Rennteam 2.0 - EN - Forum - Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive - Page1

Oct 14, 2013 5:20:18 PM

GR: Senior; Loc: S Bucks, England , United Kingdom; Posts: 779, Gallery; Registered on: May 17, 2005

Exige S Coupe Test Drive

First off, my mind is still scrambled. This car is epically fast and beyond involving to drive on the road. In one word, savage! I was breathless and exhausted all at the same time. But it was addictively good. So the engine - you wouldn't believe this was a humble Toyota lump, it sounds much better. But its not as lovely as a Porsche flat 6. The gearbox is a bit recalcitrant and nowhere near as good as the Elise 6 speed, which in turn isn't quite as lovely as my 987. In summary, the drive train is better than I expected but brutal rather than sophisticated. And I suspect the 40 litre fuel tank will be very annoying!

The interior is standard top end Elise and although spartan, the fit and finish are actually quite good. Seat comfort and adjustability are less impressive and refinement is lacking. None of this particularly bothered me though.

Now to the handling. This car had the Race pack, which stiffens the suspension and adds Pirelli Troferro tyres. Unfortunately, today was damp and cold, so I couldn't even scratch surface of what this car can do (the Elise is much more accessible). The extra weight of the V6 behind you and the extra width are immediately noticeable and make the car feel a bit bigger than it actually is - I'm sure you would get used to that over time. The steering is very heavy off centre (even at speed) and constantly fighting on the road. Feedback cranked up to 11 as it were. If I'm honest, I think it was a bit much but its probably great on the track. The standard suspension probably calms things down and apparently, the Exige roadster is dialled back a little but more so probably better for a road biased car (I'm hopefully trying one next week).

Overall, I preferred the delicacy of the Elise but there's no doubting the Exige is brutal fun - I'm still grinning from ear to ear and the experience is far more memorable than the Elise. If the Exige roadster is an amalgam of the two extremes, it could be right up my street. The question is, how does it compare to a Gen 1 997 GT3? More testing required.

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Gen II Cayman S

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Oct 14, 2013 5:25:20 PM

reginos: Rennteam VIP; Loc: Nicosia , Cyprus; Posts: 12130, Gallery; Registered on: Mar 20, 2005; Reply to: GR

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

What is the price new?

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"Form follows function"

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Oct 14, 2013 5:31:52 PM

GR: Senior; Loc: S Bucks, England , United Kingdom; Posts: 779, Gallery; Registered on: May 17, 2005; Reply to: reginos

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

£53,000 plus options (you'd probably want to spend £3000 to £5000)

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Gen II Cayman S

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Oct 14, 2013 5:34:37 PM

reginos: Rennteam VIP; Loc: Nicosia , Cyprus; Posts: 12130, Gallery; Registered on: Mar 20, 2005; Reply to: GR

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

Quite expensive! When the original Elise was introduced it was around £18.000, if I remember well.

--

"Form follows function"

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Oct 14, 2013 7:09:38 PM

GR: Senior; Loc: S Bucks, England , United Kingdom; Posts: 779, Gallery; Registered on: May 17, 2005; Reply to: reginos

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

The Elise was about £22k when I bought mine and they're about £28k now. The supercharged Elise is £36k so I wouldn't call any of them value for money but I don't think any of them are expensive for the performance.

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Gen II Cayman S

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Oct 14, 2013 7:40:55 PM

sfo: Rennteam Pro; Loc: London , United Kingdom; Posts: 2093, Gallery; Registered on: Aug 17, 2011; Reply to: GR

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

looking forward to your views on the Exige roadster .. I like that quite a lot

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Oct 15, 2013 6:58:16 AM

Gnil: Rennteam Moderator; Loc: VD, Switzerland , Switzerland; Posts: 14188, Gallery; Registered on: Mar 11, 2005; Reply to: sfo

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

Thanks for this review . I have good memories of the Exige in 2007 , as I drove it extensively. Yes, very involving !

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997.2 C2S, PDK, -20mm

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Oct 15, 2013 7:04:57 PM

Ferdie: Rennteam VIP; Loc: Europe , Germany; Posts: 8235, Gallery; Registered on: Jul 2, 2004; Reply to: reginos

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

reginos:

Quite expensive! When the original Elise was introduced it was around £18.000, if I remember well.

Certainly true... but can you compare a 122-hp basic roadster to the current model with three times the engine power?

Thanks for the write-up. Very interesting. Looking forward to your additional insights once you have driven the GT3 in comparison.

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Oct 17, 2013 9:41:39 PM

jesse: Co-Pilot; Loc: Germany , Germany; Posts: 270, Gallery; Registered on: Nov 13, 2004; Reply to: GR

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

Thanks for the report. After seeing one at Stelvio this year and a short talk to the owner, I'm trying to find free time to take a test ride.Hopefully this year.
How would you compare it to a 987/981 ? Maybe it will replace my 987.2 weekend car

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Oct 18, 2013 6:13:00 AM

Atzporsche: Rennteam VIP; Loc: Vancouver , Canada; Posts: 9118, Gallery; Registered on: Feb 7, 2005; Reply to: jesse

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

It is my dream car these days! Must be an amazing driving machine!

--

1991 BMW 535i Granitsilber/White Leather

Ex: '91 BMW 318i, '89 BMW 525i, '74 Mercedes-Benz 280E, '87 BMW 325is, '86 BMW 325e, '05 Ford Focus ZX4 S, '85.5 Porsche 944

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Oct 18, 2013 12:25:15 PM

GR: Senior; Loc: S Bucks, England , United Kingdom; Posts: 779, Gallery; Registered on: May 17, 2005; Reply to: Atzporsche

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

Comparing the 987/981 to the Exige is like comparing chalk and cheese but here goes:

Performance: the Exige is in a different league 062mph in 3.8, 0-100mph in 8.5 and magazines have been going quicker. In Germany the slightly higher top speed of the Porsches may be a factor but not in speed limited counties.

Drive train: the Exige V6 is not as exotic as the Porsche flat 6 but its smooth and sounds hard and aggressive; the gearbox is agricultural compared to the Porsche 6 speed manual; overall its effective rather than sophisticated.

Handling: the Exige is much more tied down than either the 981 or 987 but the ride is not as compliant. However, it is very composed and the ride is excellent for the level of body control. The 981 excels for comfort and composure but is very remote; the Exige tramlines and the steering fights and fidgets but you are really keyed into what is going on; the 987 is between the two so horses for courses really. All are excellent in the compromise they strike so it boils down to what you are looking for and I suspect the Exige Roadster will be another option, somewhere between the 987 and the Exige coupe.

Comfort: the 981 is best overall but I find the seats give me back ache. Both Porsches are streets ahead of the Exige, which is noisy, needs gymnastic skills to get in and out of and has very limited adjustment for the driving position.

Quality/reliability: The Exige mechanicals are all Toyota so I would bet are good – the salesman said warranty claims have dropped dramatically in the last few years. If my experience is anything to go by, the Lotus bits might not be as robust but they are not as critical. Having said that, my Elise was one of the first so they’ve had a long time to improve things. The fit/finish and equipment levels of the Exige are incredibly basic but I quite like the stripped back look/feel. Porsche are in a different league and most people will agree the 981 is better than the 987, even if they prefer the latter.

Running costs: this is guesswork but I suspect all 3 cars will be very similar

In summary, the 987/981 are sports car that can be used everyday cars with associated levels of comfort. That they can excel as sports cars is a remarkable achievement. The Exige is a weekend toy that from a driving point of view exposes the compromises Porsche have made to make the 987/981 useable. The flip side is that the Exige is far from useable except for short blasts. Hence my opening line that you are comparing chalk and cheese with price being the only thing they are relatively close on.

I think a used Gen 1 997 GT3 is a closer rival, with a similar price and similar design brief. The GT3 will be more sophisticated and comfortable but they both offer big performance and an uncompromising drive. The GT3 will be much more expensive to run though in terms of consumables and servicing whereas depreciation ought not to be so severe.

If you love the way the 987 flows down the road and prefer a delicate feel to the handling, the supercharged Elise is probably a better bet than the Exige (the salesman admitted he perferred it and he races a Lotus). It offers levels of interactivity the 987/981 can only dream of and has very similar acceleration (lower top speed of course). Again, you are compromising comfort and useability for this improved level of interaction. The gearbox is a peach too.

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Gen II Cayman S

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Oct 18, 2013 12:41:13 PM

sfo: Rennteam Pro; Loc: London , United Kingdom; Posts: 2093, Gallery; Registered on: Aug 17, 2011; Reply to: GR

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

/\ thanks for the review. very useful.

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Oct 18, 2013 1:09:45 PM

reginos: Rennteam VIP; Loc: Nicosia , Cyprus; Posts: 12130, Gallery; Registered on: Mar 20, 2005; Reply to: GR

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

Thank you for the review.

I would choose the used GT3 from the official network. As it would be a weekend car, mileage and hence maintenance shouldn't be excessive.

--

"Form follows function"

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Oct 25, 2013 3:32:03 PM

GR: Senior; Loc: S Bucks, England , United Kingdom; Posts: 779, Gallery; Registered on: May 17, 2005; Reply to: reginos

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

Well the good news is that I got to drive the Exige V6 Roadster at the Goodwood cicuit. The bad news is that I only got 4 laps and it was the first time I’ve driven there. So with a car and circuit I wasn’t used to, I wasn’t anywhere near as quick as I could/should have been (a friend did point out that I have the racing driver excuses bit off pat though blush ). However, a Lotus motorsport consultant took me out for a few very fast laps so I got an insight from the passenger seat.

Lotus being a bit dysfunctional gave me the track optimised Exige on a road test and the road optimised (Roadster version) on track. To put it all into perspective I hope to test the Roadster on the road soon so these are just initial thoughts.

The Roadster is far prettier in the flesh and combines a wonderful delicacy with plenty of purpose in the design. With the splitter and big rear wing the coupe is definitely more aggressive and “shouty” but bordering on cartoonish as well. Of course looks are purely subjective but here’s a low res snap taken on my phone to help you form your own opinions. I think its lovely.

The seats and driving position seemed much better in the roadster, which is odd because the seat shell is identical and the only adjustment is the seat fore/aft. When I drove the coupe, I found the steering wheel too low, too far from my chest and the seat too reclined but the roadster was quite the reverse and much better. I’ve asked Lotus if there is a difference but there’s no reply yet.

In the paddock/approach roads, the steering definitely seemed a touch lighter on the Roadster and more manageable (less kick back too) but this was a very limited test. More road time is needed to form a proper view. On track, the steering is a delight but I suspect more laid back than the coupe and especially the coupe with the track suspension set up. With moderate but well contained body roll and deflection in the road biased tyre sidewalls, this slightly less manic steering probably suited the car better but it definitely felt like a road car that was (very) good on track. In this respect it was more like the Boxster/Carrera although for me, far better in handling and feel than either of those. The way the car moved around and telegraphed what it was up to was just so natural and easy. This was evident from the passenger seat too when the pro upped the pace. Clearly the Boxster/Carrera make far better every day road cars. I still think the track suspension on the coupe would make it a much closer rival to a used 997 GT3 and the Roadster seems to sit in a bit of a niche of its own.

The straight line performance felt a little more muted on the wide and open expanse of a track. Mind you, I still had the hazard of pheasants to contend with so I can confirm the brakes are very effective! But there is no getting away from fact that this is a fast car below 120mph. Being limited to 145mph had absolutely no impact on lap time and Goodwood is quite a quick track. It would be a nuisance at the Ring though and this isn’t a car for the Autobahn. If much higher speeds are important to your driving then the coupe at 165mph is a better bet but still a long way short of what Porshce can achieve.

Clearly the Exige is a second car and needs to be compared to Porsche models in that light. It provides a much more vivid driving experience than the standard Porsches but it would not be very good at the 2000 mile type driving holiday unless you are very stoic and pack very lightly (or send your stuff ahead or buy a decent tow car and trailer). For runs into the country side, weekends away, visiting friends, occasional commutes to work and track days it is a great proposition. Which Exige depends really on how much you want to go on track and whether 145mph is a limiting factor.

The supercharged Elise could be a problem for the Roadster though. It may lack a lovely sounding V6 and much of the visual drama of the Exige but it is still pretty fast (it splits the 987 and 981 Cayman S to 100mph). Also, it is far more delicate in its handling and has a much sweeter/faster gear change. Being so much lighter, it also ought to be much cheaper on brakes and tyres if you want to track it on a limited budget.

--

Gen II Cayman S

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Oct 25, 2013 5:44:07 PM

sfo: Rennteam Pro; Loc: London , United Kingdom; Posts: 2093, Gallery; Registered on: Aug 17, 2011; Reply to: GR

Re: Exige S Coupe Test Drive

Roadster looks so much more cohesive than the Coupe cup car.

Lovely red too.

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