Evora 400: daily driving and doing distance.

[Phlissy]

I've had my 400 for a few months now, and I want to briefly share a couple of aspects of my ownership experience, so anyone thinking of buying an Evora who has come to TLF to do some research can find this.

My Evora is my daily driver, and I do up to about 12,000 miles a year. Aside from short trips and early morning blasts just for thrills, I travel long distances with a decent amount of luggage for work and my sport, which is skydiving. And as you can imagine that involves a fair bit of kit. So how does the Evora cope with this life? How well does it meet the combined demands of short-distance blaster and long-distance hauler?

In a word; flawlessly. The Evora is nothing short of brilliant. Miraculous even! I am totally amazed and massively impressed by how well this car deals with every demand I place on it. (Well, OK. Maybe not every demand. I drove it to IKEA once and you can't get a wardrobe in it. But, you should have heard it in the cavernous carpark there! Awesome!) 😆

I'll share with you two real-world examples of why I'm so impressed by the Evora. Firstly, luggage capacity. If you're thinking of buying an Evora but are worried that it can't carry much, think again. Wardrobes aside, 'lack of cargo space' is not a valid reason to deny yourself the pleasure of Evora ownership. I've driven to the airport with four parachutes in the boot and a full-size 25kg suitcase on the back seats, and I still had the passenger seat for more stuff. On the more domestic side of life, the boot plus rear seats easily swallows a massive Sainsbury's trolley full of shopping. Brilliant!

Secondly, long distances. Yesterday, I had a 170 mile drive home from Milton Keynes to Exeter, which went like this; 90 minutes of blasting through Oxfordshire with the sun shining, windows down, sport button on and me laughing out loud at the sheer bloody hilarity of it. Followed by settling onto the M4 for 90 minutes of serene and comfortable motorway cruising with windows up, sport off and stereo on. I hopped out at home with zero aches and one massive grin. Seriously, I'm astounded by how the Evora 400 can be equally excellent at totally mental blasting and smooth cruising. I'm 6' 2'', and over distance I'm honestly more comfortable in my Evora than my previous C-Class Merc.

I bought the Evora because I was bored with the Merc, and having owned (and loved) a couple of Boxsters before (sorry), I wanted to get back into something FUN. Before I bought the Evora, I looked at the Boxster/Cayman again, but was put off by the latest 4cyl engine. The 911? Too soft in my opinion. I wanted to get the driving experience back, unfettered by too much padding. My Wife has a Suzuki Ignis, and that thing is is a right laugh because it's pure driving. I wanted that, but not in an Ignis. 😆

I know the analogue driving experience isn't for everyone. I guess the majority of the marketplace wants the extra padding and tech in cars like the 911. But for me, the Evora 400 is the perfect car. I think it's miraculous that a small-volume, niche manufacturer in Norfolk has created a car that is this damn capable! I know this is said a lot in the Lotus community, but why the hell does every journalist use the Cayman and 911 as the benchmarks for comparing other sports cars? They're awesome cars for sure, but for anyone after a truly special driving experience - this is it right here. Evora all the way.

Oh - final point for anyone not convinced yet. The drop-dead looks and rarity of the Evora makes you feel like a goddamn rock-star driving it around! This amount of head-turning usually costs £200k+ 😆

Right. The sun's out again. I'm off for a drive.

[Steffen_Leitgeb-LSWGmbh]

Exactly my thinking and my experience. 

Maybe you should tell all that again to Lotus factory marketing.
I wonder if they know what type of car and how good such an Evora is? At least they do not tell that openly to anyone in the automotive world by my feeling.
Maybe it is just a complete working car and that´s what they don´t like overthere? 😉 

I think I`ll take this afternoon off and go for a drive. The weather forecast for the weekend is not so good. 

[DBG]

100% agreed mate, done a few 1-2000k+ trips and it is ridiculously comfortable, just eats up the miles. Most cars this comfortable, don’t offer anywhere near the same amount of feel and driver involvement. 

[jep]

Great post Phil.

I did 240 miles in my Evora yesterday. Country roads, motorway, town. Easy. Thumbs up from an Audi RS driver and pleasant attention from others. If the cricket had not been on, I may not have bothered going home...……

Evora: why anything else?

Justin

[Neal H]

Dammit, you're making me regret parting with my 400 now

I wonder whether I could justify running another as a daily driver alongside the 250 Cup

(wanders off to Pistonheads with calculator to look at the listings.....)

[jep]

21 minutes ago, Neal H said:

I wonder whether I could justify running another as a daily driver alongside the 250 Cup

(wanders off to Pistonheads with calculator to look at the listings.....)

Perhaps test drive a NA model to see if you don't mind the lower horsepower. It may irritate you after a 400. I bought my NA to test the water, imagining I would trade up to S or 400. 12 months on, no need to change. 276bhp is far more enjoyable than I ever thought it could be. And these cars are sub-£30K or middle £40K's if very late 2015 NA. I don't see much depreciation in them as there appears to be demand for NA cars and not many good ones around.

For me, CR box and Sport button a must (others disagree).

Justin

[E18VRA]

Completely agree with original statement, I use mine about 3 days every week and my wife dog and I often use the Evora for small uk driving breaks luggage and walking gear easily fits and the car is easily the most comfortable for touring trips (we have new disco and 2 minis too).

It's also reliable when driven frequently.

This side of a Mclaren not sure what to buy next, probably part Ex a 430 next when prices get to 85k ish.

[Alfa2Evora]

Last September, en route to the '70th' event, I drove my 2010NA from Murcia in Spain to Millau in France (almost 1000 km/620 miles) in just over 8 hours driving time and got out at the end of the journey feeling like I'd only been around the block.

Over the following 2 days, I covered a further 1250 km/780 miles to get to Norwich and still felt as fresh as a daisy, albeit famished as a Eurotunnel delay meant I'd had to skip lunch on the final leg but that wasn't the car's fault.

Only downside is that all those hours of running at high motorway speeds (like Valencia to Barcelona in 2 hours, 🚔 ) with a CR box and a valve-open 2bular may be the reason why my tinnitus is now a bit more pronounced,  .

[blueg33]

Agreed.  My Evora S is my daily driver doing similar miles ie 10-12k pa.  Totally flawless and you still get that sense of occasion every time you get behind the wheel, or even just look at it.

[Gareth44]

Great post, glad you are enjoying it.

I drove my S from Aberdeen to Reading, with only two quick loo breaks. They closed the M6 with me on it, so it took over 11 hours but when I got home I wanted to keep going.

No aches or pains at all and I have a torn disc at the base of my spine. I could never have done that journey in any of my previous cars!

[Bruss]

@Gareth44

 

I know the feeling. That old M6 just makes you want to keep going back. 😉

[PAR]

My is quite similar, I can’t fault the comfort of the car and it is properly multi usage.

2 downsides:

It does drink, Like a LOT! Which if you drive 12k a year pinch a bit.

its battery gets drained too quickly so easier to use it as a daily. I have put a switch on mine and that is a pain as I need to use the emergency tailgate cable to open it.

otherwise, the analog feel is astonish8ng and I ont get why people would wanat anything else

it I should a bit of a beast when you push it and short of 488 and mclaren nothing feels as sharp and quick as that.

Value for money is just incredible and people dont realise it

[Gm77]

I recently suffered a burst appendix. On coming out of hospital, the only car I was comfortable in was my 400. The family estate, and the family hatchback couldn’t compete.  As someone has said before, it’s total witchcraft...!

Greg

[geartox]

The Evora 400 is so underrated. I ask to a friend to consider and test this car before to buy something new.

In the end, he bought one, a second-hand.

No other car for the price could compete. The delivery is next Saturday, for sure he will enjoy the car like you.

 

 

[andyj007]

great little review ,,,  love your quote      " the Evora makes you feel like a goddamn rock-star driving it around! "

 

 

 

[Colin P]

Agree with much of what has been said above, however today my Evora is being "retired" from daily use.

It has been my daily for 2.5 years since new, but I have an estate arriving today to take up the daily duties, so might be useful if I listed why - because it's all specific to my circumstance and are really only minor inconveniences. If you can live with this then you can live with an Evora as a daily:

- My wife has a Mini - which is our "practical car". Both the boys have 4 seaters as well - whilst the oldest has moved out there are 5 of us and so when we are together have to take 2 cars

- Usual luggage etc is fine, but we don't have a car that we can (for example) pick up a Television in or chuck the bikes in.

- I sometimes have to use city centre car parks (incl overnight) and won't leave the Evora in them

- Fed up with the Evora always being dirty

- Fuel I would suggest is pretty good using the car on long runs (especially if you compare to something like an M series or RS? or AMG), but the range can be a bit frustrating. For example if I go to Birmingham and back I have to make sure it is brimmed and drive "economically" or I'll be stopping for fuel and don't like being bent over in motorway service stations.

- moderating the mileage

- for political reasons, I have to borrow my wife's car when visiting some of our social sector customers

So as you'll see, mostly it is around us not having another practical car (Divorce and Evora sales will occur before the JCW gets sold!!), so the easiest solution is just to add to the fleet. These are the only reasons why I am not continuing to use the Evora as my only/daily driver.

[CocoPops]

How many miles now @Colin P

[C8RKH]

14 hours ago, PAR said:

It does drink, Like a LOT!

The one thing I have noticed from my old Evora NA and my new 410 Sport is the reduced range and the way the 410 drinks.......  But hey, if I wasn't spending i on 99ROM I'd just be wasting it on women, drugs and alcohol.... :)

[jep]

4 hours ago, Colin P said:

Fuel I would suggest is pretty good using the car on long runs (especially if you compare to something like an M series or RS? or AMG), but the range can be a bit frustrating. For example if I go to Birmingham and back I have to make sure it is brimmed and drive "economically" or I'll be stopping for fuel and don't like being bent over in motorway service stations.

Neat post Colin. I hope to see you on the roads of Surrey sometime.

If the S, 400 etc.. have the same size fuel tank as NA, I can see that as an irritation. I would imagine on the Autobahn it could drive an owner nuts as everyone you had left for dust had to be over-taken again having stopped for fuel. I remember that, coming back from Le Mans one year in a Ford GT (in the days I drove fast in France; no more). 

I once did a tank of fuel in 90 minutes on an empty Autobahn in another (British) sports car; it had a bigger tank than the Evora. 

Justin

[Colin P]

6 hours ago, CocoPops said:

How many miles now @Colin P

19000, but did virtually no business miles last year. I’ll be doing a lot more business miles again this year. I don’t really want to be putting more than about 10k a year on it.

@jep same sized fuel tank. But on the motorway the 400 will return as good mpg as an N/A. 

[jep]

18 minutes ago, Colin P said:

same sized fuel tank. But on the motorway the 400 will return as good mpg as an N/A

Not at 186mph it won't. 😁

[Loquacious Lew]

I've got 10K miles on my car in about 15 months but it isn't my daily.  I will tell you what it is though.  It's my GT.  I always select it for long distance trips if those involve just the two of us. So far I've done three 1000 mile plus tours with it and nothing is more fun and cosseting to cover distance with. Even freeway miles are a pleasure and a breeze. Fast slow, fully laden, just me going out for a quick blast, all are accomplished with poise, comfort, and supreme confidence.

 

What a car!

[au-yt]

This has the same accolades an this one but who cars as we all agree the cars are that good, Mine is in having a service, and I miss just having it!

 

[Peegee355]

I'm with this topic.  Just finished a 600 mile round trip in the last 24 hours.  My 400 just purred all the way (except when I wanted it to howl and it complied!) and I had no aches stepping out of it.  31mpg on the A1.  Very happy!

[pete]

On 01/03/2019 at 11:53, C8RKH said:

The one thing I have noticed from my old Evora NA and my new 410 Sport is the reduced range and the way the 410 drinks.......  But hey, if I wasn't spending i on 99ROM I'd just be wasting it on women, drugs and alcohol....

Not what George Best said