Published:
6 April 2012The Lotus Evora is available with its supercharged 3.5-litre V6 in both 400bhp and 410bhp forms. Arguments rage between car fans and Evora owners as to which solution is better - which leads us to draw the conclusion that both are impressively good.
The standard car offers 400bhp and 302lb ft of torque, which is plenty enough to propel the car from a standstill to 60mph in 4.1sec. It is a willing engine that combines well with the chassis to deliver a highly entertaining drive.
However, it is also clear that the chassis can handle the greater power of the Sport 410. Its 410bhp total lifts the Evora to beyond the level Porsche 718 Cayman S can muster and into the ballpark where the Porsche 911 Carrera GTS reign supreme.
Despite the supercharging, however, there’s something to note: instead of peak power arriving at 6400rpm, as it did in the previous Evora, the 400 and Sport 410 come in at a heady 7000rpm. Do so and the Evora Sport 410 can hit 60mph in 3.9sec. This gives the Sport 410 an advantage of 0.3sec over the base Evora and puts some daylight between it and a Porsche 911 Carrera.
It would put even more air between itself and the Porsche were it not still crippled by the affliction that is its Toyota-sourced six-speed manual gearbox. Lotus has fitted a slicker, lower-friction mechanism than it used when it launched the Evora, a move that has markedly improved the shift quality if you’re not pressing on. But it's still not perfect, which is a real shame as an easy, flickable gearshift would help to get the best from what is otherwise a flexible, characterful powertrain, with a broad spread of urge and a generally enjoyable soundtrack.
