Any one swapped an Evora for an Elise?

[electro_boy]

Hi All,

I’m thinking of swapping my S1 NA Evora for an S3 Elise.  Wondering if anyone has done the same and if they have any feedback? 

I got the Evora 5 years ago as I wanted a happy balance of daily driver usability but also something engaging and fun to drive. 

I’m now using the Evora less and less as a everyday car and more of occasional fun drive car or the odd track day and was thinking the Elise starts to make more sense.

I got to try an S3 Elise a few years ago at the Lotus Driving Academy and loved the even more engaging drive and even lower mass compared to the Evora. 

But that was purely track driving.  I’ve never driven a Elise on the road.

Any thoughts/comments? Am I going to miss that lovely V6 howl and power or the sublime road manners of an S1 NA Evora on a long drive eg from London to North Wales? 

[r3nault]

I haven’t, but my take on it is twofold:

1. Elise would be like turning everything up to 11. That isn’t what I want.

2. Usually you have to do some boring driving on normal roads (perhaps in traffic) to get to the good driving roads - in that sense, the Evora is a peerless all rounder.

Plus, I now set a minimum of six for cylinder count, don’t want to go back to the sound of a four banger 😅

[hamza]

How about a V6 Exige instead? 

[DaveC72]

2 hours ago, electro_boy said:

Hi All,

I’m thinking of swapping my S1 NA Evora for an S3 Elise.  Wondering if anyone has done the same and if they have any feedback? 

I got the Evora 5 years ago as I wanted a happy balance of daily driver usability but also something engaging and fun to drive. 

I’m now using the Evora less and less as a everyday car and more of occasional fun drive car or the odd track day and was thinking the Elise starts to make more sense.

I got to try an S3 Elise a few years ago at the Lotus Driving Academy and loved the even more engaging drive and even lower mass compared to the Evora. 

But that was purely track driving.  I’ve never driven a Elise on the road.

Any thoughts/comments? Am I going to miss that lovely V6 howl and power or the sublime road manners of an S1 NA Evora on a long drive eg from London to North Wales? 

This.

I have an i4FE Emira on order, but to be honest my faith is a little rattled.  I'm sure they'll get their shit together, but I am starting to have wandering thoughts.  It's probably just a moment in time, but I was having this exact same conversation with the OH yesterday.

The Evora is my daily.  I love it, genuinely.  My miles have dwindled to almost zero these days and I am having very similar thoughts.  The Exige is a tempting prospect @hamza, but I've wanted an Elise since launch and this might be the ideal time to scratch that itch - even if prices have gone a bit doo-lally.  Plus, having owned two V6s I feel a little low-mass four banger would be a refreshing change (and all my schoolboy posters were of Lotus 4-pots).

Like I say, probably just idle thoughts - first world problems and all that.

Genuinely interested in people's thoughts, too.

 

[jep]

I drive both Evora NA and Elise S1 and a S3 Elise that I borrow occasionally. I also owned an Exige V6 for 9 months. 

I adored the Exige V6 and would have another in a shot given the chance. You should consider the Exige Roadster - very rare, no rear wing or front splitter, I call it the Elise V6. Perhaps the perfect compromise between Evora and Elise.

If supple suspension is your thing (it is mine), I'd avoid CUP Elise or Exige. 

Don't worry about 4 cylinders, you can get them sounding fab. S3 Elise is a bit dull sounding as standard, needs a sport exhaust.

Justin

 

[EuropaSman]

I'm very fortunate to own an early Evora S1 and an early Elise S3 and love them both.

The Evora I've had since 2014 and is very much the all-rounder and great over long distances (she's a keeper). The Elise I've specifically bought for track days, but it seems to be used more than the Evora for the odd commute to work right now! To me my Elise is a lot more visceral in how it feels and handles; very go cart like with the shorter wheelbase, stiffer suspension and fizzy 2ZZ engine, but the seats are not quite as good as the Recaros. The Evora on the other hand is cosier and is supreme at soaking up the bumps, plus there's that creamy V6 (always been a fan of 6s whether straight or V). To me they are different cars in terms of character.

TLF member CocoPops went from an Evora 400 to an Elise, so people have done it and a 2bular exhaust will sort out any exhaust noise deficiencies for the 4 pot motor whether it be a 2ZZ, 1ZR or 2ZR. I've never driven an Exige V6, so an early Exige S could be a halfway house as has been suggested. It really does depend on what you want from the car. Either way you can't lose because it's a Lotus! 👍

[Yan]

I also have both. They're 2 very different cars. I can't choose between them. 

Not much out there feels like an Elise/Exige until you go to more extremes like a Caterham or X-Bow, etc

The Evora is the pinnacle of road car for me. Evora I'd be happy driving everywhere. Elise only in certain circumstances, in the every day mundane it's quite miserable.

I do wonder if V6 Exige is the best of both in the one package.

[electro_boy]

Thanks all for the comments and suggests please keep them coming in.  

Hmm as I feared its not a straight cut call on one car or the other.   They are both great in different ways.    I think test drive is the way forward.  I'll get in touch with some dealers and see what they have for me to try out.

I had previously discounted an Exige V6 as I was after the lighter weight of the Elise.  I just love that low mass feeling it had around the Hethel test track it also felt more friendlier and easier for a novice like me to extract its performance.   The Exige V6 was certainly much faster round Hethel but I could feel the extra weight and had to be on top of the car much more.

If there is a suitable Exige at a dealer I might ask to try that out just to double check.

[Techyd]

I have an early S2 which I got after selling the Evora.

I certainly do miss the V6 howl of my Evora (which had a non-valved 2bular exhaust on it too!)

Big differences which I note:

• The Elise is much more fun to drive at any speed which is a big plus for me
• The Elise is as exhausting to drive as it is exhilarating to drive.  I've put some additional sound deadening in (light weight I might add) to make it more usable (read bearable) for longer jaunts
• The brakes on the Evora were mighty, the Elises are good but I don't have as much confidence on them as I did in the Evora
• I would say the Evora is the more capable car dynamically - at least on the road anyway, it was more pliant to the road, the Elise can be quite uncomfortable / brittle in built up areas and its lack of refinement sticks out a bit.  I've not driven as S3 on the road to know if this side has improved
• The Elise is waaaay better on fuel economy which is a welcome plus at this point in time

As a weekend fun car, the Elise does it for me over the Evora which didn't get used as much as I wanted - mostly the children didn't particularly enjoy sitting in the back so while the Elise gets used even less at times since its a strict two seater and I can only take one of them at a time in it, all the children really love going in it when they get the chance, especially with the roof off.

I'm finding I'm far more comfortable tinkering with the Elise than I was with the Evora, I love its simplicity.  I've got some plans to retrim the Elise over the winter, fit an induction kit and if I can squirrel the funds away fit some GRP V3 lights and possibly change the rear dampers as they may be getting worn - its 20 years old now after all, though mileage is pretty low at ~57k

 

@electro_boy- if you're ever in the Southampton area, your welcome to try mine out!

On 05/08/2022 at 10:40, DaveC72 said:

I have an i4FE Emira on order, but to be honest my faith is a little rattled.  I'm sure they'll get their shit together, but I am starting to have wandering thoughts.  It's probably just a moment in time, but I was having this exact same conversation with the OH yesterday.

Speaking of wandering thoughts, I found myself considering a complete swap to the new Civic Type R - it looks like a cracking car and lots of fun!

[electro_boy]

Thank you very much @Techyd, I'm gonna have a look on Auto Trader and Piston heads and see if there is any dealers nearby with an S3 Elise that I can test drive.  Failing that I may give you a shout. 

[Giveitfish]

I'll echo whats already been said. I think you know the answer. The Elise is more concentrated fun, the Evora more of a GT/all rounder. You'd rather be in the Evora on the way to the hills then you'd rather be in an Elise when you get there.

I ran an S1 Elise for 5 years/20k miles as a second car, then an Evora NA Sports Racer for 20k miles as my only car, and now I have an Elise S3 1.6 for the weekends. I've also driven a couple of hundred miles in an Exige 410.

My take is:

Elise S1 - purest, most intense and lovable of them all. I'd have one now if they came with air-con (sorry purists) and if I didn't think it would try and kill me one day.

Evora - awesome car, massive sense of occasion which didn't diminish with use. Just lovely to be in, its the one to take to the Alps. But I didn't often get up at dawn to hit the Dales roads in it. It's just a bit too refined and too much of a GT to have a second car/weekend car (for me).

Elise S3 - like the Elise S1, but with a roof that works, ABS and ESP and air-con. I've done 500 miles in a day in it and it's fine but you wouldn't choose it for a long trip unless the destination was worth it. However it's such a rush driving it on B roads. Just last night I went out for a 3 hour evening drive just for the hell of it. Being able to take the roof off adds a whole dimension that's missing in the Evora. The 1.6 is just enough but the old K-series actually suits the car better. I've not driven a 220.

Exige V6 - a mini-supercar with all that entails. Controversial opinion - it's the one I wouldn't buy myself! It's not the refined all-rounder that the Evora is and it's not as agile as the Elise. The power, looks and noise are amazing but the controls are heavy, visibility is terrible and its just too much hard work to be a proper drivers car. I was happy to step back into my little 1.6.

 

[r3nault]

^^ nice summary, @Giveitfish 

I have seen a youtube review where the Evora was "a GT in Lotus terms only, for any other brand it would be the most hardcore sports / track car they sell". I thought that sounds pretty fair.

[Giveitfish]

Thanks @r3nault

The Evora changed a lot in its life, so it depends which one!

It started very much as a comfortable sporty GT in 2009 in NA and long-ratio gearbox form and then got progressively stiffer, faster and louder as time went on.

By the time the 400 came along any attempt at subtly was thrown out the window. Saying that, I’ve driven a Sport 410 and it still rode pretty well and was comfortable despite being very shouty.

[ChrisEliseS]

I have been thinking of doing the complete opposite and swapping my 2020 Elise Sport 220 for an Evora GT410 sport because I have some big and interesting road trips coming up next year. The Elise is painfully noisy on long motorway journeys, horrible in the wet but sublime on the right day.

IMHO the Elise Sport 220 is the sweet spot on a B road and I fear I would miss it if I chopped it in for a 401 GT Sport but for long A road/ Motorway stuff on a dark, wet day you'd suffer.

[marc4242]

It's a tricky issue, horses for courses and the reason many of us with multiple cars.  I know someone with a Hilman Imp for example and a smart.  The Imp I get, I don't relate to the smart at all.  But then I've an s1 111s elise.  

I have not been in either S3 OR Evora  (though I did once consider moving to it from the s1 (fairly common move, but sometimes people go back again)).  

I would say, life is short, have some fun trying out an s3, you do sound like you've 'done' the evora.

 

[C8RKH]

Hi @electro_boy - speak to @CocoPops as he had an Evora 400 Hethel edition and now has an Elise 250 Cup. So he has done the move you're talking about.

[CocoPops]

As Andy points out, I’ve gone from Evora to Evora 400 to Elise Sport 220 to Elise Cup 250 Final Edition.

I miss the v6 for sure. The Evora was 2+2 which suited life at the time.

On most tracks I’d take any kind of Elise… except Spa and similar where the long track needs the power of an Evora.

running costs for the Elise are half that of the Evora, tyres, pads, fuel etc. unsurprising when the Evora is almost 2x the weight of an Elise… don’t get me wrong, the Evora hides it’s weight well but it can’t hide it in tyre or brake wear.

 

I swapped the 400 for sport 220, to free up some money but stay in the lotus community due to a dying wife… best thing I did as the community has been the one constant through widowhood and now a new marriage.

[C8RKH]

50% heavier, not 100% heavier....   But that will still make a big difference.

[bosshog]

I've had a couple of Evoras - S and a 410. I sold the 410 for a standard Elise S1. For me the Elise is way more fun but very much a weekend car. The Evora is a GT and perfect for road trips and more summer time daily use. I've had faster Elise before the Evora's but don't feel the need for more speed in the Elise - it doesn't add anything to the enjoyment for me (might be different if you are doing track days).

I do have a Porsche GT4 as well which covers the GT aspect (and is a cracking car).

Personally I find the Exige V6 worst of both worlds rather than best - not as engaging as an Elise and not as GT/practical as an Evora.