I'm getting bored of the 'is itca Lotus or not' discussion. As far as I can see, it's a best in class luxury eletric SUV. For all I love Lotus conceptually, almost no one bought them. If they are to exist in any form in the future, this is what they need to build. Maserati failed at this, Jaguar failed at this. Let's hear more praise for what Lotus have done here, please.
Just what I thought....hopefully they can wake up a bit more for the SQ6 E-tron review...assuming Audi decides to let them have a test vehicle that is...!!...I wouldn't.
No, it's not just you & them, I was utterly bored with their dull lacklustre review too! - I only sat through it because I'm thinking of replacing my 2023 RS5 Vorsprung coupe with an Eletre. God, it sure was a slog!
Well I am the guy you're looking for. I put deposit down on a Lotus Emira two years ago, and went to take delivery a couple weeks ago. After driving It, I decided it wasn't enough to pull me away from my existing sports car. But oh my goodness, seeing and driving the Lotus Eletra was amazing! I put down the deposit and that is the Lotus I am buying.
For me the Audi looks like a boring Audi.... beautiful Audi fit and finish but it simply doesn't stand out. The Lotus looks brand new and worth the luxury tab. On another test they put the Lotus against a Bentley and a Ferrari at 3x the price.
*_There is nothing that weighs over 2.5 metric tonnes and is over 5 meters long that could ever drive like a_* *REAL* *_Lotus._* 😂😁🤣 The difference would be like riding an Elephant and then riding a horse. Then saying, _"Riding the Elephant is just like riding a horse."_ 😲🤔 I'm not complaining. Just commenting. The Lotus looks stunning 8-))...
Nothing of any quality is £45k these days...apart from something like a Peugeot e-3008. I think we can all safely say the Audi looks more expensive than that piece of French crap.
I also don’t get hung up on the Lotus badge. Sat in one and it’s a lovely place to be. My issue is the efficiency. Replicated in several tests and isn’t great. Needs to be better. This particular Audi is boring. Predictable. Sat in ICE Q8 but facelift and felt it was really old. Design language inside is old hat. At the price point it felt cheap in places. So I would also choose the Lotus.
Hi, which model if I may ask and what type of driving? Lots of city/town or long motorway drives? Seriously interested in a base model, but my key test is from my home in the Mids to Staines and back - exactly 300 miles round trip. Do you think it could make it? Many review have been waaay under the official 373 figures and some as low as 220-240 miles! Thanks.
Lotus owners in UK 🇬🇧 and 🇨🇳 Friends: do u drive an imported or locally built car? UK Lotus Owners: I drive a imported car from China Friends: do u drive an imported or locally built car? China Lotus Owners: I drive a imported car from UK
And guess what they sold barely any. The amount of people who go on about this sort of thing are the same ones who wouldn’t buy an Elise if you paid them. Look forwards not backwards. This lotus suv looks seriously impressive to me.
I feel that a better comparison, given Lotus' storied albeit spotty QC sports car history, would have been a Tincan, sorry Taycan. I am afraid as a past Lotus owner, It would take an huge leap of faith for me to spend £100,000+ on a Hethel product. Having had Porsches for the last 20+ years, currently a Panamera Hybrid, going back to Lotus and Lotus dealerships would seem a retrograde step.
At the risk of sounding pejorative, the Audi feels like the car bought for the school run when the wife is mostly on duty and the Mr has another car, but the Lotus is the car bought for similar duties when ‘Dad’ is doing most of the driving. I feel like ‘skool run mum’ would pick the Audi nine times out of ten. I write this living close to a posh primary school where I see Cullinans, Rangies, Urai, fast Audis, and the like, but have so far not seen a single Eletre. (I’m also the owner of an Elise S1 160, so not a bomb thrower)
Well the best ESUV in this category for me hands down the Macan. From this 2 ...none. The Audi is boring and on its last production cycle - the Eletre is different and the interior looks great on pictures, but it's sooooo heavy and inefficient. The antithesis of what Lotus always stood for until now.
This is a vehicle that is designed for the UK and perhaps Europe, where you have a strong dealer network. In North America, this will be relegated to the bottom half of the list due to it's higher price than the UK and lack of any support. Yep, it's just like any other Lotus.
Not remotely designed for the UK. It's a big SUV that our roads just aren't comfortable with. It's also a Chinese vehicle first and foremost. Not quite like when Lotus did set up work for Proton and Kia but not a million miles from it. I've seen it on public roads though which I was surprised about. I'd say from the outside the quality looked mixed
if you can spend 100k on a petrol sq8, I don't see why you can't spend 100k on an electric sq8, and alike. And the petrol doesn't even have the cost of a battery to justify the price
Look at the numbers against the ubiquitous Model Y Long Range. These cars are no quicker, much less efficient, lower range, bigger battery and twice the price... They're going to fail hard if this is the best they can do. 😂 And yes, I know the Model Y is hideous and the interior isn't as nice, but people are buying it in droves anyway.
Autocar reviewers are becoming more and more predictable.. the Audi at least has Audi DNA put a Korean badge on the Lotus and it would sit in exactly the same space. The interior borrows the whacky and tries to meld it with the traditional at least the little you showed us and for me it looked no better than a mid band Kia. I'd take the Audi as it will age better. The Lotus will look dated inside a year, in fact it does now.
I'm getting bored of the 'is itca Lotus or not' discussion. As far as I can see, it's a best in class luxury eletric SUV. For all I love Lotus conceptually, almost no one bought them. If they are to exist in any form in the future, this is what they need to build. Maserati failed at this, Jaguar failed at this. Let's hear more praise for what Lotus have done here, please.
Absolutely
Fellas seem a little bored doing this review, or is it just me?
Just what I thought....hopefully they can wake up a bit more for the SQ6 E-tron review...assuming Audi decides to let them have a test vehicle that is...!!...I wouldn't.
Electric cars.
No, it's not just you & them, I was utterly bored with their dull lacklustre review too! - I only sat through it because I'm thinking of replacing my 2023 RS5 Vorsprung coupe with an Eletre. God, it sure was a slog!
That Audi looks old now, Lotus looks fresh and more like a luxury car
Lotus made a mistake with the marketing. They should have said this would go perfectly alongside you lotus sports car for an every day family car
And what if you don't have a Lotus sportscar? 😅
@@Steve-gc5nt You mean like 99.99% of prospective buyers? Nah, this guy doesn't think those people are very important!
Well I am the guy you're looking for. I put deposit down on a Lotus Emira two years ago, and went to take delivery a couple weeks ago. After driving It, I decided it wasn't enough to pull me away from my existing sports car. But oh my goodness, seeing and driving the Lotus Eletra was amazing! I put down the deposit and that is the Lotus I am buying.
No doubt the Lotus is a step above Audi in both performance and interior, I think it would compete well with the fastest of Lambo or Ferrari SUVs
Massive weight, huge tyres and needless inefficient performance……EVs are really saving the planet…….🤔🤣🤣
For me the Audi looks like a boring Audi.... beautiful Audi fit and finish but it simply doesn't stand out. The Lotus looks brand new and worth the luxury tab. On another test they put the Lotus against a Bentley and a Ferrari at 3x the price.
*_There is nothing that weighs over 2.5 metric tonnes and is over 5 meters long that could ever drive like a_* *REAL* *_Lotus._* 😂😁🤣
The difference would be like riding an Elephant and then riding a horse. Then saying, _"Riding the Elephant is just like riding a horse."_ 😲🤔
I'm not complaining. Just commenting. The Lotus looks stunning 8-))...
The lotus just looks so much more special. You could’ve told me the Audi was 45k and I would 100% would have believed you.
Nothing of any quality is £45k these days...apart from something like a Peugeot e-3008. I think we can all safely say the Audi looks more expensive than that piece of French crap.
Could of hinted at range you were getting hunk both these cars are bad in real world.
The most boring review!
Ev,no thanks!
I also don’t get hung up on the Lotus badge. Sat in one and it’s a lovely place to be. My issue is the efficiency. Replicated in several tests and isn’t great. Needs to be better.
This particular Audi is boring. Predictable. Sat in ICE Q8 but facelift and felt it was really old. Design language inside is old hat. At the price point it felt cheap in places.
So I would also choose the Lotus.
Only Tesla are pushing efficiency the others are going for power and a big battery which is not a sustainable way of doing things.
Lotus: "We can do luxury and technology with the best of them!" Geely: "You welcome."
A Porsche Cayenne doesn't handle like a sports car. A stiff SUV yes. Let's not get too carried away.
Well of course but they didn’t quite say that.
eh more like a good fat, tall wagon that can dance. The X3 and X5 M cars exemplify stiff SUV rides
I feel sorry for you guys must be hard to review electric cars..
Why lol
@@robinok1406Because the old timers are still living in the past whilst the brands are looking to the future.
My previous Lotus to my Eletre was a 1998 S1 Elise... it's definitely quite different!
Note to Autocar...get some presenters/journos who can actually articulate their thoughts fluently! Jesus H Christ, this was painful!!
to me it’s simple. made in germany vs made in wuhan’s china.
Range of 278 miles is a bit off... I've been getting over 300 miles even over the 'winter' period.
I get nearly 700 miles Elon🤨
Hi, which model if I may ask and what type of driving? Lots of city/town or long motorway drives? Seriously interested in a base model, but my key test is from my home in the Mids to Staines and back - exactly 300 miles round trip. Do you think it could make it? Many review have been waaay under the official 373 figures and some as low as 220-240 miles! Thanks.
The most vile category of cars ever made?
Second most. Luxury pick up trucks that used as passenger cars and not for work are worse. And now you can have them as EVs too.
Matt Saunders, Matt Prior, And Matt Watson
One of these things is not like the others… 😂
Are you saying Autocar need to wreck a car
Matt Armstrong!
Matt Eagle
Matt Damon 😂
Love this format, 2 blokes in a car chatting about the car, top work👍
Audi all day for me, Lotus should stay with light weight EV roadsters😊❤❤
The boys hated the fact they had to spend time with these two vehicles and making this comparison video.
Lotus owners in UK 🇬🇧 and 🇨🇳
Friends: do u drive an imported or locally built car?
UK Lotus Owners: I drive a imported car from China
Friends: do u drive an imported or locally built car?
China Lotus Owners: I drive a imported car from UK
what in the blasphemy is a Lotus crossover? They ain't even got a 2+2 coupe or saloon and jump straight to crossover?
The Emaya is the saloon, it’s arriving shortly.
And guess what they sold barely any. The amount of people who go on about this sort of thing are the same ones who wouldn’t buy an Elise if you paid them. Look forwards not backwards. This lotus suv looks seriously impressive to me.
@@jonathanh9592 You know what else is seriously impressive? Volkswagen Tiguan.
I feel that a better comparison, given Lotus' storied albeit spotty QC sports car history, would have been a Tincan, sorry Taycan. I am afraid as a past Lotus owner, It would take an huge leap of faith for me to spend £100,000+ on a Hethel product. Having had Porsches for the last 20+ years, currently a Panamera Hybrid, going back to Lotus and Lotus dealerships would seem a retrograde step.
At the risk of sounding pejorative, the Audi feels like the car bought for the school run when the wife is mostly on duty and the Mr has another car, but the Lotus is the car bought for similar duties when ‘Dad’ is doing most of the driving. I feel like ‘skool run mum’ would pick the Audi nine times out of ten. I write this living close to a posh primary school where I see Cullinans, Rangies, Urai, fast Audis, and the like, but have so far not seen a single Eletre. (I’m also the owner of an Elise S1 160, so not a bomb thrower)
Well the best ESUV in this category for me hands down the Macan. From this 2 ...none. The Audi is boring and on its last production cycle - the Eletre is different and the interior looks great on pictures, but it's sooooo heavy and inefficient. The antithesis of what Lotus always stood for until now.
It's a chinese Luxury EV that they bought the Lotus Badge for. Nothing more and nothing less.
E-tron is gorgeous, faarr comfier with better noise isolation, ride quality, NVH (noise vibrations and harshness) reduction, rock solid interior etc
Clips like these are the stuff of nightmares had you foreseen it 10 years ago.
If this is what the future from Audi and lotus looks like. We are doomed.
This is a vehicle that is designed for the UK and perhaps Europe, where you have a strong dealer network. In North America, this will be relegated to the bottom half of the list due to it's higher price than the UK and lack of any support. Yep, it's just like any other Lotus.
Not remotely designed for the UK. It's a big SUV that our roads just aren't comfortable with. It's also a Chinese vehicle first and foremost. Not quite like when Lotus did set up work for Proton and Kia but not a million miles from it. I've seen it on public roads though which I was surprised about. I'd say from the outside the quality looked mixed
Boring.
"Feeling quite Audi" is quite a turn of phrase.
I’d have the Lotus. It’s got better looking too.
who on earth need 500hp in uk?
All smooth roads, not typical near me
if you can spend 100k on a petrol sq8, I don't see why you can't spend 100k on an electric sq8, and alike. And the petrol doesn't even have the cost of a battery to justify the price
Audi Vs Geely🫡🇨🇳
You mean VW VS Geely
@@A2KLAU 👍
Germany 🇩🇪 Vs China 🇨🇳
@@A2KLAUbut Audi will also soon using chinese tech from IM motors, soooo
Look at the numbers against the ubiquitous Model Y Long Range. These cars are no quicker, much less efficient, lower range, bigger battery and twice the price... They're going to fail hard if this is the best they can do. 😂
And yes, I know the Model Y is hideous and the interior isn't as nice, but people are buying it in droves anyway.
That’s like saying the VW Golf is much better than the Mercedes S Class because it’s cheaper.
Autocar reviewers are becoming more and more predictable.. the Audi at least has Audi DNA put a Korean badge on the Lotus and it would sit in exactly the same space. The interior borrows the whacky and tries to meld it with the traditional at least the little you showed us and for me it looked no better than a mid band Kia. I'd take the Audi as it will age better. The Lotus will look dated inside a year, in fact it does now.
It's such a shame Tesla doesn't make the Model X in RHD anymore - let's face it - it poos on both of these in every measurable way
quality
The X‘s build quality is far behind both.