The New 2010 Lotus Elise: A Sports Car that Defies Expectations

As I take a closer look at the new 2010 base model Lotus Elise, I'm reminded of a car that can average 45 miles to the gallon and emits only 149 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide. At first glance, it's hard not to think of a super mini city car or perhaps a small diesel hatchback. However, this is no ordinary vehicle; it's a sports car that can accelerate from naught to 60 miles an hour in six seconds. Dead serious, indeed.

Now, let's take a look at the new 2010 base model Lotus Elise. There aren't many changes inside, and some minor aerodynamic tweaks have been added to the exterior. However, the big news is what's happening behind me – the old 1.8-litre base engine has been replaced with a 1.6-litre unit. This change is responsible for the impressive fuel economy of 45 miles per gallon.

So, what does this mean for the smaller engine? Well, it has the same amount of power as before – around 135 horsepower – but being smaller means you have to work a bit harder to get to it. When coming out of a second gear junction like this, you'll find that you need to put your foot down and wait a bit longer for the engine to pick up speed. However, once going, why not wind it up? It's pretty good, after all! The new six-speed gearbox has been designed to make working the engine easier, with the addition of a new gear ratio.

Although the new gearbox is an improvement over its predecessor, which had five gears, I have to admit that it still flops around a bit even when in gear. However, this is largely due to the inherent design of the system rather than any fault on the part of Lotus. The whole mechanism has been stiffened, and this has really improved the shift quality compared to before. It wasn't hard; it was pretty ropey – but now it's a whole different story.

The weight of the Elise is approximately 900 kilos, which makes it about as fast as you could want for everyday driving on the road. However, if you're looking to take it to the track, you might find that you need something with a bit more oomph. But let's be honest – on the road, you don't really need that much power for most people.

Now, when it comes to the ride and handling of the Elise, things have been left largely unchanged. I was speaking to the head of development earlier in my conversation, and he told me that they took this car back to its roots – spending just three or four weeks on development before ending up exactly where they started. And that's great news! The Elise still steers deliciously, rides smoothly, is agile, alert, and overall a fantastic sports car.

It's hard not to underestimate the importance of the Elise for Lotus. It's in its 15th year of production, and it accounts for a third of all Lotuses ever made. And I believe that this new model – particularly in its current form – is just as relevant and as good as it has ever been.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthink of a car that can average 45 miles to the gallon and emits only 149 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide you might think of a super mini a city car perhaps a small diesel hatchback anything in fact but a sports car that can also accelerate from naught to 60 miles an hour in six seconds dead but here we are in the new 2010 base model lotus elise now i say new there's not a massive amount different inside and there are some minor aerodynamic tweaks to the outside the big news is what's going on behind me out has got the old 1.8 litre base engine to be replaced with a 1.6 and it's that that's responsible for the 45 miles to the gallon economy so what are the implications of the smaller engine well it has the same amount of power before but being smaller you have to work a bit harder to get to it so coming out of a second gear junction like this you put your foot down and you wait a bit longer than you would have had to before before the engine picks up but once going and it is a sports car after all why not wind it up it's pretty good and at least working the engine has been made easier by the new six rather than five spear gearbox still flops around a bit even in gear but the whole mechanism has been stiffened and it has really improved the shift quality that wasn't hard it was pretty ropey before so 135 or so horsepower and at less than 900 kilos it's about as fast as you could want for the road you might want more on the track but you don't need it on the road to be honest and what about the ride and handling well there they've left things pretty much as they were i was speaking to their head of development earlier he said you know what we took this car we did three or four weeks of development ended up exactly where we were when we started so it is exactly as it was and that's great it steers deliciously it rides supply it's agile it's alert it's just everything a decent sports car trip now it's hard to underestimate just how important the elise is for lotus it's in its 15th year of build and it accounts for a third of all lotuses ever made the great news is i think it's just as relevant as it has ever been and in this form in particular i think it's just as good as it's ever been byethink of a car that can average 45 miles to the gallon and emits only 149 grams per kilometer of carbon dioxide you might think of a super mini a city car perhaps a small diesel hatchback anything in fact but a sports car that can also accelerate from naught to 60 miles an hour in six seconds dead but here we are in the new 2010 base model lotus elise now i say new there's not a massive amount different inside and there are some minor aerodynamic tweaks to the outside the big news is what's going on behind me out has got the old 1.8 litre base engine to be replaced with a 1.6 and it's that that's responsible for the 45 miles to the gallon economy so what are the implications of the smaller engine well it has the same amount of power before but being smaller you have to work a bit harder to get to it so coming out of a second gear junction like this you put your foot down and you wait a bit longer than you would have had to before before the engine picks up but once going and it is a sports car after all why not wind it up it's pretty good and at least working the engine has been made easier by the new six rather than five spear gearbox still flops around a bit even in gear but the whole mechanism has been stiffened and it has really improved the shift quality that wasn't hard it was pretty ropey before so 135 or so horsepower and at less than 900 kilos it's about as fast as you could want for the road you might want more on the track but you don't need it on the road to be honest and what about the ride and handling well there they've left things pretty much as they were i was speaking to their head of development earlier he said you know what we took this car we did three or four weeks of development ended up exactly where we were when we started so it is exactly as it was and that's great it steers deliciously it rides supply it's agile it's alert it's just everything a decent sports car trip now it's hard to underestimate just how important the elise is for lotus it's in its 15th year of build and it accounts for a third of all lotuses ever made the great news is i think it's just as relevant as it has ever been and in this form in particular i think it's just as good as it's ever been bye\n"