Lotus Elise! Man, what a car!

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
Pic

So, I rented this baby this morning and drove it about 60 miles to see my friend in Seal Beach, CA. Man, what a car this is. Fun doesn't even begin to describe it...

Although, I feel kind of like I've been beat up today. My back hurts, I have a headache and getting in and out of that thing is like some sort of sick joke. With the top on you have literally fall into it butt first and then try to swing your legs in and around the steering wheel. It's much easier to do with the top off though.

The car is so viceral though, you can feel every bit of the road through the seats, the pedals, the shifter and the steering wheel. The car is very stiff and responds instantly to every input. Brakes are superb and I never found the limits of the car in a corner.

Compared to a WRX-STI I'd say take that car and lop off 1000lbs and kick it up a couple notches and you'd have this car...well, except for the practical interior and cushy ride of the STI (and an STI is cushy in comparison).

I drove it up to my friend's house this morning in the rain...the windshield wiper is okay but it's not great and the stereo is pretty much useless. I could only pick up two radio stations on it in Orange County and pretty much nothing comes in here in San Diego. When it did work it was buzzy and boomy and you can't hear it over the exhaust on the freeway anyway.

Once the roads dried up and the skies cleared I took the top off and really opened it up to see what she could do. Man, this thing cooks! It pulls strong from about 4k up to redline (I hit the rev limiter once...felt like someone turned off the engine). Man, the engine wails at full song too. Like a banshee. You cannot hear anything but the screaming coming from that little 1.8l Toyota engine.

The car leaps forward like a motorcycle. I took my neighbor for a ride in it and he commented on how it sounded and responded like a sport bike. He's right.

Anyway, the car is great fun to drive but completely impractical for even the shortest of daily driving. I can't imagine anyone ever buying one except for autocross or weekend joy rides.

Update-I kept if the entire weekend and enjoyed the hell out of it. I want one now...
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
Originally posted by: PremiumG
how much was it to rent?? did you take it to the tracks?

$200/day. No, I didn't take it to any tracks. It's still sitting in my driveway actually.

I did hit 120mph on the 5 freeway coming back from Orange County this morning though. It would definitely go faster and it felt rock solid and stable at that speed.

Oh, the blind spots are horrible.
 

fs5

Lifer
Jun 10, 2000
11,774
1
0
I read about some rental company starting to rent these out. Where did you rent yours from?
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
Originally posted by: fs5
I read about some rental company starting to rent these out. Where did you rent yours from?

Enterprise.

It's funny, I saw another black Elise on the freeway this morning as I was driving up to Orange County and it was also an Enterprise rental. I pulled up along side the guy and he gave me a thumbs up. :D
 

Ika

Lifer
Mar 22, 2006
14,267
3
81
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: fs5
I read about some rental company starting to rent these out. Where did you rent yours from?

Enterprise.

It's funny, I saw another black Elise on the freeway this morning as I was driving up to Orange County and it was also an Enterprise rental. I pulled up along side the guy and he gave me a thumbs up. :D

Haha, that sounds great.

Good to affirm once again that the car is exactly how I think of it (good for me, bad for my future wallet)...
 

dbk

Lifer
Apr 23, 2004
17,693
10
81
The interior looks very clean and simple and did you really miss the radio with that engine singing like you said it did?
 

spidey07

No Lifer
Aug 4, 2000
65,469
5
76
Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Originally posted by: spidey07
Nice!

I bet it drives like a go-cart on rails with a motorcycle type acceleration.

Pretty much. :thumbsup:

I haven't looked at the specs or driven one but I would suspect the center of gravity to be right where you butt is.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
Originally posted by: ornament
The interior looks very clean and simple and did you really miss the radio with that engine singing like you said it did?

No, I didn't miss it. And you can't hear the stereo above the noise of the engine anyway. I honestly don't know why they even bothered to put on in this car...

It's funny, my friend said jokingly, "Hey where's the armrest?" I said, "You're the armrest." You are literally that close to your passenger.
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
Originally posted by: SmoochyTX
Nice! Now get off the computer and get back out there. :)

I'm waiting to for the aspirin to kick in and then I'm taking my wife out for a spin. ;)
 

JulesMaximus

No Lifer
Jul 3, 2003
74,456
854
126
Oh, BTW the controls are placed perfectly. The steering wheel is right out in front of you and when you drop your right hand down off the wheel the gearshift lever is right there. Pedal placement is perfect too. I've never driven a car that was laid out more like a race car than this one.

That reminds me. The shifter is a little notchy and finding second gear takes a bit of getting used to as your leg tends to rest against the shift tower and can easily get in the way making you miss the gate. Still, shifting is precise and the throws are short. I never once found the wrong gear while downshifting.
 

Cristatus

Diamond Member
Oct 13, 2004
3,908
2
81
Originally posted by: ornament
The interior looks very clean and simple and did you really miss the radio with that engine singing like you said it did?

Maybe it looks clean and simple because there is nothing to it! Seriously...I don't see anything, and for some reason there seems to be a lot missing.