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Lotus the greenest supercar?

Introduction

We're talking here about shades of green, as although the Lotus Exige S Performance Pack is a green car amongst its natural rivals it's never going to be the choice for super-committed environmentalists.

What is it?

The Exige S Performance Pack is a supercar, pure and simple. Which might have a few of you wondering what it's doing in a green car section. Well, we're big advocates of going green, but also firmly believe that doing so shouldn't be at the expense of absolutely everything else. So the Lotus deserves recognition for being a low CO₂ emitter and relatively economical, given the sort of extraordinary performance it offers. That's possible as Lotus has always been a company that's had lightweight solutions as its core engineering mantra. That means even with a relatively modest 1.8-litre engine - albeit with a supercharger - the Exige S Performance Pack can provide big thrills without necessarily destroying the planet in the process.

How does it drive?

With the sort of precision, and exemplary ride of any other Lotus. The Exige S Performance Pack is a phenomenally rapid machine. It's able to sprint to 62mph in just 4.2 seconds - that being the same time as a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, a car that matches the Lotus's track-honed theme. The steering is super direct and absolutely loaded with feel, the throttle response from the 240bhp supercharged 1.8-litre Toyota-sourced four-cylinder very quick indeed. The ride, despite the Exige S's obvious focus, is fantastic, smoothing all but the worst bumps with saloon-car refinement. The ride is pretty much the only thing that's refined though, the Exige S Performance Pack not a car for those that like their cars hushed and luxurious.

It's stripped bare inside, though admittedly does feature all the essential equipment you'll want, and getting in and out is enough of a pain to ensure that for short trips to the shop you take your bike or walk instead.


Planet hugger or planet mugger?

We've already stated that committed greenies might find the inclusion of the Lotus here as something of a disgrace, but the figures suggest otherwise. CO₂ emissions of 216g/km are under the proposed £25 limit for the Congestion Charge in London - no other mainstream sports car offering the performance of the Lotus being able to claim that. Combined official fuel consumption of 31mpg isn't exactly in the turbodiesel supermini or Toyota Prius realm, but then nothing else out there will accelerate, grip and go as well as the Lotus while still giving decent economy.

As a reference point, that 911 GT3 RS Porsche mentioned earlier officially manages only 22mpg, its CO₂ emissions being 307g/km - and Porsche is one of the better performance car manufacturers when it comes to emissions and economy.

Verdict

Greenness needn't necessarily mean giving up on the fun stuff. The Exige S Performance Pack is as intense a drive as anything on the road, but it achieves this with far more palatable consumption and emissions figures compared to anything its performance is equivalent with. Sure, it's not what you might necessarily think of as a 'green' car, but it's a decent compromise if you still want thrilling motoring on road or track, but want to minimise your impact on the planet when doing so.

Wednesday December 19

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