Last Petrol Lotus Arrives With Highly effective Mercedes-AMG Turbo Engine

It took a while for Lotus to carry its latest Emira sports activities automotive to U.S. shores. The Emira is the extremely anticipated substitute for the Evora and is the final manufacturing Lotus to have gasoline-fed engines. The brand new Lotus Emira is the ultimate breed of small, two-seat Lotus sports activities vehicles that follows the identical components as its forebearers just like the Elite, Elan, Europa, Esprit, Elise, Exige, and Evora.

Lotus Emira: New Turbo Powertrain

Lotus was among the many early hypercar adopters of full electrification with the breathtaking Evija EV. Its subsequent electrical automotive, the Eletre, is all set to hitch the burgeoning electrical SUV section, which makes the Emira the swan track of Lotus’ fossil-fueled previous.

The Emira is on the market with two engine decisions. First is the acquainted supercharged 3.5-liter Toyota-sourced V6 with 400 horsepower and 317 lb-ft. of torque. It has a rear-wheel drivetrain with a selection between a six-speed guide and a six-speed automated gearbox. Nevertheless, the Emira First Version deserves a re-evaluation if you wish to get your fingers on the final petrol-powered Lotus. “First Version” is the branding Lotus is utilizing for the official launch of the brand new all-aluminum two-liter turbo four-cylinder for the Emira vary.

Whereas the V6-powered Emira is good for lengthy drives, the two.0-liter turbocharged four-banger from Mercedes-AMG fits the occasional observe day. Primarily based on the German automaker’s high-performance M139 four-cylinder engine (at present probably the most potent four-cylinder in sequence manufacturing), it’s the identical powerplant in a Mercedes-AMG SL 43 or C63 S E Efficiency. The engine produces 360 horsepower and 317 lb-ft. of torque for the Emira, making it probably the most highly effective four-cylinder in Lotus historical past.

“The Emira V6 has already proved extremely profitable, with many 1000’s of orders obtained from around the globe,” mentioned Mike Johnstone, Group Vice President and Chief Industrial Officer at Lotus. “Now, with the four-cylinder Emira becoming a member of the vary, we’re including a brand new dimension to the automotive’s breadth of functionality and attraction, providing new ranges of effectivity and accessibility whereas persevering with to supply all of the efficiency and agility that our clients anticipate.”

All turbo four-cylinder Emiras are rear-drive and make use of a Mercedes-AMG eight-speed dual-clutch transmission, the primary time Lotus has used such a transmission. In comparison with the six-speed guide and automated transmissions of the Emira V6, Lotus mentioned the Mercedes-AMG DCT affords faster gear adjustments with no torque interruption throughout shifting.

4-Cylinder Engine: Key Specs

Hallmarks of the brand new turbo two-liter (1,991cc) equipped to Lotus by Mercedes-AMG embody a cylinder head with 4 valves per cylinder, a 200 bar direct injection system, consumption and exhaust cams with variable valve timing (whereas on the exhaust aspect, the valves will be different between excessive and low period), and a mix of piezo injectors and port gasoline injectors. The turbocharger is a twin-scroll design, that means the turbine housing is break up into two separate ducts, matched to corresponding ducts within the exhaust manifold.

The block was produced with one thing known as an “superior chill-casting course of” versus conventional sand-casting strategies. As described by Lotus, the chill-casting course of supplies higher sturdiness and power for high-performance driving. Impressed by motorsport, Lotus additionally mentioned the block has a “closed-deck” design for higher stiffness, whereas the cylinder bores use a patented low-friction coating to avoid wasting weight.

How Quick Is The 4-Cylinder Lotus Emira?

The four-cylinder Lotus Emira will hit 62 mph in 4.4 seconds with a high pace of 180 mph. Launch management is customary for the four-cylinder Emira.

Lotus Sports activities Automobile Structure

Shoehorning a high-strung Mercedes-AMG four-cylinder into the Emira necessitated essential adjustments to the automotive’s bonded aluminum chassis. Beneath Emira’s svelte physique is a forged aluminum rear subframe that allows the structure to weigh 26 lbs. lower than the V6’s metal body. Suspending the stiffer chassis are cast aluminum double wishbones with bespoke-tuned Eibach springs and Bilstein monotube dampers. Moreover, the Emira has electro-hydraulic steering (from the Evora) for a extra exact steering really feel.

The Lotus Emira is on the market in a Tour or Sport chassis configuration. The previous has softer spring and damper settings to ship grand touring consolation, whereas the latter has stiffer dampers and elevated camber angles to maximise dealing with and cornering. The usual tires for the Tour chassis are Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport rubber, whereas the Sport has Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires that provide relentless grip on the racetrack.

 “We’ve meticulously tuned the suspension settings for the two-liter Emira to ship the very good physique management that’s a Lotus hallmark with out the automotive ever feeling harsh,” mentioned Gavan Kershaw, Director, Automobile Attributes and Product Integrity at Lotus. “We’ve calibrated engine and transmission mapping, in tandem with the Drive Modes, to create a refined and relaxed character in Tour, and with unimaginable launch efficiency, very good driveability, even faster throttle response, and kick down in Sport and Observe.”  

Hypercar Styling

We like how the Lotus Emira inherited some styling cues from the megabuck Evija tremendous EV. It has sculpted doorways with consumption ducts that combine into the automotive’s bulbous rear fenders, an aerodynamic contact that negates the necessity for energetic aero bits that would spoil a clean-sheet or well-sculpted design. Furthermore, the complete LED headlights and double-blade DRLs add a contemporary contact to Emira’s distinct sporting attraction.

With 13 paint colours and an elective Black Pack that provides gloss black panels just like the roof and wing mirror pods, the Emira will draw stares like several typical European-bred sports activities automotive.

Intimate Cabin Design

Credit score goes to Lotus for imbibing Emira with a easy but fashionable cabin. It has a flat-bottom steering wheel, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, and a ten.25-inch infotainment touchscreen with navigation and smartphone connectivity. The 12-way power-operated seats are configurable in Nappa leather-based or Alcantara with distinction stitching, whereas the usual 10-channel KEP audio system delivers your favourite driving music.

And in contrast to some hopelessly impractical sports activities vehicles, the Emira affords 208 liters of cargo room behind the rear seats and an extra 151 liters within the toasty baggage space.

Lotus Emira: Availability & Beginning MSRP

Lotus mentioned the four-cylinder Emira will begin at round $99,000 (earlier than vacation spot), with the V6 beginning at about $106,000. The Emira V6 will arrive first close to the tip of 2023, whereas the turbocharged mannequin will arrive in early 2024. The 13 colours out there for the Emria embody Hethel Yellow, Magma Purple, Vivid Purple, Darkish Verdant, Seneca Blue, Atlantis Blue, Meridian Blue, Osmium Silver, Nimbus Gray, Shadow Gray, Zinc Gray, Mist White, and Cosmos Black.

To study extra about how Lotus engineers leverage the model’s high-performance nature to design key security techniques on vehicles just like the Emira, take a take heed to this episode of the AutoVision Information Radio podcast. 

Alvin Reyes is an Automoblog characteristic columnist and an skilled in sports activities and efficiency vehicles. He studied civil aviation, aeronautics, and accountancy in his youthful years and remains to be very a lot smitten to his former Lancer GSR and Galant SS. He additionally likes fried hen, music, and natural drugs.

Lotus Emira Gallery

Photographs & Supply: Lotus Vehicles.