Lotus has launched a new flagship Emira, and it starts from almost £100k

The Lotus Emira is a car that promised much, but so far hasn’t quite met our lofty expectations for the first brand new Lotus sports car in years. All the ingredients are there – mini supercar looks, an aluminium chassis, the choice of a ripping AMG four-pot or a V6 with a manual – but the dynamics don’t take your breath away as they should in a Lotus. That could be about to change, however, with the introduction of an updated Emira range with key technical improvements. 

With this has come a new flagship, the Emira V6 SE, which replaces the existing V6 model. Priced from £96,500, it gets retuned dampers and geometry specs to deliver improved handling and ride comfort, and a more generous standard spec that includes alcantara interior trim, sport pedals, red brake calipers and black exterior detailing. 

The Toyota-derived, supercharged 3.5-litre V6 has seen some attention too, being ‘refined for more emotional engagement’ according to Lotus. It still generates 400bhp and comes with a six-speed manual or an optional auto, cracking the 0-62mph sprint in 4.3sec and reaching 180mph. Shift quality for the manual is said to be improved by a new compression mount for the gearbox, which could cure the unit's occasionally clunky feel. 

At the other end of the scale is the Emira Turbo, which sits below the recently announced and more powerful Turbo SE. It’s effectively a rebadged and updated version of the Emira i4, the first four-cylinder Emira, using a 360bhp 2-litre engine from AMG. As the entry point in the lineup it starts from £79,500, coming with an eight-speed DCT ‘box, 12-way adjustable seats, a 190W audio system, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Despite its lower power output it’s just a tenth slower than the V6 SE to 62mph, topping out at 171mph. The 400bhp Turbo SE remains the quickest Emira of the bunch, reaching 62mph in four seconds flat and a 181mph maximum. 

As part of the range refresh, all Emiras get an improved cooling system with rerouted lines, boosting performance of the transmission oil cooler and main radiator while reducing weight. The air conditioning system has been reworked to be more stable at high temperatures, too, while the Emira’s dual-clutch gearbox has been fettled for quicker, smoother shifts. 

Is all this enough to turn the Emira into a truly great sports car, rather than just a good one? Time will tell.