Sprint gun for less than a ton?
The Lotus Eletre is marketed by the British-Chinese brand as a ‘hyper-SUV’ and – depending on the version – therefore has performance figures that even make a Lamborghini Urus white. Yet you can ‘already’ become the owner of an Eletre for less than €100,000. Do you buy a showroom decoy for that money, or is an Eletre of less than a ton already a very complete car?
Lotus Eletre, €98,690
To get straight to the point: no, for less than €100,000 the Lotus Eletre is not a Lamborghini killer. That title is reserved solely for the most expensive Eletre: the R, with a starting price of €154,090, more than 900 hp and a 0 to 100 time of less than 3 seconds. Between the nameless entry-level model and the R, there is still the Eletre S, the powertrain of which corresponds to the entry-level model. With a starting price of €124,090, the S is quite a bit more expensive than the regular Eletre, while it comes a lot less far on a battery charge thanks to the standard larger wheels. The same goes for the R.
Yes, as far as ‘EV capabilities’ are concerned, the basic Eletre can simply stay ahead of the more expensive versions. An Eletre always has a net 109 kWh battery pack, a 3-phase charger for up to 355 kW fast charging, two electric motors and the 800-volt architecture. In terms of drive technology, only the R differs, because it has stronger electric motors to leave all those damned Lamborghinis behind at the traffic light – the entry-level Eletre and the S have ‘only’ 612 hp (0 to 100 km / h in 4, 5 seconds). The suspension technology then? This is also the same with the slip-on and the S: both have two-chamber air suspension with Lotus’ continuous damping control. Only the R also has rear-wheel steering, a system against rollover and a track mode.
Small wheels, big advantage
Also in terms of appearance, the various versions differ little from each other, although the cheapest is easy to recognize. It has no roof rails and no active aerodynamics. The piece of sheet metal above the light bar can fold up on the S and R and also has an extra lip spoiler in those versions, with the ‘regular’ Eletre that lip is not there and the sheet metal always remains in place. Furthermore, the slip-on rolls on 20-inch wheels, where the S and R have at least 22-inch wheels. 22-inch under the less expensive variant is an option and it costs €3,880. The ‘kaimu gray’ that you see in the photos is the only additional free color and the Eletre is only available in a color such as S or R. With the basic model it is either gray or black.
No active aerodynamics and 20-inch wheels for the slip-on. This gray paint is the only additional cost-free tint.
As a driving range for the Lotus Eletre, the brand specifies all kinds of different values, which are mainly influenced by whether or not the ‘range optimization package’ (cameras instead of side mirrors and still an active rear spoiler) and the size of the wheels are checked. An Eletre with the package – at an additional cost of €7,100 – and 20-inch wheels comes 600 km further on the WLTP cycle. With 22-inch and without the aerodynamics package, about 535 km remains. By the way, the large wheels cost you more than just range: they therefore require an additional cost of €3,880 and Lotus obliges you to add the extra large brakes for another €3,030. In its most unfavorable configuration, the Eletre (as R, with 23-inch wheels) has a WLTP range of 410 km.
Equipment
From the outside, a Lotus Eletre as an entry-level model is almost as ‘thick’ as a more expensive version and the less expensive version does not have to be ashamed of the technology either. So four-wheel drive is always there, a lot of power too and the driving range is in a sense even the best in the basic version. Only the aerodynamics package makes the range even bigger, but the size of the wheels seems to have a much greater influence on that. Is that lower starting price ‘m then in a scant equipment?
Well, it can’t be called sparse. The standard equipment list includes auto-folding exterior mirrors, LED matrix headlights, a LiDAR system, electrically adjustable steering column, four-zone climate control, keyless entry, a heat pump, electrically adjustable and heated front seats, heated steering wheel, the Lotus Pilot package that includes all conceivable active and passive driver assistance systems (including adaptive cruise control), parking sensors and a swathe of screens: an 8-inch one for the rear passengers, a 15.1-inch infotainment system in the front, a 12.6-inch digital instrument panel and an extensive heads-up display.
You will also find high-quality materials on the seats and dashboard in the slip-on.
What do the S and R have to offer?
No, the Lotus Eletre is not exactly a showroom lure in the basic version. Also for less than a ton there is a lot of car with downright neat equipment and therefore all driver assistance systems – it is not the case that an S or R is more capable when it comes to autonomous driving, for example. Why would you still go for the S or R, which are roughly 25 and 55 grand more expensive respectively?
The S makes the equipment list actually longer. So you can choose a color on it and the wheels are bigger (so you have less range), which helps the look. In addition, the S has privacy glass, soft-close doors, a ‘KEF Reference’ 23-speaker hi-fi system, hands-free operation of the electric tailgate, illuminated instead of non-illuminated running boards, an ionizer (for cleaner air on board), ambient lighting in the dashboard, an autonomous parking aid and … an automatically dimming interior mirror.
It is of course downright annoying that the latter is not on the loafer, but otherwise the size of the ‘more equipment’ of the S is not too bad – if you choose a color you still have to pay extra for it. And then the R? It adds some carbon fiber elements on the outside for another 30 grand more and thus adds the more powerful drive technology and more extensive chassis technology – otherwise it is the same as the S.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl