EXIGE EXCELS
ANDY ENRIGHT enjoys testing the latest incarnation of the nippy Lotus Exige...
T
HE Lotus Exige has always been a plucky little scrapper of a sports car but in third generation guise it has become a good deal more senior. The supercharged V6 powerplant gives it some concussive acceleration and don’t worry, it hasn’t got old and fat. It’s not an inevitability that as cars develop through generations, they get fatter and more dull-witted.
At first glance, that would appear exactly
wh a t ’s happened to the Lotus Exige – e a ch successive model getting more power and more weight added. In any other company, this would generally be an indicator of lazy engineering but fear not. This is Lotus and things are done very differently in these parts. It probably won’t have escaped your attention that the Norfolk company is in a period of transition, from a manufacturer of relatively inexpensive lightweight sports cars to one that markets a more aspirational selection of hardware. The engine will be familiar to many. It’s the
Toyota Camry-sourced 3.5-litre V6 that debuted in the Evora S and is supercharged to 345bhp. Yes, that V6 is much heavier than the four pot unit it replaces, but the extra 125kg is more than offset by the increase in power, and Lotus has worked to position the engine low and as far forward in the middle of the car as possible. Power to weight ratios are up significantly, from 239bhp/ton in the old S model to 331bhp/ton. Things have got very serious indeed. Performance is suitably ludicrous, with the Exige smashing its way from standstill to 60 in less than four seconds. It’ll make 100mph in around eight seconds, or only about a second shy of a Ferrari 458 Italia. A three-stage DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) system is standard, with both Touring and Sport settings in addition to full
The latest Exige – heavier, but with more power to shift the extra weight.
Gone is the roof scoop, replaced by a low profile ventral ridge. Or you could opt for a roadster version. The manual soft top roof takes a bit of getting used to if you’ve become accustomed to flip-top units that disappear at the touch of a button.
In becoming more expensive, this Exige actually seems better value for money. Stick with me on this one.
Lotus had long trotted out quotes about hot Exiges being the quickest car they’d ever produced, but most of us recalled the wonderful V8 Esprits of years gone by and never thought the Exige competed in anything like the same sphere or carried the same charisma. Yes, the Exige was probably more fun and
deactivation. An optional Race pack adds a fourth mode, which features a launch control system. With a kerb weight of 1,080kg, rest assured that the Exige hasn’t succumbed to middle-aged spread. As I do a few circuits of the Exige to take in
each angle, it’s clear that although the extra 7cm that’s been grafted into the wheelbase has given it a good deal more presence. I’m not 100 per cent convinced of some of the detailing, especially around the rear end, but the look is more mature and composed.
quicker round a circuit, but it always felt unworthy of comparison with the magical Esprit.
Although elements of the latest car continue the Exige theme, it’s a model that now feels a lot more grown up. Lotus even demonstrated a Roadster with beautiful quilted leather finishes and carpets. Whilst this may send some hardcore Lotus fans into fits of apoplexy, the company needs to move with the times. If making the car more civilised costs 0.2 of a second around the Brands Hatch Indy circuit but doubles Exige sales in the process, that should be a bargain any true Lotus fan is
STALLION MOTOR BODY SPECIALISTS
Quality Car Body Repairer
www.stallionmotors.co.uk • Dovecote Lane, Beeston, Nottingham 0115 925 3979 ©NM NOTTINGHAMSHIRE TODAY 141
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116 |
Page 117 |
Page 118 |
Page 119 |
Page 120 |
Page 121 |
Page 122 |
Page 123 |
Page 124 |
Page 125 |
Page 126 |
Page 127 |
Page 128 |
Page 129 |
Page 130 |
Page 131 |
Page 132 |
Page 133 |
Page 134 |
Page 135 |
Page 136 |
Page 137 |
Page 138 |
Page 139 |
Page 140 |
Page 141 |
Page 142 |
Page 143 |
Page 144 |
Page 145 |
Page 146 |
Page 147 |
Page 148