http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/...nd-for-us.html

Didn't see a thread on this, so wanted to throw one out. $60k and 4.1 0-60 in that tight light little body... wowser, that'll pull some g's!

-Nate

 

a bit expensive...

 

i like but not the price

 

WHOA 11.5 compression pistons... WITH boost =O

 

I'm too effing tall to get in an Elise without removing the top. It'd suck to spend $60K on a car you can't even get into!

 

ya that would be a problem with me too lol, but i couldnt really get myself to spend 60k on a car lol.

 

Personally I think these cars are crap. w00t a blower and more money = 23 more bhp

I have a close friend and a brother with 2005 and 2006 Elise and Ive driven both hard. No thanks. Especially for the price.

My first observation is that its got to be THE cheapest built thing Ive seen with the cheapest most shoddy interior materials. For 50-60k you'd think you could get some CF in there. The seats after 10 minutes feel like alluminum stadium bleachers.

They are painfully slow. The Toyota engine doesnt even come alive until 6k+ rpm and even then its a non-event. Upgrading the performance is also a royal pain. From most of the research out there the Toyota ecu is good to about 300bhp tops and even then its a serious hack job.

I can't stand not having power steering. These guys try to tell me they prefer it. My ***. Hardcore 1g turning takes all your strength and creates dangerous understeer situations.

Handling, brakes, and looks are great.

My opinion, use better materials for the interior with better seats, add power steering, drop that woeful toyota engine and go with the supercharged Honda v-tec like the one used in the Ariel Atom..... then ... .maybe... its worth the 56k you have to shell out.

 

That's why smart people get rid of the Toyota engine and put a Honda K20A in it which can be modded as hell.

Ariel was smarter, they used the Honda K20 engine

 

Exactly.... but for 56k you shouldnt have to do that..... not to mention the other shortcomings. But if you at least have the bite to back up the bark, the arguement about it being a purpose built car actually holds water. But it doesn't... so they will continue to get spanked hard on any road course.

 

I hate sitting in that little thing! Its soo uncomfortable..

 

Too bad it's not street legal..

 

Both butt cheeks go numb after sitting in those seats for more than 10 minutes for me.

It's a shame they decided to go with the Toyota motor over the K20A. I loved the potential of that motor when I had my RSX. The tranny and FWD made it a big FTMFL for me.

 

Yeah, thats simply due to American emission restrictions. Apparently Lotus isn't competent enough to make 220bhp streetable.

Yeah...... These cars are a joke.

 

i saw a lime color exige in jersey 2 weeks ago

 

It's a business decision to not make it emissions certified in the US. Why pay a buttload of money to have the EPA certify it when you're only going to sell a handful?

I saw one yesterday at the crystal cover car meet. You'll be had pressed to find a more pure driving experience than an exige. Well, I suppose if you have a race car....