Lotus Emira First Drive Review: Is This The Last Of Its Kind?

The brand Lotus is known for its strong motorsport heritage, especially in Formula One, and for implementing those learnings to develop iconic sports cars. Sports cars like the Elise, Exige, and Evora, which were known for their innovation and design. Today, that legacy is being continued with the Lotus Emira, a compact mid-engined sports car that was first introduced in 2022. But the reason you are reading this now is because the car has finally reached the Indian shores, and I recently got to spend some time with it. 

Now, the Emira is a special one, not just because this is the first mid-engined sports car from Lotus in India, but mainly because it could very well be the last one of its kind. You see, under the leadership of China’s Geely Auto, Lotus, like many other brands, has bought into the idea of an electrified future and will be moving to hybrid and electric vehicles. Yes, it’s sad, but that future is still a bit far from now, so let’s talk about the car that has the potential to be one of the best exotics of today in the Indian market.

Also Read: Lotus Emeya, Emira Launched In India

Drive & Dynamics

Now, you can truly admire and appreciate the Emira only once you get behind the wheel. The car puts you at the centre of all the action! You have an engine for a back-seat passenger, singing you a beautiful symphony, and a chassis that is so well designed that the car responds to even your slightest steering inputs without any hesitation. Talking about the steering, it offers you so much feedback that you know everything the car is going through. 

So yes, the Emira is a beautifully handling machine - sharp, direct and precise. Lane changes at triple-digit speeds feel like a walk in the park, and believe me, you will feel like a pro even if you aren’t. It’s stable, planted, and you feel one with the car, and that is certainly a nice feeling. 

Now, you might think, all that great talk about handling means you must compromise on ride comfort. Well, not really. It’s a sports car, so yes, it’s a bit on the stiffer side, but it’s not uncomfortable. The ride is supple and balanced for the most part, but I must tell you that there is no active suspension here; you only get passive suspension, and you need to choose whether you want to go with a sports pack or a touring pack right when you book the car.

Powertrain & Performance

What’s plonked behind me is an AMG-sourced 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine. The very same one that is called the world’s most powerful inline-4-cylinder series production engine. However, for the Emira, the motor has been detuned, and instead of all those 400 horses, what you get here is a respectable 360 bhp, while the torque output too has been lowered to 430 Nm from 500 Nm. But is that a bad thing?

Also Read: Lotus Eletre Review: Performance Brand’s Debut Car In India Driven

Well, when you are behind the wheel, the Emira certainly doesn’t give you that impression. It feels powerful, it feels eager, and ready to attack. Yes, it doesn’t instantly go off the line, and there is a noticeable turbo lag in the low revs. But as soon as you move past the 2000 rpm mark, the turbo kicks in, and the engine suddenly feels alive and a lot more responsive to your throttle inputs. 

The engine has lots of grunt and can go well past 7000 rpm and stay there as long as you like. Because it loves to be pushed hard, and if you want to enjoy the Emira to the fullest, that’s what you’ll need to do. What brings this all together is the 8-speed dual-clutch transmission that does a fine job of sending power to the rear wheels. Yes, the shifts could have been a tad quicker, but it's smooth and refined. And if you do want the controls in your hand, you have the paddle shifters for that. 

Well, if you still want more, the Emira also comes with a Toyota-sourced supercharged V6 that makes about 400 bhp and 420 Nm of peak torque. That one, you can have with either a proper 6-speed manual gearbox or a 6-speed automatic transmission.

Design & Styling 

Visually, the Emira will remind you of its predecessors, and stays true to that legacy. That low-slung design with sharp lines and curvy haunches has sports cars written all over it, and while the signature Lotus touches are there, the design has some of that Italian flavour as well. Especially when you look at it from the rear three-fourth angle with that sloping glass back and that raised tail section. It does something that came out of Maranello, doesn’t it? And I say that in a good way. 

The fully automatic headlamps do look sharp, while the 20-inch ultra-lightweight diamond turned alloys add to the road presence. But what stands out to me are those beautiful, round dual exhausts. You do have a small trunk space, which can accommodate a couple of overnighters, but there is no frunk here, so that’s that. 

Cabin & Features

As for the cabin, the Emira offers you everything that you’d expect from a two-seater sports car. Two sporty, bucket-style seats, a slot flat-bottom steering wheel with buttons for multiple in-car controls, and paddle shifters. Yes, it’s a modern-day car, so you do get a touchscreen, a nice one at that, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital instrument cluster that can also show G-Force, and yes, a reversing camera as well. 

You do have the added convenience of power-adjustable front seats with lumbar support, rain-sensing wipers, and auto-dimming mirrors. However, while Lotus does offer a heating function, which literally has no use in India, you do not get cooled seats, and that’s a big miss in a country like India. Lotus also offers you a bunch of pack options to customise the cabin’s look and feel according to your needs. 

Price & Verdict

So, let’s address the elephant in the room. The Lotus Emira is priced at Rs. 3.22 crore (ex-showroom India), and that’s just the base cost. Add all those extra creature comforts, and the on-road price will be well past the Rs. 4 crore mark. But is that price justified for a sports car with a 4-cylinder engine?

Well, as a sports car, the Lotus Emira is as pure as they come; in fact, I’ll go ahead and call this a mini supercar. Well, the price certainly puts it in that territory. And that is the big takeaway here. You see, compared to the global markets, the Emira in India is almost two or three times more expensive. And while globally it would compete with something like a Porsche Cayman, in India it’s priced closer to a 911. But you have to remember one thing. 

The Emira is part of a dying breed of light, crazy fun and impractical sports cars that come with a proper internal combustion engine. Probably one of the last ones from Lotus. So, if you do have those deep pockets to buy a car like the Emira, you should definitely consider it because the value it will add to your garage will certainly be immense.