Review of Lotus Exige 2008

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be shot at with a slingshot?

Well, if you're planning to get behind the wheel of the Lotus Exige S, you'd better get used to the experience.

To test the slingshot theory, we decided to run the Exige S shown above in full noise from lift off to 100 mph in 4.12 seconds.

The Exige S is no ordinary two-seater. It is noisy, harsh, very fast and works best on the track.

Suffice it to say that it should come with a "weekends only" sticker as standard.

However, this is completely street right.

This is one of the most, if not the most exhilarating two-seat sports car you can register for road use.

What makes the Exige S so mesmerizing starts with Lotus' core principle of placing the engine at the rear and keeping the overall weight down to flyweight levels.

Then what Lotus did to improve the whole experience was slammed the supercharger on the freely spinning Toyota engine, hooked it up to a race exhaust that crackles and pops, and gave it fancy electronic start assist.

Tested on the road and on the track, this Exige S has been equipped with every package and option available.

On top of the base Exige S, you get the $8000 Touring Pack (leather or microfiber suede interior, full carpets, soundproofing kit, aluminum retractable cup holder, driving lights, iPod connection), $6000 Sport Pack (switchable traction control, sport seats , adjustable front sway bar, T45 steel rollover hoop) and $11,000 Performance Pack (308mm front drilled and ventilated discs with AP calipers, heavy duty brake pads, full length roof bucket, adjustable variable slip traction control system with launch control, increased grip plate, increased power and torque).

That's $25,000 plus a suggested retail price of $114,000.

To complete the picture, the only other options noted were a torque-sensing limited-slip differential, black 7-spoke 6J alloy wheels, and unidirectionally adjustable Bilstein dampers. Toyota's supercharged 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine is equipped with an electronic control unit that keeps the engine from falling off the cams between gear shifts.

What Exige does is take the Elise S and up the price of the whole deal by a lot.

Available power is 179kW and 230Nm of torque (up from 174 and 215 for the standard Exige S and a whopping increase from 100kW and 172Nm for the Elise).

Equipped with 17-inch competition-grade Yokohama wheels, the Exige S is a cannonball.

The LSD compromises balance on a tight track, but otherwise there is little to stop the very fast lap times.

Launch control was inherited from racing programs, where the amount of slip (thrust) can be adjusted from zero to 9 percent, depending on the conditions.

You can then dial in the RPM (2000-8000 RPM) at which you want to start the Lotus using the knob on the left side of the steering column.

This gives you a guaranteed explosive start.

But there is one caveat:

The Variable Launch Control feature is intended for competition use and therefore will void the vehicle warranty on any components subjected to the extreme stress associated with racing starts.

It was a message written in bold on three A4 pages with instructions on how to program variable thrust and launch control.

There is no doubt that the Exige S is a racing car without a roll cage, multi-point seat belts or fire extinguishers.

A Magnuson/Eaton M62 supercharger, high-torque clutch, fail-safe 6-speed manual transmission, stiff brake pedal, sport tires and more make it arguably a little too good on the road.

AP Racing calipers with perforated 308mm discs, heavy duty brake pads and braided hoses make this a serious missile to attack on the tracks.

And only for those races that start on the track, the clutch is softened by shock absorbers to minimize the load on the transmission.

Exige uses several extreme gears to handle extreme performance.

For day to day use, you'll need a decent set of earplugs and possibly an on-demand physiotherapist.

In traffic, it's an exercise in regularly dividing your view between the side mirrors and straight ahead.

There is no need to look in the rearview mirror, unless you have a fetish for dirty, big, big intercoolers that take up space right behind the rear window. VERDICT: 7.5/10

Photo

Lotus Exige S

Cost: $ 114,990.

Engine: 1796 cu. see DOHC VVTL-i, supercharged 16-valve four-cylinder engine, air-to-air intercooler, Lotus T4e engine management system.

Power: 179 kW 8000 rpm (as tested).

Torque: 230 Nm at 5500 rpm.

Curb weight: 935kg (without options).

Fuel consumption: 9.1l / 100km.

Fuel tank capacity: 43.5 liters.

0-100 km / h: 4.12s (claimed).

Tires: front 195/50 R16, rear 225/45 R17.

CO2 emissions: 216g / km.

Options: travel package ($8000), sports package ($6000), performance package ($11,000).

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