Lotus Exige 350 Sport: Lighter, Faster... And More Desirable Than Ever
The Lotus Elise is one of the oldest models on the market: it has been launched in 2001, and shows no sign of being phased out.
Like good wine, the Elise gets better with age. While the car's base hasn’t changed much, it received numerous upgrades to keep it relevant for today’s buyers.
The most recent iteration is the Exige 350 Sport: essentially a faster and more track-focused version of the Elise, the new car gets a few unique pieces.
First of all, it is lighter. Thanks to a smaller battery, lighter engine mounts, less insulation, slimmer HVAC plumbing as well as a louvered rear panel, the Sport 350 weigh 51 kg less than last year’s Exige. Since the drivetrain doesn’t change – a 3.5-litre V6 sourced from Toyota producing 345 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque – the car only needs 3.9 seconds to get to 100 km/h from a standstill. The manual version can get up to 274 km/h; if you choose the automatic, you can only reach 261 km/h, and you deserve to have the slower car.
With the automatic, you also lose the fantastic exposed shift lever gate installed in the centre console; made of aluminum, it adds a unique touch to the interior and superbly compliments the tartan cloth seats (available in red or yellow).
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- If you hate the notion of fun, you can get an automatic Lotus Exige S