Early reports are suggesting that, at least from a handling point of view, the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder turbo version of the Lotus Emira might be the one to go for. Now, to sweeten that deal, you can get the lighter four-pot with 400bhp – exactly the same power as the supercharged V6.
Well, that is if you live in certain markets in Africa, the Middle East or the Asia Pacific region, which is where Lotus is debuting the Emira Turbo SE. That revives a name last used by the brand on the Esprit in the ’90s. The SE bit, specifically, has long been used by Lotus as shorthand for ‘Special Equipment’, reflecting higher-specced versions of many of its cars.
Compared to the standard four-pot Emira – which gets simply rebranded to Turbo for these markets – it’s a 40bhp increase from the Mercedes-AMG-sourced engine, while torque is up by 37lb ft to a total of 354lb ft. This lifts the top speed from 171 to 178mph and drops the 0-62mph run from 4.4 to 4.0 seconds. The Turbo SE is also 0.2 seconds quicker to 62mph than the 3.5-litre supercharged V6 Emira, but tops out 2mph sooner. It remains hooked exclusively to an eight-speed dual-clutch ’box.
Elsewhere, the Turbo SE has the Lotus Driver’s Pack thrown in as standard, which adds sports suspension, cross-drilled vented brakes and launch control. It can be identified by its 20-inch Satin Grey forged wheels, red brake calipers, black Lotus badging, and, erm, the badges that say Turbo SE.
Revised Lotus Emira range
With the four-pot and V6 now incredibly close in terms of power and performance, the Turbo SE is being pitched as a more outright speed-focused machine, while the V6, with its richer engine note and standard manual gearbox, is aimed at those seeking a more analogue experience.
Again, that currently only applies to the markets where the Turbo SE is available. It seems pretty likely that it’ll eventually make its way to Europe (not least because these press pics show it on German plates), but for now, our choice is between the 360bhp four-cylinder and the 400bhp V6. Even if we get the more powerful four-pot, we’ll still take the big six, please and thank you.
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