Car Review -
Full Verdict
Lotus
Europa
Coupe
TARGET
PRICE: £33,895
PRICE: £33,895 |
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On
the road |
Ownership |
In
the cabin |
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ON THE
ROAD |
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Performance
Underneath those
slinky panels lies a
197bhp 2.0-litre
turbocharged engine
that drives through
a six-speed gearbox.
Give it full
throttle and you'll
bullet to 60mph in
just 5.6 secs and
keep going all the
way to 150mph. |
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Ride &
handling
The unassisted
steering is heavy at
low speeds but as
you up the ante the
car becomes
incredible agile,
with phenomenal grip
and minimal body
roll through
corners. So it's all
the more amazing
that it displays a
rides quality that
many a luxury car
manufacturer would
do well to emulate. |
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Refinement
The Vauxhall-sourced
engine is located
behind a glass
screen and has a
six-speed gearbox to
reduce revs the
engine which make it
a fair bit quieter
than the revvier
Toyota sourced
engine in the Elise.
However, plenty of
road and wind noise
still find their way
into the Europa's
cabin. |
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Ownership |
In
the cabin |
Back
to top |
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OWNERSHIP |
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Buying &
owning
You'll buy a Europa
with your heart not
your head but bear
in mind that for
this sort of money
you can buy some
pretty exotic metal
including an Audi TT
or a BMW Z4 Coupe.
Both are likely to
hang on to more of
their value than the
Europa. Fuel returns
of 30.4mpg are
encouraging, but
make the most of the
performance and
you'll need to fill
up every 100 miles.
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Quality &
reliability
Although the
Europa's interior is
decked out in
leather some of the
stitching meanders
around the cabin in
almost comical
fashion, while much
of the trim and
seals have a
fit-where-they-touch
quality. To their
credit Lotus cars
are well engineered
with a sound
mechanical
reliability record. |
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Safety &
security
Other than an
immobiliser, the
Europa is seriously
lacking in security
kit. Anti-lock
brakes are standard
fit and there are
front airbags for
the driver and
passenger but
there's no side
airbags let alone
curtains. That said
the Europa's
extremely strong
chassis is built
with race crash
incidents in mind. |
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On
the road |
In
the cabin |
Back
to top |
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IN
THE CABIN |
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Behind
the wheel
Unlike the Elise and
Exige models you
don't have to be a
contortionist to get
in and out of the
Europa thanks to a
higher roofline and
a lower cut door
sill. Although
there's no steering
wheel adjustment the
driving position is
first rate. The low
ride height means
you sometimes feel a
bit vulnerable but
despite the small
windows all round
visibility is good. |
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Space &
practicality
You'll need to be on
very close terms
with your passenger,
as every time you
change gear you'll
bang elbows and
knees. Equally, when
cruising you rest
with one knee on the
gear stick and the
other on the doors
sill. There is a
boot that will
accommodate a
suitcase but your
golf clubs will need
to go on the
passenger seat. |
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Equipment
Carpets are Lotus'
idea of luxury but
at least the Europa
comes with more kit
than any other model
in the range.
Leather trim is
standard as is a
radio/CD player a
basic, albeit noisy
air-conditioning to
keep you cool and
sat-nav to keep you
from getting lost. |
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Club
Lotu
