After the claim that 'the new Lotus Elise probably has the lowest CO
2 for its performance level for any gasoline high performance sportscar in the world,' Lotus has now confirmed that, yes, the new Lotus Elise definitely does have the lowest CO
2 for its performance level for any gasoline high performance sportscar in the world. Good.
The awkwardness of the claim shouldn't detract from the fact that 149g/km is pretty floral as far as these things go. It undercuts the basic Mazda MX-5's 167g/km, and it's 16 percent lower than the outgoing Elise's. It can't quite beat the Daihatsu Copen's 140g/km though...
Lotus quotes combined fuel consumption as an impressive 56.1mpg, and yet the Elise is capable of hitting 62mph in 6.5 seconds. The efficiency improvement comes as a result of an engine capacity reduction - from a 1.8-litre to a 1.6 - and aerodynamic refinements. Peak power is 134bhp.
Lotus is full of useful stats about the car. It can in theory eke out a London to Aberdeen road trip from just one tank, and it weighs 519kg less than 'a nameless convertible sportscar from Stuttgart'. Well, that's actually one stat and a bit of postulation, but still.
Ok, it's light, fast and efficient, and it's on sale now. We'll be driving it very soon, so keep an eye on the
Lotus Road Tests page.
Mark Nichol - 9 Apr 2010