Evor ready
Lotus gets back on track
he poor old Evora was sorely neglected during Lotus’s turmoil years. But, at last, here’s the Evora 400, and it’s a lot more than just a number, or indeed a facelift. It’s a major reshufe in the parts you can’t see. Transformations in what you can see – nose, tail and cabin – seem like a decade of progress, not just six years.
It’s a more serious machine. Some of the delicacy and suppleness of the old chassis is gone, replaced by a bracing cascade of forces and speed. Even standing still, it’s a far better car. The old faky cabin construction has been banished, and the boot no longer closes with the fex of a Tupperware lid.
The 400 number refers to its horsepower. To get that out of the Toyota V6 base engine, Lotus has changed its own supercharger, now with a charge cooler as well. The intakes and exhaust and much else are Lotus’s own too. The throttle pedal is an instant sluice gate for a massive head of force, all across the rev range. A new three-inch exhaust system will comfortably fll a heavy-metal stadium, but a dash switch quietens it for urban discretion.
TIt’s not just more powerful but lighter. Lotus claims 4.2 seconds for 0–62mph, and it feels like that. It’s vastly quicker on a track lap than the old Evora S – in fact, it’ll match the pants-on-fre Exige S.
It does that with grip and wonderful poise and communication, quick-witted agility and immense traction. It all feels secure and reassuring on a track. On the bumpiness and unpredictability of Norfolk roads, the suspension is an order frmer than before, but still able to do a terrifc job of soaking up disturbance at speed. The steering yields up loads of feel, too – like, better than, say, a Cayman GT4. The only car of this sort I can recall as being better in that regard was the outgoing Evora.
Though it’s Exige and GT4 class for sheer involvement, it’s far more civilised than before. The sides of the tub have been changed, dropping the sill height so you can get in and out without hernia peril. The new seats are lighter, the new door inners give you more room, the new dash is better-looking, more solid-feeling and vastly more ergonomic in its switches and controls. All in all, a bang-up job.