Lotus Cars have long been associated with race tracks and as such, it was never considered a thing of comfort nor luxury. Try getting around the countryside in one of the older models and you’d receive a sore back. And climbing off the floor isn’t fun either.
But that was in the past. The new Lotus Emira is not just for tracks; it is a premium, luxury sports car too. Borrowing design cues from the brand’s all-electric hypercar, Evija, the Emira sure has the look that qualifies as a premium, luxury sports car.
Carrying on the tradition of Lotus Cars, the Emira is a mid-engined, rear-wheel-drive exotic supercar developed on Lotus’ new Sports Car Architecture.
Two engines are offered, including the new-to-Lotus 2.0L 4-cylinder turbocharged motor ‘i4’ developed in partnership with AMG, and a 3.5L supercharged Toyota 2GR-FE V6 that produces 400 horsepower and developed 420 Nm (or 430 Nm in the auto variant) of torque.
And so, yeah, as expected of an automaker born out of racing, the new Lotus Emira is available with a six-speed stick shift or the optional six-speed auto with paddle shifters. The car has an incredible drag coefficient too, coming in a mere 0.349.
The smooth, flowing lines, paired to the Toyota 2GR-FE afford it with a 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) spring in 4.3 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph (290 km/h).
Meanwhile, the 2.0L engine is touted as the world’s most powerful production 4-cylinder engine, rated at 360 horses. Torque and other numbers are not explicitly disclosed for the 2.0L engine, though.
Lotus Cars only said that the engine range has a max torque of 430 Nm and it makes the century sprint in under 4.5 seconds and has a top speed of “up to 180 mph”. The i4 motor will be mated to AMG’s DCT with paddle shifters.
Other notables include extruded aluminum chassis technology, 20-inch forged wheels, vertical LED headlamps, rear air diffuser with twin exhaust pipes, 395 liters of combined luggage space, USB and 12v ports, KEF audio with Uni-Q technology, 10.25-inch centrally mounted touchscreen, additional 12.3-inch TFT instrument panel, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay support, and a multi-function flat-bottomed sports steering wheel.
The Lotus Emira First Edition with the V6 Supercharged engine will be available starting in Spring 2022, priced from US$93,900.
The First Edition I4 Turbocharged variant will be available in Autumn 2022 with the base edition (from $74,900) to follow in 2023.
The Lotus Emira First Edition with the V6 Supercharged engine is available to configure now in the U.S.
All images courtesy of Lotus Cars.
