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2012 Lotus Elise S


 
  Review 
 
   

Lotus promised a trio of sports cars occupying their space at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and, next to the new generation Exige S and the Exige R-GT, that promise has been delivered with a new addition to the Elise lineup: the Elise S. This new model will replace the existing Elise SC which just displayed its final hoorah with the special edition Elise SC Final Edition.

The Lotus Elise first appeared about 15 years ago and promised the performance of a supercar, but the fuel economy of a city car. That idea is still going on strong today with a new 1.8 liter super charged engine delivering a total of 217 HP and 184 lb-ft of torque. The great thing about the new Elise S is that it has a comparable power output to the Elise SC - it actually has a higher peak torque (184 lb-ft to the SC’s 156 lb-ft) - but it has answered the fuel economy and CO2 emissions issues brought on by the change of regulations.

Want to know more? Hit the jump for details on the Lotus Elise S.


Exterior

2.

Much like the new design of the Exige S, the Lotus Elise S gets smoother lines to clean up its look. The front grille has been modified to add a little aggression, while also providing an uninterrupted line across the front of the vehicle. Head towards the middle of the car and we’ll find a standard black soft-top roof going back towards the optional new rear diffuser with a silver anodized finish.

Dimensions
Overall width (door mirrors excluded) 1719 mm
Overall width (door mirrors included) 1850 mm
Overall height – midladen (as per unladen with 2x 75 kg occupants) 1117 mm
Overhang – front 783 mm
Overhang – rear 702 mm
Ramp Angle – front 13.5 degrees
Ramp Angle – rear 23 degrees
Ground clearance – midladen (as per unladen with 2x 75 kg occupants) 130 mm
Vehicle mass – unladen (running order, full tank of fuel, no occupants, no luggage) TBC
Weight distribution Front: 38%; Rear: 62%
Drag Coefficient 0.41
Aerodynamic balance at 160 km/h (100 mph) 5 kg front; 7 kg rear

Interior

For the interior, the new Elise S offers standard lightweight aluminum passenger footrest, a black plain/perforated leather steering wheel, a black leather gear lever gaiter, a polished aluminum gear knob and handbrake sleeve, and an engine start push button.

In addition to the new features, there will also be three packages available:

Touring Pack

  • Leather ProBaxTM seats
  • Padded leather door panels
  • Perforated leather door inserts
  • Leather trimmed center console
  • Black perforated leather handbrake lever gaiter
  • Black carpet mats with embroidered Elise logo
  • Noise insulation paneling
  • Auxiliary driving lights
  • iPod* stereo connection
  • Trinket tray divider and cup holder
  • Cruise control

Sport Pack

  • Bilstein Sports Dampers
  • Silver 14-spoke forged wheels
  • ProBaxTM sports seats

Black Style Pack

  • Black wheels
  • Black rear diffuse

Engine

3.

The new Lotus Elise S delivers a similar power output to the outgoing Elise SC using a Lotus-designed supercharged 1.8 L I-4 engine mated to a 6-speed gearbox with constant mesh helical gears and an open differential. This engine puts out 217 HP at 6800 rpm and a peak torque of 184 lb-ft at 4600 rpm, the star of the show being the increased torque (up from the SC’s 156 lb-ft of torque). Unfortunately,the performance specs, fuel economy, and CO2 emissions are not available at this time, but we’ll provide an update as soon as this information becomes available. As of right now, Lotus has ensured that the fuel economy and CO2 emissions have been improved.

The Elise S will be equipped with a fully independent suspension utilizing unequal length wishbones, a Bilstein mono-tube gas damper, Eibach coaxial coil springs at each corner, and a front anti-roll bar. Also, like with the Exige S, the new Elise S will be equipped with the Lotus DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) switch which allows the driver to alternate between three driving modes: Touring, Sport, and DPM off.

Dynamic Performance Management (DPM)

  •  Corner Brake Control (CBC)
  •  Drag Torque Control (DTC)
  •  Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
  •  Traction Control System (TCS)
  •  Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
  •  Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)*
  •  Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA)*
  •  Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)*
  •  Understeer Recognition

All apart from * can be completely switched off.

Prices

Prices for the new Elise S will be announced at a later date, but we imagine the price tag should read somewhere close to the $55,000 found on the outgoing Elise SC.

Competition

With the new updates, the Lotus Elise S has finally become a serious competitor for models like the Audi TTS. That being said, the Audi TTS boasts of a 2.0 L TFSI engine that can crank out 272 HP, which leaves the 217 HP from the Elise S in the dust, but the Elise S will probably weigh in close to 1931 lbs of the standard Elise which is significantly lighter than the 3219 lb Audi TTS. Bottomline: We’ll have to wait for Lotus to reveal performance numbers to properly compare the Elise S to the Audi TTS.

4.

 Looks great
 New engine
 Three different packages for the interior

 Competition is still more powerful
 No performance figures as of yet
 No fuel economy and emissions figures as of yet



32 comments: Lotus Elise S


GenevaSanMiguel (528)
Posted on
02.3.2012 @ 02:44
2012 Lotus Elise S looks great with its exterior design, and I love the color combination. It is amazing that this car offers three different packages for the interior. This is a well-designed car made by Lotus. 

Evan_Bruce (512)
Posted on
12.29.2011 @ 01:45
It is already looking great on its sleek body paint. And with its Lotus-designed supercharged I-4 that delivers 217@6800 rpm is quite good enough for it.

RaptorF22 (437)
Posted on
12.28.2011 @ 04:09
The red color is very hot, and appealing to the eye; the aggressive outlook of the exterior design described  the strong characteristic of the car.

Ronald_james (506)
Posted on
12.27.2011 @ 23:09
If you see this car in the side view the car is too short, then the other race car. This style is good for the race track because its light weight and have a great performance.

albe_winston (1250)
Posted on
12.26.2011 @ 02:30
I love this car. This is still in the market? I want to have this a kind of a car. The style and the design was really impressive.

rado_guissepe (687)
Posted on
12.23.2011 @ 01:16
This car is fully independent suspension utilizing unequal length wishbones. I like the combination color of rims and the body and also the hood.

charles_vince (518)
Posted on
12.19.2011 @ 02:28
Lotus Elise S has an improved physical appearance that everyone will dream to have this kind of car. I like this car, I think this car is perfect for my personality.

Rob_Cortez (602)
Posted on
12.16.2011 @ 02:17
Lotus Elise S is like a Lamborghini car. However, this car is fully independent suspension utilizing unequal length wishbones. I like the combination color of rims and the body even its hood.

Dah_Wette (384)
Posted on
12.13.2011 @ 20:23
It looks so alive on its frontal design, especially on its headlight! I also love the shape and the dimension of its front grille and exhaust system, which truly looks cool on it. Moreover, I hope that its engine is really good enough on it.

AudiRS6 (237)
Posted on
12.13.2011 @ 02:28
It will surely a complete packaged for this Elise if they use a better engine on it. V12 could truly give a nice and remarkable speed on this vehicle. However, I must say that I really admire its lovely appearance.

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Picture Gallery (15)
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Picture Gallery (15)

Year:2012
Engine:Lotus-designed supercharged I-4
Transmission:6-speed gearbox
Horsepower @ RPM:217 @ 6800 rpm
Torque @ RPM:184 @ 4600 rpm
Displacement:1800 L


  Lotus Elise Pictures