New Lotus Elise Sport and Sport 220 bring price & weight cuts

Lotus has announced a handful of changes to its Elise sports car range. The existing Elise and Elise S trims will be replaced in December by Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220 respectively - with a price cut, too.

Lotus justifies bringing back the ‘Sport’ badge (last seen on the Esprit over 20 years ago) with weight saving measures, extra equipment options and a lower price. The Sport kicks off at £29,900 (£1000 less than before), while the Sport 220 is £36,500 (a drop of £700).

As the price drops, kerbweight also falls slightly with a 10kg reduction on both variants; the Sport is now just 866kg, while the Sport 220 is 914kg. That’s largely due to new featherweight sports seats, a thinner battery and other minor alterations. Lightweight forged alloys can also be added to shave another 5kg, and climate control, air-con and an uprated sound system are also on the options list.

Previously optional, but now standard on both, is a Sport mode that improves throttle response and lowers the traction control threshold for greater driver involvement. Buyers can even opt for a new tartan seat trim - a throwback to the dazzling interior options for the '70s Esprit.

Performance is unaltered, with the Sport receiving the same 134bhp 1.6-litre engine taking it from 0-62mph in 6.5 seconds and on to 127mph. The Sport 220 still has 217bhp from a 1.8-litre unit, hitting 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds and 145mph flat out. Fuel economy is slightly improved, with the Sport managing 45mpg and the Sport 220 37.7mpg combined (0.2mpg more than before).

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