Lotus Elise S

Exterior

Much like the new design of the Exige S, the Lotus Elise S gets smoother lines to clean up its look. The front grille has been modified to add a little aggression, while also providing an uninterrupted line across the front of the vehicle. Head towards the middle of the car and we’ll find a standard black soft-top roof going back towards the optional new rear diffuser with a silver anodized finish.

Interior

For the interior, the new Elise S offers standard lightweight aluminum passenger footrest, a black plain/perforated leather steering wheel, a black leather gear lever gaiter, a polished aluminum gear knob and handbrake sleeve, and an engine start push button.

In addition to the new features, there will also be three packages available:

Touring Pack

Leather ProBaxTM seats
Padded leather door panels
Perforated leather door inserts
Leather trimmed center console
Black perforated leather handbrake lever gaiter
Black carpet mats with embroidered Elise logo
Noise insulation paneling
Auxiliary driving lights
iPod* stereo connection
Trinket tray divider and cup holder
Cruise control

Sport Pack

Bilstein Sports Dampers
Silver 14-spoke forged wheels
ProBaxTM sports seats

Black Style Pack

Black wheels
Black rear diffuse

Engine

The new Lotus Elise S delivers a similar power output to the outgoing Elise SC using a Lotus-designed supercharged 1.8 L I-4 engine mated to a 6-speed gearbox with constant mesh helical gears and an open differential. This engine puts out 217 HP at 6800 rpm and a peak torque of 184 lb-ft at 4600 rpm, the star of the show being the increased torque (up from the SC’s 156 lb-ft of torque). Unfortunately,the performance specs, fuel economy, and CO2 emissions are not available at this time, but we’ll provide an update as soon as this information becomes available. As of right now, Lotus has ensured that the fuel economy and CO2 emissions have been improved.

The Elise S will be equipped with a fully independent suspension utilizing unequal length wishbones, a Bilstein mono-tube gas damper, Eibach coaxial coil springs at each corner, and a front anti-roll bar. Also, like with the Exige S, the new Elise S will be equipped with the Lotus DPM (Dynamic Performance Management) switch which allows the driver to alternate between three driving modes: Touring, Sport, and DPM off.

Dynamic Performance Management (DPM)

Corner Brake Control (CBC)
Drag Torque Control (DTC)
Electronic Differential Lock (EDL)
Traction Control System (TCS)
Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)*
Hydraulic Brake Assist (HBA)*
Electronic Brake Distribution (EBD)*
Understeer Recognition

All apart from * can be completely switched off.

Prices

Prices for the new Elise S will be announced at a later date, but we imagine the price tag should read somewhere close to the $55,000 found on the outgoing Elise SC.

Competition

With the new updates, the Lotus Elise S has finally become a serious competitor for models like the Audi TTS. That being said, the Audi TTS boasts of a 2.0 L TFSI engine that can crank out 272 HP, which leaves the 217 HP from the Elise S in the dust, but the Elise S will probably weigh in close to 1931 lbs of the standard Elise which is significantly lighter than the 3219 lb Audi TTS. Bottomline: We’ll have to wait for Lotus to reveal performance numbers to properly compare the Elise S to the Audi TTS.