[Der_Wolf]

Looking at getting one of these bad boys, but I cannot make my mind up. I have never driven any Lotus ever, so I do not know what to expect (by all accounts they are very fun). I will go through pros and cons of each one and see if you guys have anything to add.

Lotus Emira
Pros:

• Arguably the best looking car this side of Ferrari/McLaren territory (subjective, but it is my opinion)

• Interior is fantastic

• Hydraulic Steering

• Double wishbone suspension

• Sounds fantastic from videos

• Rare/last fully ICE Lotus will hopefully mean better resale value

• Slightly less expensive than the GTS 4 I have built on Porsche website

Cons:

• 4.3s 0-60 time leaves a bit to be desired

• 3.5L Supercharged V6 from Toyota seems a bit underwhelming for a 100k sports car

• Lotus will try and void your warranty if you install a cold air intake lol

• No one knows how this car will truly perform/drive

• Cannot see one in person before putting the allocation deposit down

Porsche 718 Cayman GTS 4.0
Pros:

• Naturally Aspirated 4.0L flat six sounds great and no turbo lag!

• PDK is a fantastic transmission and brings back the DCT fun that I lost when going from my F80 to G82

• Weighs slightly less than the Emira

• Proven Porsche performance and has great reviews

• More customization options when building

Cons:

• Outdated interior (4.2" screen lol)

• A dime a dozen around town and not as exciting exterior

• Slightly more expensive than the Emira

Tough choice here

[Our03z4]

As far as looks the Lotus looks pretty similar to the new C8 Corvette, at least from the front and sides. The Porsche will have better build quality I'm sure. I looked at getting an Evora and it felt kinda cheap. Don't know if this one will be the same. Personally I would go for the Porsche. Much easier to get service as well.

[Humdizzle]

tough call.

another issue would be servicing and DIY ability. Lotus dealerships are few and far between compared to porsche. Not only that the rennlist community is massive with tons of DIY threads and members to help each other out. The motorsport community and knowledge base is huge compared to ferrarichat or mclaren forums.

[Alfisti]

Tough, tough call but that flat 6, no blowers............

[AlexFL]

Cayman would be the safer choice. Emira is more unique, however, and will surely grab more attention.

[swagon]

Originally Posted by Der_Wolf

Cons:

• 4.3s 0-60 time leaves a bit to be desired

You don't buy this or the Cayman for drag racing, so there is literally no reason to care about 0-60.

Originally Posted by Der_Wolf

• 3.5L Supercharged V6 from Toyota seems a bit underwhelming for a 100k sports car

How is it underwhelming? You even said it sounds great. I've yet to hear any negatives about the engine or the powertrain.

Originally Posted by Der_Wolf

• Lotus will try and void your warranty if you install a cold air intake lol

Is BMW or Porsche any different? No.

Originally Posted by Der_Wolf

• No one knows how this car will truly perform/drive

Test driving an Evora would give you a good idea. And it won't be any worse than that, I'm sure.

Originally Posted by Der_Wolf

Cons:

• Outdated interior (4.2" screen lol)

Get a Cayman and an Evora for a spin round town and then you'll know a bit better.

[D_SheerDrivingPleasure]

Fun dilemma. Are you going to track the car? If so, there is much bigger aftermarket for the P-car.

Whatever you do get a manual IMO.

[M3WC]

Emira is beautiful.

4.0 GTS looks pedestrian. Fork over the extra $10k and get the GT4.

[Der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by Our03z4

As far as looks the Lotus looks pretty similar to the new C8 Corvette, at least from the front and sides. The Porsche will have better build quality I'm sure. I looked at getting an Evora and it felt kinda cheap. Don't know if this one will be the same. Personally I would go for the Porsche. Much easier to get service as well.

I have big concerns about the build quality as well. I am sure interior pieces will rattle and the sound the door makes while shutting will rival a taxi

Originally Posted by Humdizzle

tough call.

another issue would be servicing and DIY ability. Lotus dealerships are few and far between compared to porsche. Not only that the rennlist community is massive with tons of DIY threads and members to help each other out. The motorsport community and knowledge base is huge compared to ferrarichat or mclaren forums.

Luckily for me, the Lotus dealership is about the same distance as the Porsche dealer. Maybe 15-20 mins longer but that doesn't bother me. Are you on FChat with the same name? I have a different name there but I enjoy that site as well. The AdamEllisDJ saga remains one of my favorite threads ever. When someone called him a Tarmac Terrorist, I almost fell over laughing.

Originally Posted by swagon

You don't buy this or the Cayman for drag racing, so there is literally no reason to care about 0-60.



How is it underwhelming? You even said it sounds great. I've yet to hear any negatives about the engine or the powertrain.



Is BMW or Porsche any different? No.



Test driving an Evora would give you a good idea. And it won't be any worse than that, I'm sure.





Get a Cayman and an Evora for a spin round town and then you'll know a bit better.

The car is going to be tracked, so while I do agree that it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, it would be nice to be a little quicker.
The engine does sound great, so maybe you are correct in questioning my listed con. I wonder how it compares to the NA flat 6. Admittedly, I am not super familiar with the torque converter in the Emira, besides that its provided by Aisin AI. I don't know what people say about those.
As for the aftermarket support, I have never seen anyone complain about installing a CAI before, except Lotus.

Originally Posted by D_SheerDrivingPleasure

Fun dilemma. Are you going to track the car? If so, there is much bigger aftermarket for the P-car.

Whatever you do get a manual IMO.

Yes, the car is going to be tracked!

Originally Posted by M3WC

Emira is beautiful.

4.0 GTS looks pedestrian. Fork over the extra $10k and get the GT4.

I thought about that, but then we are starting to get into 911 territory after you add the 20k in options I am adding to the gts

Thank you everyone for your replies so far. It has given me even more to think about. General consensus at this time is to go Porsche. Keep the posts coming!

[Alfisti]

$20K? That's a hell of a gap.

[M3WC]

Originally Posted by Der_Wolf

• 3.5L Supercharged V6 from Toyota seems a bit underwhelming for a 100k sports car

The 3.5L isn't underwhelming at all, they sound amazing in Lotus. The 4.0L in the P-car actually sounds underwhelming, they need over axle pipes at the minimum.

[stein_325i]

Tough choice indeed. I think I'd do the Lotus. The Emira will be in the final ICE Lotus so if you've ever wanted a Lotus, now is the time to get it. As for the SCV6, its a fantastic engine full of soul, not to mention the Hydraulic steering will be an absolute delight.

[Der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by M3WC

The 3.5L isn't underwhelming at all, they sound amazing in Lotus. The 4.0L in the P-car actually sounds underwhelming, they need over axle pipes at the minimum.

Wow, that is a great video! I also just read that the Emira will auto blip on downshifts too (one cool feature of the Porsche). I am ever so slightly leaning towards the Emira...

[Der_Wolf]

Originally Posted by stein_325i

Tough choice indeed. I think I'd do the Lotus. The Emira will be in the final ICE Lotus so if you've ever wanted a Lotus, now is the time to get it. As for the SCV6, its a fantastic engine full of soul, not to mention the Hydraulic steering will be an absolute delight.

I am beyond happy to hear the SCV6 has supporters. I don't know a ton about it besides its been used in Camry's, which turns me off. Of course, I know that Lotus will have tuned it differently, but I am spoiled with this S58

[AlexFL]

Originally Posted by Der_Wolf

I am beyond happy to hear the SCV6 has supporters. I don't know a ton about it besides its been used in Camry's, which turns me off. Of course, I know that Lotus will have tuned it differently, but I am spoiled with this S58

I was gonna tell you to get the M4 instead, but you already bought one. LOL. BMW M cars are such a good deal overall!

[Fined]

It really is a tough call. I'm definitely wanting hydraulic steering (or no power assist maybe) in this kind of a car but I'm also definitely wanting a good dual clutch like PDK. I didn't consider any other gearbox for my track focused car a few years ago and I'm still very glad about that.

I tend to let the curb weight be a deciding factor in a close contest like this.

The combo of dual clutch, hydraulic steering and N/A flat 6 was crucial so at this point I won't be moving away from the 10 year old 911 I have. When I add something else I'll probably still try to stick with hydraulic steering since it's the main thing I don't like about my M2

[Darth One]

I really hate responding “go drive both” because it sounds so unhelpful, but it really is true in this case. Those two cars are so emotional, so unexplainable by numbers and by specs, that there’s no other way to decide.

The Cayman will thrill you, no doubt. I doubt any of us have driven the Emira but Lotus has an impeccable rep on driving experience. You’ll just have to see whether it has more of the fizz than the Porsche does

[Redd]

The 718 GT4 will be superseded by the next Cayman and will be largely forgotten like previous Cayman GT4s were. The Emira will be the last of its kind and will probably appreciate much more than the Cayman. In my country S1 Elise have held their used car price for the last 10 years.

[baege]

I had a similar debate, especially since I've had 2 prior 981S so wonder how different will the gts 4.0 be?

but in the end the unknowns about the reliability of the lotus kept me away...for now...

is this a second car for you or is it one you need to rely on to get you somewhere when you need to get there?

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by Redd

The 718 GT4 will be superseded by the next Cayman and will be largely forgotten like previous Cayman GT4s were. The Emira will be the last of its kind and will probably appreciate much more than the Cayman. In my country S1 Elise have held their used car price for the last 10 years.

When did people forgot about the GT4? It only came out 6 years ago and is still selling for MSRP 6 years later. Porsche does by far the best job of any manufacturer of differentiating between generations and keeping the old ones desirable

[overcoil]

Rear mid-engine scare the F out of me.

[CDN-Driver]

Lotus has an ownership status (Geely) that is an issue for me. Lotus reliability issues vs Porsche is night and day.