The Lotus Emira is an all-season thrill ride

Lotus was best known in the past for purist, stripped-down sports cars that eschewed comforts in favour of a raw driving experience best suited to race tracks.

Later, the Lotus Evora, which was introduced in 2008, took a different path to track-specialised offerings such as the Exige and Elise, and was a more practical road car that appealed to the mainstream market.

The new Emira launched in 2022 takes it a step further by being an even more grown-up, every day car, while building on the brand’s hallmarks of a striking design and best-in-class ride and handling, says Lotus, which is now owned by China’s Geely.

The Emira is the final petrol-powered car for the British brand, which, like many other car firms, is staking its future on electric vehicles. Lotus has opened its battery-powered chapter with the Eletre SUV and Evija supercar — the latter is the world’s most powerful production car with its astonishing 1,500kW output.

The Emira is a junior sports car with not nearly as much gusto as that, but it is still petrol-powered. The mid-engined two-seater coupé is available with a choice of two rear-wheel-drive powertrains: a 2.0l Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder petrol turbo linked to a dual-clutch eight-speed automatic transmission, and a 3.5l Toyota supercharged V6 in six-speed manual or auto.

For now, local Lotus importer Daytona is offering only the 3.5l  manual in SA, in a high-specced Edition 1 model priced at R2.2m. The AMG-engine version will be available later.

Simplicity is at the core of the Emira and there are no active aerodynamics. Instead, it creates passive downforce that increases with speed to enhance grip through corners. The Emira has a wider track than any recent Lotus road car and a very low centre of gravity.

Built with a new lightweight bonded aluminium chassis, the Emira is a sleek and low-slung head-turner. The company calls it the most accomplished Lotus ever made, and it’s been designed as an every day sports car with practicality and comfort that sets new standards for the brand.

My first impression when I sank into the low-set cabin was how far Lotus has come with its comfort and premium feel. It has soft-trimmed surfaces and high-quality materials while still sticking to the sports brief with a bottom-flattened steering wheel and bucket seats.

The roomy interior allows the driver and passenger to sit without rubbing elbows, and there’s space for a set of golf clubs in the boot, and cupholders in the cabin — the latter is a first for Lotus.

The interior is on trend with its digital dashboard comprising a 10.25-inch central touchscreen and a TFT instrument panel, and the car has Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) available including adaptive cruise control, anti-collision system, fatigue alert, road sign information, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert and lane change assist.

Among all this sober practicality, the Emira lays on some sporting interior charms. The aluminium gear lever and visible gearshift mechanism provide an element of theatre, as does the exposed throttle actuator in the V6 engine bay that’s visible from inside the cabin.

The 20-inch wheels are optionally available with Michelin Pilot semi-slick tyres, but the test car had the fully grooved Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tyres fitted, which was a relief given that it rained the entire two days we drove the Emira in Gauteng.

The sodden roads gave us the chance to drive the Lotus at sedate commuting speeds, and the car lived up to the brief of a sports machine that can easily be used as a daily commuter. Its low ground clearance calls for some care over steeply angled driveways, but otherwise it’s a pretty practical car.

The relatively smooth ride was the biggest surprise, and this Lotus feels just mildly firm in its Touring setting, without spine-crushingly hard suspension. It’s easy to use as a day-to-day car, with the exception of a rather firm clutch that in heavy traffic starts tiring your left leg after a while.

The Goodyears clung to the tar impressively when the pace was upped, and the rear-wheel drive car sliced corners without turning into a tail-happy beast when liberal throttle was applied.

With a mass of 1,405kg, the Emira is a veritable heffalump compared to the 1,040kg Exige. While it no longer delivers quite the purist, kart-like experience of its lightweight forebears, the Emira handles beautifully and retains driver-pleasing tropes like hydraulic steering that feels delightfully analogue and delivers precise feedback.

The aluminium gearshift feels great to the touch and generally slots with precision, though there was an instance when I battled to hook second gear during acceleration tests at Gerotek.

Power delivery is spirited without being wild. The Toyota 3.5l supercharged V6 delivers its 298kW and 430Nm with a strong and linear spread rather than ultimate fire and fury, though it comes more alive as the needle edges into the red zone. The V6 makes a suitably loud war cry, rising in intensity in the Sport and Track modes, if not as dramatic as the wail of a Porsche Cayman GT4, the Emira’s natural rival.

Along with a top speed of 290km/h, Lotus says its two-seater is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in under 4.5 seconds and in wet conditions the test car managed a creditably quick 5.3 seconds when we tested it with a Vbox at Gerotek.

Being so comfortable and well equipped, the Emira has inevitably gained weight and goes against the “add lightness” credo of Lotus founder Colin Chapman.

Lotus resonates strongly with driving enthusiasts, and purists might want to berate the Emira for “selling out” and becoming so comfortable and domesticated. But these days compromised one-trick ponies are a hard-sell, as most sports car buyers want their cake and to eat it as well.

The Emira hits the mark as an all-season sports car that blends commuting comfort with driving thrills. Being the last petrol-powered Lotus, it is sure to become a collectors’ item too.