Lotus Emeya S Review: White Gloved Competence

What we like:

Luxury like Lotus has never seen before

Great GT credentials - comfortable and refined

Terrific power yet decent range

What we dislike:

It doesn't really drive like a Lotus

Lotus stands for something lightweight and simple. The first thing you have to get over is that the Emeya is neither of these two. Weighing some 2.6 tons and containing a breathtaking interior with a plethora of technology, it’s about as far removed as possible from what one might conjure up a four-door Lotus to be.

But hey, it’s the new world where we are just glad to have Lotus alive and kicking instead of being six feet under. And the Emeya, together with the Eletre, are the sort of cars that give hope to Lotus’ future. They now have products to compete in the super luxury EV saloon and SUV segment, instead of just focusing on two-door sports cars. Lotus would never be able to have such an elaborate product line themselves, without external input or help. Now that it is possible under the wings of Geely, it ought to make the best out of it.

At least from the build quality and technology perspective, the Emeya (and by extension the Eletre) blows everything Lotus built before out of the water. You’re talking about a plush nappa leather and alcantara interior, massage and ventilated seats, a 15.1-inch HD OLED infotainment system, a 55-inch head-up display, an electrochromic panoramic sunroof with adjustable sections and a KEF sound system with Dolby Atmos. And the space - this thing has S-Class rivalling room. I mean, if you had time travelled from the past in a classic Elise, would you ever imagine such palatial opulence?

And it all works pretty well. The Unreal Engine gaming technology makes the infotainment so mind-blowingly quick to respond, with nary a lag. The Nvidia chips powering the sensors and cameras around the car give an impeccable view of the car’s surroundings, as I found out when I saw dozens and dozens of people animated on screen as I drove through Little India. The excellent massage and seat ventilation kept my nerves in check as I waded the eye-catching Lotus through the crowd.

My only gripe about the interior is the steering control joysticks, which aren’t very intuitive to my simplistic mind. Also, due to EU regulations, speed and lane keep assist warnings will keep switching on every time you start the car. To turn them off, you need to plough through the menus on the screen. It’s pretty annoying, but Lotus is working on a shortcut button to switch everything off.

But on to the more important part. Lotus says it designed the Emeya for the drivers. This particular model on test sits in the middle of the range, between the Emeya and the Emeya R. It’s the Emeya S, which actually has the same 603 bhp / 710 Nm output from its dual motors as the base Emeya. The difference lies in additional standard optional extras, like the carbon ceramic brakes and larger 21-inch rims. Our test car had the optional Pirelli P-Zero R tyres as well.

The power is frankly ludicrous. I feel low-key terrified when imagining what the Emeya R’s 905 bhp will be like, because the Emeya S already feels nuts. It can get about the daily routines in a very docile manner, but put your foot down and it will launch to the horizon faster than a scalded cat.

The remarkable thing is that the chassis is more than able to handle all of that firepower. The Emeya slinks low to the ground, so it always feels quite connected to the road, especially with the sticky tyres. The grip is simply phenomenal; you would genuinely have a hard time unsettling the car despite all of the power you have at your disposal. But - and it is a big but - you get the sense that the competence comes from all of the technology working hard to make it work. The natural thing the car would do is, of course, comply with the laws of physics and that struggle shows itself when you really push it hard. Bottom line though, the Emeya S will probably set a very decent lap time at Sepang.

Let’s not forget that the Emeya is designed as a GT and that means long distance comfort. Here the Emeya excels. With its air suspension and a drag coefficient of only 0.21, journeys are absolutely serene especially in the Tour setting. Doing GT things, the Emeya feels a lot more at home and in its element. It’s a proper luxury car with all of the niceties you could wish for in the segment. That in itself is a massive achievement for Lotus.

In conclusion, the Emeya hits high notes in certain areas, especially where comfort, luxury and refinement are concerned. For the drivers, they would certainly be impressed with what the car can do, but I am not really sure if they would have fun doing it - it feels a tad clinical. But it really is a great start for Lotus and I am hopeful that as more advanced battery innovations come along, we can see weight coming down - edging closer to the original Lotus philosophy.

Photos by James Wong

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