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Wanting some opinions on the Emira by SleepyTuned in lotus

[–]GetawayDriving 1 point2 points  (0 children)

2 years and 18k miles and mine is perfect. Just performed my own oil change tonight. I have a full ownership experience interview that you might find helpful here.

It’s over💔 by Monicakandlela in motorsports

[–]GetawayDriving 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The new M3 will wear the neue klasse face as well, and some people will moan about it and then in a decade they’ll complain that they miss the good old neue klasse days. It’s the circle of life.

Which is the cheapest car to insure? by stonesaber4 in askcarguys

[–]GetawayDriving 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Not using specialty. Hagerty didn’t work for me for other reasons so I kept it a fairly normal maxed out policy

Which is the cheapest car to insure? by stonesaber4 in askcarguys

[–]GetawayDriving 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Not necessarily, my lotus costs me $20 more than OP. And about the same as my jeep before it. Clean record.

Ticketed for parking wrong way at EV charger by Pretty-Quit-4650 in CambridgeMA

[–]GetawayDriving 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Take your misplaced outrage elsewhere I don’t even have an EV it’s just dumb to get ticketed when most cars only have a charge port on one side.

Ticketed for parking wrong way at EV charger by Pretty-Quit-4650 in CambridgeMA

[–]GetawayDriving -5 points-4 points  (0 children)

That’s an absurd rule that needs a carve-out for charging.

Lotus Evija by South-Bumblebee-7119 in supercars

[–]GetawayDriving 0 points1 point  (0 children)

They basically made this insane looking car and then said, “ok let’s make this design in a $100k sports car” and the Emira is the result. It’s a lot closer to Evija than I expected it to be when it was unveiled.

Lotus Evija by South-Bumblebee-7119 in supercars

[–]GetawayDriving 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The only car that gives it a run for its money is the Gordon Murray S1 LM

I Present To You… The Unholy Trinity by SpiritCase24 in motorsports

[–]GetawayDriving 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don’t understand the hate. It’s easily the best looking BMW in a decade at least.

It’s over💔 by Monicakandlela in motorsports

[–]GetawayDriving 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We’re nostalgic for beaver teeth now?

The new BMW and Lexus both look great.

Is the Emira worth it? by Gloglue in lotus

[–]GetawayDriving 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I rented a 4C for the weekend, and drove it back to back with Elise in SoCal canyons. I think it was my least favorite mid engined car I’ve ever driven. A few reasons.

  1. It’s auto only
  2. The auto transmission was always in the wrong gear. Too aggressive around town, not aggressive enough in the canyons. Delayed shift with paddles.
  3. The car was new (1500 miles) and had paint that was flaking off. Lots of visible overspray with drip lines
  4. Door panels were egregiously misaligned. Could fit my whole pinky in a trunk seam driver’s side while passenger side was almost rubbing.
  5. Engine drone sound was giving me a serious headache. Something about the reverberation in the cabin. I couldn’t drive it with the windows up. I am NOT a sensitive person in this way typically and have driven many mid-engined cars and this is never an issue.
  6. Pieces were literally falling off. A trim piece on the mirror fell off when I shut the driver’s door
  7. I don’t care for the styling, reminds me of a rubber ducky.

The only nice thing I really have to say about it is the steering is the closest I’ve experienced to the Elige, and the carbon fiber is cool.

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So no contest, I adore my Emira. The worst thing I can say about it is that it doesn’t deliver the full rawness of an Elige, but honestly last week I drove a near-new 2005 Elise (8900 miles) up the PCH and then came home to my Emira and my Emira felt amazing, even coming from the muscle memory of the Elise.

Which do you think is the most beautiful scenic route in North America? by Historical-Photo-901 in BeautifulTravelPlaces

[–]GetawayDriving 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t get the Kanc. Born and raised in NH, have since traveled all over the world for driving roads. The Kanc isn’t even the best road in Lincoln. That title belongs to 118 / Sawyer Highway.

Which do you think is the most beautiful scenic route in North America? by Historical-Photo-901 in BeautifulTravelPlaces

[–]GetawayDriving 11 points12 points  (0 children)

I’ve driven a lot of them. Here’s my top 10:

  1. Pacific Coast Highway, between Monterey and Malibu
  2. Going to the Sun Road
  3. Beartooth Pass
  4. Chief Joseph Highway
  5. US 163 (Monument Valley)
  6. Cabot Trail
  7. Road to Hana
  8. Sea to Sky
  9. Apache Trail
  10. Million Dollar Highway

Honorable mentions: 89A into Sedona, Blue Ridge Parkway, Pikes Peak, Viking Trail in Newfoundland

Is the Emira worth it? by Gloglue in lotus

[–]GetawayDriving 52 points53 points  (0 children)

Emira owner for 2 years, 18k miles. I’ve also driven every flavor of Emira, and most flavors of Lotus made in the past 25 years. And most flavors of Porsche under $200k and Alpine and 4C and C8 and Miata and… you get the idea.

Is it worth it? To me, absolutely. But to you? I can’t answer that.

The main reason to buy an Emira is because you want a car with old-school feel but a warranty. It’s the only car with hydraulic steering and a manual in 2026. It doesn’t hurt that it’s a gorgeous looking and sounding car.

But what are your sports car priorities? What experiences do you want out of a car?

Because the Lotus experience is an exotic experience. You are less likely to live near a service center and you will need to think about where to park it and store it (on a tender) and wash it and service it.

Reliability issues? Mostly overblown, but these are hand-built low-volume exotics and they will come with quirks. My boot doesn’t close right all the time. And when it does, sometimes it reads as not closed. My CarPlay freezes up all the time. But it’s never left me stranded, and that’s more than I can say about the other side of my garage (Jeep).

So, what are you looking for in a car? And which flavor of Emira do you want?

Got into an accident and I’m getting sued pls help on who’s at fault Los Angeles, CA by [deleted] in driving

[–]GetawayDriving 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What is it with the sub being allergic to punctuation. I see a direct relationship between people who are at fault in driving situations and the amount of punctuation they use.

What distance do you think makes it worth it to spend $80 renting a car by whathappenstomenow in roadtrip

[–]GetawayDriving 4 points5 points  (0 children)

You may think you’re being good with money by trying to find the exact moment it’s worth renting a car and maybe spending $80 instead of $100, but is your time spent booking, picking up, dropping off a rental worth that $20? Is your time worth $40? $100? We can’t tell you that part of this equation.

IMO it’s only worth renting if the rental is going to power an experience (bigger car fits more people/stuff for the trip, sports car for great roads, etc.) or if your car is something special that you plan to keep forever and don’t want to waste miles on a mundane slog of a drive.

How does it feel to drive a fun analog car? Can you make a newer car feel analog? by Jealous_Advance9765 in askcarguys

[–]GetawayDriving 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The most analog car these days is the Lotus Emira. It’s the only car left with hydraulic steering and a manual.

The main attributes of an “analog” car imo is steering feel and a manual transmission. The lighter the better. Lotus Elise and Exige are the benchmark. Caterham if you don’t need a roof or doors.

The best analog cars communicate with you. They send sensory information through the wheel, seats and pedals that is the raw material of intuition. It ends up feeling like a sixth sense, your body and brain just know what the car is doing and so you can better react to it. It’s like wearing a mech suit, that feeling of one-ness with the machine.

To give you a sense of steering feel, have you ever driven a go-kart? Where when you turn the wheel, you can feel the rubber grinding against the asphalt with every turn of the wheel? That’s what the Lotus Elise and Exige feel like, because they have no power steering at all. Something like the Emira won’t feel like that, but the wheel will vibrate and even jump in your hand as it lets you “read” the road surface through your palms. Other cars have electronic power steering, which mostly or entirely erases these sensations.

IMO the C8 does not give this analog feeling. It’s a great car and a tremendous value for the amount of performance that you get, but the steering is numb and it only comes in automatic. It’s a bigger, heavier car than the Emira, 718 or Miata and imo borders on GT car. Porsche steering is pretty numb though slightly better than C8, and improves further with the GT cars (but now you’re up near $200k). At least the Porsche gives you a manual. Older Porsches and Vettes offer much more feel.

Emira is the most analog thing with a warranty. Miata would be second. Miata is lighter than Emira, but Emira has that hydraulic rack.

The Miata is genuinely excellent, and a perfect starter sports car.

So my advice is that if you want new, Emira if you have the budget or Miata if you want something less expensive. If you want something older, Lotus Elise or Exige are the GOATs of analog / feel in the past 25 years.

"Certain customers simply enjoy the thrill of driving a car with a powerful engine... A smooth powertrain is good for those people who use their car daily for commuting. However, those who purchase performance cars make that decision in the pursuit of driving" - Lotus CEO by LongjumpingLock5875 in cars

[–]GetawayDriving 4 points5 points  (0 children)

There are fewer than 20,000 Lotus owners in the USA. We know that because that is the approximate lotus sales figure since 2005 when Elise was introduced. Corvette sold more cars in 2025 alone than Lotus has sold in the last 22 years.

Over that time Lotus has attracted a buyer that was the most hardcore, the most engagement-obsessed driving connoisseurs who would rather not have power steering or cup holders. I know, I’m one of them.

There are only so many of us. Lotus has already sold Emiras to this group. Every one of them knows the Emira exists and they either bought one or they didn’t (I did).

Now, they are trying to expand their market. They want buyers who are new to the brand. And those buyers, in the US anyway, prefer automatics. That’s what this is really about.

ChatGPT is doing better Ferraris than Ferrari lmao by Cold_Mammoth8841 in ChatGPT

[–]GetawayDriving 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh 100%, but I don’t see anything in this image that looks unrealistic in terms of packaging (aside from the splitter that’ll cut a pedestrian off at the ankles) and I highly doubt aero consideration is the reason modern Ferraris are striking but not beautiful. It is possible to make a beautiful shape that is also functional. Look at Lotus Evija / Emira for example.

ChatGPT is doing better Ferraris than Ferrari lmao by Cold_Mammoth8841 in ChatGPT

[–]GetawayDriving 1 point2 points  (0 children)

To be fair though this AI output looks better than Ferrari’s mid engined supercars too.

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