Lotus Emira vs Porsche 718 GTS 4.0

[BMW F22]

Curious to get folks’ thoughts.

Test drove Emira V6 manual 1.5 years ago. Handled well and looked great. Went back recently and drove V6 auto. Still looks great and handles well, but interior leaves something to be desired. It’s modern and pretty good, but I felt that I was sitting too high even on the lowest seat setting. Didn’t find seats to be that great. The auto transmission was quite slow with shifts.

718: drove GTS 2.5L at PEC LA in 2019 and it was phenomenal. Test drove a colleague’s GTS 4.0 recently and it was great too. Heavily leaning towards this. Found a CPO 2023 with original sticker of $110K and dealer wouldn’t budge off the $103K asking. It’s a bit high as these should go in the 90s IMO.

Maintenance-wise both are mid engine so similar costs from what I understand. MSRP for both cars are similar too. Just wondering which you’d go with. Thanks!

[Higgs Boson]

GTS 4.0 all day.

[dgoldenz]

GTS and it's not even close

[Andrew2]

Not driven an Emira but have had three Cayman`s (not a 4.0l) ... it has to be Porsche

[c1pher]

What I think is interesting about the Emira is that it’s its own car, meaning that it’s not constantly compared to another model in the line like the 718 vs 911 comparison. No one will say it’s not a real Lotus. I think the Emira, like most Lotus cars is beautiful but seems to suffer from lots of mechanical issues or gremlins. Plus with the Emira you don’t get an adjustable suspension and most people end up getting the touring suspension and they didn’t make any advancements in the v6 which is exactly the same as the Evora which was launch in 2008. You could argue that the 718 is essentially the same since the 987 but in reality has continually been tweaked, enhanced and given more power etc.

And given that there are way fewer Lotus dealers than Porsche dealers, it will not be fun finding a dealer unless you live close to one.

[gatorfast]

Emira for looks. Porsche for everything else.

[FC4]

The 718 is unquestionably a better car, but I'm getting the Emira. I simply love the way it looks and it's far less boring than a 718.

My expectations aren't too high for it though. I drove the yellow demo car that was being passed around all over North America and wasn't all that impressed. The shifter was complete shit and the throttle mapping was awful...those are what stood out to me after driving it for 20 minutes around surface streets with a Lotus rep next to me. Plus all the reviews for the car have been quite mixed and they're not doing so hot in the European market.

Either way, it looks great and it's something new. If I like it enough to keep longer than a few months, I'll fit all the GT4 aero bits and turn it into a track car. It looks so damn good.

[Arcades]

Lotus has one major problem, severe lack of dealership support. In LA AND OC combined, there are a grand total of... 2 dealers. One in Van Nuys, far from LA and SGV. The other is in Costa Mesa in OC.

If you ever run into issues, having to drive that far or send you car that far is not going to be fun.

I'd always prefer the car with the better engine, which the GTS 4.0 has in spades. I am not overly fond of the Toyota V6 Lotus uses. I also prefer a car with a smaller footprint, which is the 718.

[chassis]

Porsche because Porsche and because not British*.


RR (BMW) and Bentley (VAG) are OK because they are no longer truly British.

[Redd]

My friend owns a 718 Spyder (basically a topless GT4) and had rave reviews about the Emira V6 manual's handling. He said if the Emira was a 10/10, the Spyder was only 7/10.

[No one]

I would never consider a Lotus just because of their ugly looks. I only find (Jim's) Esprit looking acceptable. Emira looks cringed/bent as if it's had a solid blow in the guts (and they are about to fall out of it's rear end).

[Clark_Kent]

The GTS 4.0 by a country mile. It's not even close if I'm being honest. As for the 911 vs. 718 debate, if you place a premium on performance, vehicle dynamics and driver engagement there really isn't one. While the 911 is the flagship vehicle for Porsche, the 718 with its mid-engine layout makes for a better sports car.

[Davil]

Weirdly enough I saw an Emira today. Very striking looking car. The Cayman is quite an ugly car with strange proportions. I’d like the Emira with the Porsche 6 in it. Now that would be something.

[Alfisti]

I see both cars and wonder why one doesn't buy an F-Type V8. Big fuck off engine, looks incredible and cheaper than these two by a mile. You'd need VERY good local roads to chase the handling advantage of the Emira or GT4.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I see both cars and wonder why one doesn't buy an F-Type V8. Big fuck off engine, looks incredible and cheaper than these two by a mile. You'd need VERY good local roads to chase the handling advantage of the Emira or GT4.

No, you wouldn't. The Cayman would smash the Jaguar in even Autocross, because it's so much more nimble, turn-in, weight, etc. With any of these cars, you won't be pushing to 10/10ths on public roads, but: https://www.caranddriver.com/ranking...rs/performance

#2. It's always on the top 10. It's there for a reason.

Jaguar is there too...but the Cayman is there every year.

[slilley]

I love my CGTS 4.0, but the Lotus is certainly super-model pretty to my eyes! As others have commented, reliability and dealer support are sorely lacking for the Lotus.

I wrote up a long review of my CGTS4.0 experience here: https://rennlist.com/forums/718-gts-...le-review.html

The car now has 11K miles, is on it's second set of tires and pads, and continues to impress!

[Condorll]

Originally Posted by slilley

I love my CGTS 4.0, but the Lotus is certainly super-model pretty to my eyes! As others have commented, reliability and dealer support are sorely lacking for the Lotus.

I wrote up a long review of my CGTS4.0 experience here: https://rennlist.com/forums/718-gts-...le-review.html

The car now has 11K miles, is on it's second set of tires and pads, and continues to impress!

You went through a set of tires and pads in less than 11,000 miles? Yikes!

[Socal_R8]

as a two time Cayman owner......the Emira!!!

Love the Cayman, but Porsche's in general are every where here in SoCal

the Emira has much more wow factor since they aren't even on the roads yet here.....

The gentleman I bought my R8 from the other day has one on the way and it should be here soon...

[Socal_R8]

Originally Posted by RM7

No, you wouldn't. The Cayman would smash the Jaguar in even Autocross, because it's so much more nimble, turn-in, weight, etc. With any of these cars, you won't be pushing to 10/10ths on public roads, but: https://www.caranddriver.com/ranking...rs/performance

#2. It's always on the top 10. It's there for a reason.

Jaguar is there too...but the Cayman is there every year.

agree...

yeah, don't see the comparison at all really...F-Type is not a lightweight MR, it is more of a C7 competitor.

[BlkGS]

I can't fathom a reason to buy the Emira other than just being a person who wants to be different.

[dgoldenz]

Originally Posted by Alfisti

I see both cars and wonder why one doesn't buy an F-Type V8. Big fuck off engine, looks incredible and cheaper than these two by a mile. You'd need VERY good local roads to chase the handling advantage of the Emira or GT4.

Jaguar is about to be out of business and personally I thought the interior of the F Type was trash. Felt cheap and cramped, didn't like the sight line and just how the car felt in general. Given the market for them it seems other people agree. Good engine though.

[xander_g]

Porsche because Porsche
Lotus because unique