First drive: 2022 Lotus Emira prototype review
Much about the Emira is familiar, but there are also some very obvious differences from the cars it replaces. When former Lotus boss Phil Popham promised a sports car that would be benchmarked to match theon practicality and comfort as well as driving manners, many suspected we would eventually discover a ‘for a Lotus’ proviso, but the Emira seems well up to segment standards.
My 45-minute stint on track at Hethel confirms that the Emira feels like a much more grown-up car than the Evora, but also that there are plenty of dynamic similarities – which, given the handling prowess of the old car, is definitely a good thing.’s turbocharged four-cylinder unit is an intriguing one, but the supercharged Toyota V6 feels like an old friend.
We live in a crazy world where 400bhp pitted against 1430kg no longer produces a sharp-end power-to-weight ratio, but the Emira has more than enough urge to feel interesting on track, despite the huge grip generated by its chassis. As an aside, Kershaw says Lotus anticipates a fair amount of custom from owners of junior supercars frustrated by the inability to unleash them on the road.
The Emira’s steering is beyond reproach, entirely justifying Lotus’s decision to stick with hydraulic assistance through what might seem like the anachronistic use of an engine-driven pump . Reactions are accurate and linear, with crisp feedback at all loadings from a pit-lane trundle to accurate reporting of slip angles building under big cornering loads.The suspension is similarly well judged, first impressions vindicating Lotus for going without any active systems.
The hairpins at either end of the track highlight this. At the north end, Rindt corner is slippery enough to have the Emira’s front axle running out of grip before the rear end, with the proximity of the Armco barriers at this end of the track encouraging prudence but giving the stability control the chance to prove its abilities to quell understeer on the greasy surface.