Lotus Elise
The bonded-aluminium featherweight that rebooted Lotus.
10 reviewers · 37 videos
Reviewers strongly agree on its performance and handling, but split on daily drivability and value.
across 10 reviewers
"this is a much much better car to live with"
JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 22:11"Wow, this car is so physical to drive. Absolutely exhausting."
Zygrene · ▶ 15:31"you want to buy yourself a Lotus El lease you got 20 grand don't worry cuz you can already afford what is the second best of all of them"
JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 22:51"once you get up to a Lotus Elise you're talking $30,000 now and that's about the threshold between the lower and middle classes"
Regular Car Reviews · ▶ 1:48Performance
4.5/510 of 10 reviewersstrong consensus“it's fast it's grippy it's telekinetic and it's responses and it's the most fun you'll ever have when you drive”
positive · EverydayDriver · ▶ 3:25“It's no K series engine, but it's the next best thing. Revving out to 8,500 RPM.”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 5:45“Mid-range torque is up. Top end power is also up. It's not a huge difference, but definitely noticeable the first time you put your foot down.”
positive · Zygrene · ▶ 18:45Handling
5.0/510 of 10 reviewersstrong consensus“this is one of the best steering racks I have ever driven it is this tiny steering wheel also helps but it is so precise”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 12:16“I've never driven anything that transmits as much information to the driver as the Lotus Elise does.”
positive · EverydayDriver · ▶ 16:53“These have got by any standards one of the finest handling and well balanced road cars that's ever been created.”
positive · Fifth Gear · ▶ 26:42Fun to drive
5.0/510 of 10 reviewersstrong consensus“if you think that came in our special this takes to a whole new level the noise the lightness I mean this thing just gets flung and tossed in the corners no problem”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 16:51“This is focused on the fun driving involvement factor and it does that at a level I've never been able to match in anything else.”
positive · EverydayDriver · ▶ 19:12“I don't care what the lap time is. I really don't cuz it's just such fun to drive. It's just brilliant.”
positive · Fifth Gear · ▶ 27:27Daily drivability
2.0/510 of 10 reviewerssplit“Wow, this car is so physical to drive. Absolutely exhausting.”
critical · Zygrene · ▶ 15:31“the actual usability of this car is nearly nothing”
critical · EverydayDriver · ▶ 1:47“obviously we're not talking practical daily driver”
critical · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 19:57Value
3.5/510 of 10 reviewerssplit“you want to buy yourself a Lotus El lease you got 20 grand don't worry cuz you can already afford what is the second best of all of them”
positive · JayEmm on Cars · ▶ 22:51“with the performance and the feel of car is costing 10 times as much”
positive · EverydayDriver · ▶ 2:29“For 40 to 50k, you are simply not getting a more fun car to drive at that price point.”
positive · Jubbal & Cars · ▶ 14:52The one that grew up. The S2 kept the aluminium tub but, from 2005, swapped the fragile Rover K for Toyota's 2ZZ-GE — the VVTL-i four from the Celica/Corolla, mated to Toyota's C64 six-speed. That move finally gave the Elise reliability, and in supercharged Elise SC form, ~218 hp in a sub-tonne car. It's also the only Elise federally sold in the US (2005–2011), which is why so much of the car's enthusiast base is Stateside. The character moment is the cam crossover — the 2ZZ's lift to its high-rpm profile is the whole event — though that same VVTL-i system is the one to inspect for rocker wear. Variants run from the NA 111R/Elise R to the supercharged SC and later Cup 250. Earliest cars still used the Rover K, HGF and all. Where it places: the daily-able Elise, and the entry point for most US buyers.
Hear it in the reviewer’s words
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- Elise SCEaton-supercharged 2ZZ-GE, ~218 hp
- 111R / Elise Rnaturally-aspirated 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i
- Cup 250later aero/track variant
The Toyota 2ZZ's lift to its high-rpm cam (VVTL-i) is the car's defining trait, but the rocker-arm / oil-starvation failure mode makes oil level and the cam-follower hardware key watch items. Early (2002–04) S2 cars retained the Rover K-series and its HGF risk.