20 September 2024

The Lotus Emira sends off internal combustion with a bang, whoosh and whistle - and we're here for it

20 September 2024 | James Coleman

The air vents and ducts are real. Photo: James Coleman.

I’m slightly reluctant to put this down in writing in case my three-year-old daughter stumbles across it one day and I’m denied that particularly nice room in the nursing home.

But yes, ‘Elise’ is a lovely-sounding name and all. Enough for Beethoven to include it after ‘Für’ in one of his most well-known compositions, in fact.

But more importantly, in addition to being my daughter’s name, it’s also the name of a famous Lotus sports car. A very pretty convertible one.

In 1995, the chairman of Lotus, Romano Artioli, named it after his baby granddaughter, Elisa, and fittingly, at the end of 2021 when the last Elise finally rolled off the production line, it was delivered to the then 27-year-old Elisa.

For our next child, I might have to get another name past my wife: Emira. I can confidently say that Lotus’s latest little sports car is the best car I’ve ever driven, hands down.

Like the Elise, and the other related Lotus models of Exige and Evora, it exists for one purpose, and it’s written on the side of the key fob: “For the drivers.”

You sit low, cocooned by a bolstered sports seat. Outside, the wide but lithe body is littered with air vents and ducts, and no, none of these are fake. They’re all here to feed the living, breathing creature contained just behind your head.

Since the Emira launched last year, Lotus has expanded its range with two new EVs, the Eletre SUV and Emeya sedan. And the CEO of Lotus Cars Australia has dropped hints of a new supercar coming sometime in 2027 or 2028 – again, electric.

But the company is also keen to keep the Emira alive for “as long as it makes commercial sense”.

Photos: James Coleman.

This means there is still plenty of time to enjoy its glorious internal combustion.

The Emira debuted with a 3.5-litre V6, a supercharged version of the same engine you’ll find under the bonnet of a Toyota Aurion. But mine is the new I4 variant – the result of a new deal with Mercedes-AMG – and uses the same 2-litre four-cylinder turbo as the A45 hatchback.

Put your foot down, and there’s a pause while it girds its loins. Then, it punches you in the back with a whoosh and a roar. Take your foot off and it chortles and whistles.

Not much to see, but plenty to hear. Photo: James Coleman.

The V6 came with a manual option, while the four-cylinder is limited to a dual-clutch auto. Apart from a delay when selecting drive or reverse, it’s very slick. And the paddle shifters on the steering wheel respond with satisfying clicks.

You’re in the heart of the action. And the urge to wear a stupid smirk and affectionally tap the steering wheel is strong, whether you’re blasting along a quiet country road or merely prodding the accelerator pedal in traffic.

Perhaps for the first time for a Lotus, however, the Emira is also very easy to get along with in everyday life.

Okay, the boot is barely enough for two backpacks, and due to its proximity to the engine, it is prone to getting a bit warm (memo to self: don’t store your vanilla slice in there).

And those gaping 19-inch wheels and spray-on tyres mean grip is near boundless and feedback through the steering wheel telepathic, but the trade-off is a bumpy ride.

You’re also not going to woo anyone by how you climb in and out of it.

But you knew all these things.

Photos: James Coleman.

As it was, the Emira was perfectly happy sitting along the highway between Sydney and Canberra, the engine just ticking over and enough sound-deadening everywhere else I could still comfortably hear my audiobook.

The touchscreen in the middle isn’t exactly burdened with cutting-edge tech, and there’s no wireless phone charging pad, but plug your phone in and you have Apple Car Play or Android Auto.

In the default ‘Tour’ drive mode, I could also sneak away from home early in the morning without waking the children, only to slip into ‘Track’ as soon as I reached the bottom of the street, which opens up the exhaust flaps to their fullest potential and sharpens the throttle.

It is one of the best-looking cars ever made, too. Photo: James Coleman.

Given all the thumbs-up and the looks I received while driving it around Canberra, I felt it would be a disservice if those around couldn’t hear me either.

But now we come to the best bit. Despite all the theatrics that might scream “half-a-million-dollar, baby”, the Emira First Edition retails from $199,990, plus on-road costs.

Ferrari looks and feels for Porsche money. Put me down.