Lotus Europa S - new pictures
Lotus Cars has released more information about its new Europa S - a more refined daily driver to complement its minimalist Elise and Exige models. Lotus will debut the new model at the Geneva Motor Show next week.
While still following the Lotus philosophy of achieving performance through "adding lightness" (the car only weights 2,189 lb), the Europa is much more liveable than the Exige and Elise, with more luggage space and easier access to the interior, courtesy of a higher roofline and lower chassis side rails. Inside, a full leather interior, built-in navigation/audio system, electric windows and door locks, and air conditioning add an unusual (for Lotus) level of touring-class luxury to the Europa.
The 2-liter Ecotec turbo puts out a modest 200 hp, but a broad torque band (90 percent of maximum at only 2,000 rpm) with a peak of 194 lb-ft at 4200 rpm helps hustle the lightweight car from 0-60 mph in a respectable 5.5 seconds.
Lotus forecasts production of only 500 per year, with no exports to North America planned at present. The Europa will be available in the U.K. later this year, for about $57,500. More pics after the jump.
[Source: Group Lotus]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
nastinupe 1:50PM (2/23/2006)
Sorry Lotus, this one is a dud.
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Kowell 1:52PM (2/23/2006)
THAT is a hell of a rear end...the rest is nice too
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Jabbar 2:02PM (2/23/2006)
whats up with the super skinny tires??? i would think they would have a MINIMUM of 225 tires on there with staggered tires on the rear. thats just me though, what do i know?
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patrik k 2:11PM (2/23/2006)
Still looks horrible, like the result of a Pontiac Fiero and a Ferrari 360 trying to recreate the "Elephant Trying to Make Love to a Pig" episode of South Park.
Seriously, the shape looks undeveloped, immature, especially the 3/4 view and the rear end. The designers clearly did not make the step up in seriousness and clout that would be appropriate when going up in size, price, and grand-tourability compared to the Elise. Too much of a toy car look.
maybe it looks good in the flesh, though.
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nezromatron 2:14PM (2/23/2006)
Bring it over already! Why would you need fatter tires? It's a lightweight car without a 5000hp engine. When it comes to sports cars 'just right' is more important than supersizing everything.
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JayNorth 2:17PM (2/23/2006)
We sell Lotus at our dealership also. Does anyone know if the US will see this? This is gorgeous. Oh well, the Esprit will be nice next year.
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Sebastian 2:17PM (2/23/2006)
Come on Lotus throw in some more power get the Europa up to 250 and then well be talking. My audi s4 has 250 and the thing is a rocket and weighs significantly more. I can only imagine what that car would be like with just a little more power.
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cxvargas 2:19PM (2/23/2006)
When the rear of a sports car looks better than the front is definitely a sign that the company rushed the car into production. Still, not bad but not great.
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Pork Rind 2:20PM (2/23/2006)
"whats up with the super skinny tires???"
Ever seen an Elise? The less the car weighs, the less rubber you need. The Elise has skinny tires too, and you don't see the car book guys complaining about them.
As for the looks, they would have been fine had this car been badged as a Proton, which was the original intent.
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Andy Keck 2:24PM (2/23/2006)
My understanding is that the US will never get this car. It's a leftover Proton project(with a non US-compliant engine) that Lotus is hoping to recover some investment dollars on until the real mid-line car debuts sometime after the announcement of the Esprit replacement.
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patrik k 2:24PM (2/23/2006)
True. It does look like a Proton, except for the headlights, which look a bit more expensive. Good point.
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Craig Hartman 2:30PM (2/23/2006)
Might sell more of those here than the Elise. Has more of an upscale look to it. Would give Lotus a larger market to tap into.
I do agree.. Needs slightly thicker tires.
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Pork Rind 2:35PM (2/23/2006)
"I do agree.. Needs slightly thicker tires."
I guess the engineers at Lotus must not know how to make a car handle well.
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RayRay 2:36PM (2/23/2006)
What 2.0L engine is the Europa-S using? I'm pretty sure it's not a Toyota unit no more; could it be the VW one?
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Lee Gibson 2:44PM (2/23/2006)
"except for the headlights, which look a bit more expensive."
If by "A bit more expensive", you mean "raided from Acura RSXes", yes.
Not a pretty car.
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all_that 2:49PM (2/23/2006)
Like the Elise, I'm betting the real beauty of this car lies in the drive. As such, the exterior is interesting enough to likely make is a success. If I were in the market and this was a US car priced near my range, I'd sure be interested. That being said, I have no idea what price they'd have in mind. Regardless of their planned starting price point, bringing it to the US and thus counting on greater volume would help bring the price down AND give this car a better chance of long-term survival.
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JW 3:00PM (2/23/2006)
I love it!!!!
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overtorqued 3:06PM (2/23/2006)
Needs fatter tires and a "proper" V8 or it's not even a sports car. Seriously, I mean the Camaro, now that's a sports car. This little thing probably can't even tow my boat.
Oh, and of course: "God, let's see some creativity, Lotus. This is clearly just a Mustang crossed with a Boxter with Acura headlights and Mercedes windshield wipers."
Fantasic, beautiful, fun car. Kudos to Lotus.
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Proud Japanese 3:12PM (2/23/2006)
Whoa, be careful there overtorqued. I nearly missed the sacrasm.
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broosewee 3:25PM (2/23/2006)
Very pretty, but hella expensive. And if it's aimed at being more livable, maybe an automatic transmission would be feasible? It just makes sense in this type of car.
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