Forgive my indulgence, but I thought I'd share some observations after one day, and 400 kms of Elise ownership.
For the record -- the car is a 2007 Elise with the Sport Pack, and a "Stage 2" exhaust (whatever that means).
First, I was a bit wary of the sports suspension based on what I've read online. But, I think either I'm more hardcore than the average new Elise owner, or many Elise owners are pretty wimpy. The car is stiff, but not unpleasantly so. It rides better than my Miata -- I suspect the stiffness of the monocoque really helps out. The good news is the Elise is not punishing to drive around our roads. Nor is it darty over rough surfaces.
Second, I wish my Miata had the Elise engine -- what a sweet, and revvy little beast. On the flip side, I wish my Elise had my Miata's transmission. The six speed in the Elise has long throws and is quite notchy.
Third, Lotus didn't really spend much money on interior bits -- the switchgear and stalks are, shall we say, flimsy at best. But, the exposed aluminum is gorgeous. I've got the hardtop in place, and it squeaks and rattles far less than my C4 Corvette.
Fourth, the "Stage 2" exhaust isn't very environmentally sound -- I'm constantly blipping the throttle (and thereby wasting gas) simply to enjoy the sounds of the pops and burbles.
Fifth, I feel like a celebrity in it -- I've never been in a car that draws so much attention from all. No doubt Krypton Green catches their eye. Five minutes after parking it in the driveway all of the neighbourhood boys were over. Each took a turn in the driver's seat -- and the quote of the day came from one boy (maybe nine) who assured me that he could reach the pedals, and that he knew he'd be a good driver because it was just like his video game :) All this while peering through the steering wheel . . .
Sixth, I'm not sure it's any faster than my M3 -- at least on the road. I know the track will be a different story altogether.
Finally -- it gets relatively decent gas mileage -- certainly better than my Miata so far.
I'm pretty grateful for the chance to own such a cool vehicle (and in fact, I'm pretty blessed with all of my vehicle choices). Life is good -- even if it is supposed to rain all week here.
Rob
