Lotus Elise (00 on) - Review

Review by David Ross on
Last Updated: 20 November 2009
The original Elise saw Lotus return to sports cars with a bang. The new car improves on that further but retains the same key ingredients - a light weight body, high-revving engines and superb handling. This is an old-school approach to sports cars. There are few luxuries (there's no power steering for instance) and it's not a comfortable car to travel long distances in, but for sheer enjoyment and involvement few cars come close. It lacks the practicality and usability to be everyday transport for most, but as an indulgence it's ideal. Affordable prices and good economy mean it needn't be expensive to run either.
4 out of 5

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4 out of 5

Summary

New price range:

£28,710 - £39,835

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Used price range:

£6,583 - £32,505

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Hugely involving to drive, great performance, affordable to buy and run, decent economy

Few luxuries, getting in and out is difficult, baffling number of models over the years

The original Elise saw Lotus return to sports cars with a bang. The new car improves on that further but retains the same key ingredients - a light weight body, high-revving engines and superb handling. This is an old-school approach to sports cars. There are few luxuries (there's no power steering for instance) and it's not a comfortable car to travel long distances in, but for sheer enjoyment and involvement few cars come close. It lacks the practicality and usability to be everyday transport for most, but as an indulgence it's ideal. Affordable prices and good economy mean it needn't be expensive to run either.

Driving & Performance

  • Performance

    5 out of 5

    "The Elise was originally launched with the 1.8-litre engine sourced from Rover. Known as the..."

  • Handling

    5 out of 5

    "The Elise doesn't have power steering which means that low speed manoeuvres are difficult. However..."

Comfort

  • Comfort

    2 out of 5

    "It may be an old-school sports car but the Elise rides surprisingly well and can easily cope with..."

  • Practicality

    1 out of 5

    "Getting in and out of the Elise is a challenge in itself. Once you've mastered the art it's slightly..."

  • Equipment

    2 out of 5

    "Early Elise models were sparsely equipped - even a stereo was optional. Later versions are slightly..."

  • Behind the wheel

    2.5 out of 5

    "The interior of the Elise is fairly sparse - you don't even get carpets as standard, instead there's..."

Costs

  • Running costs

    3 out of 5

    "Considering the performance it offers, the Elise is affordable to run. Fuel economy is around 33mpg..."

  • Green credentials

    3 out of 5

    "For a car with such impressive performance, the Elise has quite low emissions with the current S..."

Safety & Reliability

  • Safety

    2 out of 5

    "The Elise was one of the last cars to be fitted with ABS which was first made available on the 111R..."

  • Reliability

    4 out of 5

    "Hand built from aluminium and plastic, there's nothing to corrode and the light weight means the..."

Buying & Selling

  • Buying new

    2 out of 5

    "Lotus doesn't have a huge dealer network but there's one in every major part of the country. All..."

  • Buying used

    4 out of 5

    "This version has been around for a while now and the Elise is the most popular Lotus model."

  • Selling

    3 out of 5

    "Buyers always like to see a full Lotus service history and signs of light use, but the Elise is..."

Gallery

  • Interior Lotus Elise (00 on)
  • Exterior Lotus Elise (00 on)
  • Exterior Lotus Elise (00 on)
  • Exterior Lotus Elise (00 on)

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Owners' reviews