2008 Lotus Elise S Review
9 Aug, 2008
20 Comments 
Alborz -
When Anthony called and asked if I was interested in coming down to Sydney to drive a Lotus Elise S and Exige, I didn’t need to respond, I was already on my way to the airport.
Instead of writing about just how great this car is (and it is), as Anthony has already done, I will have to play bad cop and tell you what I don’t like.
From the outside, the Elise is not exactly your typical car and there is nothing ordinary about it. If there is one car you will remember on your 5pm drive home, it will be a Lotus. I am positive you will have no trouble spotting it, even through Beijing’s thick and healthy fog.
Drive it around Sydney and you can be guaranteed that nearly every conscious motorist will turn their head. This is not necessarily a good thing if subtlety and a valid license is something you desire.
One noticeable problem seems to be that the local police have a Lotus detection system. On at least two instances we were followed, for no apparent reason except that we had a ‘cooler’ car than our friendly officers. Come on guys, I am sure the Commodore SS can keep up through the bends!
Getting seated in the Lotus is an interesting exercise in patience and serenity, Anthony says you can get used to it, but that’s because Anthony is about as tall as the Elise itself.
After spending two days with it, my right leg was not only sore but had a noticeable bruise from every failed attempt at getting in or out of the car, and I am no Malcolm Turnbull.
Once you actually find your way inside, you are presented with an interior that is, well, a little lacking, which I suppose should come at no surprise. The idea here - and you have to keep reminding yourself of this - is to save weight, so that’s a good reason to pretty much have no interior comforts at all.
You have your steering wheel, gearshift, pedals and an air-conditioning system that works - when it wants to. Then there is the manually operated roof which ideally you’ll need two people to operate.
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(6 votes, average: 3.83 out of 5)
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August 9th, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Wow, I never realised that this was only $70,000 I expected it to be much much more expensive, near the $100,000 mark.
Great review! Great car.
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August 9th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
Corolla engine.Better keep that quite.LOL.
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August 9th, 2008 at 7:06 pm
excellent review guys. i too am surprised at the price of this car. looking forward to your exige review.
ps. Realcars, you spelled quiet incorrectly.LOL.
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August 9th, 2008 at 7:11 pm
A lot of engine for the price.LOL
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August 9th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
# 0-100km/h: 6.1 seconds
Does it need much more engine?
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August 9th, 2008 at 8:22 pm
Hi Caradvice team,
I think there’s a little confusion as to the Toyota engine used in this car.
Since the new generation of elises/exiges, the engines theyve used are the 140hp 1ZZ-FE toyota engine (in the celica GT in usa, also in the toyota MR-2 roadster) and the 190hp 2ZZ-GE toyota engine (celica GT-S and Austrlian 7th gen celicas). Both of these are 1.8L engines.
On the other hand, 1.8L engine used in this generation (and the previous generation Corolla i think) is the 2ZR-FE which makes similar power but less torque.
Cheers
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August 9th, 2008 at 8:25 pm
Okay I take back everything I just said about the engine, the previous corolla used the 1ZZ-FE too!
Oops!
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August 10th, 2008 at 8:48 am
word of advice with the elise, Never ever lift off the throttle loaded up through a corner.
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August 10th, 2008 at 11:42 am
Niiice. These shots are taken at Hawkesbury River right… Ive noticed a few which seem to match that area although I thought CarAdvice was based in QLD?
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August 10th, 2008 at 11:50 am
TP, we are based in QLD, NSW, VIC and WA. Our main work force is in VIC followed by NSW than QLD and WA.
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August 10th, 2008 at 12:09 pm
that’s a lot of impracticality for something that doesn’t go as well , nor look as good as a falcon (according to ACA star ratings) and costs 30K more
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August 10th, 2008 at 2:07 pm
Hehe yeah those Falcons with GT kits & decals are real head turners compared to this Lotus. Define “go”.
Did I take the bait? I’m normally the one setting the traps :)
Great car review.
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August 10th, 2008 at 2:21 pm
You’d prefer to be driving a Diesel Epica right Anthony?
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August 10th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
This is a car for purists most liekly driven only in the weekends. People who buy a Lotus know what they’re in for. It’s not for everyone but I reckon it looks sensational.
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August 10th, 2008 at 8:53 pm
“how does it go” is one of the rating criteria at the end of the car reviews on this blog. It shows to go that taste is subjective, as I think the Lotus looks better than the Falcon. And I would have thought it would drive at least as well, not worse, though I guess the marks are relative to the competition.
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August 11th, 2008 at 12:07 pm
why would anyone buy the more expensive s2000.
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August 11th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
The s2000 is far overpriced in our market. It should be closer to 50k.
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August 11th, 2008 at 6:35 pm
It makes a good daily for some. My friend has an Exige S and drives it to work and back every day!
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August 16th, 2008 at 7:25 pm
The supercharged engine was the Celica/Corolla Sportivo’s 2ZZ-GE, and could be found in the top model Elise and Exige. The car tested is one of the low-end variants, with the ZZE112 Corolla’s standard 1ZZ-FE engine, the same one found in the MR2 Spyder. The middle-of-the-range Elise and Exige have the non-supercharged 2ZZ-GE.
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August 16th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Okay then Al Jutraj The supercharged engine in the Lotus is a from the Silly-Car.. I mean Celica;
Therefore; If Toyota is a company full of Passion - as we are lead to believe by the handful of Toyo-philes on this site.. then why don’t they add a supercharger for the Corolla instead of being shown how its done by that is compared to Toyota [the worlds wealthiest car company] a lightweight?
Then maybe the Corolla might stop getting its a–e kicked by the Golf
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