Lotus has positioned the Evora between the Porsche Cayman S and 911, but it’s the Cayman’s performance that the Lotus more closely mirrors. On the road – and on most tracks – you won't want more power.
Is it truly a sub-five-second-to-60mph car, though? We matched Lotus’s claim of 4.9sec in one direction, once, and with one occupant on board. Were it not for a stubborn gearchange from first to second, the Lotus would have hit five-nothings with regularity.
As it is, the Evora’s loose, vague gearshift is the weakest part of the car’s performance. Although it could handle more power, will get it and maybe will be improved by it, it does not need it. What it does need is a vastly better gearshift.
Unlike many Lotuses, the Evora does sound special, though. There is plenty of sharply defined timbre and a hollow, satisfying growl as it revs towards its 6800rpm limit.
Beyond any question is the Evora’s ability to stop repeatedly without fade and with superb pedal feel.
It isn’t all about press-on driving. Despite its large wheels (18in front, 19in rear) and low-profile tyres, the Evora rides with more fluidity and comfort than many superminis.
Certainly the Evora feels lighter on its feet than a Porsche Cayman S and it fidgets far less than a Nissan
GT-R. The Lotus’s steering also has a lovely oily, linear feel and perfect weighting.
In faster driving the Evora maintains a supple ride yet manages it across crests and bumps with body control that displays no hint of overdamping or underdamping.
It has more body roll than the GT-R and Cayman but don’t mistake it for a big softie. Its roll rate is measured and progressive, and it reaches with perfect composure the points where its motions settle.
All the while its steering benefits from being hydraulically (rather than electrically) assisted and freed from over-assistance by dint of there being relatively little weight on its front end.
