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Lotus Elise Performance Specifications
Price
$42,990
Layout
mid engine/ rear drive
Engine
1.8-liter inline-4
Torque
138 lb-ft @ 6800 rpm
Weight
1950 lbs
Power to weight
1 hp:10.3 lb
0-60
4.7 sec
1/4 mile
13.4 @ 101.4 mph
skidpad
0.98g
Current Hot Mod
I recently got a hold of this great looking billet aluminum oil cap from eBay. It is a cheap mod and really high quality. I have seen many CNC machined aluminum pieces and I was surprised at the quality of this oil cap! The Elise/Exige normally has a plastic cap that looks like it just doesn't belong on the car. This one looks like what Lotus should have put on it. Best of all, you can see it through the engine cover!
Buying a Lotus Elise
When considering the purchase of a Lotus Elise, the first thing you should note is that you are buying a car that is not made for practicality. It is probably good to have an alternate car that you can do your grocery shopping in. The Lotus Elise is the most affordable exotic car that you can buy on the market today. Why? Because of the mid engine rear wheel drive layout, its bonded aluminum race car chassis, and the entirely hand build fiberglass body. For the price, I think it's a bargain. I purchased an Elise in July 2005. There were no alternatives on my list. There are a few cars in the same price range that have similar performance numbers, but those are just numbers... I test drove a Corvette C6, which was the closest competitor, in my opinion, and it felt soulless and overly refined when compared to the Elise. The ride was so soft that it felt like I was driving a luxury car. If you are the kind of person who cannot stand a stiff suspension, then the Elise is probably not for you. Due the ultra-low weight, the handling characteristics of the Lotus Elise are unrivaled.
Engine
In the United States, Lotus is using the Toyota (Yamaha designed) 2ZZ-GE all-aluminum engine to power this vehicle. It is a 4 cylinder dual overhead cam 1.8 liter engine that produces 190hp. 190hp may sound like nothing, but the car weighs 1950 lbs. By remapping the ECU and making modifications to the exhaust system, Lotus has managed to extract an extra 10 HP over the discontinued Toyota Celica GTS's 2ZZ-GE setup. The less powerful K-Series rover engine is used overseas in England.
Cool Lotus Elise ad made by a third party:
Chassis
The Elise has a race car style chassis that weighs only 150 lbs. It is made from extruded aluminum and glued together with a special super strong glue. A roll bar is also included, which is hidden behind the fiberglass bodywork. The first and second generation Elise both use the same chassis. What other cars use an aluminum chassis? The Acura NSX, Chevrolet Corvette Z06 (C6) and modern-day Ferraris.
Photos courtesy of Group Lotus
Handling
As with most mid-engined rear wheel drive cars, the Lotus Elise tends to understeer a little in stock form. The Lotus Elise non sport pack is set up with 175/55/16 front tires and 225/45/17 rears. This means the front tires are very thin, which produces a decent amount of understeer in stock form. Why did Lotus do this? The answer is, understeer is safer. Most people who buy the car are not race car drivers -- it will keep them from spinning out and crashing on public roads. The sports pack comes with 195 width fronts, which will reduce the understeer a little bit.
Reliability
The Toyota engine and drivetrain is a definite plus for Lotus in terms of reliability. I have not had any mechanical problems on my Elise. I have only had minor non-mechanical issues, such as the window not going all the way up due to a loose bolt. This was fixed easily in 15 minutes by unscrewing the door panel and tightening the bolt.
Here is the biggest problem I have heard of on the Elise:
earlier versions of the 2005 Lotus Elise had problems with the shift lever breaking off. All of the mid 2005 and later versions have reinforced shift levers. Lotus did, indeed, have a recall for this issue.
I know many Lotus Elise owners, and none of them have had a problem with the Toyota engine and drivetrain.
Elise Production
Approximately 2000 Lotus Elises are sold in the US per year. Why do they sell so few? There is not that much market demand. Most sports car buyers in the United States think that a sports car must have high horsepower, and be very comfortable at the same time. That's why people buy the 350Z, the Chevrolet Corvette, and Porsche 911 Carreras. Furthermore, about 90% of these are sold with automatic transmissions because Americans just dont' want to shift gears.
