BMW's and Porsche's are great cars. The Lotus Evora is a special great car. My 2013 Evora makes me feel very special because it's a beautiful, capable and unique car. I feel part of a exclusive club. Having seen only 3 or 4 in my neighborhood in the last 3 years. Cars and coffee never gets boring. I usually have the only Lotus or the only Evora. This car drives like a dream and has never had any mechanical problems. I just hit 40k and no rattles or squeaks just pure driving pleasure. I never get tired of hearing "cool car" on almost every trip to the store. I don't know if BMW's/Porsche's get such praise because there's so many and they look alike. That's the difference between a great car and special great car.
An associate of mine had one of these (manual). Spent a day riding around in it one weekend and it was incredible. Fast as hell, great handling and sounded amazing. I couldn’t imagine driving anything faster than this on the street.
The recent prices of enthusiast cars (new and old) has taken away from my usual level of interest/enthusiasm, it’s sad. Getting older prob a factor too lol
I'm the same way. While I do appreciate what I have more (because even getting that for what I paid for is unattainable now), it is kinda frustrating the goalposts for a new car have been pushed back way forward out of my reach right when I'm about ready to be back in the market lol. The amount of options at or around 50k is like half of what they used to be. Even the Mustang GT is like 60k now...
Blame easy money and poor self control of consumers. Loans have allowed people to punch way above where they should be in the market seemingly without consequence for years.
@@TT92348 yeah true. now that interest rates are super high, maybe things will cool down more. But i'm not hopeful since more EVs are coming up that are way too expensive and less sports cars in general are available for cheap.
Absolutely lovely. The 400's have an incredible sounding exhaust, supposedly a better built interior, but I think the power difference is a lot more on paper than in given a take real life roads. The torque numbers, especially in the mid range where you're not at with these engines is not that different. They won't be making them like this again. As lotus targets the mass market a little more with the Emira, the slightly more raw driving experience of the Evora and certainly the older Evora's will be lost.
im curious @zygrene.. i know they're very different cars but how does this stack up against the manual mk5 supra? manual, RWD, ~350 HP. how does the raw mid engine compare to the more refined front engine?
Dude- have someone with recorder back and front drive behind and front -can’t see the exterior car running -need to have a car body on the road in driving it.
Can anyone else confirm that the Evora’s (particularly the 400 or GT) have better throttle blipping in normal mode? This is probably the biggest drawback for me.
I can't confirm if the 400/GT are better, but it's an easy problem to solve in the 2014 (and back) S. It's due to the clutch position sensor. If the sensor is disconnected, rev matching is much easier. Disconnecting this sensor disables cruise control and sets a temporary CEL on startup, but otherwise has no other impact - these cars didn't require the clutch depressed to start.
Evora 400 any day, there is an auto transmission version, build quality is much better than the Evora S and it's much more reliable. I own one as well as a few supercars, and it's my favorite car to drive, even if not the most powerful. Alpine a110 would come 2nd in that price range, but the engine sound really suck compared to the Evora.
I would take an Evora 400 over a 981 Cayman GTS, but I would take the 981 Cayman GTS over an Evora S. The only Evora that can even come remotley close to a GT4 is the Evora GT (The GT4 is the superior car imo).
Get in a 20 year old Porsche with 100k miles and it will be in way better condition. It's funny that the Toyota engine is the most reliable thing in the Evora and the Toyota Production System is also responsible for the consistency of build quality at Porsche.
Lotus got taken over by Geely in 2017. Prior to that the build quality on their cars was very much hit or miss. A 2022 Evora GT will have significantly better build quality than any pre 2018 Evora.
Yeah but underneath is an aluminum monocoque chassis with double wishbones set up by Matt Becker. Only real competition is a Cayman with EPS, a very weird and non 911 threatening 4 corner Macpherson strut set up, can't fully disable traction control and no handbrake. They're great but have a few extra layers of numb baked in. I owned a launch edition Evora. And a 987, 993 and 997. My 997 is still at Porsche Houston North in search of a $35K short block. Every Porsche engine seems to have some critical flaw. Also not even sure my Lotus dealer knew what an Evora was tbh. So annoying. Engine out to change the clutch etc... And I'd still take another one over every Porsche I've owned or driven. I was waiting on NA Emiras but I think a later year Evora is the ticket. The high frequency vibrations through the wheel and the rear lateral stiffness were given to us by God.
@@876yuugtExcellent write up. It’s just a shame that in order to get good driving dynamics you have to settle for kit car quality. Theres nothing restricting having Evora driving dynamics in a Porsche quality body. It’s just that no manufacturer besides Lotus seems to care.
BMW's and Porsche's are great cars. The Lotus Evora is a special great car. My 2013 Evora makes me feel very special because it's a beautiful, capable and unique car. I feel part of a exclusive club. Having seen only 3 or 4 in my neighborhood in the last 3 years. Cars and coffee never gets boring. I usually have the only Lotus or the only Evora. This car drives like a dream and has never had any mechanical problems. I just hit 40k and no rattles or squeaks just pure driving pleasure. I never get tired of hearing "cool car" on almost every trip to the store. I don't know if BMW's/Porsche's get such praise because there's so many and they look alike. That's the difference between a great car and special great car.
An associate of mine had one of these (manual). Spent a day riding around in it one weekend and it was incredible. Fast as hell, great handling and sounded amazing. I couldn’t imagine driving anything faster than this on the street.
Hey, it was the 280 or the 350 ?
Very good review. Ironically as I left the gym today there was a Lotus parked in the lot with the license plate “Slowtus”.
The recent prices of enthusiast cars (new and old) has taken away from my usual level of interest/enthusiasm, it’s sad. Getting older prob a factor too lol
At least the BRZ is still cheap 🙃
Wait. The market is already on its way back down for a variety of reasons. Like luxury watches, cars peaked for the foreseeable future during Covid.
I'm the same way. While I do appreciate what I have more (because even getting that for what I paid for is unattainable now), it is kinda frustrating the goalposts for a new car have been pushed back way forward out of my reach right when I'm about ready to be back in the market lol. The amount of options at or around 50k is like half of what they used to be. Even the Mustang GT is like 60k now...
Blame easy money and poor self control of consumers. Loans have allowed people to punch way above where they should be in the market seemingly without consequence for years.
@@TT92348 yeah true. now that interest rates are super high, maybe things will cool down more. But i'm not hopeful since more EVs are coming up that are way too expensive and less sports cars in general are available for cheap.
Absolutely lovely. The 400's have an incredible sounding exhaust, supposedly a better built interior, but I think the power difference is a lot more on paper than in given a take real life roads. The torque numbers, especially in the mid range where you're not at with these engines is not that different. They won't be making them like this again. As lotus targets the mass market a little more with the Emira, the slightly more raw driving experience of the Evora and certainly the older Evora's will be lost.
im curious @zygrene.. i know they're very different cars but how does this stack up against the manual mk5 supra? manual, RWD, ~350 HP. how does the raw mid engine compare to the more refined front engine?
Hey bro. Super video. I was wondering can you make a video of stock c6z06? Man that would be bom
After drifting huracan in the mud several years ago, finally a good car review.
I was close to buying an Evora. But the build quality
...is fine. Toyota engine and transmission.
@zygrene - do you ever feel obligated to say nice things about a car because you don't want to upset the owner?
I always try to give my authentic take on what I like and dislike about any car I drive.
As a volunteer… we know what we are getting into if we contribute our car!
Tell the owner to consider a cold air intake. It would add the supercharger whine to the sound and may improve the throttle response.
Dude- have someone with recorder back and front drive behind and front -can’t see the exterior car running -need to have a car body on the road in driving it.
cant wait till you get your hands on the emira!
Why? It's a Mark-3 Evora, basically.
Funny comment about the linkages. They do need to be tightened over time.
Can anyone else confirm that the Evora’s (particularly the 400 or GT) have better throttle blipping in normal mode? This is probably the biggest drawback for me.
I can't confirm if the 400/GT are better, but it's an easy problem to solve in the 2014 (and back) S. It's due to the clutch position sensor. If the sensor is disconnected, rev matching is much easier. Disconnecting this sensor disables cruise control and sets a temporary CEL on startup, but otherwise has no other impact - these cars didn't require the clutch depressed to start.
What roads are these? Mount Diablo?
Also, do you have any recommendations for a sports car under 70k with an auto transmission?
Evora 400 any day, there is an auto transmission version, build quality is much better than the Evora S and it's much more reliable. I own one as well as a few supercars, and it's my favorite car to drive, even if not the most powerful. Alpine a110 would come 2nd in that price range, but the engine sound really suck compared to the Evora.
@@tiduskana Evora is a bit out of the budget and the Alpine isn’t sold in the US :(
@@LifeofTFhow much is an evora?
Cayman 718 PDK
the 1st one was 2010, unless lived in europe, so no to the 7 year ago. 2014 s was the best year of the series 1
10/10
You should just buy my 2005 lotus Elise with 140k 😅 no throttle response issues
I would take an Evora 400 over a 981 Cayman GTS, but I would take the 981 Cayman GTS over an Evora S. The only Evora that can even come remotley close to a GT4 is the Evora GT (The GT4 is the superior car imo).
I generally agree. Haven't driven an Evora 400 so for me it's Evora GT over 981 GTS. Evora GT vs 718 GTS 4.0 is trickier.
My Uncle actailly just got a lotus evora 2014 and has an elise series 2
your uncle is a lucky man
@@MegaMauri75 lucky?
no luck ? 2 great dreams car ..or maybe e got with hard work..@@One_Random_Channel
Bashes British build quality of the interior and then says "None of that matters when we put our right foot down"
Which is true for real enthusiasts.
My god what horrible build quality. Everything is rattling, air bag popping out and headliner is bubbling for 15k miles?!
Agreed. Bright spot is the engine is toyota camry
Get in a 20 year old Porsche with 100k miles and it will be in way better condition. It's funny that the Toyota engine is the most reliable thing in the Evora and the Toyota Production System is also responsible for the consistency of build quality at Porsche.
Lotus got taken over by Geely in 2017. Prior to that the build quality on their cars was very much hit or miss. A 2022 Evora GT will have significantly better build quality than any pre 2018 Evora.
Yeah but underneath is an aluminum monocoque chassis with double wishbones set up by Matt Becker. Only real competition is a Cayman with EPS, a very weird and non 911 threatening 4 corner Macpherson strut set up, can't fully disable traction control and no handbrake. They're great but have a few extra layers of numb baked in. I owned a launch edition Evora. And a 987, 993 and 997. My 997 is still at Porsche Houston North in search of a $35K short block. Every Porsche engine seems to have some critical flaw. Also not even sure my Lotus dealer knew what an Evora was tbh. So annoying. Engine out to change the clutch etc... And I'd still take another one over every Porsche I've owned or driven. I was waiting on NA Emiras but I think a later year Evora is the ticket. The high frequency vibrations through the wheel and the rear lateral stiffness were given to us by God.
@@876yuugtExcellent write up. It’s just a shame that in order to get good driving dynamics you have to settle for kit car quality. Theres nothing restricting having Evora driving dynamics in a Porsche quality body. It’s just that no manufacturer besides Lotus seems to care.
Have absolutely no interest in this car, just here for Zygrene's review and thoughts.
❤❤❤