As the new entry-level car, the Lotus Elise S may not be the fastest or quickest Elise in the range, but the acceleration, performance and handling is class leading in its price bracket and belies the cost and real substance engineered into the new vehicle – what other sub-£24,000 roadster can reach 60 mph in less than 6.0 seconds? For the sake of comparison, a 2.0-litre Mazda MX-5 reaches the same speed in 7.9 seconds.
The Lotus Elise S is built around the revolutionary and award winning extruded and bonded aluminium chassis, with a lightweight steel rear subframe. The chassis itself weighs just 68 kg (150 lbs) and has a stiffness of 9,500 Nm per degree. The body design remains unchanged from the classic 190 hp Lotus Elise R – why change the award-winning aerodynamic package and an elegant Lotus design just for the sake of it?
