Ask any car nut to list five of the best handling cars sold today, and odds are the Lotus Elise or Exige will be near, if not at the top. The little two seaters are monsters on the track, and will make short work out of your favorite country roads. But for a person of means who’d rather drive than fly to that meeting in Washington DC from New York, or desiring a sports car to whisk you and your significant other on a weekend getaway, the Elise/Exige would make be a miserable choice. Enter the Evora.
The Lotus Evora will be arriving in US and Canadian dealerships in early 2010 at a starting price of $73,500USD. According to Lotus, the first two months of production are already sold out. Like the Elise/Exige, Lotus has tapped Toyota for engines, this time borrowing the 3.5L V-6 from the Camry (!) rated at 276hp. Coupled two a six-speed manual, the Evora will scoot from 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds, with a top speed of 162mph, all while delivering 30mpg on the highway.
But excellent performance is what you expect from Lotus. But comfort as well? Inside, driver and passenger are treated to hand-stitched leather, aluminum accents, Recaro seats, an Alpine audio system with available navigation, iPod connectivity and Bluetooth. The Evora offers 2+2 seating in a car that looks like a two-seater for even greater practicality.
The Evora strikes me as a unique alternative to the Porsche 911 Carrera or Jaguar XK. Sure, it’s a little low on power next to those two established sports cars, but Lotus has never been about posting huge horsepower figures. For the driver who gets pleasure from doing more with less, the Evora could be worth a look. The larger question is whether the Evora can bring more buyers to the Lotus showroom. Given the awesome, but somewhat limiting appeal of the Elise/Exige, the Evora’s promise of a more livable but still thrilling driving experience should do just that.