Lotus Elise

Debut: 2001
Maker: Lotus
Predecessor: Elise Mk1

You can call it "Elise Mk2" like Lotus is doing, but calling it as a facelift or mid-life makeover seems more appropriate. The biggest difference between new and old Elise is their appearance - while the old Elise’s wild-cat profile is unchanged, it has received some stylish details from the M250 show car, such as elliptic eyes, round tail-lights and Nike-style intakes. That made it more emotional than the old car.

The new bodywork also improves aerodynamic downforce by incorporating ground-effect diffuser at the bottom of tail. Unlike the previous 111S, rear spoiler in new Elise is an integral part of the glassfiber body. Moreover, the body is shaped such that the distribution of downforce coincides with the distribution of weight, hence a consistent handling characteristic in whatever speed.

Suspension is the second-most improved element. The old Elise was born in a the darkest days of Lotus so that it chose standardised dampers for the benefit of price. As annual production rose from the originally planned 800 to 3000, the new Elise can afford a special damper tailor-made by Bilstein, which enables spring rates to be stiffened (30% up front and 25% at the rear) without sacrificing ride comfort. Besides, 10 mm lower ride height, slightly wider tracks and revised anti-roll bars are also tweaks made to improve handling.

The innovative aluminium chassis is unchanged. Power plant remains to be that K-series displacing 1796 c.c., and it becomes the only choice because the more powerful VVC version is no longer available. However, Lotus rewrote the engine management program to improve throttle response and by the way adds 2 hp and 1 lbft - forget it. In total they are 120 hp and 124 lbft. Sharper throttle response is undoubted, so is better noise insulation thanks to the newly added thin sheet to the firewall. Now the engine feels less harsh and sound better - not in Alfa’s league but it won’t be disgraceful either. As for the future, I am praying to have a stronger engine, perhaps a tuned Mondeo’s 2.0 Duratec HE with 170 hp ? it’s also all-alloy...

Power transfers via 111S’s close ratio 5-speeder to Bridgestones RE 040, another tailor-made item. Wheels have grown an inch both front and rear, but the front tyres measured just 175 in width in contrast to the rear’s 225, obviously designed to kill lift-off oversteer but you know, a combination of new springs, damper, wider track and new tyre compounds might be unpredictable. We shall see the outcome in below.

Most concerned is the important kerb weight. Lotus claimed a new production technique results in thinner glassfiber body panels thus canceling the weight gains in other parts. However, our record shows that the 750 kg new Elise is actually 27 kg heavier than the early Mk1. This inevitably worsen acceleration a little bit.

On The Road

Although Lotus says the cockpit is better trimmed - such as adding plastic cover to sills (I’d rather have the aluminium sills exposed like the old car) and an easier-to-operate soft roof from sister car Opel Speedster (still manual and not all that easy) - it is still by all means spartan. There is no air bag and no air conditioning. The latter would have been a nonsense considering the poor-quality sealing at roof and windows. Lotus still doesn’t care much about build quality and this is the biggest obstacle preventing it from challenging Porsche. Good luck, M250.

Turn the key, the engine fires into life. Transmission noise and vibration disappear, what leaves is exhaust and induciton noise that you want. Flick the close ratio gearbox, gears by gears, hearing the engine revs to 6,500 rpm, you’ll feel the reworked engine management brings more eagerness, responding to your slightest pedal action. So it must be faster ? no, stop watch actually tells you that it reaches 60 mph from rest in 5.8 seconds or 0.3 later than the old one. No matter 0-100 or in-gear acceleration it is also a bit slower. Only top speed of 124 mph levels with the outgoing car.

Never mind, because this is already a very quick roadster, trailing just Boxster S, S2000 and Opel Speedster (for higher speed acceleration). After all, the fun of driving roadster depends on subjective feeling rather than scientific data. In this respect, the Elise is hard to beat, especially it handles so good in corners. It’s no secret that the original Elise is the King of handling, but the new Elise has improved on that solid basis and cured the only flaws: lift-off oversteer. The old Elise rode on Pirelli P-Zero whose stiff sidewall required softer springs for compensation. It meant the Elise changed direction brilliantly and didn’t understeer but when the driver back off mid-corner, the tail runs wide.

New Elise has soft-sidewall RE 020 and stiff springs, the nightmare has gone. It corners at higher limit and in a predictable manner. When you enter a bend too fast and back off, the nose will tighten its line. On the other hand, high speed cornering is a lot more reassuring, thanks to real downforce generated.

There is probably no other cars in the world could be more involving to handle (well, perhaps the unusual 340R could be). Think about it: a mid-engined sports car weighing just 3-quarter of a ton, with all wheels riding on double wishbones suspensions, steering rack is unassisted (thanks to little load on front wheels).... these results in a highly controllable handling. In particular, the uncorrupted steering feel remains to be the biggest advantage of the car. It is perfectly weighted and gives the driver flows of information about grip level. The car is so agile that it goes to wherever you point. On the other hand, as always, it rides with amazing suppleness - we are not talking by sports car’s standard but also by sedan’s standard. You see, lightweight is a double-edge sword. I love Chapman !
The only thing you should avoid in the Elise is trying to slide its tail. Remember, 62% weight biases towards the rear axle so that going sideway could be dangerous.

Excitement wise, nothing could beat the Elise, Porsche Boxster S included. It is fun to handle, reasonably quick and affordable. Nevertheless, as a daily car few could be worse. It is poorly built, unreliable, spartan and the company has a poor reputation about service. But you can’t have a lightweight roadster and simultaneously a high quality one.

History of Elise Mk1

Debuted in 1996, the Elise immediately became the star of the company and saved it from bankruptcy. The little roadster was named after the grand daughter of Romano Artioli, the owner of Bugatti and Lotus then. What made it successful was that it went back to Chapman’s principle of "weight is your enemy". The car tipped the scale at 723 kg, thanks to small size, spartan cockpit, lightweight K-series engine and most important of all an aluminium chassis weighing just 65 kg. The chassis was supplied by a Norweign metal supplier, Hydro Aluminium. It pioneered a technology of bonding aluminium parts by epoxy resin and rivets rather than traditional welding, thus reduced the thickness of aluminium from 3mm to 1.5mm and save a lot of weight.

Throughout the following 5 years the Elise’s production went up steadily to over 2,000 cars a year and the 10,000 Elise was built in early year 2000. Now it has broken the company production record set by the original Elan. The affordable Elise quickly became the better known Lotus than the slow-selling Esprit, and it was derived into a big family consisting of the standard 118 hp Elise, the 143 hp Elise 111S (using Rover VVC K-series), the SVA-approved Elise Sport (with tuned K-series 190 hp), the kart-alike 340 R (177 hp tuned K-series) and the racy Exige (177 hp tuned K-series as well). Besides, some upgrade kits were provided to create Elise Sport 135 and Sport 160, both named after horsepower.

Elise 111

New Elise 111 looks like the old one in spec. sheet - it is basically a standard Elise equipped with the VVC (variable valve control) version of the Rover K-series engine, offering considerably more punch hence performance. But there are a number of differences. Most obvious is the new iteration of the 1796c.c. VVC engine which produces 160hp in both MG Rover’s models and the Lotus, a 15hp increment from the Series 1 Elise 111S or a full 40hp more than the standard Elise. This lead to a claimed 5.1 seconds and 14.0 seconds for 0-60mph and 0-100mph respectively. Lotus’ official figures for the Elise were usually wild, but the claim that the new 111 is 0.4 second quicker than the standard Elise to 60mph and 2.7sec quicker to 100mph should give you a clearer view. That said, up to 100mph it is no slower than Porsche Boxster S.

Surprisingly, the new VVC engine has a very well manner, not only quieter but also less peaky than the old VVC as well as the standard 120hp engine. Not even the MG Rover version can match its wide spread of torque which produce 90% maximum torque across 70% of rev range. On paper, the max torque of 129 lbft is just 5 more than the standard car, but on road the difference is more than that - you feel the extra mid-range torque so that you can upshift earlier. In the old VVC you had to wind the engine to sky-high rpm to squeeze out the extra power, accompany with unhappy noise. The new VVC engine emits a deeper, special-tuned exhaust note which sounds better to ears while passing noise regulation. What did Lotus do to the engine? a new management program, variable back-pressure exhaust, larger intake ports and throttle body. That’s all.

The 5-speed gearbox also received revised ratios - closer for the first 2 ratios and longer for the remaining. This sharpen low speed response a bit while reducing noise and fuel consumption when cruising. No wonder the latter improved from 38.1 to 40.9mpg. Combining the new engine and gearbox, the Elise 111 is actually more mature and refined to drive than the standard Elise, despite of the stronger performance. Conventional wisdom doesn’t work in this case.

Because the Series 2 Elise has a chassis so capable, the VVC version does not need any tweak to suspensions, tyres and brakes at all. It just received a set of lighter alloy wheels and a more effective rear diffuser. All the goodies of handling and ride mentioned in the standard Elise report above apply to the 111.

Apart from 111, Lotus is also selling a more expensive 111S alongside. However, the "S" is rather misleading because it actually offers extra equipment such as an improved sound system, carpet, leather trim and Alcantara seats. Theoretically it is actually a less sportier choice than the 111.

Elise 111R / US-spec Elise

Ever since its birth in 1996, all the 17,000 Elises built so far were powered by Rover’s K-series 1.8-litre engine. The K-series was renowned for compact and lightweight, and more important to Lotus, it is built in UK and is therefore easily available. Unfortunately, the K-series engine does not comply with the emission regulations in USA because MG Rover does not sell cars there. In order to let the Elise to enter the largest sports car market in the world, Lotus decided to find another engine. They first contacted Honda for its 2.0-litre i-VTEC engine, but it was Toyota who eventually agreed to supply its 1.8-litre VVTL-i engine to Lotus, together with a 6-speed gearbox. Yes, the combo is the one currently serving Celica GTS in the United States.

In DIN rating, the Toyota engine pumps out 192 horsepower at a sky-high 7800rpm. That’s 32hp more than the K-series VVC engine. Both engines rely on variable valve timing to achieve high efficiency, but their mechanisms are different. Rover VVC can infinitely alters intake timing as well as duration. Toyota VVTL-i alters cam timing infinitely, but it can switch to a more aggressive set of cams at high rev, thus increasing valve lift hence breathing. This accounts for the extra horsepower it generates. On the downside, the VVTL-i engine has a 2-stage power delivery - at regular speed it feels nothing special, once after the changeover point at 6200rpm it goes wild. Therefore Lotus had to rewrite the management system by itself to smoothen the transition region.

The 1.8 VVTL-i is a peaky engine. Its maximum torque of 133 lbft (just 4lbft more than the K-series VVC) is not reached until 6,800rpm, where most other engines already has their rev limiters cut in. Below 6200rpm, its advantage over the K-series VVC is almost non-existent, but fortunately, the Elise is 330kg lighter than the Celica thus picks up rev much more quickly. If you are prepared to have fun, you will find the exotic power band easily accessible. Once entered the last 2,000 rpm, the engine pulls strongly and cleanly, delivering another level of performance.

The C64 six-speed gearbox is a joy to use. Not only provides one more ratio than the Rover unit, its gearshift is quick and slick, far more satisfying than the old gearbox. Even if you are not in a mood to exploit the revvy engine, you will definitely enjoy the Toyota powertrain purely due to the beautiful gearshift.

The Toyota engine and gearbox might started life in the Federal Elise project, but it vapored into the European Elise 111R as well. Now the Elise 111R sits above the 160hp Elise 111S and the 120hp standard Elise. Compare with the US-spec Elise, the 111R is sportier, with stiffer suspension setup and less burdening with equipment (such as airbag and air-con). Despite that, it is still more luxurious than lesser Elises, as it has ABS system (first ever to Elise), central locking and standard audio system. Besides, the Toyota engine together with 6-speed gearbox is 36kg heavier than the K-series VVC with 5-speeder. As a result, the 111R is also the heaviest Elise by a lot. It tips the scale at 860kg, compare with 806kg of the 111S, 780kg of the stripped-out 111 and 750kg of the standard Elise.

Anyway, with 32 more horsepower and a 6-speed gearbox, the 111R is capable to accelerate from rest to 60mph in 4.9 sec and then 100mph in 13 second flat, the latter is 1.5 sec quicker than the VVC-engine 111. More important, the top Elise finally has a superb engine and gearbox to match its superb chassis. It is now as quick as sister car Opel Speedster Turbo (Vauxhall VX220 Turbo), just being sharper, more agile, more responsive and more involving to drive. Flyweight sports cars never come this good.

Exige

Exige can be seen as a track-biased Elise, fulfilling those who drive their cars to work on weekdays and race their cars on "track days". Based on the same mechanicals as Elise 111R, i.e., the 192hp Toyota Celica engine and 6-speed gearbox, the Exige received some aggressive treatment. Most obvious is the addiiton of a composite roof and fastback engine lid, whose purpose is to reduce air turbulence and lift of the open cockpit. A black lip spoiler and black rear wing spoiler help generating 19kg and 21kg downforce front and rear respectively at 100mph. Engine cooling is also enhanced by larger side intakes and an additional air scoop at the roof.

As for chassis, the Exige rides on 10% stiffer suspension setting than the Elise 111R. But most significant is the adoption of Yokohama A048 semi-slick tires, which give it superior grip on track. The new Exige corners quicker and flatter than the Elise, especially at higher speed where downforce starts digging in. When it slide, the Yokohama tires keep that happen progressively, therefore oversteering is confidence inspiring. Compare with the first generation Exige, it rides more supple, handles more tidy and is quieter in the cockpit. Besides, standard ABS and power steering make it easier to live with.

Nevertheless, I suspect Exige is slower than the equivalent Elise, as the additional bodywork adds 15kg to the kerbweight. Lotus claims the same acceleration figures and a slightly lower top speed at 147mph, blame to the drag generated by the rear spoiler.

The problem is, the second generation Exige differs not that much from the Elise and does not deserves a separate label. If you remember, the first generation Exige had wider tracks, stronger engine, a more diversified look and a far sportier character to distinguish it from the contemporary Elise. Now this Exige is just an extension of the Elise range.

Exige S

Since 2 years ago we have been questioning why the second generation Exige differed so little from the Elise, even sharing the same power plant. Now Lotus finally gave us an answer: a supercharged version of the Toyota 1.8 engine. The intercooled Roots type supercharger boosts horsepower count from 192 to 218 at the same 7800 rpm. More crucially, it sorted out the biggest problem of the high-revving VVTL-i engine: torque. It lifts peak torque from 133 lbft to 159 lbft while lowering its occurrence from 6800 rpm to 5500 rpm. This mean the power band becomes stronger yet easier to access. Moreover, from 2000 rpm there is already 80% of the maximum torque available, so the torque curve is not only shifted towards the center of rev range, but also flattened a lot.

With the new engine, the resultant Exige S can accelerate from rest to 60 mph in merely 4.1 seconds, and then 100 mph at 9.8 seconds. This edge out the late Esprit V8 to be the company’s fastest production car ! Top speed, however, is merely 148 mph because of the high downforce shape and the relatively modest top end power.

If the existing Exige is a performance bargain, then Exige S is even more impressive as a giant killer. Its UK price of £34,000 is equivalent to a base Porsche Boxster 2.7, but its performance runs neck to neck with a 996 GT3 RS in the real world.

As always, the handling of Exige S is sensational, thanks to the ultra-lightweight chassis, tremendous grip from the Yokohama A048 semi-slick tires, massive downforce and the excellent tuning by Lotus. Its track performance is amazing, because it was born as a part-time racer - see the massive spoilers and the roof-mounted air intake and you'll know. Moreover, it has adjustable dampers all round. At track setting, the suspensions provide sharp and roll-resisting handling. At road setting, they provide superb damping in the tradition of Elise, so the Exige S feels at home on B-roads.

Such double-edge quality has always been a unique feature of the Elise family. Now Exige S has added accessible power and even supercar performance into the equation. The result is naturally a winner.

Elise S - the new base model

When Lotus gave birth to Elise in 1996, it intended to make it a performance bargain. Therefore the car was made small, simple and powered by a small engine to enable a price of just under £20,000. As it became popular, inevitably, Lotus started increasing its power and price to raise profit margin. Today, the Toyota VVTL-i-powered Elise 111R (now called Elise R) is sold at close to £30,000, closer to Porsche Boxster territory and moving away from the philosophy of the original car.

Recently there are some changes in Lotus. In May 2006, Kim Ogaard-Nielsen resigned and left his CEO position to Mike Kimberly, a 22-year Lotus veteran and worked as CEO for 8 years since the death of Colin Chapman. Soon, we saw the "new Esprit" project accelerated and then the introduction of Elise S, the new entry level Lotus. It is priced at only £24,000, closer to the £19,000 Mazda MX-5 than the £33,000 entry-level Porsche Boxster. It signals a new direction for Lotus: on the one hand, it moves to the mid-price segment with Europa S and high price segment with new Esprit; on the other hand, it retakes the low price segment once left to Mazda MX-5. This mean Lotus will appeal to wider audiences and hopefully will improve financial stability.

Technically, Elise S is very simple. You can see it as a 111R with its VVTL-i engine replaced with the cheaper, fixed-valve-lift VVT-i engine and a 5-speed manual box instead of 6-speeder. This sounds too simple to be believed, but it is true. In other words, the chassis, suspension setting, tires, wheels and brakes are all unchanged from the more powerful car. The VVT-i engine might lose 56 horsepower to VVTL-i (that is, 136hp vs 192hp), but in real world the difference is negligible, because everybody knows the variable-lift engine is peaky and needs to be worked very hard to deliver its performance advantage. In fact, if you leave the rev at low to mid-range, the VVT-i engine is actually more flexible. It just loses the extra horsepower at the very top end. The car goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.8 seconds, still significantly faster than any roadsters at comparable price.

Perhaps the best news is Elise S possesses the same first class handling as 111R, because virtually everything other than the engine is the same. This make the £6,000 price difference very appealing. Undoubtedly, the standard Toyota VVT-i engine is not that much cheaper than the Yamaha-built VVTL-i engine, so obviously Lotus reduced its profit margin in the Elise S. To the fans of Lotus, what can be better than this?

Elise SC

Almost same old look as before...

Since the very beginning Lotus Elise has two major faults: Fault One, a bare cockpit; Fault Two, engine lacks torque. For the first fault there won't be any solutions as long as Elise sticks to its lightweight philosophy. For the second problem, the new top-of-the-range model Elise SC provides an answer: supercharging.

Supercharging is not a new idea to the Elise family, as its sister car Exige S already employed this technology to improve power and torque. However, the supercharger being used in Elise SC is different. Built by Magnuson based on the Eaton unit, it employs a smaller rotor and run at a lower boost pressure. It integrates with the intake manifold plenum and does without an intercooler. As a result, the unit is 8 kg lighter, smaller and therefore doesn't block rearward view as in Exige S. The lack of intercooler means it is not as good as a track days machine, but in road trim it has virtually no difference in output - we are talking about 220 horsepower and 156 lb-ft of torque. Compare with the naturally aspirated Toyota 1.8 VVTL-i engine from which it is derived, it gains 28 horsepower and 24 lb-ft of torque. The torque curve is noticeably improved. Instead of 6,800 rpm, the peak torque now arrives at a much more usable 5,000 rpm.

Lotus claims the Elise SC can top 150 mph (which is easy), accelerate from 0-60 mph in 4.4 seconds and 0-100 mph in 10.7 seconds. Considering an Exige S has been proved by Car and Driver as capable of completing 0-60 in 4.1 sec and 0-100 in 11.1 sec, the even lighter Elise SC has a good chance of meeting the factory targets. Of course, that is a lot faster than the naturally aspirated version.

The main difference lies here: a supercharger sans intercooler

On the road, the supercharged engine does not feel terribly torquey at the bottom end - by no means like a muscle car - but the delivery is far more progressive than the normally aspirated 1.8 VVTL-i engine and mid-range punch is noticeably stronger. On the one hand it is more relaxing to drive in regular traffic, on the other hand it remains eager to rev beyond 8,000 rpm. In addition to the stronger overtaking ability, the £4,000 additional price is worthwhile.

Apart from a new rear spoiler, other aspects of the car are mostly unchanged from the Elise R. Best of all, it keeps the first-class handling, the highly inspiring driving experience and the fine ride quality intact. The Elise SC is still the most entertaining compact sports car on the market. Now with stronger performance and better drivability, it becomes even more attractive.

Elise 2010 facelift and Elise 1.6

Elise 1.6 is the greenest performance roadster in the market

Mid-life facelift normally comes at the third or fourth model year. However, the progress at Lotus is much slower than the industrial norm. The current Elise has been around for 9 years - or 14 years if you take into account the fundamentally similar Mk1 - and its first facelift has just arrived this spring. This shows Lotus is short of money to do proper update, but it also proves that the Elise is still highly competitive in the marketplace. Until this day, no other lightweight sports car is more fun to drive.

Also because of the above reason, the 2010 facelift is very subtle. Basically, all the chassis setup, no matter suspensions, steering, brakes and tires are left untouched. The cockpit remains the same, too. Ditto the 192hp powertrain of Elise R. The entry-level 1.8 VVT-i engine has been replaced by a smaller 1.6 Valvematic engine, and its partnering 5-speed gearbox gives place to a 6-speeder. Outside, the front end styling has been tweaked to resemble Evora, and by the way to reduce drag by 4 percent. New headlights bring LED daytime running lights. The engine lid has been reshaped to house the taller engine (due to the Valvematic mechanism). Rear diffusers have also been revised. In short, nothing big news.

Lotus said the new entry-level model, now called Elise instead of Elise S, is a lot greener. Thanks to the combination of an extra gear ratio and the smaller and throttleless Valvematic engine, its carbon-dioxide emission has been reduced from 179 to 149 gram per kilometer, making it the greenest performance roadster in the world - assuming you ignore Tesla. Its fuel consumption has been improved to an incredible 45 mpg. That's not far behind many superminis !

Unfortunately, no one buys Elise for low emission and consumption.

Unfortunately, no one buys Elise for low emission and consumption. Judge it by the usual standard of performance, the 1.6 engine is no match with the outgoing 1.8 VVT-i, sadly. Although both produce the same 136 horsepower, the smaller engine is not as torquey, especially under 4000 rpm. This mean you have to use a lower gear and work harder than before to deliver the necessary performance. The official performance figures also said it takes 6.0 seconds to go from zero to sixty, two-tenths longer than the old car.

Not only less punchy, the 1.6 engine is taller and heavier than the 1.8. So what's the point of changing engine ?

Theoretically, the infinitely variable valve lift of Valvematic engine may take its revability approaching the level of the 1.8 VVTL-i unit of Elise R, but in fact the 1.6-liter 1ZR-FAE comes from Toyota Avensis, which is tuned for fuel economy and refinement. So its redline is set at a disappointing 7000 rpm.

On the plus side, the facelifted Elise has its cable-operated gearchange improved, with less slack to allow cleaner shifts.

Overall, the 2010 facelift is a disappointment. It brings too little improvement to the Elise R and even a drop in performance and tractability to the entry-level car. It is rather unnecessary.

AutoZine Rating
Elise	Exige

Specifications

Table 1

General remarks

Layout

Chassis

Body

Length / width / height

Wheelbase

Engine

Capacity

Valve gears

Induction

Other engine features

Max power

Max torque

Transmission

Suspension layout

Suspension features

Tires

Kerb weight

Top speed

0-60 mph (sec)

0-100 mph (sec)

Elise (2001)

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3785 / 1719 / 1143 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Rover

1796 cc

DOHC 16 valves

120 hp

124 lbft

5-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 175/55VR16
R: 225/45VR17

750 kg

124 mph*

5.8*

17.6*

Elise 111

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3785 / 1719 / 1143 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Rover

1796 cc

DOHC 16 valves, VVT

160 hp

129 lbft

5-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 175/55VR16
R: 225/45VR17

780 kg

127 mph*

5.0*

14.5*

Elise R (previously 111R)

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3785 / 1719 / 1143 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Toyota-Yamaha

1796 cc

DOHC 16 valves, VVT, VVL

192 hp / 7800 rpm

133 lbft / 6800 rpm

6-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 175/55VR16
R: 225/45VR17

860 kg

150 mph (c)

4.9* / 4.7**

13.0* / 13.1**

Table 2

General remarks

Layout

Chassis

Body

Length / width / height

Wheelbase

Engine

Capacity

Valve gears

Induction

Other engine features

Max power

Max torque

Transmission

Suspension layout

Suspension features

Tires

Kerb weight

Top speed

0-60 mph (sec)

0-100 mph (sec)

Elise S

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3785 / 1719 / 1143 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Toyota

1794 cc

DOHC 16 valves, VVT

136 hp

127 lbft

5-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 175/55VR16
R: 225/45VR17

860 kg

127 mph (c)

5.8 (c)

Elise SC

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3785 / 1719 / 1143 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Toyota-Yamaha

1796 cc

DOHC 16 valves, VVT, VVL

Supercharger

220 hp / 8000 rpm

156 lbft / 5000 rpm

6-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 175/55VR16
R: 225/45VR17

903 kg

150 mph (c)

4.4 (c) / 4.5***

10.7 (c) / 12.0***

Elise 1.6

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3785 / 1719 / 1143 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Toyota

1598 cc

DOHC 16 valves, VVT, VVL

136 hp / 6700 rpm

118 lbft / 4300 rpm

6-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 175/55VR16
R: 225/45VR17

876 kg

127 mph (c)

6.0 (c) / 6.7*

21.1*

Table 3

General remarks

Layout

Chassis

Body

Length / width / height

Wheelbase

Engine

Capacity

Valve gears

Induction

Other engine features

Max power

Max torque

Transmission

Suspension layout

Suspension features

Tires

Kerb weight

Top speed

0-60 mph (sec)

0-100 mph (sec)

Exige

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3797 / 1727 / 1159 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Toyota-Yamaha

1796 cc

DOHC 16 valves, VVT, VVL

192 hp

133 lbft

6-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 195/50WR16
R: 225/45WR17

875 kg

147 mph (c) / 142 mph*

4.9* / 4.8**

13.0* / 13.1**

Exige S

Mid-engined, RWD

Aluminum tub

Glass-fiber

3797 / 1727 / 1163 mm

2300 mm

Inline-4 by Toyota-Yamaha

1796 cc

DOHC 16 valves, VVT, VVL

Supercharger

218 hp

159 lbft

6-speed manual

All double-wishbones

F: 195/50WR16
R: 225/45WR17

935 kg

148 mph (c)

4.1 (c) / 4.1***

9.8 (c) / 11.1***

Performance tested by: *Autocar, **R&T, ***C&D