Shocking speed from this new Elise 220 from Lotus! Just 4.2-seconds to 60-mph for its estimated $60k US price makes it one of the most rapid machines for the money.
And that is just in a straight line!
Put some curves in the road course, and the Elise will walk away from most American metal — regardless of price or power ratings.
The new Elise Sport is the base model below the 220, but is down about 80 ponies from the 217 of the top road-legal Elise in 2016. Even so, the Elise Sport’s 6-second blast to 60-mph will be plenty of shove to forget all about the new Porsche 718 Boxster!
The Elise 220 will compete in the US most directly with the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider — with both employing mid-engine turbo fours and an ultralight ethos. This also means tight cabins and tricky ingress/egress for fatties. But if easy access is your game plan, the Lotus’s hard-wired chassis feel is probably not up your alley. These are for true thrill seekers!
2016 Lotus ELISE 220
MEDIA INFORMATION
13 November 2015
Lotus Announces New Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220
New models replace the outgoing Elise (1.6) and Elise S
Weight reduction of 10 kg in both new Elise models
New colour and trim options, including classic tartan interior
Elise Sport priced from £29,900 / €39,900* (MSRP)
The Lotus Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220 mark a return the iconic ‘Sport’ naming designation, used previously on the famed Lotus Esprit and with it the Lotus Elise package becomes lighter, and even more performance-focused.
20 years ago, the Lotus Elise revolutionised the sports car world, setting the benchmark for handling, purity of the driving experience, lightweight and efficiency. Its pioneering and advanced bonded aluminium chassis was a market-leading technological innovation at the time and over the years has improved and evolved and remains core to the Elise’s exceptional performance today.
Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus plc, commented, “We have further refined, distilled and sharpened the driving experience offered by our best selling sports car of the last 20 years, the Lotus Elise. These two new models, the Elise Sport and Sport 220 revive the iconic ‘Sport’ naming designation and are both worthy of wearing this badge. Over the years, with each improvement to the Elise, we have ensured that the purity of the driving experience has been retained and improved upon and with these two new models, we have taken it on to the next
level.”
Both the new Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220 benefit from a significant weight reduction of 10 kg, a result of the continued central design philosophy of Lotus – ‘lighter, faster’ and the perpetual quest to reduce weight of all constituent parts and in some cases remove unnecessary parts altogether.
Weighing just 866 kg, the Elise Sport sets a benchmark in class – a sports car that both enthusiasts and newcomers to the brand will find it easy to fall in love with. Lightweight, efficient and completely pure in its driving experience, its handling and quickness in road holding remain the envy of all its rivals.
The Elise Sport 220 represents the perfect blend of power and dynamism in a more focused performance package. Weighing just 914 kg, with peak power of 217 hp and torque of 250 Nm, 060 mph is achieved in just 4.2 seconds, and a top speed of 145 mph is possible. However, it is once again in the area of vehicle dynamics that the Elise Sport 220 excels, offering an even purer driving experience when compared to the previous Elise S model, due largely to the further weight-saving, aided in part by a new lightweight sports battery.
Lightweight sports seats in leather, Alcantara or classic tartan trim as an option are a further sign of sports intentions. First introduced in 1976 in the Lotus Esprit S1, tartan interior references a time when making a statement was everything, a concept still central to Lotus’ design philosophy.
Sport mode is standard fitment in the Elise Sport and Sport 220, and sharpens the experience further by increasing throttle response, altering traction slip thresholds and removing understeer recognition, allowing enhanced control before intervention and offering an even closer connection between driver and machine. Bilstein sports dampers further contribute to scalpel sharp steering feeling and provide heightened feedback from the road.
With reduced weight comes increased efficiency and a reduction in fuel consumption, a power to weight ratio of 155 bhp/tonne for the Elise Sport and 237 bhp/tonne for the Sport 220 the result. Fuel consumption is an impressive 56.5 mpg (extra urban) the Elise Sport and 47.9 mpg (extra urban) for the Sport 220, further cementing the Elise’s tag as one of the most efficient sports cars in sector.
Alongside a weight reduction is a reduction in price. The Elise Sport model is now priced at £29,900 / €39,900 (MSRP) with the Elise Sport 220 priced at £36,500 / €48,700 (MSRP).
A range of classic Elise colours are available – Solid Red, Solid Yellow, Metallic Green, Metallic
Blue, Metallic Silver, Metallic White, Metallic Grey, Metallic Orange, Metallic Black and Signature Grey, with rear diffuser in matt black. Lightweight silver or black cast wheels (16” front, 17” rear) are standard fitment and there is an optional upgrade to a forged wheel design that saves a further 5 kg from total unladen weight.
The Elise is Lotus’ most successful model in terms of numbers built, with a total of 32,000 manufactured and sold globally. In addition to the Elise, the Lotus small platform technology has been used to great success in the Lotus Exige, Lotus Europa and Lotus 2-Eleven models, all of which are, or have been manufactured by Lotus at its Headquarters in Hethel, Norfolk.
The Lotus Elise Sport and Elise Sport 220 go on sale in Europe in December 2015 and will be available to the rest of the world from January 2016.
Those wishing to register their interest in the new Lotus Elise Sport or Sport 220 should visit:
www.lotuscars.com/lotus-elise-range
*German price in Euros
| Country | Elise Sport | Elise Sport 220 |
| UK (Pound Sterling) | £29,900 | £36,500 |
| Germany (Euros) | €39,900 | €48,700 |
Technical Specifications:
| PERFORMANCE | SPORT | SPORT 220 |
| Max power | 134 hp at
6800 rpm (136 PS) (100 kW) |
217 hp at
6800 rpm (220 PS) (162 kW) |
| Max torque | 118 lbft at
4400 rpm (160 Nm) |
184 lbft at
4600 rpm (250 Nm) |
| 0-60 mph | 6.0 seconds | 4.2 seconds |
| 0-100 km/h | 6.5 seconds | 4.6 seconds |
| Max speed | 127 mph (204 km/h) | 145 mph (234 km/h) |
| Fuel Consumption mpg (l/100 km) | ||
| Urban
Extra Urban Combined |
34.0 (8.3) 56.5 (5.0)
44.8 (6.3) |
27.4 (10.3)
47.9 (5.9) 37.7 (7.5) |
| CO2 emissions | 149 g/km | 173 g/km |
| Unladen weight | 866 kg | 914 kg |
| TRANSMISSION |
| SPORT All alloy, 1.6 litre DOHC 4 cylinder, dual VVT-i and Valvematic, 16-valve |
| SPORT 220 All alloy, 1.8 litre DOHC 4 cylinder, dual VVT-i, 16-valve with chargecooled supercharger |
| Mid mounted, transverse, rear wheel drive |
| Lotus Electronic Throttle Control system |
| 6 speed manual gearbox with sports ratios |
| BOSCH Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) |
| CHASSIS AND BODY |
| Lightweight, extruded aluminium bonded chassis structure |
| Fully independent double wishbone sports suspension with anti-roll bar |
| Bilstein high performance gas dampers, front and rear |
| Eibach springs, front and rear |
| Twin-piston front calipers, AP Racing single-piston rear calipers |
| Track tuned ABS system |
| Lotus Dynamic Performance Management (Lotus DPM) |
| Lightweight battery |
| EXTERIOR SPECIFICATION |
| Lightweight silver
cast alloy wheels (16” front and 17” rear) |
| Front Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 tyres 175/55 ZR16 |
| Rear Yokohama Advan Neova AD07 tyres 225/45 ZR17 |
| Servo assisted, cross drilled and ventilated brake discs, 288 mm diameter, front and rear |
| Aerodynamically optimised black rear diffuser |
| Black soft top |
| Clear sill stone chip protection film |
| INTERIOR SPECIFICATION |
| Black leather steering wheel |
| Polished aluminum gear knob and leather handbrake sleeve |
| Technical fabric sports seats and part leather interior. |
| Engine start push button |
| Driver and passenger airbags |
| Tyre puncture repair kit |
| OPTIONAL EXTRAS |
| Hard-top |
| Air conditioning |
| Cruise control |
| Clarion CD/MP3/WMA receiver with integrated iPod® connectivity with Bluetooth® plus full carpet and sound insulation |
| Auxiliary driving lights |
| Lightweight black cast
alloy wheels (16” front and 17” rear) (no cost option) |
| Lightweight black or silver forged alloy wheels (16” front and 17” rear) |
| OPTIONAL PACKS |
| Alcantara® trim pack |
| Leather trim pack |
| Tartan trim pack |
| PAINT OPTION |
| Signature paint |
| Metallic paint |
Tom Burkart is the founder and managing editor of Car-Revs-Daily.com, an innovative and rapidly-expanding automotive news magazine.
He holds a Journalism JBA degree from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Tom currently resides in Charleston, South Carolina with his two amazing dogs, Drake and Tank.
Mr. Burkart is available for all questions and concerns by email Tom(at)car-revs-daily.com.