The Lotuses of our youth were hardly the lean, lithe, purpose-built sports cars of Colin Chapman’s imagination. Turbo Esprits and front-drive Elans were the often misunderstood and unloved exotics in an era of Countaches, Testarossas and slant-nose 911s. The Elise, and eventually the Exige, helped pull Lotus out of the gold-chain club and started putting real sports cars back in the hands of genuine track drivers. Now the company is preparing to launch an all-new model to boost its standing and appeal to a different type of buyer. With four seats, a Camry V6 and a fully trimmed interior, we have to ask: Will the Evora become the new Esprit?

Lotus ensures us the Evora is 100-percent Lotus – in its 21st Century vernacular. We first saw the car in the metal at Concorso Italiano last August, and it certainly looked promising; but to find out for ourselves, we logged a little seat time in a European-spec model in advance of its North American launch at the end of the first quarter.

At first glance, the Evora is immediately identifiable as a Lotus (though it could also be mistaken for a Tesla Roadster), with its low hood and distinctly mid-engine silhouette. There’s a strong family resemblance, but it’s undoubtedly not from the same mold as other Lotus models. Its wheelbase is 10.9 inches longer than either the Elise or Exige, and its overall length is similarly grander by 21.4 inches (versus an Exige—the Elise is 0.5 inches shorter still.) Width is a dead match at 72.8 inches. The more generous dimensions allow the Evora not only a back seat, but also a much more habitable cabin for those who occupy the front.

Creating a more comfortable environment for daily driving and long trips (grand touring, if you prefer) was a key goal for the Evora development team. The minimalist workspace of the Elise and Exige – bare aluminum floors, no air conditioning and small aftermarket radios as options, basic shell seats – might be great for the occasional track day or canyon blast, but is hardly conducive to more sociable excursions. The wider cockpit gives a little more stretch-out space, while the front seats offer real-world padding and adjustability. The leather-trimmed dashboard lends a much more finished look to the interior, and there’s actually carpet and padding on the floor to absorb sound. There’s even ambient lighting, a proper HVAC unit and a radio. A fixed roof adds to the air of completeness. While it may lack the sophisticated trimmings of other high-end sports cars, the Evora’s interior stays true to its purpose by offering a degree of refinement but without getting buried in luxury add-ons.

The back seats are a major differentiator for the Evora, but to be honest, they’re more of a gesture than a solution. A couple of kids or very petite adults could squeeze back there for a short ride; we predict more overnight bags than butts will do time on the glorified parcel shelf, and you can even order a fully-trimmed parcel shelf in place of the rear seats to avoid such pretense. Access to the rear is predictably tight anyway. Legroom will be virtually nil when a pair of six-footers is seated in front, and the sleek roofline practically dictates the folding of rear passengers. Nevertheless, the rear seats give the Evora some added flexibility in a pinch, and put it in the same league as the Porsche 911.

Power for the Evora comes from a 3.5-liter V6 sourced from Toyota (yes, it’s the Camry engine), but tuned by Lotus. All of the internals remain intact; Lotus doesn’t mess with the hard bits, as they’ve proven themselves more than reliable for the task at hand. In fact, we understand the same engine has been tested at much higher output levels than the Evora’s 280 horsepower (it’s not inconceivable that a supercharged version may someday emerge), and the stock Toyota guts are still up to the job. With modified variable valve timing and Lotus exhaust tuning, the all-aluminum mill revs freely and responds obediently to the driver’s commands. Torque peaks at 287 lb-ft at 4700 rpm, with a healthy dose of it available in the mid-range. The goal was flexibility, and Lotus hit its target dead-on; the Evora is just as content to lug in suburban rush-hour traffic without throwing a tantrum as it is to wind up to its 6600-rpm redline (7000 with the optional sport package) for every shift.

The throttle is a musical instrument played with your foot. It sounds nothing like a Camry. A mid-throttle prod produces a raspy growl, and the sound from inside the car is not unlike that of a water-cooled Porsche flat six. Full-throttle stabs result in a slightly muffled Banshee wail, especially from 4000 rpm up. Our test specimen was sporting a Euro-spec exhaust, which hushes the commotion a bit more in the lower half of the tach; we’re told the American-spec exhaust will exhibit a bit more aggressive aural character in the first half of the sweep, even though output is identical to the Euro version.

The Toyota engine mates perfectly to – what else – a Toyota gearbox. A six-speed manual is standard, and there will also be a close-ratio option for more serious track use. Working the gearbox is simple and rewarding, with fairly short throws and decent feedback through the linkage. Power is fed only to the rear wheels, and traction is doled out through a combination of electronic differential locking and electronic stability control. Adrenaline junkies will be glad to know that the stability control can be completely – completely! – disabled at the driver’s request. Without the benefit (or the extra weight) of all-wheel-drive, the 3000-pound Evora can get to 60 mph from a dead stop in five seconds, and scoot to a top speed of more than 160 mph with the taller gearing.

Underpinning all of this is a typical Lotus chassis: A rigid structure of bonded and riveted aluminum extrusions and sheetmetal panels. An aluminum subframe anchors the front suspension, which consists of a pair of forged aluminum wishbones, specially valved Bilstein shocks and Eibach springs. A rear subframe is crafted of lightweight steel, to which a similar rear suspension is bolted. Combined with 18-inch front and 19-inch rear wheels wearing Lotus-spec Yokohamas, the Evora possesses a unique balance of handling capability and ride quality that will simply confound other sports car makers. Small surface imperfections are absorbed as if they weren’t there, and yet the Evora can still take a firm set when a hard corner is thrown its way. Steering is lightly assisted and delivers a classic Lotus feel that communicates perfectly what’s happening at the road and responds instantly and precisely to whatever the driver commands via the small, flat-bottomed steering wheel.

The braking package is equally impressive, with 350 mm front discs and 332 mm rear discs – all of them vented – being squeezed by AP Racing four-piston calipers developed specifically for the Evora. A Sport Package option upgrades the rotors to cross-drilled units for more serious duty. Pedal modulation and feedback are both ideal for serious driver without requiring the ridiculous effort of a genuine racecar. The ABS system is another special development, this time in cooperation with Bosch; it maximizes braking power to prevent ABS engagement until the last necessary moment for a more pure performance experience.

The Evora is a steep departure from the Elise and Exige in terms of comfort and everyday livability; certainly it will find a broader appeal than its track-hardened brethren. With a starting price of $73,500, it’s positioned well between the Porsche Cayman and 911 Carrera, and it has all the right stuff to be a genuine contender as a serious sports car.

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