Lotus Evora’s success turns on pure handling

SAN DIEGO, CALIF.–If Lotus has any image at all as a manufacturer of road cars (as opposed to its legendary Formula One history), it’s as a maker of small, light, elemental, great-handling if somewhat fragile two-seat convertible sports cars.

So it came as a bit of a surprise to learn during the preview of Lotus’s new Evora mid-engined two-plus-two sports coupe that 20 per cent of the company’s sales from its inception in 1948 through 1996 were two-plus-two coupes.

Remember Elan +2, Elite, Eclat and Excel? Add Evora to that list.

Evora goes on sale later this year. Canadian pricing hasn’t been finalized, but U.S. prices start at $72,990. Given the near-parity of our respective dollars, Canada’s higher import duty (6.1 per cent versus 2.5) and our generally higher cost-of-doing business, starting with Transport Canada’s more stringent and expensive certification process, you’ll be getting little change from an $80,000 bill.

The stunning looks come from Lotus’s in-house design office, headed by Russell Carr. Steve Crijns led the exterior design, and went for a extreme cab-forward look with short rear overhang and differential wheels — 18-inch front, 19-inch rear — to emphasize the mid-engine configuration.

Evora’s chassis is an evolution of the bonded and riveted aluminum sheet-and-extrusions structure that has underpinned the Elise family of two-seaters since its intro in 1995, although only about 5 per cent of components are shared.

Key differences are the bolt-on front (aluminum) and rear (steel) subframes that make manufacture and crash repair much simpler and cheaper.

The modularity of this design enables future models that could be longer, shorter, wider or some combination thereof, and which are expected to include an Evora convertible.

The double-wishbone suspension arms are forged aluminum. Eibach springs, Bilstein shocks and Pirelli P-Zero tires (225/40 ZR18 front, 255/35 ZR19 rear) complete the suspension basics.

Steering is hydraulically-assisted, Lotus’s suspension engineers not being convinced that electric assist can provide the necessary precision and feel.

AP Racing makes the four-wheel disc brake system to Lotus’s spec. The massive rotors — 350 mm front, 332 mm rear — provide fade-free braking even under hard use.

The composite body panels for the central passenger compartment are bonded to the tub for added stiffness. Front and rear panels are bolted on, again for easier crash repair.

As with Elise, Evora’s engine comes from Toyota, essentially the same variable valve timing 3.5 litre V6 used in Camry, Sienna and Lexus ES 350 but fitted with a Lotus-unique throttle control and engine management system.

Output is 276 hp at 6,400 rpm, with a torque peak of 258 lb.-ft. at 4,700 rpm.

Toyota does have a six-speed manual that it uses in various diesel-powered Toyotas, although not with this engine, at least not in North America. In Evora, Lotus mates this six-speed to the V6 with a flywheel and clutch also supplied by AP Racing.

No automatic is offered.

The top three ratios in the base gearbox are all overdrives; the ultra-tall gearing isn’t conducive to sporty driving, so Lotus makes its own third-through-sixth ratios for an optional Sport-Ratio box, which actually scores slightly better in the U.S. EPA Fuel Economy ratings. Lotus expects almost all of its North American customers will choose it.

The interior, styled by Anthony Bushell, is officially a two-plus-two, but those “plus-two” had better be very small children (there are Isofix child seat anchors back there), or employed either by Cirque du Soleil, because anyone above the fifth percentile in size isn’t going to fit.

It makes the Porsche 911 look like a limousine — think of the back seat as a grocery bag storage space with three-point seatbelts.

Lotus will offer a more realistic “two-plus-zero” version, with that space dedicated to cargo.

Speaking of, the trunk offers 170 litres (6 cubic feet) of storage behind the engine. A set of golf clubs will fit in there if you’re careful and clever.

Ingress is easier than in Elise or Exige, thanks to taller, wider-opening doors and narrower side sills. But it still isn’t easy — the car is very low.

Once inside there is excellent room, especially for taller people, thanks to the double-bubble roof, but you won’t be seeing much to the rear or rear three-quarters due to the tiny rear window and huge rear roof pillars.

The leather-covered sports seats are manually adjustable for reach and rake, as is the steering wheel.

The materials, fit and finish are much more luxurious than anything Lotus has ever made, and more so if you choose the Premium Package, which basically swathes everything in leather in a choice of four colours, but will cause no sleepless nights chez Porsche or Audi.

A Technology Package adds an Alpine multi-media system with a seven-inch screen that contributes upgraded stereo, Bluetooth and iPod connectivity, and satellite navigation with a removable hand-held component so your navigational assistance doesn’t end when you leave your car.

The major drawback of the interior stems from that forward cabin, which means the left front wheel well leaves no room for your clutch foot — you have to stick it under the pedal. Awkward.

You don’t just fire up and drive off in a Lotus. First, you have to negotiate the anti-theft system: lock the car from the key fob, then unlock it, then ignite the ignition within 30 seconds or you have to start the sequence over again.

You also should take several moments to go over the functions of the various buttons and displays because they aren’t always intuitive, and can be difficult to decipher once on the run.

The engine is dead docile, as you’d expect from a cooking Toyota engine. Yet it moves the 1,382 kg (3047 lbs.) car with alacrity.

It isn’t the slingshot sort of acceleration you’d get from a 911 Turbo or a Corvette, although a 5.1-second sprint to 100 km/h is hardly chopped liver.

Rather, it feels like what it is — a car powered as much by lightness as by gasoline.

The AP Racing clutch is a bit sensitive, while the gearbox feels like it has indeed done duty behind a diesel engine because the throws are long, and the precision not up to the level of the rest of the car.

All is forgiven when you first turn the steering wheel into a bend at anything above a walking pace. Here is where Lotuses really shine, and Evora fulfills the family obligation.

Matt Becker (officially, Product Attributes Manager; unofficially, chief engineer) notes that the core of the wheel is lightweight magnesium to reduce rotational inertia. I’d never even thought of that before, and don’t know whether it was the power of his suggestion, but for sure the effort needed to move the wheel is very low, yet there is enough natural-feeling resistance to let you know you’re driving a car, not playing a video game.

Brilliant.

The weight is concentrated between the axles; like a figure skater who spins more quickly when her arms are crossed close to her body, the car yaws more quickly too, leading to extremely nimble handling. (The technical term is a low polar moment of inertia.)

The 31/69 front/rear weight distribution ensures a rear-biased handling characteristic.

Becker says they have measured better than 1.2 g in cornering; if the tires start to squeal, you better back off because you are going very, very quickly.

Too quickly, and the ESC will kick in, but the threshold level is high enough that you have to be grossly out of shape to exceed it.

The optional Sport package allows you to select a sharper throttle response algorithm; it also shoves the ESC threshold even higher. You can shut ESC off altogether but, other than for track driving, Lotus wouldn’t recommend it, and neither would I.

The racing brakes are predictably powerful; Lotus USA marketing manager Kevin Smith says the braided stainless steel brake lines are responsible for the immediacy of the retardation due to the utter absence of flex when pedal pressure is applied.

“Right here, right now!’’ he warned us.

He was, um, right.

A long-standing Lotus tradition dictates that handling prowess like this is accomplished with perfect suspension geometry and calibration of dampers and bushings, not with rock-hard springs. As a result, Evora rides extremely well. Providing you can fit your mom into that right front seat, she won’t mind at all.

Lotus’s objective with Evora is to produce a car that reflects the company’s tradition of pure handling, agility and efficiency, but with enough comfort and luxury to be a daily driver for other than the hardest-core sports car fanatic.

Mission largely accomplished.

It doesn’t attain the levels of luxury of some of the most obvious competition: a Porsche Cayman has a better-finished interior, and I think I could still detect a faint smell of curing resin from Evora’s composite body.

But that pure handling, and the exclusivity guaranteed by the fact that only 2,000 Evoras will be built per year with a third of those coming to North America — not to mention young women actually jumping up and down and waving at you as you drive by — should ensure Evora’s success.

Lotus Evora 2+2

PRICE: estimated $80,000-$100,000

ENGINE: 3.5 L V6 (Toyota)

POWER/TORQUE: 276 hp/258 ft.-lbs.

FUEL CONSUMPTION: converted from U.S. EPA data 12.6/8.4 L/100 km (22/34 mpg)

COMPETITION: Audi TT, Chevrolet Corvette, Porsche Cayman

WHAT’S BEST: Outstanding dynamics; excellent performance with low fuel consumption

WHAT’S WORST: Outward visibility; no place for clutch foot;

WHAT’S INTERESTING: Lotus partly owned by Malaysian Government