2023 Lotus Emira

Lotus Emira – Exterior

The Lotus Emira carries the design language of the Evija hypercar with all the cuts and creases and the right places. You have the vertical LED headlights, wing-inspired twin blade design, and the iconic Lotus roundel that we’ve seen on the hypercar already. It sure looks like a car from a segment above. The Emira will be offered in two specs – Base Edition and First Edition.

The Base Edition comes with 20-inch 10-spoke Silver cast wheels, whereas the First Edition wears 20-inch V-spoke Forged wheels finished either in silver, gloss black, or diamond cut. They come wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tires as standard, but you can shell extra moolah and get yourself Michelin Pilot Sport 2 Cup rubber as well. Lotus notes that both these tires are specifically developed for the Emira.

The First Edition model comes with stuff like a titanium exhaust finisher, heated power-fold door mirrors, and rear parking sensors. Two-piece brake discs with branded calipers and TPMS are the other niceties you can get on the First Edition Emira. For now, you’ll have an option to choose from six colors, but the company will add more shades moving forward. The shades you can get now are - Seneca Blue, Magma Red, Hethel Yellow, Dark Verdant, Shadow Grey, and Nimbus Grey.

The Lotus Emira is based on the new Lotus Sports Car Architecture that also underpins the Elise. The car comes with two predefined chassis and suspension settings. You get the ‘Tour’ setting by default and it’s more suited for everyday use. The ‘Sports’ setting is available with the optional Lotus Drivers Pack and you get a slightly stiffer suspension and a hydraulic steering setup here.

As for the dimensions and weight, the Emira measures 173.7 inches in length, 74.6 inches in width, and 48.2 inches in height. The wheelbase is 101.4 inches long. In its lightest form, it weighs just 3,095 pounds.

Lotus Emira – Interior

The cabin looks like a nice place to be in. The top-spec Emira will pamper you with seats draped in Nappa Leather that you can have in either Red, Black, Grey, and Tan shades. If Nappa Leather is not your thing, there’s black Alcantara that can be had with red, yellow, or grey contrast stitching. You also get a flat-bottom sports steering wheel with metallic spoke details. Lotus says this is exclusive to the Emira. Behind it there’s a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.

On the center console, you get a 10.25-inch touchscreen system that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. To please the audiophiles, Lotus offers a 10-channel, 340W KEF audio system as well.

• Four-way adjustable standard seats
• Optional 12-way adjustable heated premium sports seats
• Chrome trim finishers
• Rain-sensing wipers
• White interior mood lighting
• Lotus-branded sill plates
• Auto-dimming rearview mirror
• Climate control
• Keyless start

In terms of storage, there’s 7.3 cubic feet of space available behind the seats. Lotus has provided twin central cup holders, phone storage slot, door bins, glovebox, and a tray ahead of the gear shifter.

Lotus Emira – Drivetrain

The Lotus Emira will be offered with two engine options. The first one is the 3.5-liter V-6 Toyota 2GR-FE engine. Lotus has paired it with an Edelbrock 1740 supercharger.

This engine puts out 400 horses and 310 pound-feet of torque when you opt for the six-speed manual gearbox. If you choose to skip the third pedal and go with the six-speed automatic, then you’ll have 400 horses and 317 pound-feet of torque at your disposal.

In both cases, the engine redlines at 6,800 rpm.

With the automatic gearbox, the Emira will be able to sprint to 62 mph from rest in 4.2 seconds, and with the manual transmission, it’ll take one-tenth of a second more to touch the 62 mph mark. The top speed is rated at 180 mph irrespective of the gearbox you choose.

The other engine is the 2.0-liter, four-cylinder turbocharged engine is sourced from Mercedes-AMG. It churns out 360 horses.

The same engine also does duties in the AMG A45. In the Emira, it will be mated to a dual-clutch automatic transmission that will power the rear wheels only.

The torque figures are still unknown at this point. If Lotus decides to go all the way with this, then we could get the higher state-of-tune like the AMG A45 S wherein the power plant pumps 421 ponies.

How Much Does The Lotus Emira Cost?

The Emira Base Edition starts at £59,995, whereas the Emira First Edition starts at £75,995. This is roughly around $79,200 and $100,400, respectively, based on the exchange rates at the time of penning down this article.

When Will The Lotus Emira Arrive?

The Emira First Edition will arrive in Spring 2022, and the Emira Base Edition is scheduled to arrive in Spring 2023.

Lotus Emira GT4 Race Car

Not too long ago, Lotus announced that it will be building a competition-spec GT4 version of the Emira. The track-only car will come with:

• Pirelli tires wrapped around 18-inch wheels
• A double-wishbone setup at the front and rear
• Öhlins coil-over dampers
• Anti-roll bar
• Six-speed xTrac gearbox with paddle shifters
• Limited-slip differential
• A whole lot of aero equipment, including a large rear spoiler

Lotus stated that the GT4 Race Car will be available for the 2022 season.

Lotus Emira – Competition

Porsche 718 Cayman GT4

When talking about high-end sports cars, there’s no way you can rule out Porsche. The company has multiple offerings in this segment and that’s one of the reasons why it dominates it. The Emira can go up against a few 911 models, but we’ve picked out the 718 Cayman GT4 as its chief rival.

The 718 Cayman GT4 now also has an RS version, but it is priced around $40,000 more than the Emira First Edition. So, we’ve stuck to the GT4 that starts at $101,200. This beast is powered by a naturally aspirated Boxer six mill that displaces four liters. It churns out 414 horses and 309 pound-feet of torque. You can have it either a six-speed manual or a PDK. If you opt for the latter, you’ll have 317 pound-feet of torque to play with.

As for the performance specs, the manual gearbox has a top speed of 189 mph and can sprint to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds. With the PDK, you’ll be able to zip to 60 mph from rest in 3.7 seconds and will have a top speed of 188 mph. As stated earlier, the 718 Cayman GT4 starts at $101,200. This is for the manual gearbox. You’ll have to shell out $3,210 more for the PDK.

BMW M4

An odd-ball pick, right? Well, hear us out. The BMW M4, surprisingly, falls in line with the Lotus Emira in most engine and performance specs. It is powered by a 3.0-liter, twin-turbo inline six that puts out 503 ponies and 479 pound-feet of twist. In its best avatar, the Competition xDrive, an eight-speed automatic gearbox feeds power to all four wheels.

Thanks to this setup, the BMW M4 can shoot to 60 mph from a standstill in merely 3.4 seconds! The top speed is limited to 155 mph, but you can have it increased to 180 mph. If you’re looking for a manual exclusively, the M4 won’t make the cut since there’s no three-pedal option here. Also, you are sure to get better handling in the lighter mid-engined Lotus car.

But, if you are in the market for a fast, two-door coupe with an automatic gearbox, that’s comparatively lighter on the pocket, the M4 might be worth considering. The M4 Competition xDrive starts at $78,800, whereas the standard M4 range starts at $71,800.

Lotus Emira – Driver Assistance Features

The Emira will be available with a set of Advanced Driver Assistance System that includes:

• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Anti-Collision System
• Fatigue Alert
• Lane Change Assist
• Lane Departure Warning
• Rear Cross Traffic Alert
• Road Sign Information
• Vehicle Speed Limiter

Lotus Emira – Optional Packages

Lotus has offered a few optional packages on the Emira, but these can be had only on the First Edition model. These include:

Drivers Pack

• Tour suspension setup Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tires or Sport suspension with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires
• Track Mode
• Switchable exhaust sound

Design Pack

• Lightweight 10-spoke V-design forged wheels
• Black, red, yellow, or silver-painted brake calipers
• Privacy glass
• Black Alcantara headliner
• Lotus-branded footwell mats
• Sports pedals

Convenience Pack

• Front parking sensors
• Rear reversing camera
• Rain-sensing wipers with aero blades
• Auto-dimming rearview and wing mirrors
• Boot and passenger foot well stowage net

Lower Black Pack

• Gloss black-finished front bumper air blades, front splitter, side sills, and rear diffuser

Conclusion

So, is the Lotus Emira a fitting way to mark the end of the gas-powered lineup for the automaker? Well, it’s not too bad. The car is definitely a mixed bag with its own set of pros and cons. But, the company sure is milking on the emotional factor by giving the top-spec model a six-digit price figure. That said, if you’re a Lotus fan with deep pockets, you should certainly go for the Emira.