Motors: Lotus Elise

By Leicestershire Magazine on June 2nd 2011

Motoring writer Anthony Yates recounts one of the best weeks of his life – the one he got to spend with the 2011 Lotus Elise.

This little sports car is absolutely fantastic. It’s here now parked on my driveway looking all mean and like it wants to start a fight with my neighbour’s MX5.

They say that when you actually get to meet the one thing you have always wanted to drive, it turns out to be a real disappointment. Well so far - I am not disappointed at all. Firstly it’s British, and secondly its mine; for a little while anyway.

Over the last 14 years, the Lotus Elise revolutionised the sports car market when the small lightweight agile 2-seat mid engine sports car was introduced. Lotus ensured that the Elise stuck rigidly to Lotus’ core values of performance to produce a supercar with city car economy that would appeal to the real drivers of this world, and judging by what’s sitting on my drive -  Lotus have not disappointed us with the new 2011 Elise.

The new Elise has a new body design for 2011 incorporating a new front clamshell, and rear bumper. New headlights have also been fitted, including LED day light running lights and LED direction indicators. At the rear of the car the new engine has been encased by a distinctive engine cover whilst lower down a more aggressive diffuser is tightly wrapped by an elegant new bumper. Vehicle warranty has also increased from 2 years to 3 years and 36,000 miles.

The driving position in the new Elise is of course fantastic. The perfectly positioned pedals and steering wheel add to the sports car image. On the road - it’s poised and direct, and it certainly lets you know when you have reached the edge of your abilities, and boy does it shift!

There is a new 1.6 litre engine with Valvematic and Dual VVT-I technology to optimise the performance and efficiency of the engine. Fuel consumption is also much improved with a combined figure of 46 mpg.

The 1.6 litre Valvematic engine is 200cc smaller than the outgoing Elise S model and produces similar power (136 PS, 100 kW, 134 hp at 6800 rpm) with maximum torque of 160 Nm, 118 lbft at 4400 rpm. This high technology engine is mated to a new 6-speed manual gearbox, providing closer and more performance orientated ratios than the outgoing 5-speed box.

Would I buy one? I have had this little Lotus for nearly a week now, and you know what? I can’t stop grinning. Its fun with a capital F – and every time I was out and about, people just stared. So YES if I had the spare cash stuffed into a sock, I would at some point be signing on the dotted line at my nearest dealer. Lotus has a unique product here with this new updated Elise. I love it because it’s made in Norfolk, I love it because it is a proper British Sportscar, and I love it because it makes me feel happy, but I really love it the most, because it’s a Lotus.

So there you have it Lotus. A new branding name ‘I love it because it’s a Lotus’  On a serious note: You can forget about your Porsches and your Mazda MX5s, If you really want a proper mid-engine sports car that’s not only British, but has a racing pedigree that’s second to none, there is only one choice. Guess what? You’ve just read about it. Enough said!

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