Lotus Emira review - Practicality, comfort and boot space
More accommodating than the old Evora, but not as practical as a Porsche Cayman
Two-seat, mid-engined sports cars aren’t known for being the most practical of vehicles, and with modest boot space and no storage under the nose, the Emira looks like continuing that reputation.
What it loses compared to the Lotus Evora though, it gains in a more welcoming cabin, and Lotus hasn’t forgotten about practicality entirely, with storage behind the front seats and a boot behind the engine compartment. Importantly, the seats are ones you may want to spend good time in, supporting the driver well and offering decent adjustment, and the driving position is generally excellent. Visibility too, at least in front of you – like the Evora, the bulkhead behind can still feel claustrophobic, and it doesn’t have the airy feel that the less track-orientated Porsche Cayman models offer.
You still have to climb over a fairly wide sill to get in to the Emira, but it’s less of a tumble than in the last generation of Lotus cars, and you now feel like you’re sitting a little lower and held into the car a little better than in the Evora.
Size
The Emira is a touch longer, wider and lower than a Porsche Cayman, coming in at 4,412mm long, 1,895mm wide with the mirrors folded, and 1,225mm tall. For reference, that’s also slightly larger, and very slightly lower, than its Evora predecessor, which measured 4,395mm, 1,848mm and 1,229mm over the same metrics.
Leg room, head room and passenger space
As well as improved interior quality, both driver and passenger in the Emira benefit from a more open-feeling cabin environment than that of the Evora – though the Evora’s +2 rear seats have been sacrificed to allow it. Instead, you’ll find two flat areas that can be used for luggage.
Boot
Unlike its rivals from France and Germany, the Emira has only one boot, a rear compartment capable of holding 151 litres of luggage. This compartment is bigger than you’ll find in the Alpine but smaller than that of the Cayman, and while it doesn’t have their front boots, two shelves behind the driver and passenger seats, where you’d have found small seats in the old Evora, can also now be used for storage.
