Lotus Elise Review, Specs & Performance
Agile and thrilling sports car, great to look at and economical too.
The Lotus Elise has been around since 1996 and the latest version is thrilling and agile - it is undoubtedly a great British sports car. It's also great to look at and cheap to run.
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Overview of the Lotus Elise
ENGINES AND PERFORMANCE FOR THE LOTUS ELISE
There are two engines to choose from for the contract hire Lotus Elise, either a 1.6-litre or a 1.8-litre petrol unit and both are produced by Toyota. The entry-level Elise has an engine producing 134 bhp and while this may not sound a lot for a sports car, in a lightweight and agile vehicle it's more than enough.
The Elise Sport 220 has the larger engine producing 217 bhp thanks to supercharger, and if you enjoy track days than the Cup 250 delivering 243 bhp delivers enough potential to take on supercars. Its 0 to 62 mph sprint time is less than four seconds - and even in the entry-level model, it's 4.2 seconds.
One of the positives for leasing a Lotus Elise is that with a lightweight car, fuel economy is around 40 mpg - drive sensibly and it's more than 45 mpg. The engine is mated to a six-speed manual box with exposed linkage that is great to look at.
If you fancy the Elise as a company car, emissions are 149g/km for the entry level model, which equates to a Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rate for 2021 of 37%.
Lotus Elise in a nutshell
Essentially, if you want a well-crafted and well-designed sports car delivering thrills and agility, there are few rivals in the sector and a road test before leasing the Lotus Elise is highly recommended - particularly if you are taller than average and find sports cars are usually a squeeze.
EQUIPMENT AND HANDLING FOR THE LOTUS ELISE
The best reason to lease the Lotus Elise is the sheer fun that comes when driving a car with character. It's one of the most thrilling and agile cars currently available with a chassis that delivers a nimble performance.
This is a mid-engine car that delivers great response on winding country roads and the driver's position can be adapted to be a perfect fit. Indeed, the handling is almost go-kart like with excellent feedback through the steering wheel and the grip will impress.
The suspension has been tuned so that it's a smooth and comfortable ride on roads. The engines are good performers and at low revs it's a rewarding car to drive around town but really needs to be enjoyed at speed, particularly on racetracks.
There's not much in the way of equipment, everything has been pared back to deliver the low weight and there's some aluminium visible to remind drivers that this is a thrill-seeking sports car.
There's also not much in the way of boot space, there's 117 litres in the front of the car, and there's just a small hollow that acts as a glovebox. But the Elise does have a cup holder.
This means it's not really a practical choice for everyday driving unless you can live with its foibles but there's no doubt it will be a head-turner on the daily commute.
It's also worth noting that the Elise is a reliable car after years of having a poor reputation and it's a safe vehicle too with electronic stability control and ABS brakes.
There's also a cornering brake control system that impresses and the occupants get seat-belt pre-tensioners and passenger and driver airbags.
MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE LOTUS ELISE LEASE
Why not have a look at the Elise on the official Lotus company website? Or why not look at some of these similar car lease deals from First Vehicle Leasing: the Mazda MX-5, or the Porsche 718 Boxster.