• 2+2 claim is quite wishful
• Back seats more useful for luggage
• GT410 easier to see out of

Unlike mid-engined rivals like the Porsche Cayman or Alpine A110 the Lotus Evora has a special talent when it comes to boosting practicality – a pair of seats in the rear.

No, we don’t understand how Hethel has pulled off this packaging trick either, but in reality the Evora is best described as a 2+2 than a full four seater. They’re for occasional use, and even then, only for the very smallest of passengers.

The seat base is quite high and the roofline low, so anyone taller than a child will struggle for head space, and the back of the chair is also pretty much vertical, so you can’t really slouch to make up vertical inches either.

Really it’s best to view them as additional luggage space, boosting the 160-litres available in the boot. This is quite a useful oblong shape with more room around the tail lights where you can cram soft overnight bags into.

There’s no front boot like you get in the mid-engined rivals mentioned above and it’s worth bearing in mind that the proximity to the engine means anything left in there will get a bit warm, and if it rains, a bit wet when you open the tailgate.

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GT410 vs GT410 Sport

Although identical in luggage capacity, the GT410 and GT410 Sport offer several differences in terms of ease of use – the latter has a carbonfibre engine cover and a rear window obscured with louvres, so it’s hard to see out of, while the former has a full glass tailgate and parking sensors for better visibility and less cabin noise.

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You also get all-weather Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tyres (the Sport has Cup 2s) which are better at finding grip in standing water, and inside the cabin there are armrests on the door and a few storage bins.

Safety

• No Euro NCAP score
• Strong bonded aluminium construction
• …it’s got airbags?

Lotus Evora safety hasn’t been tested by independent safety body Euro NCAP but given the car’s strong bonded aluminium construction and larger dimensions than the Elise, it should offer a reasonable amount of protection in a collision.

Driver and passenger dual-stage airbags, pre-tensioning front seatbelts, ABS and an effective traction and stability control system are all standard. There are no modern driver aids like adaptive cruise control or lane keep assistant though, or autonomous emergency braking assist, though.

Putting the Evora in Sport mode reduces the traction control’s influence while track day enthusiasts can turn it off altogether if they desire. Even so, the Lotus’s massive rear tyres mean a surprising amount of grip.