Lotus Exige S

[Vaigra]

The Fastest Accelerating Lotus Ever to Come Off the Production Line

The Lotus Exige S is the latest addition to the Exige range and is a real sportscar that redefines the term “Extreme Performance”. With 121.4 bhp per liter it is one of most powerful production cars in the world for its engine size but most importantly it has full type approval for all the markets in which it will be sold. The Lotus Exige S is not a limited edition, nor is it an aftermarket special – it is manufactured from start to finish in the world leading and award winning Lotus Manufacturing facility at Hethel, Norfolk.

Because the basic car is so immensely strong but lightweight 2057 lbs, giving a power to weight ratio of 233.2 bhp/tonne, performance is phenomenal, with 60 mph being reached from a standing start in 4.1 seconds and 100 mph being reached in 9.98 seconds (estimate) before topping out at 148 mph. Lotus believes that there is no car on sale anywhere in the world that has such good performance combined with such good fuel economy.

Being a Lotus, straight-line performance is not the most important factor, but every day driving on normal roads, or around a circuit is. There are very few cars on sale today that can match the speed, agility and safety of the Lotus Exige S in both day to day and track or circuit driving. However the Exige S is not just a track day warrior. It is a sportscar that would be at home on the back roads, freeways and autobahns, as well as on city streets. With an extremely "torquey" engine and the classic Lotus suspension set-up of soft compliant springs and firm controllable dampers, the driving experience is an uncanny combination of telepathic-like handling with a taught and comfortable ride. There is really no car that handles quite like a Lotus.

Clive Dopson, Managing Director of Lotus Cars says, “The Exige S represents the ultimate “extreme” production Lotus, with performance that trumps other supercars costing twice or even three times as much. That it does so with the fuel economy of a family hatchback, stands as a testament to the Lotus concept of performance through light weight. Its an unbeatable package and an unbeatable drive.”

The Engine

The heart of the Lotus Exige S is a Roots-type supercharger and air to air intercooler attached to the tried and tested 4-cylinder, 1.8 liter 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine. Using a development of the supercharger and intercooler package developed first for the already legendary Lotus Sport Exige 240R, the Exige S has peak power of 218 bhp at 7,800 rpm, 158.6 lb-ft of torque at 5,500 rpm (but 80% is produced at just over 2000 rpm). Maximum engine speed is 8,000 rpm (8,500 rpm transient for up to 2 seconds). 218 bhp is the figure that has been achieved by Lotus Engineers whilst retaining full vehicle type approval for the markets in which it is sold.

A slightly redesigned air intake and roof scoop has been added to the Exige S to ensure that the air to air intercooler works as efficiently and effectively as possible in all climates and environments.

A single oval exhaust exits from the centre of the undertray.

The Legendary Chassis and Body

The Lotus Exige S is built around the revolutionary and award winning extruded and bonded aluminum tub, with a light weight steel rear subframe, as used in the Exige. The chassis tub itself weighs just 150 lbs and has a stiffness of 10,500 Nm per degree.

The body of the Lotus Exige S remains unchanged from the Exige, as it is already a winning formula that is both effective and stunning to look at. However, the key body components of the rear wing, front splitter and side air intakes are body colour coded to differentiate it from its naturally aspirated cousin.

There are currently no plans to launch the Lotus Exige S in the US market.

[Rijoh]

Nice car,

BUT I WANT A NEW GT1 NOW!!!

[VtecMini]

As much as I'm sure it's an amazing car and a wonderful thing to drive, I still don't like this weight issue that appears to be getting worse. I make that to be around 933kg, which is too heavy for an Elise/Exige if you ask me.

Still lighter than some of the competition, doubt, bit I'd just prefer to see them putting more effort into making the thing lighter and faster, not HEAVIER and faster.

[ExoticCarSite]

so whats this? the 6th? Exige model based off the S2 in special limited edition trim.......

Its getting annoying.....

[jorismo]

Love it... But it's Exige based special car number (dont even botter to mention it)

[hec16]

I love the exige its more sportier than the elise

[lightweight]

Originally Posted by VtecMini

As much as I'm sure it's an amazing car and a wonderful thing to drive, I still don't like this weight issue that appears to be getting worse. I make that to be around 933kg, which is too heavy for an Elise/Exige if you ask me.

Still lighter than some of the competition, doubt, bit I'd just prefer to see them putting more effort into making the thing lighter and faster, not HEAVIER and faster.

Couldn't agree more!!!

However, gaining performance from making the Elise lighter is much more expensive than slotting a supercharger.

I know that this doesn't affiliate with the Lotus core brand values, but this strategy actually makes the company more profitable.

It's a question of priorities I guess....
Either you choose the no compromise approach or adapt to the environment.

Personally I would prefer a 500 kg - 190 hp Elise, but the cost of the thing would just make it a sales failure.

[derekthetree]

what about the exige 240. surely that out-accelerates this one?

[johnnyperl]

Originally Posted by derekthetree

what about the exige 240. surely that out-accelerates this one?

That was a limited edition, only 50 were made. This is a full production model made by the factory, not Lotus Sport.

And, yes. The 240R is quicker.

[Coventrysucks]

Well, the 240R was Limited edition, but you can still buy the same car, albiet with different stickers.

It's now the Exige Cup 240:
"The Exige Cup 240* benefits from the addition of a supercharged and intercooled high revving engine which generates a phenomenal 243 hp (181 kW, 247 PS) and 174 lbft (236 Nm, 24.1 kgm) powering the car from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in less than 4.5 seconds."