Lotus Excel Reviews

According to the most recent monthly market bulletin, sales of soft-roaders are going off to an extraordinary extent, up by more than 40 per cent year-to-date in some categories in 2006.It would be pleasant to think the commercial success of vehicles designed to provide facility and comfort at the expense of any driverly satisfaction, indeed any sensation at all, was a temporary aberration.That we can't get enough of these cosseting, anodyne, soccer-mum mobiles marks us as self-obsessed, complacent and essentially disinterested in driving.We've had cause to expound on this grim fact of modern life more than once in the past week or so; as we came close to oblivion at the hands of yet another lane-barger automatically piloting the urban shopping vehicle.There might be some small excuse for an SUV owner (as opposed to 'driver') failing to see our low-slung and diminutive Lotus Elise S.But the bovine look on the dials of most we've been obliged to upbraid suggested they'd have been unaware of an Abrams tank.Wing mirrors, it increasingly appears, are considered useful primarily to assist reverse parking.If the greatest caveat to Lotus ownership in the automotive Sleepy Hollow of this metropolis is a very real danger of becoming a speed bump for an SUV, against that is the immense satisfaction of eschewing the prevailing decadence.A Lotus, especially the ultra-light entry-level Elise S, remains one of the most unadulterated, one of the purest, public road-going vehicles available. If you've the least sniff of petrol about you, you owe it to yourself to have a go at a Lotus at least once.Even if you're not so disposed, perhaps especially if you're not, then you ought to at least stick your head inside one. Then you'll see that it's possible to not only survive without the plethora of extraneous and distracting comforts with which most modern passenger vehicles are burdened, but to actually thrive in a way you've probably never considered.Not that Elise does without niceties. Unlike the hardcore Exige S, the rear-view mirror is made useful by there being a rear window you can see out of. There's also a stereo, twin Probax seats and even electric windows. It's just that there's no danger of mistaking the interior for a Mercedes-Benz SLK. Or even a Mazda MX-5. Unlike these, there's no push button to fold the roof away, it has to be manually disassembled and stowed. And, as with the most full-on Lotus, you lower yourself over a sill into what is a cockpit, not a cabin.The air of spartan functionality is relieved only by such inner door padding and dash materials that won't add to the weight. You need to be on good terms with your passenger who, if he or she is tall, will need to mind their knee and elbow so you can manipulate the gear stick freely.To look on it, the Elise is a desperately sweet little thing. Indeed, in the gleaming alloys shod in 16-inch Yokohama Advan Neon rubber at the front and 17s on the back, it's as cute as any number of buttons.If you're not beguiled by the Elise, you probably hate puppy dogs too. Turn the key, switch off the immobiliser and stab the start button and you'll notice that not only is there not much by way of sound deadening to mask the engine noise, but the engine is mid-mounted right behind your head. The impression forms that this is going to be a ride to make your normal daily conveyance seem like a Jason Recliner Rocker.The remarkable thing is that the engine chosen for this piece of relatively affordable exotica is actually derived from something so humble as Toyota's Celica. The 1.8-litre VVT unit delivers only 100kW/172Nm, but that is enough to get the Elise to 100km/h from standing in a Porsche Boxster S-beating 6.1 seconds. And the latter costs $140,000 ...This is what happens when extraneous items are discarded to achieve the lightest kerb weight of any car on Australian roads.At only 860kg the Elise is positively anorexic. Yet it's an almost benign daily proposition.For the rarefied nature of the beast in question, the combination of Eibach springs and Bilstein telescopic dampers is inspired.The Elise rides the worst the road can throw at it with, if not ease, then disciplined composure, without compromising those crucial Lotus values of intimate body control and utterly intuitive handling.The rigidly mounted rack and pinion steering is, of course, wonderfully unassisted and thus full of feedback.A 2.8 turns lock-to-lock, it's also instantly responsive and direct, so that when you're properly on the thing, changing direction seems to be a matter of osmosis. While maximum power, such as it is, occurs near top revs at 6200rpm, all the torque is at 4200rpm, making all the mid-range you need and even allowing for occasional use of fifth gear.There is no sixth gear, but you won't feel the want of it.To rev the Elise up past 5000rpm as the good Lord intended, though, is to reap a whirlwind of sharpened acceleration and shrieking exhaust note until the warning light flashes on just shy of redline.This surfeit of feel translates to the stop pedal which has just the right amount of retardation built in before the ABS threshold is breached. The Elise experience is visceral in a way that the cars we've chosen as ostensible 'rivals' have been plucked out of fairly thin air. Each are abundantly rewarding in their own ways, but none emulate the immediacy and rawness. Seldom has being so 'un-Australian' been so cool.If $70,000 seems steep, remember that you can also buy a hatch as well for getting the groceries and still have change from $100,000.

The GT inspired two-seater is aimed at providing Lotus customers with a spectacular sports car featuring higher levels of practicality and refinement compared with the sport-oriented Lotus Elise and Exige models. The new model has a larger boot and luggage compartment as well as a higher roofline and lower sills for easier access.Despite extra size and features the Europa S maintains Lotus's reputation for light weight, tipping the scales at just 995kg. The low kerb weight combines with a torquey 149kW, 263Nm 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine to give the Europa S a supercar-like power-to-weight ratio of 156kW/ tonne. The Europa sprints from 0-100km/h in just 5.5 seconds. Maximum speed is approximately 225 km/h (140 mph).Lotus has again employed advanced materials including its highly rigid extruded and bonded aluminium chassis, composite body panels and an advanced composite energy absorbing front crash structure.

Hired straight from graduating by Toyota's Calty Design Research studios near Los Angeles, Ian Cartabiano's path was laid out early. His mother was a sculptor, his father an industrial designer and the family were car nuts.He toyed with the idea of becoming a film director, but the cars won out when Toyota signed him on in 1997. So now Cartabiano drives a Toyota-engined Lotus Elise and a bunch of Toyota cars he helps design.Calty senior executive Erwin Lui says the design studio is a “conduit for American tastes and the American market”.Toyota's sales volume, and direct involvement, in the US auto industry has grown considerably since the mid-1990s. Toyota in Japan recognises the worldwide influence of the Californian culture.This is a young, diverse and faddish place with a huge appetite for the latest in style and technology. Equally, California has long been a car place, a hot-rodders' and imports paradise.Among Calty's recent design includes; the wild Toyota FJ Cruiser from 2006 creating a modern spin on the original Landcruiser, then there's the latest Tundra which is a full-sized American pickup and finally the 2007 Kluger known as Highlander in the US.For Cartabiano, the Kluger did not come easy. “It was one of the hardest projects I've been involved with,” he says.“The Highlander (Kluger) is our most mainstream SUV, it's like the Camry of SUVs.”So Cartabiano's early grille for instance the strong horizontal bars, which was abandoned and deemed a little too tough.“This car had to look strong and tough but also intelligent,” he says. “It had to have an intelligent silhouette and be proud of what it is. The previous Kluger had a kind of waddly look and the wheels looked like they had been sucked in.”The new philosophy for Toyota design, still being analysed and understood, is “vibrant clarity”. Automotive design has become more a marketing tool in recent years, manufacturers chasing individual expressions to define the “face” of each car family, he says.Cartabiano gave the Kluger a new wheel focus, a stronger face with more style muscle to the bonnet and more shoulder to the rear. There is the hint of flare over the mudguards and both 17-inch or 19-inch wheels fill out the guards.There is a more athletic look to this next Kluger, without disguising the cabin length and the fact that this is a seven-seater SUV.“There had to be a balance between form and function,” Cartabiano says.He is happy with the production version although, while understanding the need to tone it down, he does miss that original design for the Kluger grille. The end result is a more sophisticated style than the original wagon, inside and out.The new Toyota Kluger is smarter all round, with some similarities to its little brother the RAV4 and Hyundai's Santa Fe. 

When most people buy a car, they think of a simple equation; practicality plus enjoyment equals a good decision. They look for space, comfort, storage compartments and features that will make them feel like they're getting a better deal than the next car buyer. But with a Lotus that equation is thrown straight out the window, as we discovered with our trial in the entry-level model, the Elise S.There's little storage space, it's squishy inside and you'll pull nearly every single muscle in your legs, back and neck when getting in and out of the car. If you're over 50, you'll moan and groan when attempting this near impossible feat. Because the Lotus is everything but practical.With its insect-like looks, the Elise S has an aggressive “I mean business” stance. The sweeping front is complemented by the more muscular rear. And it's a real boys' toy, proof of which comes when hitting the road.On three different driving days, the Lotus attracted the “thumbs up” from three types of boys; a 10-year-old, a 20-year-old and a more mature — but still kid at heart — 40-year-old. But don't fret girls, it's also one we can have plenty of fun in.At $69,990, the Elise S is the more affordable Lotus. But our test car was more expensive with the $8000 Touring Plus option pack. This added features such as leather touches to the interior, gear knob, and handbrake lever gaiter, noise-insulation panelling in the cabin and soft-top.As well as the impractical size, there are a few other things that aren't strong selling points, including the extra muscle required in cornering because there is no power steering. And with very few smooth roads in Sydney, you'll feel every single pothole.Safety equipment such as ABS and driver and passenger airbags make you feel more comfortable about your easily disguised position on the road. But it's still rather daunting as it's easy for other drivers to miss you, especially the ubiquitous city SUVs.But despite these downfalls, after a week in the car there was still something quite humorous about it which managed to bring a smile to the face.Crawl inside and the cabin appears to be almost stripped bare. There is a CD system, but the engine is so loud you really have to crank up it to hear anything.The Touring-plus pack offers an upgraded Alpine stereo with iPod connection, cupholder and embroidered mats, but without the pack, the Elise S has minimal features.There's no storage space, not even a glovebox, and it has a tiny boot. There is even a lack of carpet on parts of the interior, which gives the Elise S the real racing feel by adding aluminium as decoration instead.By excluding features, as well as using an aluminium chassis with a lightweight steel rear subframe, the car weighs just 860kg. To put that into perspective, a Barina is 1120kg.The Elise S is one of the lightest cars in the world, the weight advantage providing better acceleration, handling and braking. This all equates to better performance for the little Lotus.Powering the Elise S is a 1.8-litre 100kW Toyota engine which may sound small in print, but takes into account it's a car that looks somewhat like a go-kart and weighs a lot less than your average runabout.It races to 100km/h in just 6.1 seconds, which also feels faster than it might sound.In terms of performance, the Elise S produces 100kW at 6200rpm, although it's hard to push the revs to the top end of the tacho, as it urges you to shift up a gear earlier. In terms of torque, the Elise S produces 172Nm at 4200rpm.Performance is delivered through a lightweight five-speed manual transmission, which sounds rather clunky as you shift your way through the gears.But all the downsides are quickly forgotten when you let it off the leash.Throw it into a corner and the Elise S handles well, gripping tightly as you cling to the small racing-like steering wheel.Slipping into topless mode is an effort. Unlike other sports cars, this requires manual exertion to remove the soft-top.Getting it off was easy, but putting it back on took close to 15 minutes and drew a crowd.And while the car inspires lots of smiling, that disappeared when it wouldn't start, especially when one of the places it decided to stop was on an incline in a car park.A Lotus technician later said it could have been because the accelerator was pressed too early — you're suppose to wait 10 seconds between turning the engine on and accelerating, to let the car settle. The catalytic converter apparently needs the time to warm to operating temperature to comply with emission law requirements.An instruction on that quirk would have come in handy a lot earlier.The Elise S is fun, but hardly your average car. Having it as your daily driver could send you crazy and put your body into spasms.But if you have the money, it's the type of car you can take to the track a couple of times a month, show off in traffic occasionally or go for a longer cruise.Because there's no doubting the fun and attractive elements of the Lotus Elise S.

Not only does it go like a bat out of hell, but a Lotus of any kind commands attention like few other cars on the road. And the rarely sighted Exige is no exception.CARSguide recently took possession of the S version, and it didn't take long to discover there's no sneaking about unnoticed in this machine.A stop at the lights in George St saw tourists whip out their mobile-phone cameras for a quick snap. And filling up at the service station inevitably involved a “Lotus” conversation.The S, which is about a second quicker than the “normal” model, hits 100km/h from a standing start in just 4.2 seconds. And you feel every bit of the ride.The near $115,000 asking price is just one of the costs of driving a car such as the Exige.Because this car is designed for racing (and, in the case of Lotus, that's not just a marketing line), it has been stripped of almost every possible creature comfort.It has no rear vision whatsoever. It's loud, hard, rough, impossibly difficult to get in and out of, and is one of the most uncomfortable cars we've ever driven.It's also a hell of a lot of fun and, for a road car, one of the most thrilling driving experiences one could hope for.You sit so low to the ground it feels as though your backside will hit the road each time you go over a bump.Even a Holden Barina towers over you when you pull up to the lights. In fact, with doors open, it's not too much of a stretch to touch the tarmac from the driving position.And you notice every bump, with the worst of them coming close to taking the wind out of both driver and passenger.Really, it's a car that is best suited to smooth roads, which can be rather hard to find in NSW.Although stripped of most comforts, the Exige still comes with a reasonable safety package, including driver and passenger airbags, ABS braking and a traction-control program (which, naturally, can be deactivated at the touch of a button should the driver be in a brave frame of mind).Despite these safety features, the Exige feels very unsafe. Not only are you nearly completely blind to what's happening behind you, it feels as though nobody else can see you, either.And for those in larger 4WDs and SUVs, that's probably an accurate assessment. They simply would not know you were there unless they made a meaningful effort to look down.So defensive driving is the order of the day in a Lotus.For everyday use, the lack of comfort and the lack of sight make for a pretty demanding car and, in some cases, a downright stressful experience.Get into some tight corners, on the other hand, and the Exige is as involving a drive as money can buy.The small, 1.8 litre, four-cylinder supercharged (the normal Exige is atmo) Toyota engine sits just behind your head. So when you put your foot to the floor, you can barely hear yourself think. You can also feel the heat rising from the back once the engine really starts to spin.The (unassisted) steering is razor-sharp, throttle response is instant, and handling is, as you'd expect, superb from the grippy, semi-slick tyres.The trick to getting the rather small Toyota engine to propel the Lotus so quickly lies in the overall weight of the car or, indeed, lack of weight.You see, the Exige is one of the lightest cars on the road, at about 935kg. This gives it an enormous power-to-weight ratio and explains the tremendous acceleration and stopping power.The super-stiff chassis and very low centre of gravity, combined with the semi-slick tyres, are the reasons it holds on so well around corners.If you're thinking of parking an Exige in your garage, just make sure it's not your daily wheels. Over the week or so we had the car, we were well and truly sick of its harsh nature by day two or three.But it would be an absolute riot to drive on a track, or even for a Sunday spin up your favourite country road.Forget the Lotus for everyday use — unless of course you're willing to suffer for performance, and you have a very good relationship with a chiropractor. Fast factsLotus Exige SOn sale: NowPrice: $114,990Body: Two-door sports coupeEngine: Supercharged 1.8 litre four-cylinder, 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i, 162kw/215NmTransmission: Six-speed manualFuel: Between 7 and 9 litres per 100kmSafety: Driver and passenger airbags, traction control and ABS

Weighing 670kg (dry weight) the 2-Eleven pictured right is the ultimate expression of Lotus founder Colin Chapman's philosophy of performance through light weight.Giving the 2-Eleven its track-rocket performance is a supercharged and intercooled 1.8-litre engine, which puts out a maximum 188kW at peak revs of 8000rpm.Maximum torque of 242Nm arrives at 1000rpm lower with most of it on tap from just above idle.The 2-Eleven boasts a power to weight ratio similar to that of a 1960s Formula One car.“The Lotus 2-Eleven takes our core brand values to the extreme . . . not only phenomenally quick but also very user-friendly,” says Mike Kimberley of Lotus.The 2-Eleven will be built at Lotus HQ in Hethel, Norfolk, and finished in dedicated Lotus Sport workshops with each car given an individually numbered build plate.While a road-going version of the car will be available in the UK, Australian enthusiasts will be restricted to track fun in their $127,500 outlay, although they will get some extra performance goodies such as an enhanced aerodynamics package including high-downforce, single-plane, carbon-fibre rear wing, high-downforce front splitter, brake lights and and FIA approved driver's seat.

You've got to be kidding I thought as the low riding coupe crunched its way over yet another irregularity in the road surface.The only thing soft about this car is the extra 5.5cm it concedes top and bottom of the doors that allows big boofheads like myself to squeeze in and out more easily.Nah, soft is certainly not the term I'd apply to this road going rocket.Softly, softly perhaps . . . because that's the approach newcomers need to adopt when slotting behind the wheel for the first time.It's a whole new world down there and unfortunately Lotus probably doesn't command the respect it deserves from other drivers.Yes, it turns heads and, yes, the Lotus badge is recognised for its British racing heritage, but beyond that the average driver has little or no respect for the car's capabilities.Priced from $109,900, like the rest of the Lotus family, the Europa S sits small, compact and extremely low to the road, with limited vision to the rear and sides.It's easy to feel vulnerable down there, even a little claustrophobic and the first steps are normally tentative ones.After you get the hang of it, however, it's simply a case of hanging on tight to the tiny non-power assisted wheel as the turbocharged tyro punches from corner to corner, with the ease of a slot car.Lotus freely admits the GM-powered Europa was designed principally as a road car (not for the track like other models) .In fact, it boasts the highest level of equipment of any modern day Lotus.But it makes no apology for the exceptional ride and handling which is still the principal insipiration behind the company's design philosphy.In fact, it claims none of its perceived competitors come anywhere near the car in terms of handling, boasts Lotus boss John Stretton.That includes Porsche's Cayman, Cayman S and the BMW Z4 M.Europa S is powered by a 2.0-litre 147kW GM engine, the same engine in fact that powers Holden's turbocharged Astra.But unlike the Toyota engine that powers the Lotus Exige that we drove recently, the GM engine retains its original engine management system.Lotus opted for the GM unit because its higher torque output was better suited to the Europa, but it reveals that retaining the system was part of the deal.Having said that, the 147kW engine is not limited in anyway which gives it a less linear torque curve.With 147kW of power and 272Nm of torque on tap, the 995kg Europa can sprint from 0-100km/h in just 5.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 230km/h.Modest figures perhaps, but there's nothing dull or boring about the way it drives or responds to the throttle.Bridgestone tyres are fitted which don't provide quite as much grip but they deliver a quieter more refined ride.Fuel economy meanwhile is rated at 9.3 litres/100km.Although the Europa S will appeal mainly to men, Lotus recognises the importance women play in the purchase process.Amd with Europa's concessions to comfort, it is hoping to kick a few more goals in this department.The original Europa (I remember one of my teachers having one) was built between 1966 and 1974, with early models powered by a Renault engine.

Members of the P1 performance club get the pick of some of the world's hottest and most expensive supercars, including brands such as Ferrari, Aston Martin and Lamborghini. P1 Australia director Peter Dempsey says the club has 12 cars and plans to add one new car for every extra five members."With our collection they can take any car out that suits them," he says. The cars are divided into five categories, the top one featuring the most expensive cars, such as a Ferrari F430 Spider and soon a Scaglietti, an Aston Martin DB9 Volante and Vanquish and a Lamborghini Murcielago.Other cars in the mix include a Bentley Continental GT, a Ferrari F430, Aston Martin V8 Vantage and various Porsches. The lower categories might not be quite as impressive, but they'll still turn heads. A BMW M5 and Z4 M Coupe, a Range Rover Sport and a Lotus Exige S2, add to the list.Dempsey says a Hummer H2 will be next to arrive, dressed with a leather package. He is also expecting the arrival of the Audi R8. But getting to drive your dream cars doesn't come cheap."There's a joining fee of $5000 and then there are three different levels of membership, $27,000, $32,000 or $36,500," Dempsey says.Top-end members have a possible 70 driving days a year, with the cheaper membership offering 50 days a year.The company originated in England six years ago, and was co-founded by former Formula One world champion Damon Hill.After two months of operation, the Sydney branch has 50 members. "In Sydney, we cap it at 150 members," Dempsey says. "That's a reflection of the sizeof commercial property that is available to store the cars."The founding British club has 74 cars, including a Ford GT and an Aerial Atom. But Dempsey says they haven't been able to bring these models, as the Atom isn't road legal in Australia and customs won't allow the GT in as it is a left-hand drive. "(But) we're the only ones doing it with the supercars, brand new cars," he says.And it seems that it's not just the usual suspects, the wealthy bankers, lawyers and financiers, who are getting on board.Dempsey says members come from all walks of life and include a greengrocer and a professional golfer. Doctors, dentists, solicitors and barristers are also taking up the chance to get behind the wheel of some amazing cars.The youngest member is a 22-year-old refrigeration engineer from western Sydney.The club takes care of all insurance, maintenance and storage fees and Dempsey says one of the main benefits is that members don't have to worry about huge depreciation on the vehicles."With high taxation, people understand that they're better off putting half a million dollars in an investment and getting to play the field (with) the cars," he says.And while the majority of those taking up the membership are male, Dempsey says women are also driving them as a memberships include two names as drivers."Often guys show the interest and then bring their wives on board as the second name driver," he says.The cars can be taken out for as little as a day, or it can run into months -- depending on members' wants and needs.Dempsey says the weather often forecasts what vehicles will be popular, with the convertibles a hit on the sunny weekends.A second British branch of the club opened in 2004 in Manchester.The Australian section will expand in March, when a Melbourne club is opened, with Formula One driver Mark Weber in attendance again. And Dempsey says that P1 International is also looking towards expanding into Dubai and Hong Kong.

Michael Schumacher retired with seven world championships, but 007 is up to 21 movies — with six different macho men in the role — and still going hard.During the past quarter-century and in 21 official films, Bond has been the target of more bad guys on wheels than anyone else in cinema history, yet he has always managed to escape without a scratch.And he has often pulled a nifty U-turn on the opposition with some sort of car trickery, from concealed machine guns on a 1960s Aston Martin to an '80s Lotus Esprit that morphed into a submarine — and even a remote-controlled BMW 7 Series in the '90s.Now he's back for the noughties, and doing it again in the remake of Casino Royale, which opened in cinemas just before Christmas. And he's back in an Aston Martin, just like the early days.The hype for the new 007 movie got me thinking not only about Bond's wheelwork in the latest British supercar, but also the dream car of my childhood: a scale model of the Aston Martin DB5 Bond drove in the 1960s.It came with all the Bond gear — revolving number plates, concealed machine guns, tyre-slashers, a bulletproof rear shield and even an ejector seat.In 1965, Corgi released its scale model of the gadget-laden DB5, and by 1968 nearly four million copies had been sold.It remains Corgi's best-known model, and I couldn't afford it.The release of the 21st-century Casino Royale has triggered a lot of talk about 007 and cars and movies.The model-making machine is already rolling again, with scaled-down copies of the DBS and even re-done — but de-gadgeted — replicas of the original DB5. And this time, there was a tiny Aston in my Christmas stocking.It's worth looking at what Bond cameos have done for car companies.BMW experienced plenty of benefit when it signed a multi-movie deal that began with its baby Z3 convertible. The world saw the car first when it was driven on the big screen by Bond. That deal continued with the Z8 convertible and the controversially styled 7, and even a BMW motorcycle.But then Britain bounced back for the last of Pierce Brosnan's appearances as Bond, when he slid back into an Aston and the baddies strapped into a rocket-equipped Jaguar.This time around, Agent 007 is driving a gorgeous new DBS, and there's even a special appearance by an original DB5.A poll has been conducted for the television series Top Gear on the most popular car chase in Bond movie history. And the winner is ... no, not the Aston. Not a Jaguar, nor the Lotus, nor even one of the BMWs.First choice was a crazy little Citroen 2CV that suffered all sorts of punishment — including being cut in half — when it was driven by Roger Moore in the 1981 film For Your Eyes Only. The four-wheeled co-stars:Dr No (1962): Sunbeam Alpine, Chevrolet Bel AirconvertibleFrom Russia With Love (1963): Bentley Mark IVGoldfinger (1964): Aston Martin DB5, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes 190SL, Lincoln Continental, Ford Mustang convertible, Rolls-Royce Phantom IIIThunderball (1965): Aston Martin DB5, Ford Mustang convertible, BSA Lightning motorcycle, gyrocopter1967 You Only Live Twice: Toyota 2000 GT, BMW CSOn Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969): Aston Martin DBS, Mercury Cougar, Bentley S2 Continental, Rolls-Royce CornicheDiamonds Are Forever (1971): Ford Mustang Mach 1, Triumph Stag, moon buggyLive And Let Die (1973): double-decker London bus, Chevrolet Impala convertible, MiniMokeThe Man With The Golden Gun (1974): AMC Hornet and Matador, Rolls-Royce Silver ShadowThe Spy Who Loved Me (1977): Lotus Esprit, Wetbike concept, Ford Cortina Ghia, Mini MokeMoonraker (1979): Bentley Mark IV, Rolls-Royce SilverWraithFor Your Eyes Only (1981): Citroen 2CV, Lotus Esprit Turbo, Rolls-Royce Silver WraithOctopussy (1983): Mercedes-Benz 250 SE, BMW 5 Series, Alfa Romeo GTVA View To A Kill (1985): Renault taxi, Ford LTD, Rolls-Royce Silver Cloud II, Chevrolet Corvette C4The Living Daylights (1987): Aston Martin DBS and V8 Vantage, Audi 200 QuattroLicence To Kill (1989): Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow, Kenworth petrol tankerGoldenEye (1995): BMW Z3, Aston Martin DB5, Russian tank, Ferrari 355Tomorrow Never Dies (1997): Aston Martin DB5, BMW 750iL, BMW R1200C motorcycleThe World Is Not Enough (1999): BMW Z8, Rolls-Royce Silver ShadowDie Another Day (2002): Aston Martin Vanquish, Jaguar XKR, Ford Thunderbird convertibleCasino Royale (2006): Aston Martin DBS and DB5, Jaguar E-type roadster, Fiat Panda 4x4, Ford Transit, Ford Mondeo

With its hardcore sportscar focus, the company's products are sometimes seen as too impractical for everyday use — too challenging just to get in and out, with little space for luggage and spartan comfort levels. They are weekend toys to take to a track.It's all true. There isn't a more awkward car to enter than a Lotus Exige, and once there, it's noisy and cramped. The ride is crashy and cargo space negligible. Features that would be standard elsewhere are options or unavailable. So whippet-like is the Exige, it makes even other sportscars look like Saint Bernards.However, what's surprising about this is not that few people go for this approach, but that more people do not. Lotus offers something unique among sportscars and all the attributes that are recited as drawbacks are exactly what appeals to us.We discovered this over a week with an Exige S, when our initial doubts about its suitability as daily transport were quickly overtaken by a delight in its raw, connected driving experience.The Exige S puts a supercharged version of a 1.8-litre four-cylinder Toyota engine within the existing Exige body shape, which is shared with the Elise.The loan car lifted the $114,990 starting price to $136,000 by fitting all three option packs. The Touring pack adds front airbags, some leather trim and carpets, while the two Sports packs add racing seats, traction control and roll hoops, plus lightweight alloys and adjustable dampers and front anti-roll bar.The Exige is tiny — at 3.8m long it's only a few centimetres longer than a Toyota Yaris — and very, very low at 1.16m, but with a dramatic shape that means it stands out like a true exotic should.From the driver's seat, the gawps of other road users are not always obvious because you are viewing the world from axle height. The wide sill, over which you must carefully step to get in, effectively becomes an armrest.The racing seats were a good fit, which was just as well because the only concession to varying driver size is fore-aft slide. A tiny Momo steering wheel, simple controls and plenty of bare metal give the cabin its special race car ambience. Only the garish and fiddly stereo strikes the wrong note.There is some luggage capacity behind the engine bay, in an awkwardly shaped 112-litre recess that is unconvincingly lined and has wires intruding. Two soft weekend bags would be your lot.The most obvious difference between this car and a standard Exige is the supercharger plumbing, which sucks in air from a vent in the roof and completely obscures the rear window. It takes a while to retune our normal reflexes in favour of the widely placed wing mirrors. They do the job, but reversing isn't easy.The basis for the engine in this car has already appeared in the Elise 111R, although supercharging changes it completely. It's a high-tech unit with trick valve timing and an electronic throttle, although it takes a little while to warm up.Even then, it can be rough and uneven at idle with occasional rev surges. It sounds raucous and a little highly strung, perhaps, but rasps and rips compellingly through its rev range, with peak power of 162.5kW at 7800rpm and the ability to reach 8500rpm in two-second bursts. The higher it revs the sweeter it gets, if a crazed bandsaw can be described as sweet. Peak torque of 215Nm also arrives high at 5500rpm, although there's enough above 2000rpm to make it surprisingly driveable at commuting speeds in high gears.Lotus is famous for achieving performance with small engines by keeping weight down, but this engine takes the Exige into another league. Flat out it will reach 100km/h in 4.3 seconds — as quick or quicker than supercars costing two or three times as much and boasting at least two more cylinders. With only four pistons, the Exige sips premium like a hatchback, averaging 9.1 litres per 100km.The Exige loses out only on top speed, which for a car this quick off the mark is a relatively modest 238km/h. This is despite obvious attention to aerodynamics with a front splitter, rear diffuser, flat underbody and prominent fixed wing. Oddly, the drag coefficient is a remarkably high 0.434.Lotus's aluminium skeleton can take much of the credit for keeping weight low — even fully optioned the Exige tips the scales at just 949kg. Nearly two-thirds of that sits over the rear axle, getting power to the ground with authority through 17-inch alloys and street-legal competition tyres.With 16-inch wheels at the front, this car delivers superb grip with cornering speeds limited largely by driver nerve.The Exige stays very flat and thumps its wheels down into any road irregularities, giving rise to — unwarranted — concern about the hardiness of the alloys.Encounter a big pothole through a fast corner and it can even throw the front wheels off line.However, the unassisted steering is so direct and precise the driver is never in doubt about what the road is like and how much to turn the wheel.It has drawbacks, such as heaviness when parking or a slight tendency to tramline, but they are a price we willingly pay.An unmediated connection with the car runs through all the Exige controls, with great brake, throttle and clutch weight from perfectly placed pedals. The gearshift can be a little sticky when cold, but has a no-nonsense mechanical character that makes it a delight to use.Lotus announced production cutbacks recently but also an intention to produce three new models between now and the end of 2009. These include a new flagship Esprit, a new mid-range car and a Lotus-Proton high-performance model.Meanwhile, the new Europa, which features a different body on the same platform as the Exige/Elise but with more equipment and greater claims to comfort, appeared at the Sydney motor show.One danger in a bigger model line-up is departing from core Lotus values, but if the Exige S is anything to go by, we doubt that will happen.The real challenge for Lotus will be to meet heightened safety expectations — with additional airbags, for example - without adding a lot of weight to its newer models.Meanwhile, as most cars get increasingly complex and impose a suite of software between driver and road, there is no disguising the bareback nature of a Lotus.As the company makes more models, then more people might rediscover the excitement of being behind the wheel.