Tuna

I'm not a fan of DJI, but the Inspire 3 is looking like an astonishing bit of kit. Just don't look at the price!

Interesting reviews - maybe it was the dull weather, but a handful of them seem dull pieces all round. Then you get to Harry just enjoying the car and suddenly the sunshine is out again. Given the state of motoring in 2022, I'm not sure what anyone was expecting. This was not going to be revolutionary, there's really not much space left for ground breaking changes in ICE cars within the current regulations and environment - and the car has been signposted for a year, so there was never going to be shock and awe. However, in one fell swoop it removes just about all of the "reasons not to buy an Evora", and leaves us with a car that you have to nit pick to make a case between it and the Porsche offering. That speaks volumes about how far the company has stepped up since Geely took over, and bodes well for the future. With a few tweaks, I'd say Lotus have nailed it. This is a stunning car, with a modern high quality, usable interior and dynamics that are incredibly rewarding. No, it doesn't "obliterate" the competition, and people who are fans of the Porsche, or the Alpine or whatever flavour BMW will still prefer those cars, but you could put one of those in a forecourt anywhere in the world and people would stop to look and ask about a test drive. That has to be the next step for Geely - get that dealer network growing fast and let people make up their minds for themselves. When reviews start with "This reminds me of the Ferrari...", we should be pretty pleased with the result.

I think the Evora missed out on the EVO list, and the AutoExpress best car of 2009 list because it's not actually in the hands of owners yet. With some luck it'll be turning up in lists like that over the next twelve months.

Don't underestimate the legislative treacle that safety concious items like child car seats have to go through.

It seems to me that different seats have surprisingly different dimensions. We're all Maxi-cosi here and swap the seats between our cars with no problems - but even in our estate, two group 1's leave virtually no space between them. The Excel is probably the poorest fit as the seats have that strange dip that car seats just don't fold into. The sooner our youngest is out of the group 1 the better - not that they seem to mind ("Faster, Daddy, go faster!").

Not a very consistent review - "it's expensive" followed by "it's 10K cheaper than it's nearest rival" and so on. Nice to see the car being driven with gusto, and a good conclusion, but neither informative or fun. That bit where he was throwing the car around with the contortionists on the back seat was cringe-worthy. Watch out for creepy uncle Tiff!

That's the review in the current British Top Gear magazine. The reviewer seems to prefer German machinery At least it proves you can't please all of the people all of the time. It'll be interesting to see if that verdict is carried through to the TV programme.

Top Gear's review of the Evora is out in paper form. Written by Matt Master, it comes to the conclusion that the Evora isn't as good as the Cayman or BMW M3 - complaints include harsh ride, poor interior, too little space, badly shutting door, weak handles, poor switchgear, squeaks and rattles. He then goes on to rubbish most previous +2's that Lotus produced. The review is fairly short and light on detail, but I get the impression that he was having a bad day Car Magazine test it and love it. They praise the ride, handling and in particular the steering. They do raise niggles about the trim, noisy wiper, reflections in the windscreen and rear view. However, they say that some of these should be addressed by the time the car reaches customer hands. Of the overall driving experience, they say 'This really is a car you could happily drive to Spa in, nail round the track and then drive back, still happy' They then do a head to head with the 911 and M3, out of which the Evora does pretty well. The BMW cannot match the other two for sports car feel, handling or fuel economy, but is comfortable and a true four seater. The Evora and 911 are much more evenly matched. Useful room front and rear are comparable. Porsche unsurprisingly has the better interior quality, but 'looks dull' and doesn't feel special. Evora ride and handling is described as a 'revelation'. Steering is 'a new benchmark for a modern power-assisted system'. I'll add these to the review round up shortly.

All the latest reviews have been added to the review knol. Please let me know if I've missed any.

http://fwd.five.tv/gadget-show The Gadget Show this week did a three way comparison between high end car stereos - all with 7" screens. Katie Melua was the celebrity 'expert' on sound quality. They compared the Pioneer AVIC F900BT, Alpine IVA-W505R (which I believe is the model in the Evora), and Kenwood DNX-9240BT. The Alpine had the best screen, but perhaps the weakest user interface. The Kenwood was just a little better in audio terms than the Alpine, which was better in turn than the Pioneer. They liked the removable sat-nav of the Alpine. All models were tested as after-market fit-outs in a set of identical Alfas - so how representative the sound test would be for an Evora install is open to question. If the optional 'imprint' audio set up makes a useful difference to the quality of the sound, it might be worth having if you're an audio obsessive. The review video is online on the Five TV site.

It sounds like it's going to be a question of body/leg length. The quoted sizes all assume you've got 'average' proportions, but if you've got unusually long legs for your height, or a long torso you might be less comfortable than you'd like. Out of interest Simon, have you tried out a 911 for comparison?

You beat me to adding the link! As ever, I've added it to the list of reviews here

If that's the case, I wonder if there is some anti-glare/reflection treatment that could be factory applied to reduce the issue? Whatever the problems are, Lotus must react fast to make sure that the headlines are about the class leading performance rather than the disappointing trim. To get Porsche owners into Lotus showrooms, the Evora cannot be perceived to be a step down in quality. Not that Porsche owners are shallow

Wow, first direct comparison with the Cayman and I'd call that as a solid win for the Lotus. I'd be interested to understand exactly what the trim issues are that are being mentioned - I'd hope it's something Lotus can focus on in the run up to full production. The good - no, fantastic news is that the one thing that would be hard to change at this point appears to be class leading. The ride and handling gets such consistent praise that Lotus should be very proud of what they've achieved.

Another good review. The comments section makes depressing reading though - lots of armchair pundits talking rubbish.

Yes, a good first review, but I don't think he got much of a drive in it - it's very light on driver experience in favour of overall impressions. But for those impressions to say that Lotus have got the quality right is fantastic. I'll be adding links to reviews at the Launch and Review Knol as they come in.

Thanks for that - I was saving the nervous anticipation for Monday.

OK, I've uploaded a copy of the current Evora Knol. I'll be updating that sometime next week, and will try to keep the two in sync.

I'd expect that few if any of the owners of the launch edition would want to start changing it before they've even received it. No-one really knows what the character of the car is like yet - and certainly the engine is not going to have the feel that it has in standard Toyota tune after Lotus have breathed on it. In six month's time you might see some more interest, but even then this is not really a cheap car to hack around on a whim, or to risk damaging resale value.

I'd be very happy to do a page on colour combinations. It'd be nice to get them from a consistent viewpoint and in consistent lighting, so if anyone knows anyone who's going up to Scotland next week that would be a great opportunity to get a good variety of Evoras (Evori? what is the plural?). Otherwise, should we suggest an ideal view point to take the photos from? Perhaps, rear three quarter view or something?

That's why I wondered about the Tendercrave entry - could have been Lotus' own easter egg!? Of course, you're a fairly trusted source and the list is also a convenient gathering of all the dealers who'll be showing the Evora so it seems to be fair game. If anyone wants me to take down my copy I'll happily remove it. Indeed. Pistonheads and Seloc are surprisingly disconnected (or at least, the few people who really do know are doing a good job of saying nothing) and Lotus themselves are quite reticent when it comes to such things. So the little drips of information that do escape are fodder for the internet. Pictures of your family are not really on though. There'll be a frenzy in a week or so - let's hope the reviews are stellar. Then the news can be quoted ad-infinitum.

Ooops, got one in the main Knol, forgot to add it to the new one!

Well, I've started a new knol to track the launch reviews and added them to the list - but it'd be nice to know who they were.

Silly question, but who are Tendercrave?

I had briefly considered dragging the Excel up to Scotland, but watching other people having fun in a brace of Evoras would be frustrating and I doubt they'd want to pose with their spiritual ancestor, however shiny it might be. Certainly though I'll keep an eye out along with everyone else for news on the launch and add what details I can to the Knol. Tom, if there's anything you miss (not very likely, I grant you), I'll add it here as well.