Shot at NJMP, 7D, F/16, 1/200sec exposure, 250ISO, 69mm focal length. Shutter priority is the best, trying to keep up with a car while its passing you at 160mph trying to get the perfect shot… not so much - but the outcome worthwhile.
2009 Lotus S-240 Exige
What’s the first thought that comes to mind when you hear the name Lotus? Is it a company the focuses on using light weight design over bruit force to get high speed? Is it a british sports car company that has cemented a spot as one of the best in the world? If your first thought was, “oh thats a pretty flower right?!” then this article probably isn’t for you. But if you thought one or both of the first two, then you are dead on. And their practical abilities have only gotten better for this company. The 2009 Lotus S240 Exige is an absolutely brilliant and remarkable piece of machinery - that isn’t made for everyone.
So lets start from the outside, and what a sight it is because this car stands out like none other car out there. If you had a poster of a Lamborghini Countach on your wall, the outlandish look was probably the first thing that attracted your attention to the car, and the Lotus Exige does the same. If you like crazy, this car is for you. The wings and body kit are actually purposeful, unlike some vehicles which are just for looks - the downforce provided pushes the car down to the pavement and makes sure that you don’t loose it at high speed. From personal experience around long sweeping bends at different velocities, there is a noticeable difference between fast and slow, the faster you go the more confident in the grip you feel, and at lower speeds the car feels squirrelly. As for keeping weight in check the body and frame of the car are composed of epoxy bonded aluminum extrusions and composite fiberglass body keeping the curb weight at 2077 lbs. All this plus keeping the options spartan makes the car a demon on the road, which brings me to the next topic - Interior.
If you are over 5 foot 10 or under 5 foot 3, this car will probably be the most awful thing to drive. Too tall, getting in is miserable, visibility is poor and seating position minimally adjustable. Too short, getting in will be miserable, visibility will be decent, but the seating position is minimally adjustable making for an uncomfortable driving position. Fortunate for me, being 5 foot 10 and relatively limber (This is a gymnasts car), getting in wasn’t that big of a deal. In fact, after 2 entries and exits I managed to just slide in and out with great ease. Visibility for me wasn’t the best and would be better for someone shorter - to best describe the view is like driving with a baseball cap in a way thats similar in covering the top of your view. Also, the steering wheel is not adjustable so the position for me was parallel to my chest, which wasn’t bad but could be better. The seats are thin and lightweight with very good bolstering. It is basically a plastic bucket with padding, any mildly long distance trips would be misery for those who don’t find it immediately comfortable. It fit like a glove for me which, to my surprise, allowed me to fully enjoy what the Exige had to offer. Other minor accouterments were aftermarket style radio and sound system (not bad but not the best), ipod connector and spot to put it, as few buttons as possible placed strategically and the all important knob on the steering wheel that allows the driver to adjust traction control with 18 preset levels. The noise in the cabin is aggressive and at times a bit overwhelming, so talking to your either scared or exhilarated passenger is somewhat tough but hey, you are in a Lotus Exige! Noise, rumbling, supercharger whine, all of that speaks for itself and thats why you bought the car. If that ISN’T why you bought the car you might want to reconsider for something else.
Some other interior notables include body color painted interior metals, “quality” plastics and leather, single cabin light located in the rear, and a 12V power outlet in between the seats towards the rear of the car, which made plugging in a radar detector a bit difficult. Overall, you get exactly what you were looking for based on the notions of the vehicle and I absolutely adore it. Being a minimalist, less is better and the Lotus Exige takes this to the extreme levels of spartan. I think my cell phone offers more options than the interior of the car, so buyer beware if you are looking for track ready sports car that you can cruise with daily and enjoy lots of dials, knobs, buttons, telematic read outs, stock ticker, weather reports, traffic reports, what phase the moon will be in, Greenwich mean time, when the tide is coming in and whatever other silly useless bits and pieces people have come to look for in a car.
With all that said, it brings me to my final point about the interior experience and thats the ride feel, something which I hope everyone pays close attention to. The lotus tuned suspension is rough using some pretty intense technology (Technical mumbojumbo warning!) - fully independent suspension with unequal length wishbones Bilstein mono-tube gas damper and Eibach coaxial coil springs. That’s intense… and to summarize what that all means - you will feel every bump and pebble on the road and you will more than likely end up with bruises and a headache. To some this is probably the most aggravating turn off to buying a car, to me, its heaven. Being a Mini owner, having an already unruly suspension experience makes the transition into a an absolutely ruthless suspension all the easier.
And last but not least, some engine specs and an overall wrap up. The car is powered by a Toyota sourced 240 Horsepower Supercharged 1.8 Liter, Mid-Mounted 4-Cylinder with DOHC and VVTL-I. It puts out 170 lb/ft of torque and makes you feel every last one of them at launch. 0 to 60 out of the gate is 4 seconds flat and 6 seconds later (10 total) nails the triple digit landmark. On top of all that, fuel economy is rated at 20 City and 26 highway which is really good for an “exotic” car. At a price of about $70,525 for this setup, its worth every penny although some would argue that the lack of “luxury” makes this a bit of tough leather to chew on. If you are a looking for a car that makes you feel like the giddy 10 year old staring at your new Lamborghini poster, this is the car for you, if you think a great car is something with four wheels that floats lazily along like a Cadillac or a Mercedes Benz, then this is definitely not the car for you. All in all, I absolutely love this car including the rest of the model lineup.
