2008 Lotus Exige S Review
Sniffing around on a city street, someone verbally condemns me with a word that rhymes with banker.
Tough... must have a collar and tie.
“I would rather have a car of that color,” I tell a burly yeoman in a flashy shirt with the same mouth, “than go to work in it.”
If it's not easy being that shade of green, it works for Lotus for the same reason an old buddy's beater does. This low-slung projectile is in constant danger of becoming a mobile speed bump for a barge in an SUV. Paying to be seen.
If this shade isn't for the shy and retiring types, then neither is the 2008 Exige S, especially with the optional $11,000 Performance Pack.
That's good for 179kW/230Nm, which is the same as the limited edition Sport 240. There are new gauges and an alarm/immobilizer. The power boost comes from a Magnuson/Eaton M62 supercharger, faster injectors, a higher torque clutch system and a larger roof air intake. Thus, Exige S PP can accelerate to 100 km/h in 4.16 seconds.
The top speed of 245 km/h is hardly less than the track-only 2-Eleven, which recently made the autoguide gibberish. As always with Lotus, the key is in the equation of power to (light) weight; 191 kW per ton. Weighing in at 935kg, this is a pocket-sized supercar at a fraction of the price.
The hero function combines launch control and variable traction control from 2-Eleven. A disc on the steering column selects the starting speed for optimal starting. Step on the volume pedal (rarely a more appropriate term for an accelerator than in the case of a Lotus), release the clutch, and almost immediately the horizon is in the foreground.
In the same way, the degree of intervention of the traction control system is regulated within 30 steps, from 7 percent tire slip to complete shutdown. The launch feature we tried out on 2-Eleven was not set up for our machine. That may be a good thing, because while the Exige S is a track-day rapier, we perversely drove about 500km on the goat tracks that run along public roads in New South Wales. On the more isolated ones, Exige shakes off a few rubles from his reverie.
Torque rises smoothly from about 3500 rpm, power - 1500 rpm later, and increases sharply to eight thousand. If you are tired of this inner rush, then you are tired of life. An accelerating audible thrill is paired with a heightened howl that—just inches from the back of your head—sounds otherworldly. Pure steering rounds out the Lotus equation.
The ride is, of course, terrible on all but the increasingly rare patches of slick pavement. However, the fact that we experimented a bit and just kept doing 500 clicks says it all.
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Lotus Exige S
Cost: $114,990 (Performance Package $11,000)
Engine: 1.8 l / 4 cylinders supercharged; 179 kW/230 Nm
Economy: 9.1l / 100km
Transmission: 6-speed manual; rear drive
