The Lotus Evora is now the fastest production car from Lotus after their famous Elise that was launched back in 2006. The Evora is the first Lotus to be built on a completely new platform. The design has been aerodynamically improved to create a better downforce to enhance the handling characteristics of this sportscar.
Lotus is probably the smallest car maker functioning on the US soil. It delivers performance and handles more than what it suggests in the paper. The Lotus Evora is now the fastest production car from Lotus after their famous Elise that was launched back in 2006. The Evora is the first Lotus to be built on a completely new platform. The design has been aerodynamically improved to create a better downforce to enhance the handling characteristics of this sportscar. It is going to deliver the thrill and chill of a sports car but it comes with a hefty price sticker of $ 94,900.
The Evora 400 is only offered in one trim level in the form of a 2 door coupe. It is priced at $91,900 which is quite upscaled when compared to its rivals. Lotus has equipped the Evora with many features as standard to justify the price tag. Some of the features include carbon fiber sports seats with contrast stitching, a steering wheel trimmed in leather and black Alcantara, door grab handle, gunmetal finished center console, adaptive cruise control, and much more.
Trims |
Base 2dr Coupe |
---|---|
MSRP |
$91,900 |
Features |
2 seat configuration, Engine start button |
Black Alcantara trimmed carbon fiber sports seats with contrast stitching |
|
Steering wheel trimmed in leather and black Alcantara Door grab handle in black Alcantara, gear lever gaiter and handbrake sleeve in black leather |
|
Gunmetal finished console, door release levers, door grab handles, and instrument panel surround finisher Alcantara IP fascia |
|
Binnacle top with contrast twin stitching Steering wheel finisher and HVAC panel in gunmetal finish with metallic finished bezels |
|
Lightweight aluminum gear knob (manual only) Aluminium face level vents |
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The 2018 Lotus Evora 400 is just offered in a single trim. While the powertrain remains the same you have the freedom to choose between a 6-speed manual gearbox or automatic transmission. We would recommend going with the manual gearbox as it offers a more enthusiastic feel and manual control of the car.
The Evora 400 uses a 3.5-Liter Supercharged V6 engine. It is the same engine that Toyota Highlander is equipped with but Evora gets a Supercharger. The Evora's engine has been tweaked a little bit to make more power and torque to help improve the performance. The power plant churns out 400 horses and makes 302 lb.-ft of torque. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual transmission.
Lotus engineers have made a smart move by using a returned Toyota power unit in their car. The Toyota engines are the most reliable and robust in the market and thus using the same engine in the Lotus solves the engine reliability issues that the previous Lotus cars faced. Moreover, the widespread Toyota dealership network helps Lotus customers get their engine parts from any Toyota outlet just in case they have any issue with the engine.
Models |
Lotus Evora 400 |
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport |
Jaguar F-type Coupe |
---|---|---|---|
MSRP |
$91,900 |
$75,195 |
$61,400 |
Engine |
3.5 Liter V6 |
6.2 Liter V8 |
3.0 Liter V6 |
Transmission |
6-Speed Manual |
7-Speed Manual |
6-Speed Manual |
Drivetrain |
Rear Wheel Drive |
Rear Wheel Drive |
Rear Wheel Drive |
Power |
400 hp @ 7000 rpm |
460 hp @ 6000 rpm |
340 hp @ 6500 rpm |
Torque |
302 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm |
465 lb-ft @ 4600 rpm |
332 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm |
The American rival of the Evora 400, the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport uses a larger 6.2-liter, V8 engine and makes about 460 horsepower and 465 lb.-ft of torque. On the other hand, the Jaguar F-Type Coupe uses a smaller 3.0 liter, V6 engine that makes 340 horses. Both these cars
The acceleration figures of the Evora 400 are impressive but they aren't really the best. Floor the throttle and the Evora will launch itself from rest to 60 MPH in just 4.2 seconds. Just in case if you are into drag racing and stuff like that and if you ever happen to take this British sports car to the drag strip, the Evora will hit the quarter-mile mark in about 12.6 seconds.
Models |
Lotus Evora 400 |
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport |
Jaguar F-type Coupe |
---|---|---|---|
0-60 MPH |
4.2 sec |
3.8 sec |
3.3 sec |
Quarter mile |
12.6 sec |
11.2 sec |
11.6 sec |
Top Speed |
172 mph |
180 mph |
200 mph |
The Evora disappoints us with its acceleration timings. It happens to be the slowest car in the lot. The car that beats the other two cars in terms of 0-60 MPH acceleration timings is the Jaguar F-Type. The Jaguar achieves 60 MPH in just 3.3 seconds in spite of using the smallest engine in the competition. The Chevy Corvette, on the other hand, beats the other two cars in terms of quarter-mile acceleration timings and covers the distance in about 11.2which is just 0.4 seconds faster than the Jaguar.
The re-tuned engine, the redesigned steering, and suspension setup, and the strong brakes help the Evora offer a great ride quality. This car can be your daily driver and at the same time can be your track weapon. The gear shifts are sleek and smooth and the feedback from the steering wheel is also great. The steering wheel is a bit on the heavier side and the suspension is also on the stiffer side which is understandable since the primary playground of this car is the race track.
A stiffer suspension setup doesn't really mean that the car offers a harsher ride. The suspension is also good at absorbing bumps and potholes and at the same time does the job of holding you in place by cutting off body roll by staying stiff. The cornering abilities of the car are also good. The car is pretty much willing to dive into the corners and wants you to throw it into challenging turns.
While the Evora fails to impress us with its acceleration timings, it does impress us with braking stats. The Evora rather gets a large set of brakes with 14.6-inches diameter discs at the front and 13.8 diameter discs at the rear. Slam on the brakes and the car will come to a complete halt from 60 MPH at a distance of 104 feet. A good set of brakes only give you the confidence of driving the car at high speeds and also makes the car safer.
Model |
Lotus Evora 400 |
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport |
Jaguar F-type Coupe |
---|---|---|---|
Brake Front(in) |
14.6 |
13.6 |
13.9 |
Brake Rear(in) |
13.8 |
13.3 |
12.8 |
Curb Weight(lbs) |
3153 |
3428 |
3455 |
60-0 MPH (ft.) |
104 |
107.0 |
116.0 |
Both the Chevy Corvette and the Jaguar F-Type get smaller sets of brakes and both the cars fail to beat the Lotus in terms of braking figures. The Jaguar comes to a halt at a distance of 116 feet from 60 MPH while the Chevrolet comes to a halt at a distance of 107 feet when brakes are slammed at 60 MPH.
Most people who are shopping in the sports car market tend to ignore the fuel efficiency figures of the car. But good fuel economy only means lower running costs and also, you will be doing your own bit to cut down on carbon footprint. Take the Evora on the highway and it will run for 24 miles on a gallon of fuel. Bring the car on the city streets and the Evora will go for 16 miles on a gallon of fuel. The Evora gets a combined fuel economy rating of 19 MPG which is pretty decent for a 400-horsepower sports car.
Model |
Lotus Evora 400 |
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport |
Jaguar F-type Coupe |
---|---|---|---|
MPG (City) |
16 |
16 |
16 |
MPG (Highway) |
24 |
25 |
24 |
MPG (Combined) |
19 |
19 |
19 |
Tank Capacity(gal) |
15.9 gal |
18.5 gal |
18.5 gal |
Range(City/Highway/Combined) |
254/382/302 |
296/462/352 |
296/444/352 |
All the cars in the competition get a combined fuel economy rating of 19 MPG. But one must also keep in mind the fact that the Chevy Corvette makes a lot more power than the other two cars and also has the best quarter-mile acceleration. The Jag on the other hand has the best 0-60 acceleration timings and yet offers equally good fuel economy.
Hop on to the inside of the Lotus Evora and you'll find extensive use of Alcantara and leather all over. The seats are trimmed with Alcantara and carbon fiber. The steering wheel is wrapped with Alcantara and leather, the gear shift lever is crafted in Alcantara and leather, the door grab handle is wrapped in leather and even the hand brake sleeve is made of leather. The center console, the door release levers, door grab handles are all given a gunmetal finish and the infotainment system is again surrounded by Alcantara.
As stated earlier, Lotus likes building small and compact cars and this results in lower passenger space on the inside. Looking from the outside you would never expect the Evora to have a second row of seats but surprise surprise, the Evora has a second row of seats and Lotus claims that this car can accommodate 4 passengers
Model |
Lotus Evora 400 |
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport |
Jaguar F-type Coupe |
---|---|---|---|
Passenger capacity |
4 |
2 |
2 |
Front (Head/Shoulder/Leg) (In.) |
NA |
37.9/55.2/43.0 |
37.0/56.5/43.0 |
Honestly speaking, the second row of seats is almost useless. Kids below the age of 6 might be the only ones to be satisfied with the rear space or otherwise, nobody would ever find the rear seats to be good. The space on the rear is so tight that even a five-footer won't be able to climb into the rear seats. On the front too, the space is tight and taller people will probably have a bad time here. Some of the interior features of the Evora are listed below.
You get a very basic infotainment system with Lotus Evora. It is offered with a 4-inch touch screen infotainment display and a 4-speaker audio system. There is no CD player and you can only play music via AUX. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are also absent. The infotainment display also doubles up as a Sat-Nav display. In a nutshell, a very dumb and unintuitive infotainment system. Some of the notable infotainment features include:
The Evora is easily one of the best-looking cars in the market. It's got those sharp lines, clean curves, and proportionate dimensions, all adding up to the drama of the car and making it an instant eyeball-grabber. The Evora is based on the Lotus Elise and everybody knows about Lotus' affinity towards making small, compact sports cars and this car also tells you a lot about it.
The Evora is 172.6 inches long, 72.6 inches wide, and 48.4 inches tall. The car gets a small wheelbase of 101.4 inches which sacrifices passenger volume but helps the car during turns.
Model |
Lotus Evora 400 |
Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport |
Jaguar F-type Coupe |
---|---|---|---|
Curb weight(lbs) |
3153 |
3428 |
3455 |
Length(in) |
172.6 |
177.9 |
176.0 |
Width(in) |
72.6 |
77.4 |
75.7 |
Height(in) |
48.4 |
48.8 |
51.6 |
Ground clearance(in) |
NA |
NA |
4.2 |
Wheelbase(in) |
101.4 |
106.7 |
103.2 |
The Corvette happens to be the longest and the widest car of the lot. The car is 177.9 inches long and 77.4 inches wide. The Jaguar on the other hand is the widest car in the lot. In terms of wheelbase, the Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport takes the crown in the segment. Some of the exterior features offered on the outside of the Lotus Evora are listed below.
Due to its low sales volume and the high asking price both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety(IIHS) have not evaluated the vehicle. However, Lotus does care about your life and wants you to be safe and protected while you drive in the Evora around the town or on the race track. The Evora thus comes with great safety features like active handling stability control, traction control, and much more.
The Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport is the American rival of the Evora. The Chevy uses a larger engine and hence makes 60 more horses than the Evora. The Chevy also outperforms the Evora in terms of acceleration timings. It also offers the same fuel economy the Evora offers. Moreover, the Corvette is priced at $75,195 which is about $16,000 less than the Evora.
The Evora only performs marginally better in terms of brakes than the Chevrolet. All the above factors make the Corvette a clear winner. Only if you want a British exotic car parked in your garage should you buy the Evora? Otherwise, the Chevy is the more sensible package.
The Jaguar F-Type is the home-grown rival of the Lotus Evora. The Jaguar uses a smaller 3-liter engine and makes 60 horses less than the Evora. Yet, the Jag performs better than the Lotus in terms of acceleration timings. The Jag also offers fuel economy which is equal to the efficiency numbers of the Lotus. The Jaguar F-Type could be yours at $61,400 which is about 30 grand cheaper than the Evora. Clearly, the Jag is the better car of the two and offers greater value for your money.
Long story short, the Lotus Evora 400 isn't as bad as you think it is. Although its performance figures aren't as good as its rival, the Evora fights hard to give a tough time to its competitors. The Evora 400 is a car you buy out of the emotional connection with the brand. Buying a car that costs much more than other cars that offer similar features and specs makes no sense but if Lotus was your dream car company when you were a kid and shelling out extra bucks isn't really a problem for you, then you should listen to your heart and buy the Evora 400.