2008 model year Lotus Exige S - First Drive

[Rory Phoulorie]

We travel to Norfolk to test the new Performance Pack, interior tweaks and new Touring and Sport packs fitted to the 2008 model year Exige S.

Model year changes don�t usually demand too much attention from the motoring press and, generally speaking, it�s for good reason. I remember getting �news� from a German manufacturer that for 2007, the traction control toggle switch on their flagship coupe would be marked �DSC Off�, rather than �DSC� � model year changes, despite America�s obsession with them, are fiddles: its moving a single sugar sprinkle on an enormous banana split because you suspect the whole thing might look better if that one tiny component is one millimetre to the right.

However, when Lotus phone to tell you they�ve been tinkering with the Exige S, it�s hard not to pay attention. It�s already an astonishing car, so what could the guys at Hethel possibly want to change (except the brakes)? Are they fiddling? Or have they genuinely found some areas that need improving? I must confess that it was the power upgrade, new brakes and new traction and launch control system of the Performance Pack that really took my interest, but having spent some time with it, it was the little tweaks that stuck in my mind even more than the new electronics and extra ponies.

The experience of the new car starts before you even catch sight of the enormous new �GT� roof scoop and massive AP discs, with the new Lotus key. The old one looked like something you might use to open a padlock and was attached to an alarm fob that felt cheap at best, but this is bespoke � it looks classy and feels much more like something that will unlock a �35,000 sports car � it�s even got a Lotus roundel that you press to lock the car! If you needed proof that Lotus is tooling up for a new Esprit, this is surely it.

Folding yourself in through the tiny door aperture is much the same experience, but you�re greeted with some rather pleasing tweaks once you�re installed in the still surprisingly comfortable, but still not sufficiently supportive ProBax seats. The addition of rubber matting to the, er... �glove shelf� (or tinket tray as Lotus call it), stops your mobile and house keys from sliding around, and a proper iPod connection means that you don�t have to worry about storing your CDs in the fairly limited cubby-hole spaces. The plastic on the dash is much higher quality and the airbagged steering wheel looks good and feels great.

The biggest change to the interior however, is the dashboard: the new dials look a lot more expensive and all the warning symbols are completely invisible until they are illuminated, giving the dash a cool monolithic, futuristic feel. The new digital display is clearer, classier and a better colour � red on black � and will feature scrollable functions including speed in km/h (or mph according to the country the car is sold in) a clock and engine parameters. The face itself is finished in a kind of pumice colour and the rev counter is embedded with intelligent progressive shift lights. These are more useful than they sound � the �S� demolishes the last thousand or so revs with such ferocity that with the old single shift light it was still easy to miss your shift point and clatter into the rev limiter � the fact that the light was small and red-on-white didn�t help either. The new red-on-black design makes the series of three LEDs clearer and, according to the gear you�re in, will start to warn you of the impending peak power point sooner � slower in first, faster in fifth. It�s subtle, but it works and they�re now far more noticeable to your lower peripheral vision.

Trundling out of the Lotus facility I�m surprised by the improved clutch pedal feel brought by the uprated clutch plates and damper � it�s a more positive engagement and feels stronger than before, but the real treat in the footwell is one pedal to the right.

The Lotus braking system has come in for criticism in recent years, thanks mostly to a frustrating dead spot at the top of the travel. Apparently this was caused by the way the system had been developed - the old unservoed, non ABS system had a servo added in to the system then ABS was added to that. With the new AP set up, everything from the pedal to the disc has been redesigned specifically for the new 2008 braking system � and it shows. Pedal feel is better but, more importantly, the action is far more positive, with the pedal coming to a satisfyingly mechanical stop as the pads bite as hard as they can on the 308mm drilled and ventilated discs. The system now feels stiff, composed, sharp and sure-footed; rather than effective but slightly ponderous. The ABS is still magnificent and the stopping power itself is even greater than before.

Moving across the pedal box again, you�ll find an extra 20bhp underneath your right foot, along with a re-profiled torque curve. 20bhp doesn�t sound like a great deal, but it�s important to remember that a 20bhp power boost in an Exige amounts to a 20bhp per tonne boost, so the difference is much more easily felt. Even so, the added tractability through the mid-range and improved in-gear punch really makes a more noticeable difference to the driveability � the Exige S was never what you would call �peaky�, but it now tows higher gears in an even more convincing fashion.

Helping you put this new power on the road is the variable traction control system developed for the 2-Eleven track car, which adds varying degrees of intervention between the �on� and �off� settings of the old car. Controlled by a dial on the side of the steering column, the system allows you to dial the traction control in according to the prevailing weather, track surface and, presumably, the kind of tyres you�re using at the time, and it is very effective. The intervention is pleasingly progressive, allowing you to take action before the electronics take over completely � coming out of the very slow hairpin on the Lotus test track (see main pic) you can feel the power being cut almost before it affects the attitude of the slide giving plenty of time to make an adjustment before progress was slowed too dramatically.

Also lifted from the 2-Eleven is the Launch Control system. Simply floor the throttle with the electronics turned on until the rev counter sweeps across the dial; use the TC adjuster knob to tell the car how many revs you want for the start (4,500rpm in the wet); switch on the motor and with the clutch depressed and the car in gear, floor the throttle. The revs climb to the pre-determined limit then you simply side-step the clutch and tear off the line. Although you could do this manually, the electronic system does mean that you get the same start over and over again � perfect for hillclimbs or sprints.

Truly magnificent cars are always greater than the sum of their parts, and the difference the series of minor tweaks that Lotus has made proves how good the guys at Hethel are at putting the right bits in the right places. Quite simply they have made the Exige a better car in every way. It�s nicer to drive thanks to the new clutch, braking system and remapped engine; it�s a more pleasant place to sit thanks to the new dash, dials and steering wheel and, with the addition of an airbag, it�s safer too. It�s even a bit easier to buy thanks to a simplification of the options menu (see below) and they�ve done all this without taking anything away from the car�s hardcore character � it�s got a nicer suit, but it hasn�t forgotten how to knock you out.

Now, if only I could convince them to give me a long term tester...


Revised options packages:

Lotus has done away with the old �Touring�, �Super Touring�, �Sport� and �Super Sport� packages of the �old� car and replaced them with �Touring� and �Sport�. Essentially they�ve taken the most popular bits off all four packages and condensed them into two sets of improvements and added the Performance Pack to the price list. They�ve also dropped the price of air-con by �300 to �1,000 and you can buy Bilstein adjustable dampers for another �1,000.

Performance Pack (�3,000):

308mm AP Racing front discs and calipers
Uprated front and rear pads
Variable Traction Control
Launch Control
Full-length Lotus roof scoop
Uprated clutch
Remapped engine with 20bhp more power and re-profiled torque curve

Sports Pack (�1,500):

Lotus Traction control
BS4 T45 steel main hoop and struts
Cross bar with harness mounts
Twin oil coolers (standard for Exige S)
ProBax seats
Adjustable anti-roll bar

Touring Pack (�2,000):

Full leather or microfiber interior
Noise insulation kit
Full carpets
iPod connection
Auxiliary driving lights
Trinket tray divider (formerly Super Touring)
Handbrake gaiter (formerly Super Touring)
Embroidered floor mat (formerly Super Touring)
Cup holder (formerly Super Touring)
Leather trimmed centre console (formerly Super Touring)

Standalones:

Air-con: �1,000 (previously �1,295)
LSD: �1,000 (previously �995)
Traction Control: �300 (previously �395)
Super light wheels: �1,000 (including Yokohama AO48 tyres)
Bilstein adjustable suspension: �1,000


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