Road Test
Full Test: 2006 Lotus Elise
The affordable exotic
This may be the best car in the world — if all you need it to do is stay ahead of whatever's chasing it. If Bonnie and Clyde had a 2006 Lotus Elise they might still be on the run.
It's not only a great getaway car, it's a wonderful way to get away from the daily motoring slog. With its quick reflexes, remarkable grip and laser-sharp steering, the Elise delivers a truly unique driving experience, but perhaps the most appealing aspect of this astonishing automobile is a base price well below $50,000. That makes the most fun exotic car out there the most affordable exotic car out there.
New stuff for 2006
If the 2005 Elise was an astounding debut, the follow-up effort is even better. Technical revisions include new Lotus engine management and an electronic throttle for improved engine response, a redesigned pedal set for easier heel-and-toe shifting and a 30-percent reduction in braking effort. Traction control and limited-slip differential options are also being offered for the first time. Daytime running lights and LED taillamps are also new, as are redesigned instruments for greater clarity, and ergonomically improved padding for the two sport seats.
To broaden its appeal, Lotus is also presenting a wider array of performance and comfort option packages, and eight new colors join the list of 20 available hues for the composite body panels, including British Racing Green. Better yet, when not in use, the little Lotus now folds up neatly and fits in your pocket.
Speed through lightness
That was a joke, but the Elise is certainly, by a large margin, the runt of the road. Its removable roof sits 5 inches closer to the ground than the Miata's top, and it is 6 inches shorter than a Pontiac Solstice.
To carry this to the extreme, a Cadillac Escalade looms Kong-like over the Elise, exceeding its height by almost a yard. And by yet another, less conventional measure, four of the Elise's 11.5-inch brake rotors, stacked edge on edge, are taller than the entire car. Despite its dwarf dimensions, however, the beautifully constructed two-seater has enough room to comfortably seat two normal-size adults.
The most important measurement for a sports car is weight and no car company does light better than Lotus. At just 1,980 pounds the Elise is again in a class by itself. That's almost 500 pounds lighter than the Miata. The Solstice is a full half-ton heavier than the Lotus. And the Escalade? It dents the pavement with 5,800 pounds of heft.
Toyota power
Even in base form, its 190-horsepower, double-overhead-cam inline four-cylinder, sourced from Toyota, propels the Elise smartly down the road. The elasticity of the engine and terrific six-speed close-ratio transmission are good for popping happily around town at low revs or stretching out on the open road. There are no weak points in the power curve, but there is a sweet bump in power around 6,500 rpm that had us reaching for it again and again.
Unfortunately, our test car was burdened with a tired clutch, so the acceleration figures we achieved aren't indicative of the Elise's usual quickness. Lotus says 0-to-60-mph times in the sub-5-second range are achievable, but we couldn't get any better than a 5.6-second sprint, and the quarter-mile was run in 13.9 seconds at 100.19 mph, well off what we think a healthy car could run.
But the Elise isn't the kind of car that goes to the Friday night bracket races. It's handling prowess, not ultimate speed, at the core of the Elise's brilliance. "Awesome" is a tired word in today's hyperbolic world, but that's exactly the term needed to describe the Elise's abilities in the bends. Our test crew rated it "excellent" through the slalom, and they were just as impressed with the ease of driving the Elise at incredible 71.6 mph through the cones, one of the fastest speeds we've ever recorded.
Its four-wheel disc brakes, which come with standard ABS, are equally as awesome, stopping the little car in just 109 feet. Just wear thick shoes. An entire day of dancing on the Elise's bare aluminum pedals can be hard on the feet.
Other sports cars feel mushy in comparison to the direct, mechanical interaction offered by the Elise. No other car feels more eager to go where it's pointed, and no other car feels less likely to stray from its appointed path. The cost of this precision is a certain degradation of ride comfort, but the Elise's standard suspension is by no means harsh.
Sometimes stiff is too stiff
It was another story with our test car, however, which was equipped with the Sport Pack option group. It's all good stuff…for the track. The stiffer sport suspension, lightweight forged alloys, specially designed very sticky Yokohama A048 LTS tires and twin oil coolers are effective aids in the heat of competition, but these same components are overkill for public roads.
We like sporty suspensions, but after just a few minutes in the car, we began to avoid broken pavement and potholes like they were undercooked chicken, and we crossed railroad tracks as carefully as an old lady with a bad hip. The chassis is certainly stout enough to withstand the punishment, but road forces are felt all the way up through the driver's tailbone. "We want the car to tell the truth," said a Lotus engineer, and though this kind of intimate feedback is coveted on the track, on fractured public roads it quickly becomes a nagging shout in your ears.
If you plan on using your Elise only for occasional weekend jaunts over favorite winding roads or in the lower levels of club racing, the Sport Pack is hugely rewarding. However, don't even think about ordering the more aggressive Track Pack unless the car is used exclusively for racing and you need to adjust shock valving and roll bar stiffness and have safety harnesses installed.
If that's the case, then the $2,495 spent is well worth it. While you're at it, tick off the option box to delete the air conditioning. It costs $250 not to have it, but this will save 22 pounds of weight.
The cost of comfort
Our tester had both A/C and the optional Touring Pack ($1,350), which is aimed at those desiring a bit more comfort and convenience at the expense of more weight and more money.
The leather upholstery, electric windows, insulated soft top, additional sound insulation and full carpet set were all well and good, but it's an option group we'd be happy to bypass in the interests of weight savings (even though the electric windows by themselves weigh less than the roll-ups) and cost reduction ($1,350). We did like, though, the Star Shield body protection treatment ($995); because the Elise sits down so low, its panels attract debris like a magnet.
Another way to personalize the Elise is with the Premium Pack ($695), which requires purchase of the Touring Pack and includes a leather shift knob (what, lose that marvelous aluminum knob?) and handbrake gaiter, stowage tray pad and divider, upgraded Alpine stereo and an extruded aluminum cupholder. Pass. Who needs stereo sounds when the engine note is so sweet? Cupholder? We'll stop when parched.
For another $1,295, a Special Stitching option offers triangular or rectangular patterns for the seats and door panels and a leather-covered center console. Again, pass. It's good-looking, but our butts don't care what they're looking at. It's enough that the seats are superbly fashioned for both comfort and support with their ergonomically correct padding.
A Forged Wheel Pack ($1,695) delivers the upgraded wheels of the Sport Pack but retains the standard suspension and Yokohama Advan Neova tires. This option reduces unsprung weight by about 20 pounds and is a great compromise setup for an everyday Elise driver. A final appearance package is the Black Pack ($250), which lends a black finish to the standard eight-spoke aluminum wheels and rear diffuser.
Performance groups include the Sport Pack and Track Pack, Lotus Traction Control ($495), traction control with a limited-slip differential ($1,790), and the air-conditioner delete option. A body-colored hardtop ($1,475), the Star Shield program, metallic paint ($590), and what Lotus calls "Lifestyle" paint ($1,200) are all stand-alone options.
Just plain fun
No matter how it's outfitted, the 2006 Lotus Elise is a high-strung hound that prefers wide-open roads and the room to run. Yet, for all its race-bred qualities, it can also lope along comfortably at a civilized pace and return decent fuel mileage.
It might be a little short on utility and creature comfort, but the payoff is a uniquely electrifying interaction between the driver and the car. Colin Chapman, the man who founded Lotus in the early 1950s, would approve.
It's not only a great getaway car, it's a wonderful way to get away from the daily motoring slog. With its quick reflexes, remarkable grip and laser-sharp steering, the Elise delivers a truly unique driving experience, but perhaps the most appealing aspect of this astonishing automobile is a base price well below $50,000. That makes the most fun exotic car out there the most affordable exotic car out there.
New stuff for 2006
If the 2005 Elise was an astounding debut, the follow-up effort is even better. Technical revisions include new Lotus engine management and an electronic throttle for improved engine response, a redesigned pedal set for easier heel-and-toe shifting and a 30-percent reduction in braking effort. Traction control and limited-slip differential options are also being offered for the first time. Daytime running lights and LED taillamps are also new, as are redesigned instruments for greater clarity, and ergonomically improved padding for the two sport seats.
To broaden its appeal, Lotus is also presenting a wider array of performance and comfort option packages, and eight new colors join the list of 20 available hues for the composite body panels, including British Racing Green. Better yet, when not in use, the little Lotus now folds up neatly and fits in your pocket.
Speed through lightness
That was a joke, but the Elise is certainly, by a large margin, the runt of the road. Its removable roof sits 5 inches closer to the ground than the Miata's top, and it is 6 inches shorter than a Pontiac Solstice.
To carry this to the extreme, a Cadillac Escalade looms Kong-like over the Elise, exceeding its height by almost a yard. And by yet another, less conventional measure, four of the Elise's 11.5-inch brake rotors, stacked edge on edge, are taller than the entire car. Despite its dwarf dimensions, however, the beautifully constructed two-seater has enough room to comfortably seat two normal-size adults.
The most important measurement for a sports car is weight and no car company does light better than Lotus. At just 1,980 pounds the Elise is again in a class by itself. That's almost 500 pounds lighter than the Miata. The Solstice is a full half-ton heavier than the Lotus. And the Escalade? It dents the pavement with 5,800 pounds of heft.
Toyota power
Even in base form, its 190-horsepower, double-overhead-cam inline four-cylinder, sourced from Toyota, propels the Elise smartly down the road. The elasticity of the engine and terrific six-speed close-ratio transmission are good for popping happily around town at low revs or stretching out on the open road. There are no weak points in the power curve, but there is a sweet bump in power around 6,500 rpm that had us reaching for it again and again.
Unfortunately, our test car was burdened with a tired clutch, so the acceleration figures we achieved aren't indicative of the Elise's usual quickness. Lotus says 0-to-60-mph times in the sub-5-second range are achievable, but we couldn't get any better than a 5.6-second sprint, and the quarter-mile was run in 13.9 seconds at 100.19 mph, well off what we think a healthy car could run.
But the Elise isn't the kind of car that goes to the Friday night bracket races. It's handling prowess, not ultimate speed, at the core of the Elise's brilliance. "Awesome" is a tired word in today's hyperbolic world, but that's exactly the term needed to describe the Elise's abilities in the bends. Our test crew rated it "excellent" through the slalom, and they were just as impressed with the ease of driving the Elise at incredible 71.6 mph through the cones, one of the fastest speeds we've ever recorded.
Its four-wheel disc brakes, which come with standard ABS, are equally as awesome, stopping the little car in just 109 feet. Just wear thick shoes. An entire day of dancing on the Elise's bare aluminum pedals can be hard on the feet.
Other sports cars feel mushy in comparison to the direct, mechanical interaction offered by the Elise. No other car feels more eager to go where it's pointed, and no other car feels less likely to stray from its appointed path. The cost of this precision is a certain degradation of ride comfort, but the Elise's standard suspension is by no means harsh.
Sometimes stiff is too stiff
It was another story with our test car, however, which was equipped with the Sport Pack option group. It's all good stuff…for the track. The stiffer sport suspension, lightweight forged alloys, specially designed very sticky Yokohama A048 LTS tires and twin oil coolers are effective aids in the heat of competition, but these same components are overkill for public roads.
We like sporty suspensions, but after just a few minutes in the car, we began to avoid broken pavement and potholes like they were undercooked chicken, and we crossed railroad tracks as carefully as an old lady with a bad hip. The chassis is certainly stout enough to withstand the punishment, but road forces are felt all the way up through the driver's tailbone. "We want the car to tell the truth," said a Lotus engineer, and though this kind of intimate feedback is coveted on the track, on fractured public roads it quickly becomes a nagging shout in your ears.
If you plan on using your Elise only for occasional weekend jaunts over favorite winding roads or in the lower levels of club racing, the Sport Pack is hugely rewarding. However, don't even think about ordering the more aggressive Track Pack unless the car is used exclusively for racing and you need to adjust shock valving and roll bar stiffness and have safety harnesses installed.
If that's the case, then the $2,495 spent is well worth it. While you're at it, tick off the option box to delete the air conditioning. It costs $250 not to have it, but this will save 22 pounds of weight.
The cost of comfort
Our tester had both A/C and the optional Touring Pack ($1,350), which is aimed at those desiring a bit more comfort and convenience at the expense of more weight and more money.
The leather upholstery, electric windows, insulated soft top, additional sound insulation and full carpet set were all well and good, but it's an option group we'd be happy to bypass in the interests of weight savings (even though the electric windows by themselves weigh less than the roll-ups) and cost reduction ($1,350). We did like, though, the Star Shield body protection treatment ($995); because the Elise sits down so low, its panels attract debris like a magnet.
Another way to personalize the Elise is with the Premium Pack ($695), which requires purchase of the Touring Pack and includes a leather shift knob (what, lose that marvelous aluminum knob?) and handbrake gaiter, stowage tray pad and divider, upgraded Alpine stereo and an extruded aluminum cupholder. Pass. Who needs stereo sounds when the engine note is so sweet? Cupholder? We'll stop when parched.
For another $1,295, a Special Stitching option offers triangular or rectangular patterns for the seats and door panels and a leather-covered center console. Again, pass. It's good-looking, but our butts don't care what they're looking at. It's enough that the seats are superbly fashioned for both comfort and support with their ergonomically correct padding.
A Forged Wheel Pack ($1,695) delivers the upgraded wheels of the Sport Pack but retains the standard suspension and Yokohama Advan Neova tires. This option reduces unsprung weight by about 20 pounds and is a great compromise setup for an everyday Elise driver. A final appearance package is the Black Pack ($250), which lends a black finish to the standard eight-spoke aluminum wheels and rear diffuser.
Performance groups include the Sport Pack and Track Pack, Lotus Traction Control ($495), traction control with a limited-slip differential ($1,790), and the air-conditioner delete option. A body-colored hardtop ($1,475), the Star Shield program, metallic paint ($590), and what Lotus calls "Lifestyle" paint ($1,200) are all stand-alone options.
Just plain fun
No matter how it's outfitted, the 2006 Lotus Elise is a high-strung hound that prefers wide-open roads and the room to run. Yet, for all its race-bred qualities, it can also lope along comfortably at a civilized pace and return decent fuel mileage.
It might be a little short on utility and creature comfort, but the payoff is a uniquely electrifying interaction between the driver and the car. Colin Chapman, the man who founded Lotus in the early 1950s, would approve.
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