Lotus Elise in Consumer Reports ...

Nunyas

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• Mar 6, 2006

• #1

I was looking through a recent Consumer Reports Automobile publication and thought it'd be fun to see what they had to say on the Lotus Elise. The one thing they said that stuck in my mind was that the car is 'unforgiving' once you lose traction. Now, I realize Consumer Reports is far from being a sports car publication, but driving an Elise can't be as bad as they made it sound... can it? They did say that the car handled great as long as you maintained traction.

Is it that they make their reviews for mass market non-enthusiasts? Or is it that they expect all sports cars to come with traction controlled yaw sensing anti-fun electronics and judge sports cars that do without these devices harshly? I mean they seemed rather critical stating the Elise was "unforgiving" once traction begins to let loose.

 

DrEntropy

Great Pumpkin

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• Mar 6, 2006

• #2

Wonder just who got to drive it to make the determination. Same could be said of every Lotus ever built! If you put it up on it's tip-toes, you better be a DRIVER or it'll BITE. S"why NOBODY gets to drive mine. No amount of explaning it makes any difference. I've seen it repeatedly. New owners either learn and keep the car, or within six months of purchase it'll be up for sale. Damaged/repaired or smelling of disinfectant and deodoriser. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

D

Deleted member 3577

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Guest

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• Mar 6, 2006

• #3

The Elise should have a idiot light that comes on after you exceed 0.8 g labeled "You May Not Be Qualified" /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

DrEntropy

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• Mar 6, 2006

• #4

Old Star Trek "RED ALERT" signal: "WOOT! WOOT!"

...on second thought, let' 'em find out on their own. The 'ham-fisted' among 'em won't drive 'em long: "No sympatico with th' equipment" and it's a trip inna boonies.

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 6, 2006

• #5

How bad are europa's? I never figured there was enough juice to break the tires loose, but they are light and I've heard the traction statement with all rear engined sportscars. I've also always wanted a europa (more my price range) or esprit (99% out of my price range - but I like the styling better).

 

DrEntropy

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• Mar 6, 2006

• #6

Bad? hmmm... Driver position is a bit "odd" to get used to, but with a proper T/C Europa there's plenty of power to invoke adrenalin flow, don't worry. Bit of a "pusher" for my taste, but it'll put respect in your voice. Until the Esprit, most Lotus' were traction limited, not power limited.

 

78Z

Darth Vader

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #7

Interestingly Consumer Reports doesn't even drive a lot of the niche vehicles they report on. I remember for a couple of years after the C5 Vette came out all the reviews were based soley on the C4. I wouldn't be suprised at all if they merely copied in the old review of the Esprit.

 

jlaird

Great Pumpkin

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #8

Ha, most everything is "unforgiving" once traction begins to let loose. Weee, round and round we go.

 

OP

Nunyas

Yoda

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #9

heh... I'm beginning to think that they've come to expect *all* sports cars to pander their owners, and make up for driver ineptness...

 

S

sammyb

Luke Skywalker

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #10

Consumer Reports is targeted at the "average consumer" who wants to be informed (which means that they aren't, by nature, really average.) CR has never been an enthusiast publication. I've tended to disagree with their statements over the years, but I've also been in polar diasagreement with Motor Trend, C/D and R&T (whose writers never seem to take reliability into question.)

Now as for CR's statement about the Elise -- I suppose it makes sense, but they should have qualified it: "Like all mid-engined sports cars, it can be unforgiving past its handling limits."

If it were my column, I would have continued to qualify in the following manner: "The Elise's limits, however, are so well beyond most other sports cars, that exploring them is best left to well-trained drivers on the world's great race courses, where the vehicle can deliver its wonderful feedback to receptive hands and feet."

 

JamesWilson

Yoda

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #11

WOuld it be unjust sterotyping to think that the average CR reader would be far, far happier in a Volvo driving "sensibly" than in a Lotus anywhere near its limits?

 

OP

Nunyas

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #12

hmmm ... apparently the CR editors don't think so...

 

kennypinkerton

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #13

Probably more like a Mercury-Caprice-Focus-Camry-Civic or something like that - hehehehe. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif

 

AngliaGT

Great Pumpkin

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• Mar 7, 2006

• #14

Remember the Omni/Horizon scandel?
They said that if,at speed,you turn the wheel
side-to-side,the car loses control - go figure.

- Doug

 

kennypinkerton

Yoda

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• Mar 8, 2006

• #15

I'd bet that the best reviews go to the highest bidder.


Hmmmm. not in an american magazine....



...more than likely. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

DrEntropy

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• Mar 8, 2006

• #16

My opinion of the magazine, it's paradigm and any who use it to determine which appliance/thingie/widget to purchase has never been too high. But then, I'm not a good "consumer."

 

Roger

Luke Skywalker

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• Mar 8, 2006

• #17

Well, I've only done 5,500 miles in my Elise, and it does wag it's tail from time to time. More like an angry cat than a happy dog, but you have to do something silly to make it happen and I haven't been caught out yet.

 

OP

Nunyas

Yoda

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• Mar 8, 2006

• #18

hmmmm... angry cat wagging tail versus the happy dog wagging tail... which is better? I've seen happy dogs wagging their tails without any sort of control with such force that they can bruise legs and destroy a home... while the angry cat wags its tail with a level of control that dogs can only dream about...

Or is it more like, dogs wag their tails *ALL* the time, and while a cat might be able to wag its tail it'll only do it when its angry and aims to teach ya a lesson?

I'm gonna assume it's a level of control that will rarely be tested when driven on the streets...

can't be much worse than power shifting into 2nd mid-turn on a wet road in a B.... can it? hmmmm... i guess it really depends on the driving conditions ...

 

DrEntropy

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• Mar 8, 2006

• #19

Do that in ANY Lotus and you'll be swappin' ends. Possibly repeatedly. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

 

OP

Nunyas

Yoda

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• Mar 8, 2006

• #20

sounds fun! as long as there's no one/nothing around for me to smack into... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif