Obese but light-footed
Light-footed, playful, exciting; just a few words to describe a Lotus. Does that also apply to the 2,600 kg Eletre? According to Lotus, yes. Every effort has been made to give the world’s first ‘hyper-SUV’ sublime driving characteristics. Is Colin Chapman turning over in his grave or would he also be proud of the Lotus of the 21st century?
An electric SUV, how much Lotus is left in the Eletre?
The fact that Lotus cherishes its history is reflected almost everywhere in the Eletre. Open the front door and on the B-pillar there is a plate with the year 1948 and a large C containing the letters AcB. They stand for Anthony Colin Bruce Chapman, who built his first car 75 years ago. Twelve years later, Stirling Moss took his first victory in F1 behind the wheel of a Lotus. Chapman died in 1982; Lotus changed hands several times and has been under the banner of Geely since 2017. Yes, the Eletre is built in China, but most of it was developed in Europe.
How do they make such a heavy electric SUV feel like a Lotus?
Key concepts for Lotus are low weight and good aerodynamics. We don’t have to explain that a 5.10 meter long electric SUV with two engines and a 112 kWh battery pack is an obese type. Anyway, the Esprit weighed three times as much as the MKI, the first Lotus, at the time. A big challenge for the technicians to still make the Eletre a somewhat playful feeling car, but in 2023 they have more resources than their predecessors of years ago. Such as computer-controlled suspension and active stabilizers. Not to mention the horribly powerful electric motors.
How does the Lotus Eletre drive?
We drive in the vicinity of Oslo through the beautiful Norwegian landscape. With a lot of challenging, winding roads, but also with high fines for speeding. So look carefully and especially enjoy the steering, not extremely high speeds. Downforce The Eletre we get is an S with the optional Lotus Dynamic Handling Pack (€6,600), which consists of active stabilizers and steering rear wheels and is standard on the R.
The heavy Eletre is never as playful and light-footed as the Elise, but the combination of precise, direct steering and a carriage that does not tilt or dive makes it an above-average SUV with fine steering. The large pieces of rubber in size 22 inches (315 rear, 275 front) give the Lotus a lot of grip and eventually some understeer in the first instance. But that is only at speeds that correspond to fines of a thousand euros and more.
Besides being the first electric Lotus, what makes the Eletre even more special?
A lot of work has also been done on the aerodynamics. You don’t just see that, an expert from Lotus provides text and explanation about its effectiveness. At the bottom of the front are air inlets that can be closed. We also see slots (air ducts) in the front, wheel arches, fenders, D-pillar and rear to optimize the airflow and generate as much downforce as possible.
On the aft deck, the Eletre has an extendable spoiler that can be adjusted in three positions. At 110 km/h it shows itself for the first time and then optimizes the airflow. At 160 km/h it sticks its neck out a bit further and then provides 112 kg of downforce. Then there is a third position, in which the spoiler functions as a braking aid.
The body has even more retractable gadgets: the lidar sensors. Above both front wheels and in the roof, approximately at the height of the interior mirror. Those come out as soon as you activate the driver assistance systems, while Nio has a few bumps above the windshield containing the lidars. Enabling the adaptive cruise control is a bit of a search, the chrome buttons on the steering wheel (optionally in gold color) are not easy to operate.
While we’re inside: the interior is beautiful and designed with attention to detail. At the center of the dashboard is a 15.1-inch high-resolution OLED screen. All menus in the infotainment system are easy to find and behind the steering wheel is a small screen with all relevant information for the driver. There is a similar screen on the passenger side, but only the audio can be seen and partly operated. The sound comes to your ears via fifteen speakers and Dolby Atmos (in the S 23) from the originally British brand Kef and is of absolute top class.
How fast is the Lotus Eletre?
We can play on the runway of a small airport with the Eletre R. A slalom course has been set out and on the other part of the almost endless asphalt strip there is plenty of room for an acceleration test. An important difference between the R and the other two versions is not only the power, but also the two-speed transmission on the rear engine, as the Porsche Taycan also has. That makes it faster from a standstill, especially in the sprint, because it only saves 0.1 seconds from 80 to 120 km/h. The slalom is actually more of a curve course, intended to experience the load change from left to right. Because the carriage does not lean over, it feels as if the heavy Lotus can be thrown and flung with the greatest of ease.
The (optional) ceramic brake discs have to endure a lot, especially if we have to brake almost to a standstill after 0-160 km/h. With the launch control, that sprint is child’s play: left foot on the brake, your right foot presses the power pedal into the beautiful carpet, release the brake and you are launched. We repeat that in track mode (it only has the R); then he is even a little faster. Nice, for once, but that 603 hp is more than enough.
How much does the Lotus Eletre cost?
With a starting price of just under a ton, the Eletre is relatively cheap compared to an Audi SQ8 e-tron, BMW iX xDrive 50 or Mercedes EQS SUV, while its image can compete with cars such as the Lamborghini Urus, the Aston Martin DBX and perhaps also called the Ferrari Purosangue. Unfortunately, the basic model offers hardly any options, so you still end up with the S, which starts at €124,090. Either way, Chapman shouldn’t be turning in his grave as far as we’re concerned.
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl