and low friction followers, and the in-house Lotus T4e engine management system. 

Lotus has also happily taken to the task of redesigning the intake manifold to include a supercharger, which is fed by an air-to-air intercooler which is in turn fed from the roof scoop. 

Twin oil coolers keep the 2ZZ-GE in the green as this used to be a problem spot for the Yammy-Toyota donk in older Toyota models. The engine package overall can be on the noisy side for the picky, but from a performance perspective it bridges the gap from the Elise to the other superclass performers.

The C64 6-speed manual gearbox is a constant mesh, helical gear transaxle type which changes gears so good I found myself getting any new passengers to change it a few times just for a feel. The ratios are motorsport-close, and I never found a bad combination or a flat spot that a gear change couldn't fix. The clutch was on the heavy side but definitely nothing needing conquering, aside from the desire to flatten the throttle and test the power overdrive.

On Exiges with the full-option treatment, the business end of the drivetrain, a torque sensing limited slip differential takes care of dividing up the power, with impressive variable slip traction control trickery feeding back to the ECU and allowing an adjustable amount slip to occur for motorsport use.

Exterior: 4/5

After a few thumbs on chin and sideways glances at the curves, shapes, overall size and stance of the British racer, I found myself quite satisfied with the looks -- well, apart from the size part (I'm much more a muscle car type). 

There are a few colour options on the Exige, but my favourite is definitely the black with Lotus orange highlights, although the paint range is pretty decent. All in all, they look as serious as they drive, which is something that can’t be said about most cars. The exterior options are great, meaning there’s no need to visit and aftermarket kit shop if you want the meaner look, or more likely if you're going fast enough for the options to actually make a difference.

Rear diffuser for additional downforce at the rear, full length roof intake, front splitters, side air intakes and fog lights round off a nice selection of exterior upgrades.

It is quite easy to notice every exterior feature on the car. From the front, the racing brakes perch behind lightweight Lotus racing wheels on semi-racing tyres under the strongly curved wheel arches. These big curves also house the streamlined headlights. 

The front bonnet vents allow cool air flow into the radiator sitting amongst the Lotus's suspension. Side scoops run deep into and toward the rear of the doors allowing air for the engine intake, while the roof mount intake supplies cool air for the intercooler. The rear hatch is vented for excess engine heat, and the rear spoiler sits atop a rear end with circular brake lights reminiscent of a Corvette.

I am quite happy with the look Lotus has brought in since the old Elise's bug-eyed look, yet all the new lines and design elements of the Exige are still resolved in an eccentric style. 

Overall its stance is aggressive due to the small bonnet length and larger rear end typical of MR cars. It's a small, sporty exotic with flavour much closer to Ferrari and Corvette than the likes of Caterham and other dedicated racers.

Interior: 3.5/5

One thing you'll never argue about: it's a tight fit. Getting nice and comfortable in the racing-style seats takes a moment, and it's a wise move to relocate that wallet from your rear pocket to the jacket for the extra clearance. 

That’s nothing after becoming acquainted with the refined art of entering the vehicle. 

If you had any doubts before this point that this was a race car, it will be decided when it's time to exit; one hand on the ground and one elbow on the roof was the style that I preferred.

Once you are in though, the cosy cabin is nicely finished off and while it is no Audi S8, everything is neat, tidy and durable. The dash is organised well and as with any functional aspect of the car, it is designed well. Unmistakably motorsport, the driver is expected to be more involved in the speed and handling than GPS and DVD players and the like, and as such options are limited.

It took a while to get used to the view, with forward view being great, rear view quite difficult. The windows are of relative size to the doors, and it sure is interesting being eye-level to large aftermarket wheels on the car next to you. With all things though, it is possible to adjust and get the hang of these quirks in the traffic.

To silence the rumour that Lotus's have no creature comforts, air conditioning, remote central locking, car alarm and electric windows are all standard. The push button engine start is a favourite of mine, and our car had the standard cloth Probax seats upgraded to a full leather interior. 

An Alpine 4-speaker CD system is also standard with optional iPod connector. Sound insulation is also a comfort option to reduce road and engine noise in the cabin, and how else to round off interior features than with retractable cup holders?

While it is small and simplistic with very little luggage space, the interior is still comfortable enough for a person of my size, more than 6-feet tall (once you're in there).

Aluminium extrusions and glass fibre is used to keep weight down throughout the body, door beams and front end. Seatbelt support and rear subframe are steel, and can be extended to mount a rollover and crossbar cage with racing harness mounts. Twin airbags are also implemented for driver and passenger safety.

There are no integrated armrests, rear vision TVs with DVD functions, no window blinds and no trays to return to their upright position, just straight performance engineering. Considering the array of modifications that are done to street cars to increase their performance, after testing this machine I feel that if you were to do every performance modification you could think of, you'd end up with a Lotus Exige S.

Overall: 4/5

When you consider buying a lotus, there is no avalanche of arguments to help win over the wife and kids in the practicality stakes. I personally could compile a list of things that the Exige is not suitable for; large grocery shopping, transporting a drum kit, driving the in-laws to the family dinner...

No matter how long I make this list though, I doubt I will ever get the list long enough to outweigh how seriously cool these cars are. It may cost $125k, but it's excellent value for money when you experience the performance potential.

For those without any consistent practical duties will love the fact that they can enter local car clubs and race tracks with a highly capable car for advanced driver training and club events. 

The Lotus Exige S is just one of those cars that you can look at and know that it is a car driven by research, engineering, experience and performance. In my mind, it is a well known, no-compromise machine bred from a proven combination of the best mechanical and racing concepts.