|
Price |
|
£33,995 |
Production |
|
-- |
|
Engine |
1.8
liter inline-4 |
Weight |
2057
lbs |
|
Aspiration |
supercharger & intercooler |
Torque |
158.6 lb-ft @ 5500 rpm |
|
HP |
218
hp @ 7800 rpm |
HP/Weight |
9.5
lbs per hp |
|
HP/Liter |
121.4 hp per liter |
0-100 mph |
9.98
seconds |
|
0-60 mph |
4.1
seconds |
Top Speed |
148
mph |
(from Lotus Press
Release) A small lightweight sportscar weighing just 935
kg (2057 lbs), powered by a 162.5 kW (218 hp, 221 PS) high revving
supercharged engine, giving a zero to 100 km/h time of just 4.3
seconds (0 – 60 mph in 4.1 seconds). It comes straight off the
production line and isn’t an “aftermarket special”.
Is this the quickest
ever real-world production car? It is certainly the quickest Lotus
production car - so far!
The Lotus Exige S is the
latest addition to the Exige range and is a real sportscar that
redefines the term “Extreme Performance”. With 90.5 kW / litre
(121.4 hp / litre, 123 PS / litre), it is one of most powerful
production cars in the world for its engine size but most
importantly it has full type approval for all the markets in which
it will be sold. The Lotus Exige S is not a limited edition, nor is
it an aftermarket special – it is manufactured from start to finish
in the world leading and award winning Lotus Manufacturing facility
at Hethel, Norfolk.
Because the basic car is
so immensely strong but lightweight (935 kg, 2057 lbs), giving a
power to weight ratio of 173.8 kW/tonne (233.2 hp/tonne, 236.4 PS/tonne),
performance is phenomenal, with 100 km/h being reached from a
standing start in 4.3 seconds (0 – 60 mph in 4.1 seconds) and 160
km/h (100 mph) being reached in 9.98 seconds (estimate) before
topping out at 238 km/h (148 mph). In spite of this phenomenal
performance the fuel economy is impressive with an official combined
figure of 9.1 litres / 100 km (31.0 mpg) - extra urban is an
impressive 7.2 litres / 100 km (39.2 mpg). Lotus believes that there
is no car on sale anywhere in the world that has such good
performance combined with such good fuel economy! Not that many
customers will be buying this car principally for its fuel economy!!
Being a Lotus, straight-line performance is not the most important
factor, but every day driving on normal roads, or around a circuit
is. There are very few cars on sale today that can match the speed,
agility and safety of the Exige S in both day to day and track or
circuit driving. However the Exige S is not just a track day
warrior. It is a sportscar that would be at home on the back roads,
freeways and autobahns, as well as on city streets. With an
extremely "torquey" engine and the classic Lotus suspension set-up
of soft compliant springs and firm controllable dampers, the driving
experience is an uncanny combination of telepathic-like handling
with a taught and comfortable ride. There is really no car that
handles quite like a Lotus.
Clive Dopson, Managing
Director of Lotus Cars says, “The Exige S represents the ultimate
“extreme” production Lotus, with performance that trumps other
supercars costing twice or even three times as much. That it does so
with the fuel economy of a family hatchback, stands as a testament
to the Lotus concept of performance through light weight. Its an
unbeatable package and an unbeatable drive.
The Lotus Exige S in more detail:
The Driving Experience
For what is probably the
quickest "real world" production car, the driving experience has to
be pretty special. The lightweight composite seats with ProBax
technology hug the driver and passenger giving the right amount of
support and security to cope with acceleration, braking and
cornering forces of well over 1g. The steering wheel is a small
off-centre leather clad unit (both the airbag wheel and the
non-airbag wheel) and is set in just the right position for comfort,
driver dexterity and feedback. The gear stick is located just 15 cm
(6 inches) from the steering wheel for quick, accurate and safe gear
changes and the lightweight steel and aluminium pedals are located
in just the right position for heel and toeing. The Lotus Exige S
doesn't have a multitude of user adjustment to the wheel or seat
position - Lotus believes that the driving position is pretty close
to perfect anyway!
What does acceleration feel like in a Lotus Exige S? First of all
the feeling of acceleration is mildly addictive. Few vehicles, aside
from racing cars, motorbikes and extreme theme-park rides, can pull
this amount of g-force under acceleration, braking and cornering.
This gives a safe, but fun (even exhilarating) experience that you
can only get from such a finely honed sportscar.
The Engine
The heart of the Exige S
is a Roots-type supercharger and air to air intercooler attached to
the tried and tested 4-cylinder, 1.8 litre 2ZZ-GE VVTL-i engine.
Using a development of the supercharger and intercooler package
developed first for the already legendary Lotus Sport Exige 240R,
the Exige S has peak power of 162.5 kW (221 PS, 218 hp) at 7800 rpm,
215 Nm (158.6 lb ft) of torque at 5500 rpm (but 80% is produced at
just over 2000 rpm). Maximum engine speed is 8000 rpm (8500 rpm
transient for up to 2 seconds). 162.5 kW (218 hp, 221 PS) is the
figure that has been achieved by Lotus Engineers whilst retaining
full vehicle type approval for the markets in which it is sold.
A slightly redesigned
air intake and roof scoop has been added to the Exige S to ensure
that the air to air intercooler works as efficiently and effectively
as possible in all climates and environments. A single oval exhaust
exits from the centre of the undertray.
Aerodynamics is the key
The Lotus Exige S uses
the same aerodynamic package as the standard Exige. Like all Lotus
cars, the Lotus Exige S isn't all about straight-line performance.
The Lotus Exige S is one of the quickest cars on normal roads and
also around a circuit. Key to this incredible performance is the
aerodynamic package, which creates 41.2 kg (90.64 lbs) of downforce
- 19.3 kg (42.46 lbs) at the front and 21.9 kg (48.18 lbs) at the
rear - at 160 km/h (100 mph). This downforce ratio between front
(47%) and rear (53%) is balanced and remains constant at the speeds
of which the Exige S is capable.
This class leading
aerodynamic package is provided through the contribution of the
following components:
-
* Completely flat
underside of the car - provided by the elegantly simple, strong
yet light weight extruded and bonded aluminium tub
-
* Anodised rear
diffuser which helps promote the "Venturi effect" underneath the
car
-
* Deep front
splitter, which sits just 108 mm (4.3 inches) from the ground
(giving just enough ramp angle clearance) whilst still
maintaining the aerodynamic properties and, of course, the
aggressive stance.
-
* Fixed rear wing
that is set at the optimum 11.5 degree angle
for the best compromise between downforce and drag.
The Legendary Chassis and Body
The Lotus Exige S is
built around the revolutionary and award winning extruded and bonded
aluminium tub, with a light weight steel rear subframe, as used in
the Exige. The chassis tub itself weighs just 68 kg (150 lbs) and
has a stiffness of 10,500 Nm per degree. The body of the Lotus Exige
S remains unchanged from the Exige, as it is already a winning
formula that is both effective and stunning to look at. However, the
key body components of the rear wing, front splitter and side air
intakes are body colour coded to differentiate it from its naturally
aspirated cousin.
Closely Related to the Lotus Sport
Exige GT3.
At the end of 2005,
Lotus developed and built the Lotus Sport Exige GT3 to suit the new
FIA GT3 sportscar championship regulations. Weighing in at just 750
kg and producing around 285 hp, the Lotus Sport Exige GT3 is
suitable for this new power to weight ratio racing. The Lotus Sport
Exige GT3 also uses a Roots type supercharger, an air-to-air
intercooler (both are race prepared) and the 1.8 2ZZ-GE VVTL-I
engine. The base engine and supercharger system is identical in the
Lotus Exige S.
So with the Exige S acting as the base, a competitive GT3 sportscar
has been successfully developed!
Engine Down-Sizing is key to the
Exige S
One of the key demands
of the automotive industry is to produce engines with not only low
emissions and good fuel economy but also extremely good performance.
These two demands for performance and economy are not normally
compatible unless there is a significant change in the engine
development strategy.
Lotus Engineering's
Powertrain Division, has been conducting extensive research into
"engine downsizing". Engine downsizing is the concept of using
advanced technologies to enable a small engine to produce the power
and torque of a much larger engine, with the obvious reduction in
weight, fuel consumption and emissions.
Lotus has recognised
that there are changing market and legislative demands in this area,
and has developed a solution to the problem: supercharging a high
compression ratio and high speed engine.
Lotus Engineering had to
ensure that there were minimal changes to the normally aspirated
2ZZ-GE engine, which arrives fully dressed from Toyota for the Exige
and the Elise 111R. The lightweight 2ZZ-GE engine, with a compact
metal matrix composite alloy cylinder block, is a perfect unit on
which to conduct the necessary research, as it runs to a high 8500
rpm, with a very high compression ratio of 11.5:1. The only changes
needed to be made to the engine were the addition of a low pressure
supercharger (and the longer drive belt that this requires), the
intercooler and a new intake manifold, plenum and induction system.
An electronic
drive-by-wire throttle ensures the quickest engine response possible
whilst keeping the emissions clean and as low as possible, to meet
relevant legislative demands. The Roots-type supercharger (with a
sealed-for-life internal mechanism meaning that it does not require
the use of the engine's oil) is run from the crankshaft, and has an
integral bypass valve for part load operation.
Charge air (air under pressure from the supercharger) is cooled
through an air to air intercooler (the cooling air enters via the
redesigned roof scoop) before being fed into the engine itself. All
charge air ducting has been kept as short as possible with large
diameter pipes making sure that the bends in these ducts are not too
tight, to the benefit of throttle response and efficiency.
The whole vehicle has
been tested extensively around the world in hot and cold climates as
well at renowned proving grounds and testing facilities.
The Lotus T4e Engine Management
System.
The Lotus T4e Engine
Management system is used in the Lotus Exige S. This engine
management system has been programmed to optimise the supercharged
engine. The lightweight C64 six-speed gearbox (with an aluminium
casing) is fitted with the closest ratios and gearset afforded by
the transmission. The gearbox offers a fast, precise and light
gearshift, ensuring drivers have total control and flexibility to
apply the power exactly as and when required.
Equipment and Options: ProBax
Seats
ProBax seats help to
significantly improve the postural position of the driver and
passenger by maintaining the natural curvature of the spine, so
improving comfort and improving the body's blood flow.
Touring Packs
The Touring Pack
includes electric windows, black suede effect interior with leather
highlights, full carpet set, high specification DAB Radio and CD/MP3
player, sound insulation, auxiliary front driving lamps and interior
stowage net.
The Super Touring Pack includes the contents of the Touring Pack
plus an upgraded interior trim with driver and passenger airbags,
high specification leather covered steering wheel, front speakers
located in the fascia top panel, engine start button, trinket tray
stowage unit, cup holder, leather handbrake sleeve, leather
handbrake gaiter and gear shift knob and embroidered logo premium
floor mats.
Sports Packs
The Sports Pack includes
switchable Lotus Traction Control (LTC) - see later for a full
explanation of LTC. In addition, it is equipped with sports seats
and a T45 steel roll-over hoop and harness bar for the aftermarket
fitment of four point harnesses for track use only. The Super Sports
Pack includes the contents of the Sports Pack plus black coloured
ultra lightweight seven-twin spoke forged (6.5J front, 7.5J rear)
alloy wheels (giving an unsprung weight saving of 2.7 kg (6 lbs) for
each front wheel and 1.3 kg (2.8 lbs) for each rear wheel - compared
to the already lightweight cast wheels), track suspension with
Eibach springs and Bilstein one-way adjustable dampers - with a
single adjuster for bump and rebound - and adjustable ride height),
adjustable front anti-roll bar and a double-shear rear traction
control arm brace.
Stand alone options:
Lotus Traction Control and
Limited Slip Differential
A switchable Lotus
Traction Control System (LTC) is available for the Exige S. The LTC
works through the Lotus T4e Engine Management System to reduce power
when required to maintain traction. Unlike many traction control
systems, LTC has been tuned to complement the skills of the driver
without taking over. The Lotus LTC is active above 8 km/h (5 mph)
and operates much more quickly than many brake based systems. The
system can be deactivated with an illuminated button, which is
located adjacent to the gear lever. A Torsen type limited slip
differential (LSD) is also available for tight and twisty driving
(such as in auto tests). The LSD is only available if LTC has been
specified and is not available by itself.
Air-conditioning
Air-conditioning is
available as a cost option (standard in some markets) and weighs in
at a featherweight 15 kg (~33 lbs).
A Comprehensive Range of Colours
The range of colours,
from standard solid shades to metallic and fashionable lifestyle
colours is available. Colours include black, shades of silver,
shades of blue, a vivid Aspen White, non metallic British Racing
Green, a hot Chilli Red, a high metallic Solar Yellow and a
harmonious Autumn Gold.
The total number of colours available is 20, excluding the bespoke
custom colours.
Market Positioning and Pricing
The Lotus Exige S, being
a fully homologated vehicle for the markets in which it is sold,
introduces a more powerful and higher performing series production
variant of the Exige to the market. The rest of the Exige range
consists of the 141 kW (189 hp, 192 PS) Exige, the Lotus Exige Cup
190 and its supercharged variant the Exige Cup 240 (both of which
are developed and converted by Lotus Sport, the performance arm of
Lotus Cars) and the Lotus Sport Exige GT3 (developed and built by
Lotus Sport specifically for the FIA
GT3 championships).
The Lotus Exige S is priced at:
UK: £33,995 including VAT (Manufacturer's
Suggested Retail Price)
Mainland Europe: 44,147 Euros excluding individual market
taxes (Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price)
Japan: JYP 6,909,000 including tax (Manufacturer's
Suggested Retail Price)
Market Availability
UK: March / April 2006
Mainland EU: April / May 2006
Japan and APac: May / June 2006
USA: There are currently no plans to launch the
Exige S in the USA market
