Chris Harris Drives The 400bhp Lotus Emira | Top Gear
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- Опубліковано 21 вер 2024
- Back in Series 32, Chris Harris tested out the new Lotus Emira to see how it stacked up against the UK's finest weather, and the tricky Anglesey Circuit in North Wales...
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![1,000 Miles In The NEW Lotus Emira! [Worth The Wait?]](/img/n.gif)
Lotus's old formula of simplicity and levity is probably the strongest formula for building cars, so it doesn't wither away just because it's old. I love the looks of this car, and what everyone's saying about it makes me want one all the more.
fr. throttle house praised this car so much.
In happy times we had cynical Clarkson that was a breath of fresh air, in dark times we have a happy car journo in Chris, same result. Funny how that works
Astute observation.
Clarkson always was an obnoxious wretch.
@@patrickduffy94 great car journo tho
@@patrickduffy94 true, but watchable
At all times we have AC/DC .
I'm very happy to see Lotus on top of their game again. Best of all they haven't forgotten what makes them such brilliant driving machines. Yet they don't cost a arm and a leg to buy.
It’s the very last time they will ever be though…before they try to become a luxury EV brand.
77k is an arm and leg in my book
Porsche reassuringly expensive
@@danielbevan9024 77k for a plastic coated v6? That cant be true
@@jesuschrist2284Also Porsche charges 100k+ for a smashed V6 you can’t even see! 😂
That Toyota engine is still a gem. I know the cheaper version will have Mercedes-AMG 2.0L engine, but I'm keep drawing to this supercharged V6 version.
Zia Cooke is a WNBA player for the Los Angeles Sparks. Lotus we need to get her in one!
Hardly a gem…
Apart from having to be mounted far too High, and being torque limited due to the Gearbox, it's great .
@@ahemgee9542torque is fine, the issue is horsepower not high enough and it doesn't rev high enough.... It's "good" engine but what makes Porsche for example special is having "great" engine...... Lotus still need to step up in this
@@TRX25EX true but they compensate with weight
FINALLY! A proper gasoline car with a manual box and focus on vehicle dynamics and driving. True petrolheads LOVE cars like these. Glad to see Lotus is listening to its customers and will surely sell a lot of these
Agree wholeheartedly, except for the "finally" part. That implies such a thing didn't exist until now. Which isn't the case. Rare nowadays does not mean never before. Plus: GR86 waves 'hi' at 1/3 the price.
@@EdwoodCAMX-5 waves ‘hi’ to the GR86, what took you so long
I just love Mr Harris's reviews! Nothing better than hearing from somebody who really knows how to drive!
i love this car and wish that i could afford one. at 5:03 it just looks stellar, especially on those multi-spokes. i really like the colour combination too. what a machine. happy for lotus!
Lovely car. Toyota reliability, made in the UK and Lotus looks and handling. Love it.
Though I've only seen a small number of these on public roads so far, each and every time I have, the drivers have responded with smiles when I give them two big thumbs up.
As a brash, crude American I REALLY like the C8 Corvette, but I must say that this Lotus does look better, is probably more fun to drive, and it has an honest to God manual gearbox! Wish I could afford one :(
And that V6 make near Ferrari levels of noise!
I love the c8 sometimes, looks wise it looks good from some angles but for some reason just gives me ferrari kit car vibes, can't knock the interior (finally did it right)
I’m not American but that new corvette, on the odd occasions I’ve spotted one, is sensational looking. A real step up in design and quality.
The lotus only positive for me is the manual trans. The looks are nothing special and I don’t like the hood. The C8 is much more performance for the money and they offer a HTC. Also try finding a lotus dealership to service it.
LS V8 vs Toyota V6........for less money........get the Corvette and enjoy it, while you dream a Lotus might be better
Makes we wish someone would knock some sense into Honda. The current NSX is just plain stupid. Why not build something like this? Only use the drive train from the Honda Civic Type R. Then match it to a hybrid system similar to what McLaren is using. 400ish hp. 400is pounds feet of torque. Light weight. Agile. More affordable! More fun to drive. Stop trying to reinvent the wheel.
That's a car that would be really interesting. They could even produce a lighter NA version and call it the new Honda S2000. Honda needs someone in the company like Akio Toyoda to tell all the accounting cyphers to go hang and demand the company build more cars that are fun to drive.
Brilliant take. I feel The NSX was too early for its time.. Hybrid R&D of the NSX pushed the price beyond its demographic of buying customers in my eyes. The price of the Lotus is perfect in 2023. But I would think they are still losing money on this car regardless to gain new customers.
Lotus are risking alot here and other cars that they have on the horizon. but I'm here for it! Best of luck to them I say 😁👍🏻
Hybrid and lightweight don't really go together
What I'd suggest is they take their S660 & make it as it is only about 30% bigger, then stick the Civic Type R engine in the back.
Bingo, best seller on their hands.
❤❤
Manual, rear drive, hydraulic steering, powerful but light - this is the first new car I have genuinely ‘craved’ since… well, the 997?
most places cancel the shoot when it rains, but thats harris favorite conditions, absolute legend
Great to see Harris doing a TG video in spite of the show being on pause! Hopefully it’ll be back soon.
As a guy who still enjoys manual cars...I hope I can get an Emira for myself someday. I just love it🤗❤️...great video Chris!✌🏾
This car is absolutely gorgeous. Better than any new BMW thesw days
doesn't take much, to be fair
No chance.
LOL. The dog's breakfast looks better than the current BMW lineup
Very low bar there!
Modern BMWs are just finance fodder like other German cars. Lotuses are cars people buy and keep. They last longer too as most of won't rust.
Perfect, rarer than any Porsche, and shows that you have imagination. A class act that won't be followed.
Lotus have always produced cars that were intuitive, handled so well like on rails and quickly became as one with the driver. It is now such a pleasure to see such a good looking addition to Lotus as the Emira, and that also appears to be that bit bigger (man sized) as opposed to the previous all too squeezy models.
Im actually so glad lotus did this. Something I definitely will purchase in the future.
Check all the Harry's Garage vids about ordering one, driving the prototype, collecting his car and driving it!
Excellent recommendation, I've followed that and it's great to watch
The drift was crisp and effortless
To me: Porsche is the best car there is. It has appearance, price is much better than all other competitors,
you can use the Porsche every day everywhere, best driving performance, more space compared to its competitors, does not break down as quickly as all other brands, maintenance is cheaper than other competitors and so on and so forth
I drove the Emira a few months back and it was an absolute hoot! Heavy unassisted clutch, very well weighted shifter, and immediate response from the supercharged engine. The interior was really the icing on the cake. If someone buys a 718 Cayman over this, they're merely badge shopping.
As a Lotus Elise driver I approve of this message
Same
@nemesisxxprime same... and wife approves in her Evora.
Different cars, come off it
Same
@Andrew hi, what circus you work at?
I truly hope Lotus has a hit with this gorgeous car. They deserve it. Eschewing the pointless pursuit of performance numbers allows this sort of product to exist. Good on them.
$75k? That's a lie. If you were late to the party, the FE 2.0 is $107k. A base model starts is allegedly going to start at $75k but the car in this video is a fully loaded First Edition.
Chris Harris truly brings out the best in the Lotus Emira!🌟🌟
always a good day when chris talks about a car
"Fit for Britain." Chris Harris pinning his colours to the mast. Great review and so what if this beautiful car is on the Evora underpinnings...It's an epic car in the Lotus tradition of minimising- on many fronts! The more I see the Emira, the more it grows on me and I keep thinking of the similarities with the GMA T33. Gordon Murray has always maintained that Colin Chapman was his influence and perhaps the old boy has through the spirits of designers past, steered the head, hand and heart in penning this glorious car. Thanks Chris Harris, you should be an ambassador for British Industry, though that would mean you being driven around by a hat-doffing chauffeur- can't quite see that being a likelihood in the stuffy diplomatic corps.
Man that sounds so good. The car is just about perfect. If i had one small issue, it would be that I really wish they didn’t use a digital display. Absolutely hate those things, they just don’t give you the 3d effect a real dial gives
It would be a lot better if it didn't have a 25 year old engine from an economy car.
@@andrewrossnagel9433 your argument is almost as old as this engine itself, and unlike the engine it doesn’t have any redeeming qualities.
It’s still an amazing engine and reliable. If you really care, you can wait for the amg engine version
@yaboiyosef7640 no need to get offended and attack me because we don't share the same views. You are allowed to like the slowest sports car over 50k and I'm allowed to call it like I see it. Anyone who has owned a special engine would never say 2gr engine is great. Its reliable, thats it. Lotus ruins it by making it very expensive to get more power out of it. Then when you add the fact the entire rest of the car has a boat load of issues that Lotus always overlooks its pretty easy to classify this car as nothing special and a big let down.
Beautiful car.
Great Praise indeed. Looking forward to driving one in the near future. Thanks Chris.
3:50 This is not a bookmark for one GORGEOUS power slide thru, and coming out of a, turn.
One of the best looking cars on the road at any price.
One of the the best looking car full stop..
It has a good recipe
Manual v6
Such a pitty it's a dying breed
I've been buying new Lotus cars since 1996 from dealers here in the U.S. The final version of the Esprit had a twin-turbo, flat plane crankshaft V8 that was delivered stock with 350hp but could pretty easily be boosted to 500hp+. The first Esprit back in the late 1970s was a 4 cylinder engine with less than 200hp.
So Lotus has a habit of boosting performance, incrementally, in a car for each new model year. My 2021 Evora GT has 416hp and is over 400 pounds lighter than the Emira and has the same v6 and same supercharger; the first Emira version was detuned by 16hp, perhaps to establish a baseline for future models to compare to.
It is my guess that Lotus has planned the same "incrementally boosted performance for each new model year" plan for the Emira.
The fact that the Emira is 400lbs heavier than the Evora GT could well signal an intent to dramatically increase horsepower. Whether that involves adding a couple of electric drives to the front wheels, and/or more hp from the supercharged V6 engine, we'll soon see.
I'd like to see the Emira - which has a strikingly beautiful body - ship with 650hp in some future model year. I think the bulkier chassis was purposely beefed up and designed for something like that. Lotus would not add 400lbs of weight unless it was for a good purpose. It's just not their pedigree.
Also, the supercharged v6 can be 'leaned on' more - there is already a 430hp version in the Exige model with the same engine and supercharger that sold to Euro and UK buyers. Adding two 100hp electric drive motors, one per front wheel, and you have a giant killer.
C8 Vette. Better power, sound, entrance cost, reliability, easier to modify…. I could go on. This Lotus is just the new thing, and kids always love the new thing.
👍🇺🇸🦅💪
Uh, Lotus isn't a new thing.
Vette is heavy and unreliable always on garage.. only good in USA.. out of USA spare parts are expensive as hell.. and nobody buy vett outside of the usa
This makes the simple white and black scheme look great. It also makes me really want an Emira! I have yet to see one in person because they seem pretty rare in my part of the world.
I love it. Yet a year on, I still haven’t seen one. The bloke next door has a Cayman. I think it’s a lovely design but the Lotus is an event. It’s certainly more exclusive around these parts…and I’m only a half hour’s drive from the Lotus factory!
Call me an American. I drove the roads of Ireland awhile ago. Chris talks about the bumpy roads! Bang On !! I love the Emira!!!
I love how he described this cars only difference over the old as new designer sunglasses and a fancy scarf! Awesome car for $75!
Brilliant Chris (still wishing for the 20-ish minute videos of old)…
Geely has done great things for Lotus. Now I just hope they revive their F1 team as well.
Such a gem. Would gladly choose one of these over a Porsche
Harry seems very happy with his, looks like a great car
Lotus keep closing dealers we in Munich germany dont have any service and spareparts available anymore. Service is different, you should do better and customer do expect more
I love this car. And it seems to be exactly what the enthusiasts want, unlike what most manufacturers are doing lately.
THANK YOU! Chris Harris always does a great review.
That Camry is quick!
*Camry Coupe R-Spec
this is what the 1st gen NSX should have become...same basic formula...mid-transverse V6, 6MT, RWD, double wishbone suspension all-around...just updated for today's standards.
Just with a higher HP engine like they used in the Evora 430. (450 would have been ideal)
Nsx has gotten too expensive thats why it wont be around for too long
So you've driven the new NSX then?
@@doublestrokerollNo but we can read, and listen to journalists that have driven it… Not a whole lot of praise…
@@griffins750 Like who? Harris loved it. Demuro likes it. Leno, who owns some of the greatest cars ever built, liked it so much he bought one. Basically the new NSX was an affordable P1/918/La Ferrari. It forced almost every company to trickle down hybrid super cars into their "regular" models way sooner then they thought they would have to.
Seems to me the people who criticize it are youtube commenters who don't have a clue.
So glad whoever took over Lotus never betrayed the Chapman philosophy.
Only Porsche and Lotus still make rear mid-engine manual transmission cars.
2 brands for real cars enthusiasts
*that are mass produced. can't forget cars like the T50, T33, or the cc850 (technically a hybrid, but you can manual shift loke a traditional manual car). of course, those are in the millions.
Why electric whyyyyyyy. The fact that companies like Lotus, Porsche will jump or are on this electric car bandwagon, breaks my heart.
The plan was to graduate from Stinger to Emira and then to 911 Targa.
Chris Harris is "the" reviewer! 👍
Love that Emira!
Cheers from California!
Chris Harris drives is the closest we'll get to a Top Gear episode anytime soon.
It's the only bit worth watching anyway.
@@tonyb9735 too true. Freddie didn't bring much to the show, and his lack of car knowledge was very evident. Paddy was good for entertainment value, but the show needs some proper car people on it with Harris.
@@bwilshaw3720 Agreed, but I would just say that I don't find Paddy even slightly entertaining.
@@tonyb9735 fair enough
Lol need to take a survey and hand it in to the gaffer
Still waiting for mine… delivery pushed back to “summer 2024”.
Trust me, it's worth waiting for. Absolutely LOVE mine.
With price increases too?
i'm late to the party so mine wont come till September 2025
@@c208captain even for a V6?
@@nessuno5403 Got mine 2 weeks ago. 100% yes, it feels way more worth than what I paid for it.
If Chris likes it must be good.The price is not that far from an equivalent Porsche , Alpine or even a Morgan but it looks as good as a McLaren.The market actually suggests it’s cheap due to the fact there is a long waiting list.Well done to Lotus and British engineering.
Alfa Romeo, Lotus, Alpine. These are among the best drivers brands out there, yet, they are so overlooked.
0:40 Chevrolet c8 Corvette
Lotus really do make the best sports cars.
The soundrack of this edit is Ace !!!!
Manual, lightweight, small such a good formula!
Harry Metcalfe, the founder of Evo has one. And he also have an Elan. Enough recommendation in my book!
Thanks so much Chris 👌
Love your review on Emira and its actions on some typical wet British roads and anglesey
Tempted to trade my s260 exige for emira, bloody good stuff Chris cheers 🇬🇧 🇯🇵 🇺🇸 from Jay
Lovely car, cracking segment. The relief in seeing this car being driven properly l, and appreciated by a talented driver (rather than an internet clown who nearly binned it at the ring) is palpable.
Well done Lotus. Chris - more more more
Who nearly crashed it?
It is the perfect design among the lotus in the meantime.
The C8 Corvette is more performance for the money plus they offer a HTC. The lotus is over $100K and have fun finding a dealership to service it.
A very cheap Toyota and or Lexus dealership will maintain the car and you find them on every corner. Even more than corvette dealers. The C8 corvette is indeed a fantastic car but in Europe impossible to drive due to high taxes. The first year you pay 12000us dollars for the V8 corvette, just for the registration and plate. The other years about 5000. So after 5 years of ownership you pay 32000 dollar taxes. The lotus cost 13000 dollars after 5 years. The Emira is easily tuned to 500hp and more and has a bulletproof Toyota Lexus engine. It’s not a bad deal. Besides the corvette doesn’t have a manual and that is key to have fun behind the wheel
What means HTC?
@@449Raphael wow I didn’t know taxes we’re that bad over there. HTC is hard top convertible.
@@craigthescott5074 ah, ok. Taxes killing us. That’s why we all drive 3 and 4 cilinder engines. The bigger the engine, the more you pay. In Europe the best selling Emira is the amg Mercedes 2 litre 4 cilinder. It’s almost as fast as the V6, but you miss the noisy and beautiful sounding V6
@@Roadrunner_1000 I will put my 2021 C8 Z51 up against any new lotus. I actually road race Chief. Look up the silver state challenge in Nevada. I was just there and there was no lotus competing. I took 3rd in my class. There was 120 different types of cars. Corvette’s ruled most of the classes including the unlimited class that was a C7 ZR1.
Great video. I wish all of Top Gear was like this.
“It’s nice in here…there’s no water coming through the roof…” 😂. Kinda low bar, isn’t it? Anyhow, I love Chris’ reviews. Makes me really want the car.
I love that it features one of the last and few good sounding V6s of our era, even if said V6 is featured in plenty of mundane cars.
The Toyota 2GRFE V6 found in the Lotus very tunable AND reliable. That's a crazy amount of car for the price.
You Brits have this sports car Down. As always another Winner
If it's good enough for bumpy British roads, it will be good for bumper Canadian roads lol
On side view it does look very like a Elise, especially the rear.
Dang lotus really just made such a beautiful car and it sounds so good!!
I love that there is a great big hole either side of the steering column where the shifter paddles for the AMG powered version will go.
Yes i just commented on that.. And not in a positive way..
@@GTC4cam are you 100% certain on that.??? I do have a couple of customers who left the waiting list because of delay after delay so you may be right.
Even if you don’t have that £70k now, you’ll have a LOOONG time to save before delivery.
And you'll be waiting an eternity for Lotus to build a car that doesn't have issues.
When you see Chris saying "absolutely", not once, but twice, you know that is a good car.
The thing is from the first Evora in 2009 to the last Final edition of the Evora in late 2021 early 2022 there has been many large and small incremental chances to the vechile including engine improvements very notable gearbox improvements chassis, aero improvements, interior improvements well as tuning and set up to the point where you can say the Emira is basically a new car despite being very close to the final edition Evora.
The real question is. How did Chris shift down mid slide from 2nd to 1st even though both hands were on the wheel at 3:51?
Especially since the stick didn’t move, welcome to editing…
@Andrew why would they edit that in though?
The display shows the gear it's in once the clutch is fully released, so he probably shifted, put both hands back on the wheel and let the clutch slip a bit and then when released completely, the display showed the 1st gear. I'm sure he uses this technique to drift. Slipping the clutch that is.
Corvette might offer more bang for the buck, but it doesn't have the exotic looks and driving feel and fun of the Emira. Either car would be great, however I'd go with the Emira purely on fun to drive and stunning looks!
Even with it's comparatively "low" price tag I'll probably never get to drive, let alone own one of these. But it still makes me almost inexpressibly happy to see one of the very few remaining British car companies bring out a car like this; a car that acknowledges their proud history and builds on it; a car that is receiving rave reviews from pretty much every car news outlet; and most importantly for the future of the brand, at long last a car that can actually challenge the big players in the sports car sector for useability and refinement as well outperforming them for pure driving pleasure.
I really, really hope this sells like hot cakes. Long live Lotus!!!
You should Google "who owns Lotus" - its not the British.
@@JesseDishner I'm very well aware of who owns Lotus, but that doesn't make them not a British car brand, in the same way that Americans owning Arsenal FC doesn't mean it isn't an English football club. Lotus cars are still designed and built by Lotus at the Hethel factory in England where they've been based since 1966; they are funded by foreign ownership, yes, but the company and the cars are still very much British.
@@wb2463 Well answered. What will be interesting to see is how the influence of Geely seeps in over time, similar to how it has with Volvo.
@@JesseDishner Yeah, that's what I'm afraid of; the upcoming SUV - something Lotus would never, and should never, have made - is perhaps the first sign of that. That said, they obviously need to be profitable and in our strange times an SUV is the quickest and most reliable way to make money, so I can't begrudge them that too much. Hopefully the SUV is just that, a money making scheme for profitability, and they continue spending the rest of their resources on the cars Lotus should be making.
@@wb2463 It is the reality of the auto making world we live in. Range Rover is Tata now, everything is becoming conglomorate. When I sold cars I would ask the question what is more American, a Buick made in Korea or a Hyundai made in Indiana?
these cars have gotten CHEAP in the USA...it's looked down on because it's not really that fast but dammmm this video delivers this car!
Take it on the B1145, Kings Lynn to Bawdeswell
I just wish this was longer
This is the only new car I really feel like I could “upgrade to” from my NC1 Mazda MX5 and offers a similar but just more powerful experience. Other than the Boxter S really
Lottery win goals
Great review, Chris. I would buy a lotus,but unfortunately, I need a lottery win. Also, I love the camera work when you're drifting the Lotus.
Notice he never said it drived better than the Evora? I look forward to the i4 as something new to the party. That merc 2L can be tuned pretty hard as well if the DCG can handle it.
Harry noted weight distribution more akin to 911 but V6 has higher center gravity; Matt Farah noted shifter perfect whereas prior model required learned technique. Harris personality and driving skill always worth watching.
@@GTC4cam heel-toe
I need one in British Racing Green.
If only this was a targa top. Imagine:
- T Top
- Upgrade the SC to 500/550hp
- 0-60 in closer to 3.7s and 1/4 in 11.8s
- widen f/r tires by 10 and 20mm
Going to wait to see it this summer when they have it on tour of the dealerships in Canada. 90%I'm going to put an order in... just have to see it in person and sit in it.
My mushroom tip got bigger, watching this beautiful car
A great car. In the hands of a great driver.
I've been waiting for Chris to get his hands on this on track!
In the US, I'm waiting for the regular priced models to go on sale (vs the Launch Edition). V6, manual for sure. And that sound!!
If I wasn't able to get an allocation for my Porsche 718 Spyder This would have been the car for me.
Saw my first at Lotus OC meet at Castle Combe on Saturday
V impressed with the looks and quality.
Just a shame its so big compared to the Elans surrounding it.
Its the way with all '23 cars due to regs I know, but an Elan and a quarter size would be amazing.
You can really tell this is a BBC Top Gear produced version of Chris Harris. Lots of vignetted shots and fancy inserts with the narrative spliced in along the way. Having just rewatched Chris’s own content covering 992 GT3 Touring, I find the latter so much more engaging to watch. No doubt this suits a broader audience but I definitely prefer the more pared back version. More Chris, fewer effects please.
Saw one in the fast lane yesterday
Impressive ,
Would be my choice for the money every time
Well done lotus 👍