Porsche probably makes the best cars in the world. However emotionally, the Emira calls to me more. It looks beautiful and exotic. It is a car you would always look back on as you walk away. It will also be more rare. Put the GTS engine in the Lotus and you would have the perfect combination.
What about a C8 Corvette? I think I prefer both the Cayman and Emira in looks, but the C8 Corvette is an interesting curve ball. To be fair, I own a Cayman.
@@kalasmournrex1470 I like the C8, but it is starting to get fairly common and I really like a manual transmission in a sports car even if slower. If I want to go fast with two pedals then might as well go electric.
Where's Sutcliffe?! :( Hopefully Sutcliffe will take these cars (or the sharper Emira Sport) to a track test and we will learn something a bit more useful...
I really hope the Lotus Emira is a raging success. It saddens me to think that this is the last Lotus with an internal combustion engine. I have some hope that the Emira does so well that they continue to do what they have been doing for so long. No other manufacturer does what Lotus does. Small, light, lovely handling cars with just enough power to thrill the driver.
You never push the cars…. Looks like a review in slowmo…. 🙂 Come on floor it, you won’t hurt them and they will show their real potential and we as viewers get a better video!
This was terrible to listen to! I'm actually in the market for either of these cars, or a 991.2. I had to stop halfway through! Would have stopped sooner if I wasn't busy working. Would have been more exciting to read about these 2 cars!
Sure, but the Lotus isn't "new". The Evora, that the Emira is built on, was launched in 2008 and the Toyota sourced 2GR-FE has been around since 2005. There was a lot of hype and expectation around the Lotus and unfortunately, aside from the looks, it's not really living up to it.
@@James_Sovereign what are you saying? It is absolutely living up to the hype, lotus was never promising anything revolutionary with the Emira. Part of the reason there was so much hype around the Emira was the new looks and the new interior, not a whole new engine or suspension setup or anything like that, so in that department the Emira has delivered, however if you expected anything more than that you were always setting yourself up for disappointment.
Like Lotus never built a mid-engine car before, hm? Porsche simply has a million times more money to throw at development and can dive in to the vast VAG parts shelves.
The big differentiator for me, that wasn't really discussed, is the looks. The Porsche, whilst an amazing driving machine, looks (to me) a little bit awkward and with so many new and old Caymans/Boxsters (lets say 911s as well) around on the roads the appearance is essentially too familiar. The Emira looks special, rare and to a bystander probably a price-class above the Porsche. It's been said many times before but the Emira has an aura of a junior-Supercar about it whereas the Porsche looks a little too common and (sorry) for me, a little bland.
@@Andrew-rc3vh cool story, too bad it wipes the floor with Lotus on a track. But yeah, you are right, the car for real men is probably the chinese one made in a country that is ruled by Indians and with the engine out of a Toyota.
Was he actually enjoying himself?! Two of the best modern sports cars on great roads and from his delivery you would have thought he was testing a couple of shopping trolleys. What do they feel like and how do they respond when really pushed? What about a proper engine delivery and sound comparison. Most importantly with these sorts of cars, how do they make you feel?
Very informative review but unfortunately, a number of important points were overlooked/problematic or not talked about in sufficient details. The first being how the gearing in the Lotus compares to the gearing in the Cayman, as manual Porsches are currently plagued with overly long gearing (emissions-related): which speed is reached at the top of 2nd in both cars? The second issue is with the steering. Maybe it's a bit of Porsche bias, but what does he mean by the steering is a bit 'corrupted' in the Emira? Journalists lauds a steering that vibrates and wriggles a bit from road imperfections when referring to a 993/996 Porsche (even lauded as unique 911 trait due to the engine being at the back), but suddenly, when the steering of an Emira does a little bit of that, it is somehow described as 'corruption'? It really sounded like he was trying to find ways not to simply acknowledge that the hydraulic setup in the Emira is just better than the electric setup in the Cayman. Thirdly, I remember how I read so many articles and watched so many videos about manual gearboxes in Caymans and in Evoras being this and that, but when I actually drove an Evora 400 and several Caymans, frankly they were all great and I would have been hard pressed to fault any of them. Finally, is the engine sound piped into the cabin through speakers for either car?
I can only speak for the GTS 4.0… no sound pumped in through the speakers but there is a pipe running from the intake manifold to the firewall to increase induction noise heard in the cabin.
Agree. A really good review. On your first point, he didn't mention the speeds in second which would have been a useful reference point, I agree. But he does mention the Porsche's overly long gearing and the fact that the Lotus feels more urgent or immediate, and I think he mentioned it in the context of gears and the Lotus' supercharger. On the steering, corruption is unexpected and sharp 'kickback' where the steering wheel reacts in your hands to bumps and the car is knocked off your chosen line. You then need to react to the unwanted movement by applying correction to get the car back on line. Mostly happens in corners but can be a problem on the straight ahead as well. Corruption can also be used to describe tram-lining where the front wheels follow imperfections in the road surface that you then need to steer to correct. Road camber can also do this but mostly I find it's where the surface is different across the front axle and the steering pulls as a result. I think that last example is where the difference between corruption and feel cross over. A little light tugging of the wheel in reaction to surface changes can be quite nice in some cars, but it needs to be light enough to class as informative rather than distracting. Perhaps a little tug to tell you there is a little less grip under one of the front wheels. Good steering 'feel' is information imparted by the front tyres at the contact patch and up through the steering system to the wheel, and tells you what the surface is like and what available grip there might be. Both hydraulic and electric racks can give good feel, but more often the hydraulic rack also adds a more natural resistance to add to the overall package of 'feel', whereas electric systems can often seem like they have an artificial and/or sticky weight to them. Porsche seem to have worked the hardest to recreate the more natural feel of a hydraulic rack through their electric systems. The early 991's steering while accurate didn't have the natural weight of Porsche's hydraulic systems. The gearshift is often subjective. Some just care about the speed and accuracy, others find the 'feel' more important. I guess the best do both through a combination of throw, weight, springing and bushes. One of my cars has a short, fast but weighty and slightly clunky shift. I like it and think it's fine in isolation, but another (far cheaper car) has the cliche police annoying 'knife through butter' shift. It's slightly longer but soooo slick and satisfying with no notchyness. I've only recently discovered what a difference the knob can make (not talking about me here 🙂 - well, maybe not.) The shape obviously, but also the weight of the knob itself. I think it was in relation to improvements to the Civic Type R last year but my ageing brain may have just made that up. Finally... I don't think either car pipes in any noise, certainly not through the speakers. I don't know if either have those sound tube thingies that direct induction noise to the cabin 🙂
I know that looks are subjective………..but Caymans just don’t have the wow factor and look quite drab and boring now. The Lotus makes you look back at it, and is way more exotic and desirable! 😍
Both Autocar and Evo seem to miss the desirability factor of cars in this segment, the Lotus looks like a supercar, the Cayman still essentially still looks like a Boxster with a lid on. I know which one I'd have for the money. Also excited to see what the more focused variants of the Emira do, I think they'll have the Cayman's trousers down.
Ce n'est aucunement le cas d'une Porsche que de ressembler à une supercar:) Vous confondez Porsche avec Lamborghini ou Bugatti. Le Cayman est le modèle coupé et sportif de la marque et représente un des meilleurs compromis entre sportivité, élégance et plaisir de conduire ! La Lotus est sympa mais cela n'a rien à voir même si vous la considérez au-dessus parce qu'elle l'apparence d'une supercar: ) on ne roule pas avec une apparence mais une voiture...et croyez-moi, Porche s'est faire ça sans beaucoup d'équivalence sur le marché !
In my opinion Lotus totally ruined the Evora by trying to make it more focused. It ended up with a cheap looking interior, stripped of all comforts and amenities, riding on suspension that whilst good for a track was very jarring and indifferent on an average B road, and stupidly for Lotus, the Evora 400 ‘s biggest competitor was the V6 Exige and V6 Elise… not clever really!. The Series 1 Evoras, when they were a well equipped GT are much better cars…particularly as a daily. The Emira today, has been conceived exactly as the Evora was 14 years ago, a well equipped, comfortable and usable. Focused cars have very little appeal to most buyers…Porsche are a very good example..the GT 2/3/4 are not the volume sellers of the range.
I’m a little confused, so which one do you prefer? I’ve seen you review the Alpine and Cayman head to head and there you were much more enthusiastic. Yet in this, You didn’t seem impressed with any of the cars
not sure how gearbox is better but people been sayin so. cayman is smaller car, might be quicker acleration, we dont have offical numbers. steering and chassis communication even ride quality better in lotus at least the touring version, this red car was supposed to be the sport version in othe youtube vidoe, toruing is more quiet and maybe more isolating from road bumpiness without sacrificing steering communication
They both have their own advantages. He said overall he'd prefer to spend more time in the Porsche, but there are times and roads where he'd prefer the Emira every time. He was impressed with both.
It might be heavier than the Elise and the Exige , but the Evora was no lightweight . It looks wise I think it's the nicest looking thing that Lotus has ever made . Add to that the reliability of a Toyota engine . And I would take the Lotus over the Porsche any day . But I'm a poor Canadian who can't afford either so who cares .
Although the Toyota power train is probably more reliable than Porsche’s, part availability for everything else will be cheaper for the Cayman. Part availability has been phenomenal for my 22 year old Boxster S.
The Toyota engined Lotuses have been pretty reliable. Porsche have had all sorts of internal engine issues ever since they moved away from air cooling ago really. Bore scoring on a number of engines for example, which kills a lot of engines out of warranty and is probably present on most from the 00s when checked. Porsche ignores the issue and won't help at all.
That review felt like a chore to get through. What a lacklustre effort. I'm not expecting bells and whistles but for most of that 15 minutes I thought you might be dead.
I was really tempted by the Lotus in announcement but with the additional price for the V6 and drivers pack etc it moves it into a different price band and I think a used GT4 seems a better buy
So much bullshit about this car costing 60k. I knew any decent one would be 80. Typical lotus, typical British sports car really..this reminds me so much of the 2006 Vantage launch..."we're coming for Porsche, we are going to undercut and outperform them"...in reality the car arrives with dated engine tech, over weight and the forecourt price is no where near what they claimed
@@thedownshiftchannel if it was 60k it's fine, its cheaper than a Cayman and most importantly it's not another Porchse...but when its 80k, and engine aside, the quality is yet untested , I'm not sure I could look past a Cayman. Residuals are usually rock solid with Lotus's but I'm not sure with 2030 looming...not sure this is special enough to be in demand as a hobby car...there's so many out there already...I'm with you I'd stretch to a gt4, that will always be in demand and when it's hobby only for ICE cars , Porchse will be top of the menu for most ordinary folks
The Emira looks amazing, new and fresh, whereas Porsche design just continually rehashes the exact same 911 body shape every time they launch a (supposed) new car. The Taycan is just a long 911. The Cayenne is just a fat 911. They are literally as dull as ditch water, as we say in the UK. Can't they design something new for a change?
Matt you seemed underwhelmed by them both. The Lotus particularly, but I guess we've waited a long time for this car and promised a lot.......just seemed to leave you flat.
@@LarsAgerbk great writer but dry as a week old wafer when it comes to his on-screen presence. Really wish they’d use other staff members for these roles.
As much as I doubted them, I wished Lotus would prove me wrong and put out a solid competitive package. As it stands, the Emira would have been an attractive package had it been priced closer to the standard 718. Instead, they priced it closer to an optioned 718 GTS 4.0, arguably one of the best sports cars ever built outside of a 718 GT4 and GT4 RS. If you’re going to come out of the gates shooting for the throne with your first car as a rebranded Lotus, you better come with something undeniable.
The Evora is clearly an extremely flawed car, because with a lot of development and an Emira re-skin, it's still not a compelling purchase against a GTS 4.0. Maybe the AMG-powered car with minimal options will make more sense than a Cayman S, for say, no more than GBP65k with options?
I think it could have easily competed if it was lighter. I don't understand why it is so heavy. Optimistic to go toe to toe with Porsche right now, their line up is great.
The launch edition is an additional $20k in the US I believe and the test car was a launch edition. So I believe the standard would be a more viable option
@@nigel.w I have owned my Evora S since new in 2015. I don’t really understand why you think it is ..Extremely Flawed.. to be honest, though I do appreciate it’s a bit of a left field choice Living in Italy, I very regularly drive mine up and down to the U.K. and it performs faultlessly, it has been super reliable and suffered absolutely no problems at all. My previous Carrera S broke the intermediate shaft, breaking both the engine and gearbox..this whilst cruising on a motorway at 70mph. My subsequent trip Cayman was nice enough..but frankly a bit boring.. A very capable car, but as exciting as a VW Golf. ..I will happily stay with my extremely flawed Evora thanks.
Two great sports cars, one dull commentary. Nothing about how the cars behave once you start to pick the pace up and drive them like they're designed to be driven.
I much prefer the look of the Lotus but Porsche have had much more time to fine tune the engine and gearbox. Hope Lotus does really well with this car.
This review could be summarized as "How to split a hair". Where there's a big difference in these cars is the interior/exterior design. The Porche is unmistakably of the maker, an evolution and as such fine if a little dull. How any of these can you see on any given day? The Lotus is exotic and to me exciting which is what I'd want after spending 80 grand. Every time you look at the Lotus you'll think "Wow". Every time you look at the Porche "Is that one mine?"
To be honest, I'd go for the Lotus. Even if the porches edges it out on paper and is arguably more refined and has better performance for the price, I want a car that both catches eyes and feels special for that price. If we only bought cars for the performance then why get an R8 or Hurrican when you have a 911. If I'm paying nearly 100k, I'm getting the car that I'll always look back at when I park it.
I think the only reasons to go for the Emira in this case would be if you prefer the looks, or the reliability of a Toyota engine, because that GTS 4.0 is just overall better in my eyes 💕
@@DMSparky Not true actually. Service costs ale usually little better than for Audis. The only costly things comes from the fact i got boxer motor, even for spark plugs, engine must come out of the car.
@@SkyrimCZtutorials that’s incorrect. Spark plug change does not require removal of the engine. The mid engine layout is still a tight space, but most maintenance does not require dropping the engine
@@DMSparky Porsches are reliable! I was just trying to say that "If you compare a Porsche Engine to a Toyota Engine in reliability, the Toyota is the better one no doubt"
BIG problem with the Porsche is that the gearing is so looooong it makes buying the manual pointless. So, buy the Lotus if your want a manual sports car and buy the Porsche with PDK if you want an automatic sports car.
Nonsense 😂 the manual 4.0 is a marvel, the way the car instantly pulls at low revs in any gear is amazing, people only moan about long gears because it sounds so damn good high up in the rev range and your doing illegal things up there!
Please…put down the Kool-Aid. One of the joys of a manual (actually the only joy) is shifting through the gears and hearing the engine wind out. At the point of your second shift at redline in the GTS, you’ll be over 80 mph/128km/h.
Keep on it! I enjoyed this video! There are plenty of quick to-the-point videos out there….I appreciate the laidback driving feedback. When I get the opportunity to drive these two vehicles I will be in the same mindset, attentive and observant.
I know Matts review style is never is never excitable or over enthusiastic but god this was a dreary review. At least push the cars a little to keeps us interested to make up for your lack of enthusiasm. Cmon the Emira is one of the most exciting cars of the year.
He’s being a bit polite I reckon. Overall, as usual, the Porsche wins. Not surprising really. The Cayman and especially the normally aspirated flat-six powered ones, have proven to be pretty much unbeatable so far. BMW, Merc and now Lotus have tried, but haven’t succeeded really. It’s been the same old story for years now! The Cayman is the best road oriented sports car that Porsche makes and overall is still the best in the class. The Lotus is a looker though! Much more exotic and pretty than the staid Porsche.
Still have an Elise for many years, 3 other cars but I don't see myself moving away from the Elise, as for the gear change, I've never had any issues with the Elise, if anything I find it wonderful, the ride is crashy but on tight twisty hill climbs I've never seen anything get close. As soon as you add refinement you take away the essence. One car will never do every trick.
Me too. I was hoping the Emira would be a refined Elise with more power, but instead we got what seems to just be an Evora re-skin with focus on daily driveablilty. Keeping my Elise, maybe forever. Only hope now is that Caterham or someone buy the Elise tooling and offers new kits so I won't be driving what is already a 16 year old car for decades more.
Nice comparison. So the Lotus rides better, steers better, is faster, but the Porsche has a more special engine and gear shift. Well done Lotus for producing a car that trades blows with the best all around sports car in the world. However, if you see an Emira driving down the road in the right colour, looking exotic like a mini supercar, any Caymans in the immediate vicinity would effectively cease to exist....
Would go for the Porsche all day long. It's such a good chassis and since it's got the detuned 911 GT3 engine, it's my absolute favourite car in it's class. Porsche is also one of the few european car manufacturers, that still offers good manual gearbox solutions.
In this class of car (particularly), passion, desire, ethos, history & patriotism perhaps have a heavier weighting. It's just a brilliant day when you can think to yourself "yes, I'd have the Lotus, no question" in such talented company.
They finally did what I always thought they should do with Lotus: a competitor to Porsche. For years it was a brand that was very poorly taken advantage of in its market potential.
I'm not the biggest fan of the Cayman, but for me, the fact that it is a thoroughbred is an important distinction bewteen it and the Emira. I much prefer the looks of the Emira, and I much prefer the lower gearing. The interior as well as the ingress and egress are definitely a step-up for the Emira vs the Evora, but the interior still looks cheap to me, and even though the Cayman's interior is arguably dated, I think I'd still prefer to live with it over that of the Emira. And even with all the improvements and the rarity of the Emira vs the Cayman, I still think the Cayman will depreciate significantly less. But the overriding difference comes down to the fact that no matter how good it objectively may arguably be, the Emira's powerplant is essentially a blown Toyota Camry lump, whereas the GTS 4.0 has one of the finest naturally-aspirated powerplants ever, and it is quintessentially Porsche. I'm not a big fan of supercharged engines. It's a brutish means of delivering performance. I also don't think the Toyota lump is worthy of being on display. However, I admit that it sounds pretty good. Lotus still advertises that the AMG-powered Emira will start at GBP60k, and at that price-point it may make more sense to me, and come out on top vs the equivalent-priced Cayman. But, for me, if the choice is between the Emira V6 manual and the Cayman GTS 4.0 manual, the latter wins hands-down, despite the Emira's vastly superior looks and its rarity. A car at this price-point can't live on looks alone. And as Enzo Ferrari once said, the engine is what makes the car. Otherwise, there'd be far more kit cars on the road that look the business, but have relatively ordinary powerplants.
I fully understand the comments about a lack of emotion from the presenter. However, when reviewers get really enthusiastic, I always suspect that they are sponsored and selling the product. Two excellent cars. Head GTS, Heart Lotus.
"At the speed limit at the top of 2nd gear" is a key issue with a modern N/A sports car (or bike, for that matter), but surely this is resolvable with appropriate gearing.
Interesting review, it comes down to simple things really - one comes with an excellent manual or PDK, one comes with a NA flat six that revs to 8000RPM versus a fairly ordinary blown Camry engine that revs to 6500RPM - in terms of design the Emira looks great now but will date quite quickly - the Cayman has had the same look since 2013/981 generation and still looks good today, which means it will age with grace. Fit and finish go to the Cayman as well. The Cayman GTS will hammer the comfort version of the Emira round a track, and the GT4 will obliterate the more track orientated version. Its a good effort by Lotus, and it needed to be, but I'd pick the GTS without hesitation and also knowing in 20 years it will still be running.
Porsche never manages to make Cayman with a decent exterior design. It’s always bland, something they managed to correct in the 911. Lotus exterior design is far superior. It looks exciting, rivalling Ferrari’s mid engined cars.
Between an overweight Lotus with a less-than-superb gearchange, noisier turboengine, heavy steering etc. Or an overall superior German car. I'd go with the Lotus any day.
For me the Lotus is a LOT better looking, doesn’t have the negative stigma of a Porsche and you wouldn’t have to deal with Porsche sales. I look forward to the Cup version.
I don't think these cars are comparable in the real world. If you want to beat a Porsche, build a car that is categorically superior in at least one aspect. Lotus did not do that yet they have the audacity to charge their customers an exorbitant fee for their failure.
Seriosley Porsche get out of it the time has come for a really great new shape its done and gone get into the 21st century like Lotus my pick for the day !
Sometimes it's not always about technology. A sports car is about how it makes you feel. It's about being individual and looking awesome. That's why the Lotus wins hands down despite any tech, it's about feeling and looking like a racing driver and not a geek.
If your goal is to blend in with the crowd and park anywhere you like without worry about crowds gathering around and asking you questions, then yes, you made the right choice.
@@jensenlawrence412 I always thought that Lotus going more focused on the Evora is what damaged it..and Lotus. They ended up with the V6 Exige, the V6 Elise and the Evora all competing for the same customers. The Evora..like the Emira, was conceived as a more comfortable, better appointed GT… not a track car.
@@martinsaunders2942 well unfortunately we will never see a car like the exige or Elise again. So the Evora can fill both those spots just like the Caymans do with their base versions and the GT4. We all know the gt4 was a perfect addition to the cayman
I believe Lotus decided they needed a stop gap car using the same technology for chassis before going fully electric…i can understand that but it was never gonna be ground breaking 🤷♂️
Love the Emira. Deposit is in waiting for the Base model to spec out. (V6 and Manual of course!!) Lotus is a much more exotic, interesting and better looking car than the GTS or GT4
I had an order in for a Cayman GTS 4.0 then 2 weeks later they announced the Emira. I placed a parallel deposit on the Lotus and had to decide which one to cancel… In 6 weeks I pick up the Emira!
Lmao....you'll be disappointed with that lotus. It will be typically unreliable and under perform as per usual with over hyped lotuses. Resale value will be horrendous as well.
Can't be coincidence the Lotus rides better seeing as it's coming from the UK vs Germany where the roads are quite a bit different. We should also note that while the Emira shares a bit with the outgoing Evora it's still at the very beginning of its life cycle whereas this Cayman is at the refined end of its life cycle. So we all know Porsche is great at what they do, but they've also had time to really hone this model.
My only criticism. If you're gonna show the engine off through a glass panel, then make it look unobtainable and irresistible to study... ...loads of 'gubbins' basically, that I don't understand yet still excite me.. Instead of a big slab with writing on it.
All great comments below. I'm just surprised the statement; "Tesla is faster" hasn't been posted as of yet. Maybe, that is just reserved for C8 Stingray reviews. Anyway, how was the understeer between these vehicles? How about the braking. Did the Lotus have the optional CUP tires? Was the leather top tier in both cars?
no, see frank stephensons video on lotus emira, aston martin vallahala etc. could have been much better. i wouldve taken out the bottom side fake vent stuff too. i like v6 vallahala concept aesthetic better than production v8 vallahala
Am Long in the tooth ( the few I have left) but I remember Very well in the 60s how an Elan handled n how the 356 did, there was No comparison specially in the wet the Elan would kill the 356 maybe things are very differnt Now but for me its the Lotus ALL THE WAY, in Fact the first time I drove an Elan I was actually totally shocked, that Any car made on planet earth could be was so amazingly good, you have to remember my own can was If I remember right my old MK1 Ford consul or maybe my MK1 Cortina a Stepto n son horse n a thoroughbred
I would choose the Porsche. Far more options available, and I see no way, Lotus could match in quality. The first thing I would do is, put a GT4 wing on the back and delete the GTS badge ;)
IMO, this sort of car needs a track test also, it's what they are meant to do after all. Even if most owners will never do it, I think it's still called for in a review. My money would be on the Porka.
If the Emira would be half as fast as it looks and It sounds, It would be a reason to buy. But in reality it makes a lot of (nice) noise, but without an adequate acceleration and Speed. Thats my opinion. In Germany we call it "mehr Schein als Sein"
As much as I want to see lotus do well why didn’t the engineers just develop in line with the best parts of the direct competition e.g. gear shift, noise, pedals, steering wheel (read, a round one) doesn’t have to be the same car, nor should it but they’ve got so much just wrong enough to make it a bit lacking. Looks quite nice, but that’s about it.
Lots of racecars have flat tops and bottoms on the steering wheel, the steering ratio is quick enough in the Lotus (quicker than the Porsche) that this is not an issue IMO.
Everyone is moaning about the lack of enthusiasm but if you actually buy one of these cars the very objective observations he makes are what will make it a forever car or one that irritates.
It is good to see a much improved Lotus but the weight is a drawback and Alpine shows it can be done albeit at the cost of having a small 4 pot at the back both (Lotus, Alpine...and Alfa) with the wrong engine layout...However I fear Lotus has not learned any lessons from the past in case they want bigger volumes: they need to undercut Porsches prices by a very good margin (and additionally come up with highly appealing financial offers...which has never been the case but I reckon they have the clout now to do so if so they wish...) if they want to see significant higher volumes otherwise like Alfa and Alpine and old Lotus they will keep selling marginal volumes...any attempt to match Porsche's prices will lead to poor results as Porsche remains unmatched and has been for decades
But you can’t buy the Porsche you may want! Try going to any Porsche dealer and ordering anything top notch! Unless you buy at least three cars you don’t really want ( to build up your loyalty to the brand), you ain’t buying anything…….. fact!
Let me pose this question - if the new Carrera T had the 4.0 liter NA engine and 6 speed from this Cayman and a drivable soft 'touring' suspension - would you still buy either of these cars ?
I had to pay 75.000€ incl. Taxes for my Elise 250 Cup, I just sold it. I kept my 981 Cayman GTS and the Caterham. The Elise at the end was nice but not as much as the cayman is and not raw enough as the Caterham is. The 60 to 70k price will be a Illusion, at the end it’s not beating anything but it doesn’t matter because it will still be nice to have, good looking, good going and exotic.
Your video with all the close up shots of the wheels, lights, vents etc, should i put them together like a puzzle in my mind then imagine what the car looks like?
Seldom seen such a lack of enthusiasm about two such excellent cars.
Porsche probably makes the best cars in the world. However emotionally, the Emira calls to me more. It looks beautiful and exotic. It is a car you would always look back on as you walk away. It will also be more rare. Put the GTS engine in the Lotus and you would have the perfect combination.
Agree 100%! 👍
What about a C8 Corvette? I think I prefer both the Cayman and Emira in looks, but the C8 Corvette is an interesting curve ball.
To be fair, I own a Cayman.
@@kalasmournrex1470 C8 just suffers from generic and awkward styling
@@kalasmournrex1470 I like the C8, but it is starting to get fairly common and I really like a manual transmission in a sports car even if slower. If I want to go fast with two pedals then might as well go electric.
They can be a bit boring though. If you want to have actual FUN, get the Lotus.
It's difficult for me to imagine a more funereal drear of a demonstration of what ought to have been a celebration of driving.
So true. Dull beyond belief.
Where's Sutcliffe?! :( Hopefully Sutcliffe will take these cars (or the sharper Emira Sport) to a track test and we will learn something a bit more useful...
That's Matt in general.
I disagree, I like his style.
Least enthusiasm I've seen for such pleasant cars. 2+ year wait for the yellow badge says it all.
I really hope the Lotus Emira is a raging success. It saddens me to think that this is the last Lotus with an internal combustion engine. I have some hope that the Emira does so well that they continue to do what they have been doing for so long. No other manufacturer does what Lotus does. Small, light, lovely handling cars with just enough power to thrill the driver.
You never push the cars…. Looks like a review in slowmo…. 🙂 Come on floor it, you won’t hurt them and they will show their real potential and we as viewers get a better video!
I didn’t think it was possible to make a boring comparison test if these two cars but you figured it out.
Teenagers prefer Chris Harris drifting fest
Seemed to me he was trying his best to find reasons to compliment the British car .. and was failing miserably ..
@@domzbu Nothing to do with his drifting fest ..
Well Said....borrrring
This was terrible to listen to! I'm actually in the market for either of these cars, or a 991.2. I had to stop halfway through! Would have stopped sooner if I wasn't busy working. Would have been more exciting to read about these 2 cars!
Of course the Cayman/Boxster has been refined/perfected over 25 years. The first year for any new car/platform is a rough one.
the 'platform' has been around for a while - its just a rebodied and tweaked Evora......
Sure, but the Lotus isn't "new". The Evora, that the Emira is built on, was launched in 2008 and the Toyota sourced 2GR-FE has been around since 2005. There was a lot of hype and expectation around the Lotus and unfortunately, aside from the looks, it's not really living up to it.
So its basically a 25 year old design.
@@James_Sovereign what are you saying? It is absolutely living up to the hype, lotus was never promising anything revolutionary with the Emira. Part of the reason there was so much hype around the Emira was the new looks and the new interior, not a whole new engine or suspension setup or anything like that, so in that department the Emira has delivered, however if you expected anything more than that you were always setting yourself up for disappointment.
Like Lotus never built a mid-engine car before, hm? Porsche simply has a million times more money to throw at development and can dive in to the vast VAG parts shelves.
The big differentiator for me, that wasn't really discussed, is the looks. The Porsche, whilst an amazing driving machine, looks (to me) a little bit awkward and with so many new and old Caymans/Boxsters (lets say 911s as well) around on the roads the appearance is essentially too familiar. The Emira looks special, rare and to a bystander probably a price-class above the Porsche. It's been said many times before but the Emira has an aura of a junior-Supercar about it whereas the Porsche looks a little too common and (sorry) for me, a little bland.
I think the Porsche has been designed to have looks which appeal to women.
@@Andrew-rc3vhyou mean “for women”= not as aggressive, inoffensive?
@@Breadfan00 Sort of "cute". Also the sort that works well on a shopping trip at 30mph, not made for the track.
I agree 100%.
@@Andrew-rc3vh cool story, too bad it wipes the floor with Lotus on a track. But yeah, you are right, the car for real men is probably the chinese one made in a country that is ruled by Indians and with the engine out of a Toyota.
Was he actually enjoying himself?! Two of the best modern sports cars on great roads and from his delivery you would have thought he was testing a couple of shopping trolleys. What do they feel like and how do they respond when really pushed? What about a proper engine delivery and sound comparison. Most importantly with these sorts of cars, how do they make you feel?
It's stressful when you know people want to know who the winner was and they're so close.
Lack of vocabulary to get his feelings across is the issue here but none the less a good honest review
I liked it, he was doing his best to describe how things felt. Not everything needs to be clickbait Fortnite highlights aimed at 5 year olds.
shopping trolleys😂
Very informative review but unfortunately, a number of important points were overlooked/problematic or not talked about in sufficient details. The first being how the gearing in the Lotus compares to the gearing in the Cayman, as manual Porsches are currently plagued with overly long gearing (emissions-related): which speed is reached at the top of 2nd in both cars?
The second issue is with the steering. Maybe it's a bit of Porsche bias, but what does he mean by the steering is a bit 'corrupted' in the Emira? Journalists lauds a steering that vibrates and wriggles a bit from road imperfections when referring to a 993/996 Porsche (even lauded as unique 911 trait due to the engine being at the back), but suddenly, when the steering of an Emira does a little bit of that, it is somehow described as 'corruption'? It really sounded like he was trying to find ways not to simply acknowledge that the hydraulic setup in the Emira is just better than the electric setup in the Cayman.
Thirdly, I remember how I read so many articles and watched so many videos about manual gearboxes in Caymans and in Evoras being this and that, but when I actually drove an Evora 400 and several Caymans, frankly they were all great and I would have been hard pressed to fault any of them.
Finally, is the engine sound piped into the cabin through speakers for either car?
I can only speak for the GTS 4.0… no sound pumped in through the speakers but there is a pipe running from the intake manifold to the firewall to increase induction noise heard in the cabin.
Agree. A really good review.
On your first point, he didn't mention the speeds in second which would have been a useful reference point, I agree. But he does mention the Porsche's overly long gearing and the fact that the Lotus feels more urgent or immediate, and I think he mentioned it in the context of gears and the Lotus' supercharger.
On the steering, corruption is unexpected and sharp 'kickback' where the steering wheel reacts in your hands to bumps and the car is knocked off your chosen line. You then need to react to the unwanted movement by applying correction to get the car back on line. Mostly happens in corners but can be a problem on the straight ahead as well. Corruption can also be used to describe tram-lining where the front wheels follow imperfections in the road surface that you then need to steer to correct. Road camber can also do this but mostly I find it's where the surface is different across the front axle and the steering pulls as a result.
I think that last example is where the difference between corruption and feel cross over. A little light tugging of the wheel in reaction to surface changes can be quite nice in some cars, but it needs to be light enough to class as informative rather than distracting. Perhaps a little tug to tell you there is a little less grip under one of the front wheels.
Good steering 'feel' is information imparted by the front tyres at the contact patch and up through the steering system to the wheel, and tells you what the surface is like and what available grip there might be. Both hydraulic and electric racks can give good feel, but more often the hydraulic rack also adds a more natural resistance to add to the overall package of 'feel', whereas electric systems can often seem like they have an artificial and/or sticky weight to them. Porsche seem to have worked the hardest to recreate the more natural feel of a hydraulic rack through their electric systems. The early 991's steering while accurate didn't have the natural weight of Porsche's hydraulic systems.
The gearshift is often subjective. Some just care about the speed and accuracy, others find the 'feel' more important. I guess the best do both through a combination of throw, weight, springing and bushes. One of my cars has a short, fast but weighty and slightly clunky shift. I like it and think it's fine in isolation, but another (far cheaper car) has the cliche police annoying 'knife through butter' shift. It's slightly longer but soooo slick and satisfying with no notchyness. I've only recently discovered what a difference the knob can make (not talking about me here 🙂 - well, maybe not.) The shape obviously, but also the weight of the knob itself. I think it was in relation to improvements to the Civic Type R last year but my ageing brain may have just made that up.
Finally... I don't think either car pipes in any noise, certainly not through the speakers. I don't know if either have those sound tube thingies that direct induction noise to the cabin 🙂
@@Whiters8 thanks for that reply, I learned something new!
Just buy an Emira and stop complaining if you’re gonna be such a fanboy; trying to find any reasons to admire the emira.
Such an underrated comment, you really do know about both cars
You are the ONLY channel that covers driving on crappy roads, and that's important. Everyone does track battles. I don't live on a track.
I love that body of the Lotus.
It just takes my breath away.
I know that looks are subjective………..but Caymans just don’t have the wow factor and look quite drab and boring now. The Lotus makes you look back at it, and is way more exotic and desirable! 😍
Both Autocar and Evo seem to miss the desirability factor of cars in this segment, the Lotus looks like a supercar, the Cayman still essentially still looks like a Boxster with a lid on. I know which one I'd have for the money. Also excited to see what the more focused variants of the Emira do, I think they'll have the Cayman's trousers down.
Highly doubt they'll make it more extreme than the gt4rs but hey, let's see.
Ce n'est aucunement le cas d'une Porsche que de ressembler à une supercar:) Vous confondez Porsche avec Lamborghini ou Bugatti. Le Cayman est le modèle coupé et sportif de la marque et représente un des meilleurs compromis entre sportivité, élégance et plaisir de conduire ! La Lotus est sympa mais cela n'a rien à voir même si vous la considérez au-dessus parce qu'elle l'apparence d'une supercar: ) on ne roule pas avec une apparence mais une voiture...et croyez-moi, Porche s'est faire ça sans beaucoup d'équivalence sur le marché !
In my opinion Lotus totally ruined the Evora by trying to make it more focused. It ended up with a cheap looking interior, stripped of all comforts and amenities, riding on suspension that whilst good for a track was very jarring and indifferent on an average B road, and stupidly for Lotus, the Evora 400 ‘s biggest competitor was the V6 Exige and V6 Elise… not clever really!. The Series 1 Evoras, when they were a well equipped GT are much better cars…particularly as a daily. The Emira today, has been conceived exactly as the Evora was 14 years ago, a well equipped, comfortable and usable. Focused cars have very little appeal to most buyers…Porsche are a very good example..the GT 2/3/4 are not the volume sellers of the range.
@@bokiNYC you'd be surprised, especially if they build a race series around the Emira and then release a road-legal "cup" variant.
Nothing is touching a cayman gt4 rs
GTS is a more polished product and easier to live with than the Lotus Sports equivalent. Should holds it value better too
That is why you wait and buy a used Lotus.
Damn I wish for some more emotions when testing these awesome cars. Didn’t talk enough about the engine and handling balance. Not great.
He's always like this..very cold, robotic, I don't like his reviews (I'm watching this just because of the Lotus)
Driving so slowly…..how is the corning…braking…..engine performance……….poor review imo………just seems like he’s not bothered
This was the exact review I was expecting before I even saw it. GTS for me but the Lotus seems pretty great too.
The Lotus has great qualities, above all its not a Porsche so people might let you out of a junction
@@alanwayte432 As an owner of both, the difference is enormous.
@@EvoraGT430 and what is the difference ?..
Porsche is a better driver's car.
I’m a little confused, so which one do you prefer? I’ve seen you review the Alpine and Cayman head to head and there you were much more enthusiastic. Yet in this, You didn’t seem impressed with any of the cars
I took from it that the Lotus is the bumpy road Ferrari, Porsche the car you'd drive all other places.
@@Cloxxki He said the ride quality was better in the Lotus...
not sure how gearbox is better but people been sayin so. cayman is smaller car, might be quicker acleration, we dont have offical numbers. steering and chassis communication even ride quality better in lotus at least the touring version, this red car was supposed to be the sport version in othe youtube vidoe, toruing is more quiet and maybe more isolating from road bumpiness without sacrificing steering communication
They both have their own advantages. He said overall he'd prefer to spend more time in the Porsche, but there are times and roads where he'd prefer the Emira every time. He was impressed with both.
🤣
It might be heavier than the Elise and the Exige , but the Evora was no lightweight . It looks wise I think it's the nicest looking thing that Lotus has ever made . Add to that the reliability of a Toyota engine . And I would take the Lotus over the Porsche any day . But I'm a poor Canadian who can't afford either so who cares .
Although the Toyota power train is probably more reliable than Porsche’s, part availability for everything else will be cheaper for the Cayman. Part availability has been phenomenal for my 22 year old Boxster S.
Reliability is down to more than just the engine
The Toyota engined Lotuses have been pretty reliable.
Porsche have had all sorts of internal engine issues ever since they moved away from air cooling ago really. Bore scoring on a number of engines for example, which kills a lot of engines out of warranty and is probably present on most from the 00s when checked. Porsche ignores the issue and won't help at all.
That review felt like a chore to get through. What a lacklustre effort. I'm not expecting bells and whistles but for most of that 15 minutes I thought you might be dead.
Magma red looks way better I’ll than on the configurator 😍
I was really tempted by the Lotus in announcement but with the additional price for the V6 and drivers pack etc it moves it into a different price band and I think a used GT4 seems a better buy
A used GT4 is 100k.
@@boringuserhandle there’s plenty of 981 available for 70-80 and I still feel that’s a better option
So much bullshit about this car costing 60k. I knew any decent one would be 80. Typical lotus, typical British sports car really..this reminds me so much of the 2006 Vantage launch..."we're coming for Porsche, we are going to undercut and outperform them"...in reality the car arrives with dated engine tech, over weight and the forecourt price is no where near what they claimed
@@dagnut totally agree it seems mental paying a strong premium for an engine that required no extra R&D as they’ve developed and used it for decades
@@thedownshiftchannel if it was 60k it's fine, its cheaper than a Cayman and most importantly it's not another Porchse...but when its 80k, and engine aside, the quality is yet untested , I'm not sure I could look past a Cayman. Residuals are usually rock solid with Lotus's but I'm not sure with 2030 looming...not sure this is special enough to be in demand as a hobby car...there's so many out there already...I'm with you I'd stretch to a gt4, that will always be in demand and when it's hobby only for ICE cars , Porchse will be top of the menu for most ordinary folks
You forgot to talk about looks - which the Emira wins hands down. I say this as a porsche owner.
The Emira looks amazing, new and fresh, whereas Porsche design just continually rehashes the exact same 911 body shape every time they launch a (supposed) new car. The Taycan is just a long 911. The Cayenne is just a fat 911. They are literally as dull as ditch water, as we say in the UK. Can't they design something new for a change?
Matt you seemed underwhelmed by them both.
The Lotus particularly, but I guess we've waited a long time for this car and promised a lot.......just seemed to leave you flat.
Matt was born underwhelmed. This is as much excitement you'll ever see from him.
@@LarsAgerbk yes lol.
@@LarsAgerbk great writer but dry as a week old wafer when it comes to his on-screen presence. Really wish they’d use other staff members for these roles.
@@oppos727 I like Matt's on-screen presence. Not every presenter needs to be brimming with emotion.
@@ovidiudiumea4012 respect that. It just feels like clocking into a second job for me.
As much as I doubted them, I wished Lotus would prove me wrong and put out a solid competitive package. As it stands, the Emira would have been an attractive package had it been priced closer to the standard 718. Instead, they priced it closer to an optioned 718 GTS 4.0, arguably one of the best sports cars ever built outside of a 718 GT4 and GT4 RS. If you’re going to come out of the gates shooting for the throne with your first car as a rebranded Lotus, you better come with something undeniable.
The Evora is clearly an extremely flawed car, because with a lot of development and an Emira re-skin, it's still not a compelling purchase against a GTS 4.0. Maybe the AMG-powered car with minimal options will make more sense than a Cayman S, for say, no more than GBP65k with options?
I think it could have easily competed if it was lighter. I don't understand why it is so heavy. Optimistic to go toe to toe with Porsche right now, their line up is great.
The launch edition is an additional $20k in the US I believe and the test car was a launch edition. So I believe the standard would be a more viable option
@@ajnaughtin1 the weight is with 90% full gas tank and a 75kgs driver included!
@@nigel.w I have owned my Evora S since new in 2015. I don’t really understand why you think it is ..Extremely Flawed.. to be honest, though I do appreciate it’s a bit of a left field choice Living in Italy, I very regularly drive mine up and down to the U.K. and it performs faultlessly, it has been super reliable and suffered absolutely no problems at all. My previous Carrera S broke the intermediate shaft, breaking both the engine and gearbox..this whilst cruising on a motorway at 70mph. My subsequent trip Cayman was nice enough..but frankly a bit boring.. A very capable car, but as exciting as a VW Golf. ..I will happily stay with my extremely flawed Evora thanks.
What a somber and cold 🥶 review
Two great sports cars, one dull commentary. Nothing about how the cars behave once you start to pick the pace up and drive them like they're designed to be driven.
I much prefer the look of the Lotus but Porsche have had much more time to fine tune the engine and gearbox. Hope Lotus does really well with this car.
this is the same engine in the emira than the evora. lotus had a lot of time to perfect this engine
This review could be summarized as "How to split a hair". Where there's a big difference in these cars is the interior/exterior design. The Porche is unmistakably of the maker, an evolution and as such fine if a little dull. How any of these can you see on any given day? The Lotus is exotic and to me exciting which is what I'd want after spending 80 grand. Every time you look at the Lotus you'll think "Wow". Every time you look at the Porche "Is that one mine?"
To be honest, I'd go for the Lotus. Even if the porches edges it out on paper and is arguably more refined and has better performance for the price, I want a car that both catches eyes and feels special for that price. If we only bought cars for the performance then why get an R8 or Hurrican when you have a 911. If I'm paying nearly 100k, I'm getting the car that I'll always look back at when I park it.
That's because you're a 12 year old who wants to show off. You'll grow up one day.
I think the only reasons to go for the Emira in this case would be if you prefer the looks, or the reliability of a Toyota engine, because that GTS 4.0 is just overall better in my eyes 💕
Aren’t Porsches actually incredibly reliable? Just expensive to fix when there is an issue.
@@DMSparky Not true actually. Service costs ale usually little better than for Audis. The only costly things comes from the fact i got boxer motor, even for spark plugs, engine must come out of the car.
@@DMSparky Porsche is at least as reliable and cheaper to fix.
@@SkyrimCZtutorials that’s incorrect. Spark plug change does not require removal of the engine. The mid engine layout is still a tight space, but most maintenance does not require dropping the engine
@@DMSparky Porsches are reliable! I was just trying to say that "If you compare a Porsche Engine to a Toyota Engine in reliability, the Toyota is the better one no doubt"
BIG problem with the Porsche is that the gearing is so looooong it makes buying the manual pointless. So, buy the Lotus if your want a manual sports car and buy the Porsche with PDK if you want an automatic sports car.
Nonsense 😂 the manual 4.0 is a marvel, the way the car instantly pulls at low revs in any gear is amazing, people only moan about long gears because it sounds so damn good high up in the rev range and your doing illegal things up there!
Please…put down the Kool-Aid. One of the joys of a manual (actually the only joy) is shifting through the gears and hearing the engine wind out. At the point of your second shift at redline in the GTS, you’ll be over 80 mph/128km/h.
Tune in next week for Matt Prior's 1 hour review of his favourite colours of cups of tea
I was falling asleep through this test
Keep on it! I enjoyed this video! There are plenty of quick to-the-point videos out there….I appreciate the laidback driving feedback. When I get the opportunity to drive these two vehicles I will be in the same mindset, attentive and observant.
I know Matts review style is never is never excitable or over enthusiastic but god this was a dreary review. At least push the cars a little to keeps us interested to make up for your lack of enthusiasm. Cmon the Emira is one of the most exciting cars of the year.
The Emira is a thing of beauty, the Porsche is...
He’s being a bit polite I reckon. Overall, as usual, the Porsche wins. Not surprising really. The Cayman and especially the normally aspirated flat-six powered ones, have proven to be pretty much unbeatable so far. BMW, Merc and now Lotus have tried, but haven’t succeeded really. It’s been the same old story for years now! The Cayman is the best road oriented sports car that Porsche makes and overall is still the best in the class. The Lotus is a looker though! Much more exotic and pretty than the staid Porsche.
Still have an Elise for many years, 3 other cars but I don't see myself moving away from the Elise, as for the gear change, I've never had any issues with the Elise, if anything I find it wonderful, the ride is crashy but on tight twisty hill climbs I've never seen anything get close. As soon as you add refinement you take away the essence. One car will never do every trick.
Me too. I was hoping the Emira would be a refined Elise with more power, but instead we got what seems to just be an Evora re-skin with focus on daily driveablilty. Keeping my Elise, maybe forever. Only hope now is that Caterham or someone buy the Elise tooling and offers new kits so I won't be driving what is already a 16 year old car for decades more.
Nice comparison. So the Lotus rides better, steers better, is faster, but the Porsche has a more special engine and gear shift. Well done Lotus for producing a car that trades blows with the best all around sports car in the world.
However, if you see an Emira driving down the road in the right colour, looking exotic like a mini supercar, any Caymans in the immediate vicinity would effectively cease to exist....
Would go for the Porsche all day long. It's such a good chassis and since it's got the detuned 911 GT3 engine, it's my absolute favourite car in it's class. Porsche is also one of the few european car manufacturers, that still offers good manual gearbox solutions.
its not a detuned gt3 engine, its a bored out base model 991 engine with no turbos.
not a detuned "GT3" engine. normal carrera 3L bored / stroked and turbo removed.
@@zbrembo Ok did not know that, but makes sense since the GT3 engine is quiet expensive.
@@Squilliam-Fancyson in other words, you talk scheisse
@@Squilliam-Fancyson The GT4RS has a “detuned” GT3 Engine maybe that’s what you’re talking about?
In this class of car (particularly), passion, desire, ethos, history & patriotism perhaps have a heavier weighting. It's just a brilliant day when you can think to yourself "yes, I'd have the Lotus, no question" in such talented company.
They finally did what I always thought they should do with Lotus: a competitor to Porsche. For years it was a brand that was very poorly taken advantage of in its market potential.
Lotus for driving. Porsche is always Porsche. I’m for driving!!
I never understood the fascination with black wheels.
I'm not the biggest fan of the Cayman, but for me, the fact that it is a thoroughbred is an important distinction bewteen it and the Emira. I much prefer the looks of the Emira, and I much prefer the lower gearing. The interior as well as the ingress and egress are definitely a step-up for the Emira vs the Evora, but the interior still looks cheap to me, and even though the Cayman's interior is arguably dated, I think I'd still prefer to live with it over that of the Emira. And even with all the improvements and the rarity of the Emira vs the Cayman, I still think the Cayman will depreciate significantly less. But the overriding difference comes down to the fact that no matter how good it objectively may arguably be, the Emira's powerplant is essentially a blown Toyota Camry lump, whereas the GTS 4.0 has one of the finest naturally-aspirated powerplants ever, and it is quintessentially Porsche. I'm not a big fan of supercharged engines. It's a brutish means of delivering performance. I also don't think the Toyota lump is worthy of being on display. However, I admit that it sounds pretty good. Lotus still advertises that the AMG-powered Emira will start at GBP60k, and at that price-point it may make more sense to me, and come out on top vs the equivalent-priced Cayman. But, for me, if the choice is between the Emira V6 manual and the Cayman GTS 4.0 manual, the latter wins hands-down, despite the Emira's vastly superior looks and its rarity. A car at this price-point can't live on looks alone. And as Enzo Ferrari once said, the engine is what makes the car. Otherwise, there'd be far more kit cars on the road that look the business, but have relatively ordinary powerplants.
I fully understand the comments about a lack of emotion from the presenter. However, when reviewers get really enthusiastic, I always suspect that they are sponsored and selling the product. Two excellent cars. Head GTS, Heart Lotus.
A little more excitement reviewing sports cars would be a little more exciting to watch too.
Brains says porche heart says lotus
"At the speed limit at the top of 2nd gear" is a key issue with a modern N/A sports car (or bike, for that matter), but surely this is resolvable with appropriate gearing.
Interesting review, it comes down to simple things really - one comes with an excellent manual or PDK, one comes with a NA flat six that revs to 8000RPM versus a fairly ordinary blown Camry engine that revs to 6500RPM - in terms of design the Emira looks great now but will date quite quickly - the Cayman has had the same look since 2013/981 generation and still looks good today, which means it will age with grace. Fit and finish go to the Cayman as well. The Cayman GTS will hammer the comfort version of the Emira round a track, and the GT4 will obliterate the more track orientated version. Its a good effort by Lotus, and it needed to be, but I'd pick the GTS without hesitation and also knowing in 20 years it will still be running.
The Lotus everyday over the Porsche
Porsche never manages to make Cayman with a decent exterior design. It’s always bland, something they managed to correct in the 911.
Lotus exterior design is far superior. It looks exciting, rivalling Ferrari’s mid engined cars.
Lotus and Ferrari aren’t known for reliability either, dunno which is worse. I’d take bland any day over broken down by the side of the road.
Between an overweight Lotus with a less-than-superb gearchange, noisier turboengine, heavy steering etc. Or an overall superior German car. I'd go with the Lotus any day.
Lotus' V6 is a supercharged Toyota Camry engine, not turbo.
Feels like i am watching a review of two new hearses from Lotus and Porsche.
For me the Lotus is a LOT better looking, doesn’t have the negative stigma of a Porsche and you wouldn’t have to deal with Porsche sales. I look forward to the Cup version.
Will there be on track comparison?
4.0 NA engine with 400 hp in a Cayman chassis? No comparison.
Try driving the Emira! It certainly doesn't feel like you're in a golf!
Last time I was in a lotus it was a lot more exciting than in this video.
I don't think these cars are comparable in the real world. If you want to beat a Porsche, build a car that is categorically superior in at least one aspect. Lotus did not do that yet they have the audacity to charge their customers an exorbitant fee for their failure.
Seriosley Porsche get out of it the time has come for a really great new shape its done and gone get into the 21st century like Lotus my pick for the day !
Sometimes it's not always about technology. A sports car is about how it makes you feel. It's about being individual and looking awesome. That's why the Lotus wins hands down despite any tech, it's about feeling and looking like a racing driver and not a geek.
sorry , far too slow a test. We buy those cars for spirited driving, not car park speeds. I am none the wiser.
I had the opportunity to get on the list for an Emira but choose to go with a GT4 instead. I still think I made the right decision.
Definitely the better choice, at least until there’s a track version of the emira. Can’t wait to see that
If your goal is to blend in with the crowd and park anywhere you like without worry about crowds gathering around and asking you questions, then yes, you made the right choice.
@@jensenlawrence412 I always thought that Lotus going more focused on the Evora is what damaged it..and Lotus. They ended up with the V6 Exige, the V6 Elise and the Evora all competing for the same customers. The Evora..like the Emira, was conceived as a more comfortable, better appointed GT… not a track car.
@@martinsaunders2942 well unfortunately we will never see a car like the exige or Elise again. So the Evora can fill both those spots just like the Caymans do with their base versions and the GT4. We all know the gt4 was a perfect addition to the cayman
Can you compare it to the 2021 Evora GT
If the Emira is a normal Lotus, then it is a horrible lifestyle you inflict upon yourself in order to impress people you do not like.
Great review for seasoned petrolheads. Factual, no-nonsense content. thank you!
The Emira puts the Cayman in the pretzel position and rapidly fingers it all night long.
How can you have such exciting cars and manage to make such a dull review? Just compare it to EVO's review of the Emira and take some notes from them.
I believe Lotus decided they needed a stop gap car using the same technology for chassis before going fully electric…i can understand that but it was never gonna be ground breaking 🤷♂️
very poor delivery impressions on both cars, where is the excitement, i almost went to sleep
We want details with a delivery to excite us and make it a memorable experience.
Do rather like your unexcitable, hype-free style. Nice balanced review.
Or just dull. Like modern Cayman steering.
@@rckrckrckrck sure…..
Pointless to make this a video when there was seemingly no intention to demonstrate the cars’ performance. This should’ve been a podcast.
Love the Emira. Deposit is in waiting for the Base model to spec out. (V6 and Manual of course!!) Lotus is a much more exotic, interesting and better looking car than the GTS or GT4
I had an order in for a Cayman GTS 4.0 then 2 weeks later they announced the Emira. I placed a parallel deposit on the Lotus and had to decide which one to cancel…
In 6 weeks I pick up the Emira!
Lmao....you'll be disappointed with that lotus. It will be typically unreliable and under perform as per usual with over hyped lotuses. Resale value will be horrendous as well.
@@trance9158 I take it you haven't looked at Lotus resale values?
@@trance9158 Resale values for Lotuses are strong.......?
@@Man_v_Cars compare them to Porsche.
Very useful actually!
Thank you very much
Can't be coincidence the Lotus rides better seeing as it's coming from the UK vs Germany where the roads are quite a bit different. We should also note that while the Emira shares a bit with the outgoing Evora it's still at the very beginning of its life cycle whereas this Cayman is at the refined end of its life cycle. So we all know Porsche is great at what they do, but they've also had time to really hone this model.
The Lotus Emira.....all day long , Its far more exotic looking to.
My only criticism.
If you're gonna show the engine off through a glass panel, then make it look unobtainable and irresistible to study...
...loads of 'gubbins' basically, that I don't understand yet still excite me..
Instead of a big slab with writing on it.
That switch in the Porsche is of course not about a softer or stiffer suspension, it lowers the suspension.
All great comments below. I'm just surprised the statement; "Tesla is faster" hasn't been posted as of yet. Maybe, that is just reserved for C8 Stingray reviews. Anyway, how was the understeer between these vehicles? How about the braking. Did the Lotus have the optional CUP tires? Was the leather top tier in both cars?
Between Emira and GTS I would choose GT4.
That would match up against Emira with Sport suspension, rather than the Touring spec.
The Porsche is HIDEOUS in comparison.
no, see frank stephensons video on lotus emira, aston martin vallahala etc. could have been much better. i wouldve taken out the bottom side fake vent stuff too. i like v6 vallahala concept aesthetic better than production v8 vallahala
What an unfortunate and untrue statement :(
I fell asleep, which car won?
Am Long in the tooth ( the few I have left) but I remember Very well in the 60s how an Elan handled n how the 356 did, there was No comparison specially in the wet the Elan would kill the 356 maybe things are very differnt Now but for me its the Lotus ALL THE WAY, in Fact the first time I drove an Elan I was actually totally shocked, that Any car made on planet earth could be was so amazingly good, you have to remember my own can was If I remember right my old MK1 Ford consul or maybe my MK1 Cortina a Stepto n son horse n a thoroughbred
I would choose the Porsche. Far more options available, and I see no way, Lotus could match in quality. The first thing I would do is, put a GT4 wing on the back and delete the GTS badge ;)
IMO, this sort of car needs a track test also, it's what they are meant to do after all. Even if most owners will never do it, I think it's still called for in a review. My money would be on the Porka.
The cayman as much as its a great car, it just looks too bland for that amount of money
Both seem like great cars, the one to experience is the Lotus, the one to own is the Porsche.
If the Emira would be half as fast as it looks and It sounds, It would be a reason to buy. But in reality it makes a lot of (nice) noise, but without an adequate acceleration and Speed. Thats my opinion.
In Germany we call it "mehr Schein als Sein"
Great honest review, any news when the next gen boxster is due?
As much as I want to see lotus do well why didn’t the engineers just develop in line with the best parts of the direct competition e.g. gear shift, noise, pedals, steering wheel (read, a round one) doesn’t have to be the same car, nor should it but they’ve got so much just wrong enough to make it a bit lacking. Looks quite nice, but that’s about it.
Lots of racecars have flat tops and bottoms on the steering wheel, the steering ratio is quick enough in the Lotus (quicker than the Porsche) that this is not an issue IMO.
Everyone is moaning about the lack of enthusiasm but if you actually buy one of these cars the very objective observations he makes are what will make it a forever car or one that irritates.
Love both, but... give me the Lotus!
It is good to see a much improved Lotus but the weight is a drawback and Alpine shows it can be done albeit at the cost of having a small 4 pot at the back both (Lotus, Alpine...and Alfa) with the wrong engine layout...However I fear Lotus has not learned any lessons from the past in case they want bigger volumes: they need to undercut Porsches prices by a very good margin (and additionally come up with highly appealing financial offers...which has never been the case but I reckon they have the clout now to do so if so they wish...) if they want to see significant higher volumes otherwise like Alfa and Alpine and old Lotus they will keep selling marginal volumes...any attempt to match Porsche's prices will lead to poor results as Porsche remains unmatched and has been for decades
But you can’t buy the Porsche you may want! Try going to any Porsche dealer and ordering anything top notch!
Unless you buy at least three cars you don’t really want ( to build up your loyalty to the brand), you ain’t buying anything…….. fact!
Were are you guys driving these cars? Wales, Scotland, ? Great scenery!
Was wondering the same. Could also be somewhere in Northumberland. Stunning roads with low traffic up there but can be a little bumpy.
Let me pose this question - if the new Carrera T had the 4.0 liter NA engine and 6 speed from this Cayman and a drivable soft 'touring' suspension - would you still buy either of these cars ?
I had to pay 75.000€ incl. Taxes for my Elise 250 Cup, I just sold it. I kept my 981 Cayman GTS and the Caterham. The Elise at the end was nice but not as much as the cayman is and not raw enough as the Caterham is.
The 60 to 70k price will be a Illusion, at the end it’s not beating anything but it doesn’t matter because it will still be nice to have, good looking, good going and exotic.
Does the Cayman have double wishbone suspension like the Jag XE?
May have been covered BUT which Emira Touring or Sport I believe they drive very differently especially so on the road …
Your video with all the close up shots of the wheels, lights, vents etc, should i put them together like a puzzle in my mind then imagine what the car looks like?