# Lotus Exige



## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

Anyone owned/driven/got any experience of the Exige.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


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## leenx (Feb 8, 2010)

oceans7 said:


> Anyone owned/driven/got any experience of the Exige.
> 
> Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


They're f****** quick! :lol:

Sorry couldn't help it! Unbelievable power.


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## b3hbm (Feb 2, 2011)

Which ones ?

I don't know about the later ones but the S1's were really track cars that were road legal IMO. I bought a standard S1 and remember looking at the S1 Exige, which was basically a tuned S1 (190-ish bhp) with track suspension & a roof for roughly £10k more.

The same problems getting in/out and the engines had some reliability problems judging from the forum posting at that time. It could have just been unsympathetic owners because people did get them to work, but Lotus have a different definition of "reliable" to manufacturers like Audi !

Incredibly quick but you needed good roads. Folks say the standard S1 has harsh suspension but the Exige was one step beyond & I decided we couldn't live with one as a daily car.


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Amazing second car though.


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## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

Thanks for the replys gents.
This is much like the one I have been looking at.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p


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## leenx (Feb 8, 2010)

oceans7 said:


> Thanks for the replys gents.
> This is much like the one I have been looking at.
> http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/ ... ?logcode=p


I'm really liking that! Doesn't give the performance stats though?


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## drjam (Apr 7, 2006)

I own the Elise rather than the Exige, so can't comment directly on the latter, but there are obviously quite a few similarities.

The 2007 you've linked to will be the Toyota/Yamaha engine and is the non-supercharged version (so same basic engine as in mine, but tuned to a few bhp more).
It's a cam-shift jobbie, with the shift at around 6200 revs. (You can get a remap which lowers this as well as smoothing out the whole power delivery, which I've done and is well worth it).
Don't expect lots of low-down lazy torque. It's not slow by any reasonable definition lower in the rev range, but the ballistic bit is if you're prepared to rev high (it goes to about 8500). Some people hate this, some don't. (And some add a supercharger!)
If you aren't pushing it, you can get good mileage (small engine, light car) - we got 40mpg round Scotland last year.

I've owned mine since 2006 and, rattles and bits of wobbly trim aside, it's been completely reliable, with much lower running costs than the TT (there's less to go wrong anyway - don't expect creature comforts and electronic gizmos). I've only ever spent on annual service stuff, brake pads, tyres and suspension geo checks.

The drive/handling is very hard to describe in words. It's very direct, with so much steering feel that it can be a bit off-putting at first. I often hear the term "planted" being used on this forum; the elise doesn't feel "planted" it feels "alive", which can seem jittery at first. But once you're used to it and confident there is really bags of grip, it's ultimately much more rewarding to drive down a winding country road.

It's noisy, and I believe the Exige can get hot as it's roofed in (but that one has aircon).

So depends how you intend to use it. I don't cover many miles and live in the countryside, so I love it. But I can fully understand why people who want a lazier, comfier, quieter car for everyday use wouldn't choose one (we have the TT too which is better for long motorway cruises).

That's probably enough to be going on with. I'd advise test driving more than one and the more time you can spend the better, and on a variety of roads, as it is a very different beast from a TT.


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## Charlie (Dec 15, 2006)

I drove a supercharged one around Silverstone a few years ago and loved it  I also span it a slid across the grass taking out a cone at about 40mph 

It takes a lot more skill and mechanical sympathy to get the best out of it.

Charlie


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## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

drjam said:


> I own the Elise rather than the Exige, so can't comment directly on the latter, but there are obviously quite a few similarities.
> 
> The 2007 you've linked to will be the Toyota/Yamaha engine and is the non-supercharged version (so same basic engine as in mine, but tuned to a few bhp more).
> It's a cam-shift jobbie, with the shift at around 6200 revs. (You can get a remap which lowers this as well as smoothing out the whole power delivery, which I've done and is well worth it).
> ...


 Thanks for that, very useful info. I am hoping to take it out over the w/end. It's a private sale so need to works around work schedules.
The one i am possibly after is a well loved example and the Toyota engine is supposed to be very very reliable, what else would you expect.
Weather permittiing I'll let you know how the td goes.

Cheers for the replies peeps.
I believe the bhp on the one he has is 240,  , it also has ipod connectivity, air con and air bags etc. He has it fully loaded.


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## drjam (Apr 7, 2006)

oceans7 said:


> ... it also has ipod connectivity...


That'll be useful, as I forgot to add that the radio reception is rubbish  
(on mine it turns to noise whenever I hit the brake pedal :roll


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

Not quite the same but I'm picking up my new car tomorrow.

Supercharged Vx220 250ish bhp


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## jackmontandon (Apr 3, 2009)

Hark said:


> Not quite the same but I'm picking up my new car tomorrow.
> 
> Supercharged Vx220 250ish bhp


i dont like you


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

jackmontandon said:


> Hark said:
> 
> 
> > Not quite the same but I'm picking up my new car tomorrow.
> ...


lol

thanks mate. :roll:


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## TTCool (Feb 7, 2005)

Lots of info and comment on the link below and other Lotus forums:
http://www.exiges.com/

Joe


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## jackmontandon (Apr 3, 2009)

Hark said:


> jackmontandon said:
> 
> 
> > Hark said:
> ...


haha jealousy is a bitter thing


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## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

TTCool said:


> Lots of info and comment on the link below and other Lotus forums:
> http://www.exiges.com/
> 
> Joe


 LOL I have been looking on here and I tried to Join but they won't approve my account. Bad news travels fast. :lol:


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## b3hbm (Feb 2, 2011)

I don't know if this link will work for you, but it's worth reading.

http://forums.seloc.org/viewthread.php?tid=307431

A mixed bag of reviews, some great, some lousy, but the thing that strikes me that it's typical Lotus. My S1 was a real pain for the first 6-9months and all silly things which went wrong. In my case it was just Lotus using cheap parts, Koni dampers leaking under 10k, steering rack bellows splitting at 12 months and the like.

But don't get me wrong, despite all the hassle I've still got it and won't sell it, I just grumble about it until I sit behind the wheel, then all's forgiven.....

If you can't get directly on the thread it's worth registering to take a peek at it. Seloc is a pretty good site with lots of technical help - a bit like these forums.


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## CraigW (Mar 19, 2009)

Saw a guy total his Exige a few weeks ago while in front of me. Traffic lights went green, the clown floored it round a corner in the wet, lost the back end and straight into a wall. Game over. I smiled and waved to him as I went past.

The point is, through observation, it looks a tricky car to handle in wet conditions but then I have no experience of them.


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## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

Managed to get out in it for a TD last night (waiting for the rain to stop), awesomes handling around the b roads here and the acceleration is unlike anything I have experienced before. Not sure if it was the speed of acceleration or just the tiny size of the car, but it felt like a supercharged gocart.
I have to say I am now in two minds about it, I love the looks and have scretly always wanted a lotus since I was young and saw my first Elan, however, not sure if I can justify buying it just to use on the odd dry occassion and I can't even get my dog in the back (this is a must for me).
In short I still want it, but not sure ifI should have it. Got some thinking to do. :?


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## Hark (Aug 23, 2007)

CraigW said:


> Saw a guy total his Exige a few weeks ago while in front of me. Traffic lights went green, the clown floored it round a corner in the wet, lost the back end and straight into a wall. Game over. I smiled and waved to him as I went past.
> 
> The point is, through observation, it looks a tricky car to handle in wet conditions but then I have no experience of them.


Dick or not smiling and waving after someone writes off their car seems a complete nobber thing to do. Hopefully it was slightly different in reality.

To the last post I really don't think an Exige is a car you'll buy with your head. lol


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## CraigW (Mar 19, 2009)

Hark said:


> CraigW said:
> 
> 
> > Saw a guy total his Exige a few weeks ago while in front of me. Traffic lights went green, the clown floored it round a corner in the wet, lost the back end and straight into a wall. Game over. I smiled and waved to him as I went past.
> ...


Dick or not smiling and waving after someone writes off their car seems a complete nobber thing to do. Hopefully it was slightly different in reality.

Each to their own pal. The guy was acting like an arse. He was lucky he didn't spin into oncoming traffic. I call it karma


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## oceans7 (Oct 20, 2009)

.[/quote]

To the last post I really don't think an Exige is a car you'll buy with your head. lol[/quote]

Totally true, this is very much a heart thing. There is something strangely romantic about Lotus' (for me anyway) and if I do go for it it will simply be for the love of the car, as in term of practicality, it ticks none of the boxes.
Re: the guy that crashed his, I don't really think waving and laughing at him was the thing to do, we have all floored it from the lights, the difference being that the turbo on the TT takes so long to kick in we're already round the corner before the power puts down, but it could happen to anyone in the wet.


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