Anyone upgraded from an S2 Exige S?

[hamza]

I was wondering how many owners of the V6 Exige had moved up from the S2 Exige S? Any regrets? a anything you miss about the S2? Would you make the same choice again?

[tim_marra]

I went from S260 Exige to Evora S. No regrets.

[pete]

S2 260 to exige 350 sport,no regrets

[chumaxa]

Not exactly the best place to ask if anyone has regrets, and no, I have none 😂 I have seen your post on seloc, have you driven a v6 ? 

[hamza]

Hi,

yes fair point but I'm not sure where else to ask!

Yep, Ive previously driven the V6 Exige S and yesterday spent some time in a 410 Sport. I'm tempted....

[duncx]

I too have seen your post on 'the other place'.

Not quite answering your question (but similar), I moved from a 111R to a brand new 350 Sport, rejected that car due to awful gearbox/clutch noise, then bought another 350 Sport that I kept for just a year, now been 4 years with a 250 Cup Elise.

For you, coming from an Exige S2, you should find that the V6 is far more civilised on real roads. Some people like that, some don't.

For me, I really miss the drama/noise/presence of the Exige V6 but I much prefer driving the Elise, it's just more fun somehow.

Really, I want both

[hamza]

Its funny have two forums with much the same people on both

Completely agree with your assessment of the difference between the S2 and the V6... problem is I can't decide if I prefer that more refined feel!

I really can't justify having both so that's not an option ...though that would be nice... and I do fear that perhaps the S2 or an Elise is the more fun choice.

Having said all that... I think something @TonyKLsaid has helped me make up my mind.... The V6 may be less fun and I may well miss the S2 but I've had it for 10 years which is three times longer than I've ever kept any other car. Time for a change. The next car might just be fun in a different way and if I don't enjoy it as much maybe I don't keep it for 10 years!

[duncx]

I agree with your thinking - so many cars, so little time!

Get one bought then, they are truly epic cars and despite loving my Elise I also miss my V6

[TonyKL]

1 hour ago, hamza said:

I think something @TonyKLsaid has helped me make up my mind....

Oh no it's my fault now - I knew I shouldn't have been suckered in and replied to your u2u 🙃

[hamza]

Totally. I'll be coming after you if I regret this! 🤣

[TonyKL]

I’m sure there will be times you regret it and other times you will we wonder why you u didn’t do it sooner 😂

[chumaxa]

To maybe add something, I was from a 260 S, and moved to a normal V6s, which I would have kept anyway, but with the v6 CUP I have for sure no desire to go back, so myabe in your case a 410 would check more boxes anyway. Bit it is down but what you like in a Lotus anyway ... 

[hamza]

Thanks...

I think I'm going to go for it.

[lotuslee281275]

I miss my Europa more than my S2 Exige 260. If i had to go back it would be a Europa and who knows one day maybe 🤔

[Brendonian]

Not an Exige S, but I went from a non-supercharged S2 to the V6, via an Evora. The S2 was a really great little sports car. Undoubtedly the best of this bunch if you want to feel you're able to get absolutely everything out of it. The Evora is obviously far nicer than the S2 to use for normal driving, and good when you're pushing on a bit, but never really encourages properly exciting driving. The V6 is on another level entirely for me. It's so much more exciting than either of those previous cars when pushing on, and much nicer to cruise about in than the S2 due to the taller gearing, and accessible torque, plus it feels more planted, and rides better than the S2. Only downside you might find is that the V6 is just too quick to to really exploit all its potential on the road.

[Harald.111]

I went from a S2 111R to an Exige S V6.  No regrets, but...

- The 111R was a LOT louder (stage 2)
- The 111R had more emotion in the drive (high RPM)
- The V6 supercharger has an even bigger drinking problem than I have 😉

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, Harald.111 said:

The V6 supercharger has an even bigger drinking problem than I have 😉

Average pint of beer in the UK is £6.  c. 1.75 pints to a litre, so that is £10.50 per litre.  Average price of fuel in UK is £1.90 per litre. 

So what this tells me is that I am better off filling up my Lotus fuel tank to have fun, than I am filling up my belly with beer, to have fun.

I suspect it will be similar in the Netherlands. Easy choice these days even for me, especially with the late, bright nights and very early bright mornings with no/limited traffic and the coppers all tucked up in their beds.

[hamza]

You forgot to account for how much is consumed in your calculations though. I don’t drink so I can’t help with that half but  typical Sunday morning drive for me uses about 15 to 20 litres in the Exige S at the moment (about half a tank ish)… so call it around £40. 

How much beer would you drink in the equivalent amount of time (about 4 hours)?

[chumaxa]

3 hours ago, Harald.111 said:

I went from a S2 111R to an Exige S V6.  No regrets, but...

- The 111R was a LOT louder (stage 2)
- The 111R had more emotion in the drive (high RPM)
- The V6 supercharger has an even bigger drinking problem than I have 😉

I had an S2 NA with stage 2 exhaust, then a S260 S with Gt3 tubular exhaust, and now the v6 with tubular exhaust, by far the loudest and the better note, if there is one thing you won't regret from the s2 Exige, it is the 4 cylinder note, whatever the exhasut, the v6 just sound extremely good. I enjoyed driving my S2s, but the v6 sound with the tubular is just insane.

[C8RKH]

1 hour ago, hamza said:

How much beer would you drink in the equivalent amount of time (about 4 hours)?

You really don't want to know but a lot more than £40, especially if I had switched from beer to wine and cocktails! Hence why I am filling up more with petrol these days and when I go out in the Evora it is usually at least 45 litres. 15 to 20 litres, pah, that's like having a Prosecco before the four course meal and 3 bottles of wine

 

[El-RGB]

I moved from a supercharged s3 Elise to a standard V6 Exige; it is not exactly to the situation as OP is asking, but it is similar enough to the question since the Elise had a supercharge and shares the same weight as a s2 Exige.

The supercharged Elise
1) The 4 cylinder 2zz Yamaha tuned engine has its charisma in both sound and high rev character. I missed it a lot since the 2GR now is a bit lazy compare to other modern v6 engines.
2) The lighter Elise is definitely at a level sticking to Lotus philosophy in lightness and nimbleness between the two; the Elise's front and rear are acting more aligned in the same momentum during all the turns, and the driver can obviously feel more merged in with the car.
3) I enjoyed the Elise in almost all driving roads: low speed, mid-high speed and on tracks. However, it wasn't a very fast car. It was difficult to run a very fast lap (for my skills). Many gutted 86s with better tires can do much much faster lap time and give the Elise embarrassing moments.

The V6 Exige
1) It is still a darn light animal compares to many 911s and even 4Cs that I've tried. The steering is still a far more aggressive than those sports cars; but it is still not the 900kg Elise/ S2 Exige level.
2) It is faster and has higher limit than the Elise on track. Way more torque in all areas and the tires can carry more speed in faster turns. However, it is a give and take decision between nimbleness and fast laps. I say the Exige does a pretty good balance between the two.
3) With proper modifications, the V6s can get to around or even near 1000kg weight standard, and the nimbleness can be regained a bit.

Overall, the V6s have a wider range of joy on tracks and fast roads. The Elise/s2 Exige are better for smaller tracks, auto-cross and mountain roads. However, both did put the same big smiles on my face for time driving them both.

Frank