So let’s start from the outside, where this car stands out like none other out there. If you had a poster of a Lamborghini Countach on your wall, the outlandish look was probably the first thing that attracted your attention to the car, and the Lotus Exige does the same. If you like crazy, this car is for you. The wings and body kit are actually purposeful, unlike some vehicles which are just for looks, and the downforce provided pushes the car down to the pavement and makes sure that you don’t loose it at high speed. From personal experience around long sweeping bends at different velocities, there is a noticeable difference between fast and slow. The faster you go, the more confident in the grip you feel, and at lower speeds, the car feels squirrelly. As for keeping the overall weight in check, the body and frame of the car are composed of epoxy-bonded aluminum extrusions and composite fiberglass, keeping the curb weight at 2077 lbs. All this, plus keeping the options spartan, makes the car a demon on the road.
Moving onto the interior, if you are over 5 foot 10 or under 5 foot 3, this car will probably be the most awful thing to drive. Too tall, getting in is miserable, visibility is poor, and seating position minimally adjustable. Too short, getting in will be miserable, visibility will be decent, but the seating position is minimally adjustable making for an uncomfortable driving position. Fortunately for me, being 5 foot 10 and relatively limber (this is a gymnast’s car), getting in wasn’t that big of a deal. In fact, after two entries and exits I managed to just be able to slide in and out with great ease. Visibility for me wasn’t the best and would be better for someone shorter. To best describe it, it’s like driving with a baseball cap in a way that’s similar to covering the top of your view. Also, the steering wheel is not adjustable, so the position for me was parallel to my chest, which wasn’t so much bad as it could’ve been better. The seats are thin and lightweight with very good bolstering, making them essentially plastic buckets with padding. Any mildly long-distance trips would be misery for those who don’t find the seating immediately comfortable.
It fit like a glove for me which, to my surprise, allowed me to fully enjoy what the Exige had to offer. Other minor accoutrements were the aftermarket style radio and sound system (again, not bad, but not the best), an iPod connector and spot to put it, as few buttons as possible placed strategically, and the all-important knob on the steering wheel that allows the driver to adjust traction control with 18 preset levels. The noise in the cabin is aggressive and at times a bit overwhelming, so talking to your either scared or exhilarated passenger is somewhat tough, but hey, you’re in a Lotus Exige! Noise, rumbling, supercharger whine—all of that speaks for itself. After all, that’s why you bought the car. Now, if that ISN’T why you bought the car, you might want to reconsider getting something else.
Some other interior notables include body-color painted interior metals, “quality” plastics and leather, a single cabin light located in the rear, and a 12V power outlet in between the seats towards the rear of the car, which made plugging in a radar detector a bit difficult. Overall, you get exactly what you were looking for based on any preconceived notions of the vehicle. I absolutely adored it. Being a minimalist, less is better, and the Lotus Exige takes this to the extreme. I think my cell phone offers more options than the interior of the car, so buyer beware if you are looking for a track-ready sports car that you can cruise with daily and enjoy lots of dials, knobs, buttons, telematic read-outs, stock tickers, weather reports, traffic reports, what phase the moon will be in, Greenwich mean time, when the tide is coming in, and whatever other silly, useless bits and pieces people have come to look for in a cars.
This all brings me to my final point about the interior experience, something which I hope everyone pays close attention to, and that’s the ride feel. The Lotus-tuned suspension is rough using some pretty intense technology (technical mumbojumbo warning!), mainly, fully independent suspension with unequal length wishbones, Bilstein mono-tube gas damper, and Eibach coaxial coil springs. That’s intense, and to summarize what that all means: You will feel every bump and pebble on the road and will more than likely end up with bruises and a headache. To some, this is probably the most aggravating turn-off to buying a car, but to me, its heaven. Being a Mini owner, having an already unruly suspension experience makes the transition into an absolutely ruthless suspension all the easier.
And last, but not least, some engine specs and an overall wrap-up: The car is powered by a Toyota-sourced, 4-cylinder, 1.8 liter, supercharged engine, mid-mounted with DOHC and VVTL-I., supercharged 1.8 liter engine mid-mounted 4-cylinder with. It puts out 240 horsepower and 170 lb/ft of torque and makes you feel every last one of them at launch. 0 to 60 out of the gate in 4 seconds flat, and 6 seconds later (10 total) nails the triple digit landmark. On top of all that, fuel economy is rated at 20 city mpg and 26 highway mph, which is really good for an “exotic” car. At a price of about $70,525 for this setup, it’s worth every penny, although some would argue that the lack of “luxury” makes this a bit of tough leather to chew. If you are a looking for a car that makes you feel like the giddy 10-year-old staring at your new Lamborghini poster, this is the car for you. But if you think a great car is something with four wheels that floats lazily along like a Cadillac or a Mercedes-Benz, then this is definitely not the car for you.
As for me, I absolutely love this car, and that goes for the rest of the model lineup, too.
Thomas Albrecht is the latest addition to the AutoKinesis team. An avid automotive enthusiast and photographer, he has been an automotive journalist for two years to date and has been with online automotive media for the same amount of time.