We began our search looking for a special daily driver sports car that would also work well as a regular feature on our UA-cam channel. We had whittled the list down to a final list of 4 including the Emira…Here I discuss my final short list and the reasons they were dismissed in favour of the Lotus Emira!... ua-cam.com/video/8yF7HDsfvDc/v-deo.html Which would you chose from our list?...Or would you have a totally different short list? Which cars would be in your short list for a daily driver Sports Car?
I bought an Emira and it was delivered in Jan this year. I am a huge Porsche fan, but after driving the Lotus 2,700 miles around Europe, I concluded it just couldn’t compete with the engine and gearbox from Porsche. I sold it for a small profit and found a delivery mileage 718 Spyder. I am glad I had a fling with the Emira but I love my Spyder much more !
? Though…, I considered the Cayman too obviously, and as an AMG fan boy the Emira 2.O, and a C63. I opted to go with the Emira V6, for a manual and good looks, and the different factor. But probably the real reason I opted for the Emira v6, is I anticipate the Toyota derived power plant being far easier and cheaper to keep running in the long run…, What are your thoughts on maintenance costs long term, especially with a Porsche, as I know the consumables are rediculously expensive: clutches, brakes, etc…???? I was also to get cheaper collectors car Insurance on the Emira, which I doubt would be permitted on an everyday Porsche…
In 2008 I had the opportunity to buy a 2006 lotus elise or 2006 Cayman Porche. In 2024 the lotus gets all the attention. Haven't regretted nothing choosing the lotus over the Cayman. Obviously it's not my daily driver but when I do drive it it makes a splash on the road.
Have an Evora and ordered a Boxster GTS but after test driving one on track I cancelled the order. The GTS steering was numb compared to the Lotus and the engine note was boring and wasn’t helped by the long gearing. Will stick with the Evora unless Lotus make a Cup version of the Emira at which point comparisons with a GT4 or Spyder will come into play
I had an Emira on order, but I did cancel and went for a 981 GT4. I spent a day in an Emira, they are so much fun but the seat killed my back. The build quality is not on par with the Porsche,
I believe you should be seriously considering the 991.2 generation of 911. Choose whatever model/price-point you’re comfortable with. Even the modest base model is an exceptional performer. In fact, the 911T or GTS might be the sweet spot for the purchase price range you’ve been looking at. If you’re so inclined, invest modestly in an ECU tune and/or mild exhaust mods and get up to or even a little more than 500 HP that Porsche was holding back just for model-separation/marketing.
Good decision moving away from Lotus. Personally if its something newer you're after and knowing how much you've loved the 458 experience id suggest you look at the 718 Spyder. This would give you the open top experience you currently enjoy, provide good user ROI being low production compared to the GT3 G6 especially if you look to keep short term. Longer term I will say again... 997 GT3. Early 991.1 GT3 is a hard sell if your timeline ownership is 12 months. But with the 718 Spyder id sell the 458 and get into a Challenge Stradale as a stepping stone to your dream 458 Speciale. The above 2 should work financially in your favour. Deliver what you want as daily and fun plus great YT content 👍
thank you mate - i finally cancelled my wait list on a 911 s and pulled the trigger on a v 6 emira - last brand new one available for australia - black with red interior
The Lotus looks really cool and they are fun to drive . Great value for the money. I have a 981 GT4 and love it . I bought a 991.2 GT3 and thought maybe I would sell the GT4 but after driving both for a year realized I enjoyed the gt4 better and sold the gt3 😂. If you have the money buy the GT4 it’s better quality and holds value . If money is an issue buy the Lotus they have gone way down in price lately
The GT4 just felt smaller and more balanced around the curvy mountain roads which is when I drove them most on weekends . The GT3 felt a bit too big in comparison. My GT4 is not stock I sent it to Sharkwerks in Northern California and I spent about $25k to upgrade it with shorter gears, light flywheel, tune , performance air filters, bolt ons and exhaust . Its now more raw and has more power compared to stock . The GT3 is the better everyday car it felt more solid on the freeways and was more composed and refined . The GT3 also has the better engine but it’s hard to get opportunities to rev it out to the 8-9000 RPM on public roads as the gears are tall . With the GT4 it’s an easier to access most of its power and I had more fun not having to short shift as much . I still love the GT3 and may buy one again in the future it’s amazing but if I do I will likely buy a touring version ( for more everyday driving ) but I don’t see myself ever selling my sharkwerks 981 GT4 it just feels perfect especially on those curvey roads .
Fantastic As a Abarth ex owner Please do it modena yellow As you can't get it now Please please Best colour for Abarth Confused why they stopped it It was a genuine colour used for the pransin Horse as you should no As a ferrari owner Tim
You managed to type your message into the Lotus video Comments...but no problem.... Thanks...that would be an interesting colour for sure...especially with silver wheels and likely black interior.
Best Lotus ever made is either the Exige 410 or Cup 430. Both destroy GT4s in terms of feel, handling, and performance. Emira is a GT car, and a huge step away from the classic 20 year run of lightweight,, high performance sports cars that the Elise / Exige represent.
Very interesting on why you choose a Lotus over a Porsche Boxter / Cayman GT4. What I find it interesting is that I believe you or in the U.K they are much more desirable because it’s an English so Nationalistic brand of car for you. I notice all the English you tubers all love the Lotus and Range Rovers. Over here in the U.S the Lotus is seen as less cachet than any Porsche. As they are seen as very small tiny cabin, kit car like questionable quality cars over the Germans or Italian makers. Then it’s got that Toyota Camry engine also. So big turn off for most car guys and why they go with the Porsche as did I. Patchy Dealership presence also here in the U.S.A.
@@Steveawm430 I wouldn’t say that not that I’ve been all over the U.K. But I’ve been to London a few times and there a pretty rich city i didn’t see a whole lot of Porsches at all. What I couldn’t believe is I never in my life saw as many Silver Mercedes and to a lesser extent B.M.W. They are popular here but not to that level. Lotus I’ve actually never seen more than a couple out on the road. When I saw a group of them up close at an autoshow I was of course attracted to the looks of them. But the interior cabin is way to small if you want to use it with your wife and carry anything. My wife steered me towards Ferrari and Porsche. She’d say a Ferrari is a Ferrari there is nothing better. She had a point. The older they get the more they appreciate in value. Lotus do not, nowhere near. In addition are a lot more rare here than Ferrari. I think it’s the English unreliability factor myself. People here almost laugh at people that drive Range Rover’s. You like S&M you go get yourself a Range Rover. 🤷🏼♂️
@@RichReviews_ thank you 🙏🏻 yeah love your channel. You know what you think of getting one of those Alpine French sports cars…..Forbidden fruit I guess. We don’t get them here and being a car guy never have I seen one in my life if you want something rare and unique. Dealers probably wouldn’t be a hassle like Lotus either. I said I was interested in their website on buying a new Lotus a couple years ago. Never got back to me…. Here no company does that. Went with the Porsche. Great service and dealership network. Love the solidity and sound of it.
Ferrari are indeed something special, always an event when you drive one so can’t disagree with that choice. However I am surprised that you didn’t see many Porsche in London, as the SE of the UK has the largest area of demand and they get driven when lesser cars stay safe in their garages! Actually 2022 saw Porsche set an all-time sales record in the UK, delivering a total of 18,554 cars out of a total 309,884 production. Lotus global production was 867 in 2022 and Ferrari 13,221.
The hype on Porsche product is unreal. I have not drove a GT product but took the GTS out for a comparison to the Emira. As a drivers car it offers nothing because it is simply too clinical … you are just a passenger. You give it credit for how it goes down the road but there is zero engagement. I found the steering rack to be as numb as my S2000. The Emira offers so much more in terms of driver involvement. The comments on here is like the Porsche love in society… comments regarding the Toyota engine are so sad😮It’s proven and reliable and effectively retuned by Lotus for its use. Personally I thought your choice was spot on
@@RichReviews_ ohh totally… same position as you cancelled my order and like you just gonna wait and see what happens. Your video was very comprehensive. It’s more about the other comments here the usual BS and marketing suckers
Well at least with Porsche they produce their own engines and don’t farm it out to a boring manufacturer for example Honda,Hyundai, or Toyota. 😂 With Porsche you can build it exactly your way with Paint to Sample in basically any color. In addition to almost 100 options on any model. What does lotus do? White, black or grey with omg one color that’s different Yellow.. then they can’t even make those without backing out of peoples agreed prices they had with a customer and demanding more. If you pay up then you’d find a row of them down at the Lotus dealership that no one wanted and are way cheaper than what you just paid. Don’t like there business model. Rubs most the wrong way. Then a Toyota engine it. 😂 at least the base model gets a Mercedes engine which makes it more interesting but it’s still a kit car manufacturer at heart and that shows in its build quality compared to Porsche. That’s not just “marketing” as you simply put it. 🤣
The cool lotus that they actually made their own engine was the 1996 through 2004 Lotus Esprit V8 that would be a great lotus to get even though the transmission was from Renault I’d still buy that one. Basically because they looked so wonderfully opulent parked outside Sharon Stones character in “Basic Instinct” and those several road chases in the Esprit was magical. Why someone would want a lotus when it looks exotic. The newer ones simply look like a new mini with a body kit.
You know that with cars also like the 911 and especially the Cayman and Boxster GT cars. Well they too are destined to not go foward much after 2025 model year. Then go to Hybrid and Electric ⚡️ cars. So to me those 3 Porsche models would also have that cachet for 23’ & 24’ in being that last of the high rev, great sound Porsche with a manual transmission. I’d have gone with those over a Lotus. The Toyota engine kills my desire for one even if they had the same cachet as Porsche. So I could care less that the Toyota engine is going away. 🤷🏼♂️ still kit car build quality compared to a Porsche.
I lost count of how many times you said non electric non hybrid and beguilement. I do appreciate your enthusiasm for the last of an era British car and indeed it has many merits. A draconian approach to your video editing and a mantra of only using the same expression twice would deliver much punchier content. If you'd have cut the video in half I would have watched through to the end. Interesting perspective - thanks. Enjoy the driving.
Thank you for engaging and your viewpoint...these sit down videos are a lot harder to deliver than they seem. Have you watched any of our other more mainstream content? I would recommend the Euro Tour series or videos like the F12 review etc.
@@RichReviews_ I try! I’ve still got my Emira on order, but it’s been plagued by delay after delay. Finance rates were great when I ordered, now they are horrible. Cheers!
I actually agree…when I watched it back I thought…OMFG how many times did I say that! Sit downs to camera are very hard on the concentration, I find it loads easier walking around a physical car.
Lotus is not as prestigious as the Porsche. It’s also not as reliable as the Porsche. To be honest it looks like Lotus have copied the front of the Ferrari 458. The lotus will haemorrhage in value, but the Porsche, especially a GT variant will not drop.
This is so biased... What is the problem with you and Lotus? This is a baby Supercar being sold at around USD$100K- $130K - Sure it is going to have its early service call-backs. This is not new in the world of newly introduced automotive model production even among the largest automotive manufacturers. Service recalls and recommended updates are totally normal with any new automotive brand model introduction. What you have done is position this as an absurd video pointing out a normal part of the manufacturing process, while missing deficiencies that were not maybe originally realized. You did a good job of pointing these out (I'll give you that), at the same time totally calling down a racing legend brand and some the best engineering teams in the world. You need to give your head-a-shake. Seriously, please reconsider and have another look.
I have no idea what you are referencing here…The video you have commented on is Pro Lotus and details why I initially chose the Lotus over other brands/models in my short list.
We began our search looking for a special daily driver sports car that would also work well as a regular feature on our UA-cam channel.
We had whittled the list down to a final list of 4 including the Emira…Here I discuss my final short list and the reasons they were dismissed in favour of the Lotus Emira!...
ua-cam.com/video/8yF7HDsfvDc/v-deo.html
Which would you chose from our list?...Or would you have a totally different short list?
Which cars would be in your short list for a daily driver Sports Car?
I bought an Emira and it was delivered in Jan this year. I am a huge Porsche fan, but after driving the Lotus 2,700 miles around Europe, I concluded it just couldn’t compete with the engine and gearbox from Porsche. I sold it for a small profit and found a delivery mileage 718 Spyder. I am glad I had a fling with the Emira but I love my Spyder much more !
I must admit I’m regretting turning down the GT4 build slot!
Spyder is the best looking porsche imo.
I've opted for the 981 S, fully loaded
Congrats, hope you have many miles of stress free motoring.
? Though…, I considered the Cayman too obviously, and as an AMG fan boy the Emira 2.O, and a C63. I opted to go with the Emira V6, for a manual and good looks, and the different factor. But probably the real reason I opted for the Emira v6, is I anticipate the Toyota derived power plant being far easier and cheaper to keep running in the long run…, What are your thoughts on maintenance costs long term, especially with a Porsche, as I know the consumables are rediculously expensive: clutches, brakes, etc…???? I was also to get cheaper collectors car Insurance on the Emira, which I doubt would be permitted on an everyday Porsche…
@@RichReviews_ hi
In 2008 I had the opportunity to buy a 2006 lotus elise or 2006 Cayman Porche. In 2024 the lotus gets all the attention. Haven't regretted nothing choosing the lotus over the Cayman. Obviously it's not my daily driver but when I do drive it it makes a splash on the road.
Have an Evora and ordered a Boxster GTS but after test driving one on track I cancelled the order. The GTS steering was numb compared to the Lotus and the engine note was boring and wasn’t helped by the long gearing. Will stick with the Evora unless Lotus make a Cup version of the Emira at which point comparisons with a GT4 or Spyder will come into play
I believe they will create a cup version after the low cost edition they have constantly promised.
I had an Emira on order, but I did cancel and went for a 981 GT4. I spent a day in an Emira, they are so much fun but the seat killed my back. The build quality is not on par with the Porsche,
I believe you should be seriously considering the 991.2 generation of 911. Choose whatever model/price-point you’re comfortable with. Even the modest base model is an exceptional performer. In fact, the 911T or GTS might be the sweet spot for the purchase price range you’ve been looking at. If you’re so inclined, invest modestly in an ECU tune and/or mild exhaust mods and get up to or even a little more than 500 HP that Porsche was holding back just for model-separation/marketing.
Thank you for the information...I'd definitely chose the GT3 and as you say, 991.2s are becoming a lot more financially viable in the current market.
981 S
I would choose the Lotus also it has a certain something the VWs do not have. But I would change the exhaust.
Good decision moving away from Lotus. Personally if its something newer you're after and knowing how much you've loved the 458 experience id suggest you look at the 718 Spyder. This would give you the open top experience you currently enjoy, provide good user ROI being low production compared to the GT3 G6 especially if you look to keep short term. Longer term I will say again... 997 GT3. Early 991.1 GT3 is a hard sell if your timeline ownership is 12 months. But with the 718 Spyder id sell the 458 and get into a Challenge Stradale as a stepping stone to your dream 458 Speciale. The above 2 should work financially in your favour. Deliver what you want as daily and fun plus great YT content 👍
Thank you for the advice. 👍
thank you mate - i finally cancelled my wait list on a 911 s and pulled the trigger on a v 6 emira - last brand new one available for australia - black with red interior
Hope the car works out well for you. When do you take delivery?
The Lotus looks really cool and they are fun to drive . Great value for the money. I have a 981 GT4 and love it . I bought a 991.2 GT3 and thought maybe I would sell the GT4 but after driving both for a year realized I enjoyed the gt4 better and sold the gt3 😂. If you have the money buy the GT4 it’s better quality and holds value . If money is an issue buy the Lotus they have gone way down in price lately
Very surprised you preferred the GT4 to the GT3...what did you prefer?
The GT4 just felt smaller and more balanced around the curvy mountain roads which is when I drove them most on weekends . The GT3 felt a bit too big in comparison. My GT4 is not stock I sent it to Sharkwerks in Northern California and I spent about $25k to upgrade it with shorter gears, light flywheel, tune , performance air filters, bolt ons and exhaust . Its now more raw and has more power compared to stock . The GT3 is the better everyday car it felt more solid on the freeways and was more composed and refined . The GT3 also has the better engine but it’s hard to get opportunities to rev it out to the 8-9000 RPM on public roads as the gears are tall . With the GT4 it’s an easier to access most of its power and I had more fun not having to short shift as much . I still love the GT3 and may buy one again in the future it’s amazing but if I do I will likely buy a touring version ( for more everyday driving ) but I don’t see myself ever selling my sharkwerks 981 GT4 it just feels perfect especially on those curvey roads .
m.ua-cam.com/video/UHSX3H11ALo/v-deo.html&embeds_referring_euri=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2F&source_ve_path=Mjg2NjY&feature=emb_logo
Fantastic
As a Abarth ex owner
Please do it modena yellow
As you can't get it now
Please please
Best colour for Abarth
Confused why they stopped it
It was a genuine colour used for the pransin Horse as you should no As a ferrari owner
Tim
You managed to type your message into the Lotus video Comments...but no problem....
Thanks...that would be an interesting colour for sure...especially with silver wheels and likely black interior.
Best Lotus ever made is either the Exige 410 or Cup 430. Both destroy GT4s in terms of feel, handling, and performance. Emira is a GT car, and a huge step away from the classic 20 year run of lightweight,, high performance sports cars that the Elise / Exige represent.
Very interesting on why you choose a Lotus over a Porsche Boxter / Cayman GT4. What I find it interesting is that I believe you or in the U.K they are much more desirable because it’s an English so Nationalistic brand of car for you. I notice all the English you tubers all love the Lotus and Range Rovers.
Over here in the U.S the Lotus is seen as less cachet than any Porsche. As they are seen as very small tiny cabin, kit car like questionable quality cars over the Germans or Italian makers. Then it’s got that Toyota Camry engine also. So big turn off for most car guys and why they go with the Porsche as did I. Patchy Dealership presence also here in the U.S.A.
Interesting hearing your viewpoint from the US...yes we are based in the UK.
Porsche are ubiquitous in the UK, but even here any Lotus is a rare sight, and the Emira even more so………at least for now.
@@Steveawm430 I wouldn’t say that not that I’ve been all over the U.K. But I’ve been to London a few times and there a pretty rich city i didn’t see a whole lot of Porsches at all. What I couldn’t believe is I never in my life saw as many Silver Mercedes and to a lesser extent B.M.W. They are popular here but not to that level. Lotus I’ve actually never seen more than a couple out on the road. When I saw a group of them up close at an autoshow I was of course attracted to the looks of them. But the interior cabin is way to small if you want to use it with your wife and carry anything. My wife steered me towards Ferrari and Porsche. She’d say a Ferrari is a Ferrari there is nothing better. She had a point. The older they get the more they appreciate in value. Lotus do not, nowhere near. In addition are a lot more rare here than Ferrari. I think it’s the English unreliability factor myself. People here almost laugh at people that drive Range Rover’s. You like S&M you go get yourself a Range Rover. 🤷🏼♂️
@@RichReviews_ thank you 🙏🏻 yeah love your channel. You know what you think of getting one of those Alpine French sports cars…..Forbidden fruit I guess. We don’t get them here and being a car guy never have I seen one in my life if you want something rare and unique. Dealers probably wouldn’t be a hassle like Lotus either. I said I was interested in their website on buying a new Lotus a couple years ago. Never got back to me…. Here no company does that. Went with the Porsche. Great service and dealership network. Love the solidity and sound of it.
Ferrari are indeed something special, always an event when you drive one so can’t disagree with that choice. However I am surprised that you didn’t see many Porsche in London, as the SE of the UK has the largest area of demand and they get driven when lesser cars stay safe in their garages! Actually 2022 saw Porsche set an all-time sales record in the UK, delivering a total of 18,554 cars out of a total 309,884 production. Lotus global production was 867 in 2022 and Ferrari 13,221.
The hype on Porsche product is unreal. I have not drove a GT product but took the GTS out for a comparison to the Emira. As a drivers car it offers nothing because it is simply too clinical … you are just a passenger. You give it credit for how it goes down the road but there is zero engagement. I found the steering rack to be as numb as my S2000. The Emira offers so much more in terms of driver involvement.
The comments on here is like the Porsche love in society… comments regarding the Toyota engine are so sad😮It’s proven and reliable and effectively retuned by Lotus for its use.
Personally I thought your choice was spot on
For me it was not the lack of engagement with driving the Emira but lack of engagement with Lotus.
@@RichReviews_ ohh totally… same position as you cancelled my order and like you just gonna wait and see what happens. Your video was very comprehensive. It’s more about the other comments here the usual BS and marketing suckers
Thanks
Well at least with Porsche they produce their own engines and don’t farm it out to a boring manufacturer for example Honda,Hyundai, or Toyota. 😂
With Porsche you can build it exactly your way with Paint to Sample in basically any color. In addition to almost 100 options on any model.
What does lotus do? White, black or grey with omg one color that’s different Yellow.. then they can’t even make those without backing out of peoples agreed prices they had with a customer and demanding more. If you pay up then you’d find a row of them down at the Lotus dealership that no one wanted and are way cheaper than what you just paid. Don’t like there business model. Rubs most the wrong way. Then a Toyota engine it. 😂 at least the base model gets a Mercedes engine which makes it more interesting but it’s still a kit car manufacturer at heart and that shows in its build quality compared to Porsche. That’s not just “marketing” as you simply put it. 🤣
The cool lotus that they actually made their own engine was the 1996 through 2004 Lotus Esprit V8 that would be a great lotus to get even though the transmission was from Renault I’d still buy that one. Basically because they looked so wonderfully opulent parked outside Sharon Stones character in “Basic Instinct” and those several road chases in the Esprit was magical. Why someone would want a lotus when it looks exotic. The newer ones simply look like a new mini with a body kit.
You know that with cars also like the 911 and especially the Cayman and Boxster GT cars. Well they too are destined to not go foward much after 2025 model year. Then go to Hybrid and Electric ⚡️ cars. So to me those 3 Porsche models would also have that cachet for 23’ & 24’ in being that last of the high rev, great sound Porsche with a manual transmission. I’d have gone with those over a Lotus. The Toyota engine kills my desire for one even if they had the same cachet as Porsche. So I could care less that the Toyota engine is going away. 🤷🏼♂️ still kit car build quality compared to a Porsche.
Exactly!
I lost count of how many times you said non electric non hybrid and beguilement. I do appreciate your enthusiasm for the last of an era British car and indeed it has many merits. A draconian approach to your video editing and a mantra of only using the same expression twice would deliver much punchier content. If you'd have cut the video in half I would have watched through to the end. Interesting perspective - thanks. Enjoy the driving.
Thank you for engaging and your viewpoint...these sit down videos are a lot harder to deliver than they seem.
Have you watched any of our other more mainstream content? I would recommend the Euro Tour series or videos like the F12 review etc.
Should have got the Porsche!
Yes, but we’re you beguiled? 😁
Well at least shows you paid attention! 😀😀💯✅
@@RichReviews_ I try! I’ve still got my Emira on order, but it’s been plagued by delay after delay. Finance rates were great when I ordered, now they are horrible. Cheers!
Similar situation to mine
How many times can you say 991.1 GT3? The answer, too many f'n times.
I actually agree…when I watched it back I thought…OMFG how many times did I say that! Sit downs to camera are very hard on the concentration, I find it loads easier walking around a physical car.
👍👍
Answer: You hate money and reliability
😂😂😂
the lotus got a camry engine fk u mean reliability
???
Lotus is not as prestigious as the Porsche. It’s also not as reliable as the Porsche. To be honest it looks like Lotus have copied the front of the Ferrari 458. The lotus will haemorrhage in value, but the Porsche, especially a GT variant will not drop.
GT variants Are dropping in this climate and the Emira is plunging at the moment.
Stupid decision Lotus over Porsche ?
At the time it seemed logical...at the time!
try hard supreme
🤣🤣, great jumpers! 😉😀
This is so biased... What is the problem with you and Lotus? This is a baby Supercar being sold at around USD$100K- $130K - Sure it is going to have its early service call-backs. This is not new in the world of newly introduced automotive model production even among the largest automotive manufacturers. Service recalls and recommended updates are totally normal with any new automotive brand model introduction. What you have done is position this as an absurd video pointing out a normal part of the manufacturing process, while missing deficiencies that were not maybe originally realized. You did a good job of pointing these out (I'll give you that), at the same time totally calling down a racing legend brand and some the best engineering teams in the world. You need to give your head-a-shake. Seriously, please reconsider and have another look.
I have no idea what you are referencing here…The video you have commented on is Pro Lotus and details why I initially chose the Lotus over other brands/models in my short list.
I stopped watching after hearing you say Lotus Emira 25 times in the first minute....!!!!
Maybe try some of our other more mainstream content.