2005 Lotus Elise Test (Car Connection)
04-26-2004, 11:27 AM
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2005 Lotus Elise Test (Car Connection) From:
http://www.thecarconnection.com/inde...&sid=184&n=157
http://www.thecarconnection.com/inde...&sid=184&n=157
2005 Lotus Elise
It’s all or nothing for the sprite-sized successor to the Esprit and Elan.
by Marty Padgett (2004-04-26)
LEEDS, Ala. - If you're looking for a challenging track to exercise your favorite piece of semi-exotic hardware, Barber Motorsports Park just east of Birmingham has few peers. "Technically difficult" doesn't begin to describe its off-camber downhill charges, decreasing-radius hairpins turns, and on our day driving the 2005 Lotus Elise, intermittent downpours. At least there's a palatial motorcycle museum to hang out in between showers.
Or you might do as we did, and tough it out in the first new Lotus since 1990 - because the Elise, wet or dry, is one of those rare sportscars that feels hardwired into your central nervous system from the moment you press the start button. And whether the weather's good or back, the Elise begs to be driven. Provided you can get into it at all, that is.
Third coming
Lotus' hallowed name has been in turmoil for the past few decades, changing hands from the British to Americans (General Motors was a one-time owner) and today, the Malaysians at Proton. Separated into engineering and carmaking divisions, the carmaking side of the business is putting all its chips into the Elise pot, since the venerable Esprit is being sent off to pasture after thirty years on the market. Sales number in the hundreds in the U.S. each year, and yet somehow, despite its minuscule presence, the very mention of the Lotus name glazes over the eyes of the guys and gals who think a good vacation is a weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, their racecar trailered behind.
The Esprit's place in Lotus history is solid. But it's the failure of the 1990 Lotus Elan, a two-seat Asian-powered convertible, that sets the stage for the make-or-break Elise. That convertible's inability to ignite enthusiast passion pretty much lies at the feet of its nondescript design and iffy quality. Still you see one or two zipping around suburban Atlanta, where Lotus' headquarters are located, but so few were sold, it's as if Lotus is really replacing the $90,000 Esprit with the $40,000 Elise.
The Elise's own history is already longer than you might think. It's been on sale in Europe for a couple of years already; U.S. sales couldn't begin until Lotus obtained a waiver for certain NHTSA standards related to bumper and headlight height. Waiver in hand, Elises may already be appearing at the Lotus dealer near you, with sales officially due to begin in May.
Finally here
So now that it's finally here, how will the Elise fit into a dramatically changed American sportscar scene polluted by $15,000 sport coupes that can turn in sub-7-second 60-mph runs and overrun by $350,000 supercars from seemingly every brand on the planet?
One way it won't fit in is through its body. Strikingly small and exotically built, the Elise is utterly unlike any other sportscar we can imagine. To begin with, it's downsized even from the petite Elan - maybe you could go in on a Manhattan parking spot with a MINI? We're talking tiny: we feared parking next to an Escalade ESV for fear it would get hungry.
It's also unlike any other sportscar of its size because of the way it's built. Lotus claims the Elise is the first production car in the world with a bonded and extruded aluminum chassis. The basic pieces of the Elise chassis are extruded, and then glued together with aerospace-quality adhesives instead of rivets or welds. Composite body panels are fastened to this inner structure. The core of the Elise weighs only about 150 pounds in a vehicle with a total weight of just 1975 lb, which, as you can imagine, does magic on its handling capabilities and acceleration.
The Elise is also unusual in that its powertrain comes from off the vast parts shelf at Toyota. Acknowledging its past reputation for reliability and needing an engine already certified for U.S. sales, Lotus turned to Japan's behemoth for a revvy, compact powerplant that would slip neatly into the Elise's structure. The powerplant chosen is a Lotus-developed version of the MR2 Spyder's 1.8-liter four-cylinder, enhanced with variable valve timing. In the Lotus application, it exhales 190 horsepower at 7800 rpm and twists out 138 pound-feet of torque at 6800 rpm. A Toyota-sourced, aluminum six-speed manual is the sole gearbox, with the addition of a Lotus-designed shift linkage.
The step-saving purchase left Lotus to do what it does best - to engineer the car's structure and develop its handling and ride, an expertise that other car companies seek out the company for. To that end, the Elise arrives with an all-around independent suspension massaged with Eibach springs and Bilstein monotube shocks. It rolls on Yokohama 16-inch, 55-series tires in front and 45-series, 17-inchers in back (Advan Neova AD07 LTS tires, in case you're already shopping for replacements). Braking is handled by twin-piston AP Racing aluminum calipers, and single-piston Brembos on the back wheels. Anti-lock control, a subject of controversy in the sportscar ether, is standard on the Elise.
Rocket ride
Whatever your opinion of the Elise's busy front end, gilled side vents and extreme flying-wedge stance, it's impossible to argue its singular style - particularly when ordered up in some of the "lifestyle" colors in its palette. The tangerine tint, we think, is meant for one of those sick alternative lifestyles we'd rather read about in private, thanks.
The fusion of cutting-edge construction, a zippy and well-known powerplant and Lotus' deft touch with road feel endows the Elise with stunning grip and slaps a smile on the face of anyone willing to clamber into its coffin-like cockpit. It's not just difficult to insert yourself into the Elise's driver's seat - it's damn near impossible if you're six-foot plus and don't roll up the removable canvas roof panel before you hop in. If you don't, it's a complex geometry to slot your legs under the steering wheel, then go civil-disobedience limp and gently ooze into position.
Once you've cleared the physical hurdles, it's all business behind the Elise's small-diameter steering wheel. Certainly every control feels of higher quality than the best Esprits, though roll-up windows seem like retro kitsch more and more. Plenty of aluminum graces the door panels, floor, console, and of course the pedals, made of extruded aluminum like the chassis itself. Dual front airbags are packaged tightly into the steering wheel and dash, but there's just no room for side curtains or other heavy, complex safety gear. The composite seats are more than supportive and reasonably comfortable - but you'll fight for shoulder space with anyone burlier than Clay Aiken.
Firing up the 190-hp four-cylinder reminds me vaguely of the Toyota application of this engine, but there's an elemental quality missing in the MR2 Spyder that resonates throughout the Elise. Imagine being chased around a road course by a Texas-sized swarm of Africanized bees - the Elise's four-pot turns track time into a game of aggravate the engine. You'll want to spin it north of 4000 rpm at any opportunity - and you'll need to, simply to reach the more breathtaking end of the powerband. Good thing the aluminum shifter slots into gears cleanly, not without a little excessive force. The clutch has some heft to it as well, giving the Elise a substantial powertrain feel that belies its size. We confess to never using sixth gear, even on a short stretch of I-459 in Birmingham where a pint-sized Statue of Liberty hailed us as we skittered by.
Exhilarating pretty much describes the force put out by the compact powerplant in the compact Elise. Dropping the clutch in first is like the pop of a rubber band, and the Elise keeps zinging through the next three gears - it's the antithesis of a hoary musclebound V-8, so be prepared to push it to punishing engine speeds. Around Barber's track, probing the upper reaches of the powerband was easy and entertaining enough, though we imagine an hours-long interstate drone would be just as charm-free as it sounds. Lotus promises the payoff is worth it: a 0-60 mph time of les than 5.0 seconds and top speed of nearly 150 mph land the Elise in a rare set, even before you consider its 30-mpg fuel economy.
...{snipped visit The Car Connection for the rest of the article}...
...Even at its almost-reasonable price of $39,985 - try getting a slower Porsche Boxster for under $50,000 - it's decidedly an object of fancy.
But fancy's good, if you haven't tried it lately. Even grown-ups need toys, and the Elise begs to be wound up and driven hard.
22005 Lotus Elise
Base Price: $39,985
Engine: 1.8-liter in-line four, 190 hp/138 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Length x width x height: 149.0 x 67.7 x 43.9 in
Wheelbase: 90.5 in
Curb weight: 1975 lb
EPA City/Hwy: 30 mpg (est.)
Safety equipment: Dual airbags, anti-lock brakes
Major standard equipment: A/C, AM/FM/CD player
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles
It’s all or nothing for the sprite-sized successor to the Esprit and Elan.
by Marty Padgett (2004-04-26)
LEEDS, Ala. - If you're looking for a challenging track to exercise your favorite piece of semi-exotic hardware, Barber Motorsports Park just east of Birmingham has few peers. "Technically difficult" doesn't begin to describe its off-camber downhill charges, decreasing-radius hairpins turns, and on our day driving the 2005 Lotus Elise, intermittent downpours. At least there's a palatial motorcycle museum to hang out in between showers.
Or you might do as we did, and tough it out in the first new Lotus since 1990 - because the Elise, wet or dry, is one of those rare sportscars that feels hardwired into your central nervous system from the moment you press the start button. And whether the weather's good or back, the Elise begs to be driven. Provided you can get into it at all, that is.
Third coming
Lotus' hallowed name has been in turmoil for the past few decades, changing hands from the British to Americans (General Motors was a one-time owner) and today, the Malaysians at Proton. Separated into engineering and carmaking divisions, the carmaking side of the business is putting all its chips into the Elise pot, since the venerable Esprit is being sent off to pasture after thirty years on the market. Sales number in the hundreds in the U.S. each year, and yet somehow, despite its minuscule presence, the very mention of the Lotus name glazes over the eyes of the guys and gals who think a good vacation is a weekend at Barber Motorsports Park, their racecar trailered behind.
The Esprit's place in Lotus history is solid. But it's the failure of the 1990 Lotus Elan, a two-seat Asian-powered convertible, that sets the stage for the make-or-break Elise. That convertible's inability to ignite enthusiast passion pretty much lies at the feet of its nondescript design and iffy quality. Still you see one or two zipping around suburban Atlanta, where Lotus' headquarters are located, but so few were sold, it's as if Lotus is really replacing the $90,000 Esprit with the $40,000 Elise.
The Elise's own history is already longer than you might think. It's been on sale in Europe for a couple of years already; U.S. sales couldn't begin until Lotus obtained a waiver for certain NHTSA standards related to bumper and headlight height. Waiver in hand, Elises may already be appearing at the Lotus dealer near you, with sales officially due to begin in May.
Finally here
So now that it's finally here, how will the Elise fit into a dramatically changed American sportscar scene polluted by $15,000 sport coupes that can turn in sub-7-second 60-mph runs and overrun by $350,000 supercars from seemingly every brand on the planet?
One way it won't fit in is through its body. Strikingly small and exotically built, the Elise is utterly unlike any other sportscar we can imagine. To begin with, it's downsized even from the petite Elan - maybe you could go in on a Manhattan parking spot with a MINI? We're talking tiny: we feared parking next to an Escalade ESV for fear it would get hungry.
It's also unlike any other sportscar of its size because of the way it's built. Lotus claims the Elise is the first production car in the world with a bonded and extruded aluminum chassis. The basic pieces of the Elise chassis are extruded, and then glued together with aerospace-quality adhesives instead of rivets or welds. Composite body panels are fastened to this inner structure. The core of the Elise weighs only about 150 pounds in a vehicle with a total weight of just 1975 lb, which, as you can imagine, does magic on its handling capabilities and acceleration.
The Elise is also unusual in that its powertrain comes from off the vast parts shelf at Toyota. Acknowledging its past reputation for reliability and needing an engine already certified for U.S. sales, Lotus turned to Japan's behemoth for a revvy, compact powerplant that would slip neatly into the Elise's structure. The powerplant chosen is a Lotus-developed version of the MR2 Spyder's 1.8-liter four-cylinder, enhanced with variable valve timing. In the Lotus application, it exhales 190 horsepower at 7800 rpm and twists out 138 pound-feet of torque at 6800 rpm. A Toyota-sourced, aluminum six-speed manual is the sole gearbox, with the addition of a Lotus-designed shift linkage.
The step-saving purchase left Lotus to do what it does best - to engineer the car's structure and develop its handling and ride, an expertise that other car companies seek out the company for. To that end, the Elise arrives with an all-around independent suspension massaged with Eibach springs and Bilstein monotube shocks. It rolls on Yokohama 16-inch, 55-series tires in front and 45-series, 17-inchers in back (Advan Neova AD07 LTS tires, in case you're already shopping for replacements). Braking is handled by twin-piston AP Racing aluminum calipers, and single-piston Brembos on the back wheels. Anti-lock control, a subject of controversy in the sportscar ether, is standard on the Elise.
Rocket ride
Whatever your opinion of the Elise's busy front end, gilled side vents and extreme flying-wedge stance, it's impossible to argue its singular style - particularly when ordered up in some of the "lifestyle" colors in its palette. The tangerine tint, we think, is meant for one of those sick alternative lifestyles we'd rather read about in private, thanks.
The fusion of cutting-edge construction, a zippy and well-known powerplant and Lotus' deft touch with road feel endows the Elise with stunning grip and slaps a smile on the face of anyone willing to clamber into its coffin-like cockpit. It's not just difficult to insert yourself into the Elise's driver's seat - it's damn near impossible if you're six-foot plus and don't roll up the removable canvas roof panel before you hop in. If you don't, it's a complex geometry to slot your legs under the steering wheel, then go civil-disobedience limp and gently ooze into position.
Once you've cleared the physical hurdles, it's all business behind the Elise's small-diameter steering wheel. Certainly every control feels of higher quality than the best Esprits, though roll-up windows seem like retro kitsch more and more. Plenty of aluminum graces the door panels, floor, console, and of course the pedals, made of extruded aluminum like the chassis itself. Dual front airbags are packaged tightly into the steering wheel and dash, but there's just no room for side curtains or other heavy, complex safety gear. The composite seats are more than supportive and reasonably comfortable - but you'll fight for shoulder space with anyone burlier than Clay Aiken.
Firing up the 190-hp four-cylinder reminds me vaguely of the Toyota application of this engine, but there's an elemental quality missing in the MR2 Spyder that resonates throughout the Elise. Imagine being chased around a road course by a Texas-sized swarm of Africanized bees - the Elise's four-pot turns track time into a game of aggravate the engine. You'll want to spin it north of 4000 rpm at any opportunity - and you'll need to, simply to reach the more breathtaking end of the powerband. Good thing the aluminum shifter slots into gears cleanly, not without a little excessive force. The clutch has some heft to it as well, giving the Elise a substantial powertrain feel that belies its size. We confess to never using sixth gear, even on a short stretch of I-459 in Birmingham where a pint-sized Statue of Liberty hailed us as we skittered by.
Exhilarating pretty much describes the force put out by the compact powerplant in the compact Elise. Dropping the clutch in first is like the pop of a rubber band, and the Elise keeps zinging through the next three gears - it's the antithesis of a hoary musclebound V-8, so be prepared to push it to punishing engine speeds. Around Barber's track, probing the upper reaches of the powerband was easy and entertaining enough, though we imagine an hours-long interstate drone would be just as charm-free as it sounds. Lotus promises the payoff is worth it: a 0-60 mph time of les than 5.0 seconds and top speed of nearly 150 mph land the Elise in a rare set, even before you consider its 30-mpg fuel economy.
...{snipped visit The Car Connection for the rest of the article}...
...Even at its almost-reasonable price of $39,985 - try getting a slower Porsche Boxster for under $50,000 - it's decidedly an object of fancy.
But fancy's good, if you haven't tried it lately. Even grown-ups need toys, and the Elise begs to be wound up and driven hard.
22005 Lotus Elise
Base Price: $39,985
Engine: 1.8-liter in-line four, 190 hp/138 lb-ft
Transmission: Six-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Length x width x height: 149.0 x 67.7 x 43.9 in
Wheelbase: 90.5 in
Curb weight: 1975 lb
EPA City/Hwy: 30 mpg (est.)
Safety equipment: Dual airbags, anti-lock brakes
Major standard equipment: A/C, AM/FM/CD player
Warranty: Three years/36,000 miles
