2008 Lotus Exige Performance Review
Based on analysis of 33 Exige reviews and test drives.
Performance - What the Auto Press Says
Reviewers absolutely love driving the 2008 Lotus Exige and offer high praise for its speedy straight-line performance and lively handling. "On a perfectly wonderful winding road or road course, the Lotus Exige is perfectly wonderful," says AutoWeek. "In fact, it is just about the most perfectly wonderful thing we've ever tested."
Edmunds calls it "easily the most focused performance car on sale in the U.S" and says "the street-legal racecar experience won't get any better than this." The Exige's light 2,077-pound curb weight and aluminum chassis contribute to its jaw-dropping speed. "Ordinarily, we wouldn't even bring up slalom speeds when writing to prospective car buyers, but the 2007 Lotus Exige S is quite literally the fastest production car our road test editors have ever run through the 600-foot cone course," continues Edmunds. Automobile Magazine describes the Exige as "a handling masterpiece" and Car and Driver calls it "basically a two-seat formula race car, which shows in the precise feel of the steering and brakes."
Acceleration and Power
The 2008 Lotus Exige is equipped with a 1.8-liter four-cylinder supercharged engine. The mid-mounted powerplant makes 220 horsepower at 8,000 rpm and 165 pound-feet of torque at 5,500 rpm. According to Lotus, the Exige can accelerate from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 4.1 seconds and from 0 to 100 mph in 11 seconds. It has a top speed of 148 mph.
"Not only does it scoot the 2,077-pound hand-laid composite fiberglass bodied Lotus to highway speeds nearly as quick as an F430, but it makes such an adrenaline inducing exhaust note that it'll stand the follicles on the tops of your arms at attention as your skin tingles with goose bumps," says Automobile.com. Others, like Automobile Magazine, appreciate the available midrange response, noting the Exige makes "80 percent of its peak torque from just over 2000 rpm. It will still rev to 8500 rpm, and it retains enough of its intoxicating midrange power surge to make you want to keep the revs up."
Car and Driver says the Exige is "fast in anyone's book," but also notes that the Lotus fell slightly short of the Porsche 911 GT3 and Chevrolet Corvette Z06 in straight-line comparison tests. But even though it's not king in those tests, the Exige makes up for it with its speed through hairpin turns. AutoWeek reports that it's "the second-fastest car ever to go through our slalom. At 48.5 mph, the Lotus is topped only by a series of runs in a stock 2003 Dodge Viper SRT-10, which ran an even 49 mph. That means the Exige beats everything we've tested in the nimbleness and tossability category, including Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Evos, STIs and Porsches."
An unexpected bonus is the Exige's good fuel economy, no doubt due to its aerodynamic shape, light weight, and small engine. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the Exige nets 20 miles per gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway. Forbes says "the car delivers remarkably frugal fuel economy that tops virtually everything in its class."
The four-cylinder engine is paired with a six-speed close ratio manual transmission and single-plate dry clutch. However, test drivers don't like the gearbox quite as much as the other performance aspects. Car and Driver says the manual is decent, but "not the most precise six-speed." Both Kelley Blue Book and The Car Connection mention that the tranny takes practice to master because of its notchy linkage, with the former commenting that the payoff is "acceleration that puts the Exige S in borderline supercar territory." AutoWeek also lodges a complaint, saying the shifter a "didn't seem to respond well to anything other than fast-as-you-can downshifts with matched revs. Nothing I can't do, but it annoyed me when, from time to time, while driving along leisurely (I know, why was I doing that?) and going for a lower gear, the shifter would resist my command and feel as if it did not want to go into gear."
Handling and Braking
"Handling is the whole point of this car; everything else falls into a supporting role," says AutoWeek -- and most others agree. Sure, the Exige has excellent straight-line power, but as Edmunds notes, "power means little if you can't turn the thing, and this is where the Exige S earns its accolade (which we just now awarded) as the world's Most Accessible Supercar." Likewise, Kelley Blue Book lists the car's "amazing handling" as one of its favorite features, saying the "unique combination of light weight and precise handling makes the Exige S blisteringly quick and a world-class corner carver that's more than a match for even the twistiest backroad."
The 2,077-pound rear-wheel drive Exige has a lightweight chassis designed with epoxy bonded aluminum extrusions. It features a fully independent suspension with unequal length wishbones and a front anti-sway bar. Though the ride can't be considered smooth, it's ideal for the Exige's performance legacy. Car and Driver even notes that comfort "isn't at all bad, given the radical manner in which this thing will attack a racetrack."
The Exige's unassisted steering gets very good reviews. Car and Driver says it's "among the world's best in terms of feel, and feeds back nuances in the road you never knew existed." Edmunds adds that the Lotus "grips the ground as tenaciously as a lump of lint hooked on a field of Velcro. The steering is unassisted, but the Exige turns into corners so adroitly that it isn't missed." Kelley Blue Book explains that the car has only 37 percent of its 2,077 pounds on the front wheels, making the steering feel "intuitively connected through even the most demanding corner." Finally, the Los Angeles Times says the steering is "nervous on the road," but concedes that it's "perfect on the track: light, quick and laser accurate."
The racer's four-wheel ventilated/cross-drilled anti-lock disc brakes with Brembo calipers also receive strong reviews. Edmunds finds them "simply phenomenal" for providing "fade-free performance in nearly every situation." The Exige stops from 60 mph in 111 feet, according to AutoWeek -- a figure that's "right in there with Porsches, Vipers, Z06s and the rest of the best the automotive world has to offer." Automobile.com, however, points out that the Exige could benefit from larger brakes, especially for track performance: "These are superb on the road, but only a truly great driver, which I'm aspiring to become, will stay off them enough on the track to keep them amply cool."
Performance Options
Lotus offers several options to customize the Exige's driving experience. The available Track Pack adjusts the car's suspension and includes adjustable Bilstein shocks with threaded spring perches and remote front reservoirs, a five-way adjustable front anti-sway bar, and a safety harness mounting bar for the seat belts. The Car Connection recommends it for anyone "looking to maximize the thrills of their Exige," but notes, "For the average driver doing everyday maneuvers, even the base suspension ... is going to offer more than enough thrills." The Automobile Magazine warns that the Track Pack can take quite a toll on ride comfort, commenting that "an Amish horse-drawn carriage builder would complain about the ride quality."
An available torque-sensing limited slip differential can distribute power more evenly between the rear tires, thus allowing more acceleration out of low-speed corners. This option requires the addition of Lotus Traction Control, which modulates power through the engine control unit to reduce rear wheel spin. The Car Connection advises that "unless you're an autocrosser, avoid the limited-slip differential." Automobile.com says traction control "might be a good idea if you don't trust an overzealous nature behind the wheel, although it only monitors rear wheelspin so it's quite effective without ruining all of the fun and can be completely defeated on track days."