Is the Lotus Evora the Company's First Sensible Car?

Lotus has tried "sensible" before. The '74 Elite (not to be confused with the fiberglass monocoque from the late '50s) was designed to be a "family Lotus," with room for four adults, and attention to not only contemporary but proposed safety standards as well.

Performance was decent for a four-cylinder four-seater at the time (0-60 in 8 sec, 25 mpg). The problem was that Lotus missed the fact that customers looking for a daily driver placed a higher premium on reliability than the single-purpose buyer. "Quirks" that were acceptable on a weekends-only Elan Sprint were not acceptable on a "family" Elite or Eclat.

Since Lotus began employing Toyota components for the Elise and its derivatives, this problem has been significantly lessened, though Loti still require more frequent attention than, say, a 370Z would.

The Evora may, in fact, be a legit competitor for the Carrera 2. The price is right, and the performance is good. But I doubt its assembly quality will measure up to the Porsche standard, and for some customers that's a deal breaker.