► Overhauled Evora spied racking up test miles
► Will make its debut at the 2015 Geneva show
► More power, less weight, easier to get into
You’re looking at the revamped Lotus Evora, testing ahead of its upcoming debut at the 2015 Geneva motor show in March. It’s a car that marks the beginning of a fresh product era for Group Lotus under new CEO Jean-Marc Gales.
So, what’s new on the 2015 Lotus Evora?
Development budget for this car won’t have been enormous (Lotus is still mired in red ink, although the financial picture is beginning to improve) but one major change involves making the sills narrower and lower.
The current Evora is notoriously tricky to get into and out of, but the sill alterations – visible in our new spyshots – should make it easier for buyers without international-standard gymnastic ability to gain access and help broaden the car’s appeal in the process.
Visually, this is standard minimal-cost facelift fare: the lights, bumpers and grille have all come under the surgeon’s knife. There will be big changes inside too, with interior quality, ergonomics and infotainment (currently taken care of by a Halfords-spec Alpine head unit) all on the update hit-list.
What about mechanical changes?
Excitingly, more power and less weight. ‘It will be lighter and it will be faster,’ Jean-Marc Gales told CAR in an in-depth interview in the January 2015 issue of the magazine. ‘There’s nothing this side of £100,000 that will beat it on track.’ He also intimated that the Evora’s spookily comfortable ride quality won’t suffer as a result.
Power still comes from the same Toyota-sourced V6 (DVLA records show the car pictured here has the same 3456cc displacement) but a new intercooler for the supercharged S version will unlock ‘substantially more’ horsepower. We’ve previously caught a glimpse of a test mule at Lotus’s Hethel test track but more importantly heard it, and it sounded very special – no doubt there’s been some fine-tuning to the exhaust system too.
How is the new Evora range likely to shape up?
Expect a track-focussed Cup version (like the Elise S Cup we tested recently) to join the renewed range. That’s logical enough, but here’s the curveball – Lotus is also plotting a raised ground clearance crossover version. Think Audi TT Offroad concept in ethos, with Lancia Stratos overtones. Read all about the Evora crossover in our separate story here.
Gales also told CAR a roadster version would be ‘the easiest thing in the world to do.’ Watch this space…
When can I see the new Lotus Evora without the camo?
Keep an eye on the Lotus stand at the Geneva motor show in March 2015. The current Evora’s ride and handling are spellbinding – here’s hoping the new version can move the ergonomics and performance a stage forward and bring the car’s talents to a wider audience.
Read how CAR got on with a long-term test Evora over nine months in our diary here.