Hardcore new Lotus Emira SE models launch the British Porsche Cayman rival close to £100k

New entry-level ‘Turbo’ and range-topping ‘V6 SE’ versions of the Lotus Emira are now available to order, with the two bookends of the British-built sports car’s line-up costing from £79,500 and £96,500 respectively.

The Emira Turbo features, as you’ve probably deduced, a turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine from AMG that spits out 360bhp – enough to fling the Porsche 718 Cayman rival from 0-62mph in 4.4 seconds. The new edition sits below the recently launched Turbo SE that produces a round 400bhp from the same engine, and can pull off the benchmark sprint in 4.0 seconds, but costs £10,000 more. 

Both the Turbo and Turbo SE are available exclusively with a dual-clutch automatic transmission, although Lotus has tweaked it to deliver better, faster gearchanges than earlier examples.

These versions come with unique Turbo badges, yellow-black Lotus emblems and satin-silver details. Standard equipment includes 12-way electrically adjustable seats with a memory function, a 12.3-inch digital driver’s display, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus various safety and driver-assistance systems.

New Lotus Emira V6 SE tops the range

Meanwhile the Emira V6 SE uses a supercharged 3.5-litre V6 engine that also produces 400bhp – good for 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds – however the six-speed manual gearbox it comes with as standard has been tuned for better driver engagement. More specifically, Lotus has fitted a new compression mount, which the firm says allows for more precise gearchanges. 

An automatic transmission is available on this version too, and adding it cuts the 0-62mph time down to 4.8 seconds. Elsewhere, the dampers and wheel alignment have been fettled to provide sharper handling and better ride comfort. 

The V6 SE is also offered with a choice of two chassis and suspension set-ups. Lotus says ‘Tour’ is tuned for everyday road use, designed to offer sharp handling with a more comfortable ride, while ‘Sports’ adds stiffer springs and dampers, making it better suited for track use.

The boffins in Hethel have also adjusted the Emira’s cooling system, recalibrating the air-conditioning control system and routing the coolant lines differently to provide better flow to both the transmission oil cooler and the main radiator. Lotus says this not only provides more cooling, but also reduces the weight of the car.

Finally, Lotus has introduced two new paint colours to the Emira range – EOS Green and Purple Haze – and a new Racing Line specification, which is available on both the Turbo SE and V6 SE. For an extra £3,000, this adds yellow, red or silver accents to the front splitter, plus brake calipers and mirrors caps in the same colour, which is also used for the stitching in the cabin.

Now you can buy a car through our network of top dealers around the UK. Search for the latest deals…