Ok… went to drive a 111R yesterday as I wanted to have a nosey to see what the new Exige would be like with the Toyota lump etc. First impressions, engine is quiet ( lots of extra sound proofing in the elise), starting from cold with no lumpiness down the road. and it seems a very sweet engine. Its very addictive round the 6000rpm point as their is another power surge at this point. The handling is really really good and it does everything it should. This in itself makes it an 'ideal ’ car as you feel totally safe and it wont get you in trouble, its the best Elise ever NO question!,But, and it is a but,I rather like the slight skitishness of my Exige, the fact thats it is lumpy in the morning and unpredictable and is like a naughty child about to go off the rails at any moment when your back is turned, i like the quirks, also you feel that its a challenge to drive the car and you have achieved something at the end of a track day with no gadgets to help you round, and i really really like the 105DB of noise!!!
Now… you might think its an easy choice… keep the S1 Exige, no contest! The thing is Lotus have moved into a new era with development and are now appealing to a wider market and I have no doubt the new car will be totally successful and indeed may well ( dare I say it) outperform our cars on the track.My point? Well I havent come to a conclusion either way really… I saw a Black S2 Exige last night at CN’s, and it looks a little brusier… its got that… dare you to drive me look,but not as much as a WOW factor as the S1.Its neat, compact and does exactly what you tell it! Hmmm…reminds me of an old girlfriend!!Didnt last.
My feelings are its just a car at the moment( a reliable, quick car and has a whole new appeal out there for first timers)…and when you drive down the road in the new one, you might get a comment like, ooh, nice car mate,but gone has the Holy Sh*t! Look at the that!(if you know what i mean)!
So… its back to thinking, and maybe waiting to see what Lotus has in store over the next few months…
Anyone else have any thoughts?
JohnO