Lotus Elise S : BACK TO BASICS

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The original Elise was a car that got the fundamentals right. Subsequent models have become more sophisticated and more powerful but in the affordable S model, The Elise goes back to its roots. Andy Enright reports

The demise of MG Rover has had a great deal of knock-on effects, not least of which is the sudden evaporation of K-Series engine supply to many manufacturers who bought these units from the now defunct company. As soon as it looked as though this mainstay of the British motoring industry was going belly up, an unseemly scuffle began amongst smaller manufacturers keen to secure alternative motive power for their wares. Some haven't fared too well and are still looking. Fortunately, Lotus forged links with Toyota and beneath the bonnet of the entry-level Elise now sits a 134bhp 1.8-litre VVT-i engine.

That the Elise S is a vastly improved car compared to the original 118bhp model from 1996 is beyond doubt. Yes it is slightly bigger and a fair degree heavier but given the way legislation and buyer expectations have changed, that's excusable. Things may have changed a great deal in the intervening decade but it's worth pausing to consider what a landmark car the original was. Capable of getting to 60mph in just 5.8 seconds thanks to a weight of just 675kg, the Elise changed the way we viewed budget performance cars. With great weight distribution and an interior that was charming in its own functional way, its simple shape still looks good to this day. In 2001 we had a revision to the Elise shape that gave it a more sophisticated, upmarket look as well as suspension modifications to tame its wilder handling excesses. Engine choice was widened and the Elise became a more powerful, more expensive car - growing away from its position as the sort of car that buyers who'd grown bored of Mazda MX-5s would gravitate to. Weight has crept up to 860kg but the Elise is now a car that doesn't require quite so many sacrifices to live with.

"There's a purity about the Elise that's increasingly rare in this era of over sanitised and overweight cars"

Lotus enjoys an efficient feedback loop with its owners and now that the Elise has been in series production for quite some time, many of the teething issues that afflicted earlier cars have been well and truly ironed out. One thing's for sure. If you can't rely on a Toyota-built engine you can't rely on anything in the automotive world. Metronomic reliability is a virtual given where the Japanese firm is concerned and the 1.8-litre VVT-i engine is in a relatively modest state of tune which should also help to prolong its already enviable durability. Despite this, it's still enough to squirt the Elise S from standstill to 60mph in just 5.8 seconds and a top speed of 128mph is also attainable. The 127lb/ft of torque isn't going to have you searching the Lotus accessories catalogue for towing hitches but when the torque to weight ratio is considered, it's not too much of a handicap. You'll feel the slight lack of muscle when attacking uphill stretches but otherwise you'll rarely feel you're wanting for power. If you do take a test drive and want a little more oomph under your right boot, you'll need to trade up to the 190bhp Elise R. The great thing about the Elise S is that you're buying a serious amount of capability for little more than the price of mainstream pretenders. Look at the bits that really count. The brakes feature AP Racing callipers at the front and Brembo clamps at the back, linked to 282mm vented and cross drilled discs. Lotus has engineered one of the world's most subtle anti-lock braking systems as well. Rather than a manic juddering of the middle pedal when you get a little enthusiastic in the braking zone, you'll only feel a distant pulsing as the system unobtrusively and efficiently does its stuff. A drive by wire throttle is also featured. What's so clever about the Elise is that it manages to offer a sensible level of safety provision without dulling the car's edge noticeably. The extruded and bonded aluminium chassis is still a thing of beauty, albeit a little more concealed by mats and panelling than in earlier cars. A lightweight steel rear subframe helps with weight distribution and Lotus claim a torsional rigidity of 9,500Nm per degree, making the old car's superstructure seem like a bit of a noodle. Excellent fuel economy and low emissions are corollaries of the low weight (by contrast, a modern MX-5 tips the scales at nearly 1,100kg). Lotus founder Colin Chapman would have approved. He would also have endorsed the way that this car holds its value. The most recent figures suggest that after 12 months/10,000 miles, your Elise will still be worth 82% of what you paid for it. Not that we should be evaluating any Lotus in such cold, boring terms. This one, after all, is the finest car the company has yet produced. The Lotus boss said: "The arrival of our new Elise S is good news for lovers of pure sports cars in all intended markets. The value for money proposition offered by the car is second to none and takes the wonderful Lotus Elise range back into the heart of the mainstream sports car market. The Elise is a surprisingly easy car to take for granted but one only has to look at how, ten years after launch, it's still the undisputed pick of the lightweight roadsters to gauge the scale of Lotus' achievements. The entry-level car is always the one which is the definitive model and the Elise S lifts the standard yet again. If you want excitement and a premium badge without huge running costs, the Elise still represents the class standard. Ten years on that's quite some accomplishment.

Facts At A Glance
CAR: Lotus Elise S
PRICE: £25,712 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUP: 20
CO2 EMISSIONS: 179g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 128mph / 0-60mph 5.8s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 37.2mpg
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Widthmm 3717 / 1740mm