thanks again everyone for all your help, much appreciated. the last few replies have definitely given me a lot more confidence that the car will not be a bad purchase. cant wait to get my hands on the keys! was just wondering what the general concensus of opinion was on the exige s2? im sure the pros and cons compared to the s1 have been debated on this site before.
Have a dig around the site, better to not refresh old wounds.
I think the concensus is they’re different cars; one a racecar for the road, the other a road car for the racetrack.
Both are the purest most agressive car Lotus sold at the time. The new one has better suspension, is faster in a straight line, but is heavier and doesn’t look as sexy. They both probably lap as quick. Look what people with S1s have done to upgrade and that may tell you something, rather than spend �15k extra on an S2, they’ve thrown a different engine in the back for less than �10k. So far the only S1 owners with S2s still have an S1 at home.
For the S2, Lotus did however do something right that some owners are ignoring, they forbade them from removing the roof! Real Exiges are modest, and don’t go topless! It’s not an Elise Coupe!(?)
Would this website exist if the original Exige was like the S2, perhaps not. Even if the S2 is closer to the requirements of Boxster/TT drivers it’s still a great Lotus, and if it sells loads and keeps them in business - brilliant!
Ian
ps. Blime, you got me going there!
i agree the s1 does look far sexier! surprised u said the s2 was faster in a straight line. im only going by 0-60 and 0-100 times ive seen quoted and the stats seem to suggest the s1 is quicker off the mark in a straight line. should i not believe the stats?
Ollie
IDG was referring to max speed in a straightline. The S2 has less drag (eg smaller rear wing).
I most certainly was (thanks Pesky). The S1 has 80kgs of downforce at 100mph, which is great for going around fast bends, but does equates to quite a lot of drag at high speeds and it tops out at about 135mph. The S2 only has half the downforce and can reach 150mph.
Personally, if you need much more than 130mph (from a road legal car) you need to find a track that’s more fun!
Ian