Lotus Emira with Manual Gearbox — Pure Driving, Road and Track

“I bought a new Lotus! Come over and take it for a spin.” Normally I would accept an invitation like that without hesitating, but this time I paused: which Lotus are we talking about? The electric SUV? No — my friend in the UAE had just bought a Lotus Emira coupe, the most old-school model in the current range, complete with a supercharged V6. I booked my flight the same day.

Which Lotus? The 2024 Line-up

For many people, Lotus still means cars built on Colin Chapman’s principle of taking weight out wherever possible. My generation remembers the Elise and the Exige; older enthusiasts think of Giugiaro’s wedge-shaped Esprit. But in 2017 a controlling stake in Lotus went to the Chinese holding company Geely. What has that done to the brand’s British principles? The 2024 range is the place to look.

There is the Lotus Emeya, an electric four-door Gran Turismo. Tellingly, the first question the FAQ on the official website hurries to answer is “Is Emeya a true Lotus?” The doubts, clearly, have not gone away.

There is the electric SUV Lotus Eletre, which we have already tested for Autoreview. Both battery cars are built in China.

And there is the electric hypercar, the Lotus Evija, with four electric motors and a combined 1500 kW. It was unveiled in late 2019 at the Guangzhou Auto Show; customer deliveries did not begin until the end of 2023.

The Emira: Three Cars Replaced by One

And finally the Lotus Emira, a classic mid-engined coupe aimed squarely at the Porsche 718 family. Imagine the weight of responsibility resting on that elegant silhouette. The Emira replaced not one orthodox model but three — the Exige, the Elise and the Evora. Leaving aside the endless special editions and variants, the Emira, shown in 2021, was the first all-new Lotus in fourteen years. It is also the last Lotus with a purely internal combustion engine and no hybrid assistance: the plan is to switch entirely to hybrids and EVs, though plans can change.

The Emira greets you looking stunning — a genuine supercar. The silhouette is low and expressive, and the network of intakes and vents is sophisticated without shouting about it. Up close you find yourself admiring every line, because everything you can see is doing a job. There are no fake openings and no decorative grilles: every vent either takes cool air in or lets hot air out.

Inside: The Ascetic Lotus Is Gone

The wide-opening door welcomes you in, and the broad sill reminds you that this is not just any low car. Those sills are an inheritance from the original Lotus Elise, because the Emira keeps essentially the same aluminium chassis of large extruded sections.

First impressions of the cabin exceed expectations: it is genuinely comfortable and inviting. Gone are the spartan days of older Lotuses. There is a cushioned, electrically adjustable seat, decent trim materials, and even cupholders — unheard of in a Lotus. The only reminder of the mid-engined layout is the pedal box, offset to the right, with a wheel arch where the left footrest ought to be.

The stalks feel familiar, and so do the steering wheel buttons — Geely owns Volvo as well. For a small sports car company this is a win: the parts work perfectly and do not distract from the point of the exercise, which is driving. Even the key carries the slogan: “For the drivers.”

A Toyota V6 With an Edelbrock Blower

Time to begin. Flip up the red cover, press the start button. After a brief pause the car sends a light tremor through the chassis and your ears confirm that the loud machinery just behind you has woken. It is Toyota’s 3.5-litre V6 with an Edelbrock 1740 supercharger, a combination Lotus has used since 2010; the earlier cars had Harrop blowers.

The six sounds noble — a rich, crisp tone, best in the midrange, and not unlike a Camry at its most tuneful. Amusingly, the rear-view mirror frames not only the engine cover but the throttle linkage at work. That is probably no accident: the exposed linkage for the six-speed Aisin manual is proudly on display too. An automatic from the same supplier is available. My friend sensibly chose the manual.

City, Motorway and Luggage

My route is a little over 100 km, finishing at a small mountain pass, so there is time to see how the Emira handles ordinary driving. Town is arguably the worst place for a Lotus, and even there the comfort exceeds expectations: the engine does not heat the cabin or intrude with noise, and the suspension, which dislikes sharp speed bumps, deals with them without harsh knocks. Firm, but compliant.

On the motorway the dominant noise at speed is aerodynamic — not the tyres, not the engine behind you, but the air moving over all those edges. Sometimes it whistles in a register unfamiliar enough that you turn the music down to find out where it is coming from. Otherwise the Emira is perfectly suited to everyday use and short trips.

One drawback is luggage space. Beyond a couple of backpacks behind the seats there is a 150-litre rear boot, which gets hot from the engine next to it. The front compartment is out of bounds — it is a service bay.

Up the Mountain Pass

On to the mountain road. There are three drive modes — Tour, Sport and Track — and they change only the throttle response and the exhaust valves. The passive dampers cannot be stiffened. Selecting Track brings up a stability control warning. I am ready.

Going uphill the engine delivers strong, steady thrust. The acceleration is not breathtaking, but it suits a car of this size exactly, and the short gearing helps: every shift presses you firmly back into the seat. The hefty action of the gearlever does slow a quick change, though, especially across the gate.

The engine’s performance is solid but emotionally neutral: no turbo surge in the midrange, no thrilling crescendo at the top. Peak output is 405 hp at 6800 rpm, with 420 Nm arriving at 3200 rpm. The supercharger whines, the road offers second-gear hairpins, and the Emira never once suggests it might get its tail out. It clings to its line. Precision over hooliganism.

The chassis stays flat through quick direction changes, with no diagonal pitching and no unwanted steering effects. The Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres provide immense grip, at 245 mm across the front and 295 mm at the rear on 20-inch wheels.

Brakes and Steering

The AP Racing brakes are faultless: firm, progressive, consistent. The only complaint is that the small brake pedal sits close to the throttle, which makes heel-and-toe less precise — particularly with no auto-blip to fall back on.

And the heavy steering? Perhaps that is what “for the drivers” means. It is lighter than the unassisted racks of the Elise and Exige, but still heavy by modern standards, and it tires your arms after 15–20 minutes of hard driving.

The shape of the wheel also forces your hands onto a nearly vertical part of the rim. For feel and feedback it is no better than a Porsche 718, whose lighter, more communicative steering I prefer.

The pass ends and the Emira is unfazed — brakes, tyres and cooling all fine. I want a break, though: the heavy controls make the car feel weightier than its 1486 kg. Lighter inputs would make it more playful. As it is, it feels like a machine built with the track in mind.

A Track Day at Dubai Autodrome

Track days in the UAE require a rookie session before you are allowed into open track time. Rookies pay AED 650 (₽16,500) for three 25-minute runs on a basic layout under instructor supervision. Obey the overtaking rules, collect no warnings from the marshals, and you are cleared for the open sessions, which cost AED 900–1000 (₽23–25k) for three hours.

The paddock at Dubai Autodrome is full of Porsche 911 GT3 RS models of every generation. I am used to seeing ordinary GT3s on Russian circuits; the RS versions are rarer, and tend to stay in their garages.

Full tank, tyre pressures set, quick briefing. I slide into the Emira and discover that the helmet will not fit under the headliner: it has to go on outside, after which I squeeze back in. Those plush electric seats take their toll.

Two warm-up laps show a medium-speed circuit of mostly third-gear corners — perfect for a Lotus. Fifteen minutes disappear in concentration, reacquainting myself with the tight pedal box and the heavy shifter.

Three or Four Seconds Off a GT3 RS

A red flag interrupts us. In the pits I compare lap times: I am only 3–4 seconds slower than a 997-generation GT3 RS, and that with no chassis setup changes at all. The Emira answers faithfully, letting you brake deep into an apex and rotate the car gently on the throttle. It feels as though the chassis could take another 50–80 hp. Tyre temperatures are even, the brakes are strong, the cooling is sufficient. This is a bona fide track tool.

Verdict: For the Drivers

A track-focused Emira special edition looks inevitable: more power, more aero, less weight — sports seats alone would save 25 kg. As it stands, the production Emira is a superb way into mid-engined sports cars. It is not cheap, at German prices starting around €95k, but it offers the layout’s particular experience, capable road manners, genuine track readiness, and the pleasure of a manual ICE drivetrain. It lives up to the engraving on its key: “For the drivers.”

Full Specifications

Parameter	Lotus Emira
Body type	Two-door coupe
Seating capacity	2
Dimensions (mm) Length Width Height Wheelbase Track (front/rear)	4413 2092 1226 2575 1624 / 1610
Aerodynamic drag coefficient (Cx)	0.349
Luggage capacity, L	151 / 208*
Curb weight, kg	1486
Gross weight, kg	1763
Engine	Gasoline, port fuel injection with belt-driven supercharger
Engine location	Transversely mounted behind the seats
Number and arrangement of cylinders	6, V-shaped
Displacement, cm³	3456
Bore / stroke, mm	94.0 / 83.0
Number of valves	24
Max. power, hp / kW / rpm	405 / 298 / 6800
Max. torque, Nm / rpm	420 / 3200
Transmission	6-speed manual
Drive type	Rear-wheel drive
Front suspension	Independent, spring, double wishbones
Rear suspension	Independent, spring, double wishbones
Brakes	Ventilated disc
Tire size	245/35 ZR20 (front), 295/30 ZR20 (rear)
Maximum speed, km/h	290
Acceleration 0–100 km/h, s	4.3
Fuel consumption (combined cycle), L/100 km	11.3
Fuel tank capacity, L	58
Fuel type	AI-98 gasoline

Photo: Lotus | Yaroslav Panin

This is a translation. You can read the original article here: Для водителей: Lotus Emira с механической коробкой передач — на дороге и треке