Published:
30 July 2021The S3 Exige has a tight cockpit, with good forward visibility once you’re ensconced, but there is an awkwardly small door opening and few creature comforts.
For this run-out Final Edition special, Lotus has added a flat-bottom steering wheel (trimmed in leather here but also available in Alcantara) along with a new TFT instrument binnacle, and the seat trim is new. However, if high-resolution displays and comfort are important to you, you’d still be better off spending your £65,000 on Porsche’s 718 Cayman GTS 4.0. It’s a class or two apart in this respect.
In terms of raw ergonomics, head room remains an issue, especially if you intend to take your Sport 390 Final Edition on track, which you absolutely should. Anybody over 6ft tall should bring their lid along for the test drive, because at least one of our testers had to crane his neck forward with the extra height it gave him. Check you’re happy with the boot space, too: the Exige’s trunk is similar to an Alpine A110’s but, again, the Cayman does better.
Assuming you do fit, you’ll find this to be one of the most purposeful cabins around. You sit stupendously low in the car, with the chassis’ wide, carbonfibre-clad sills rising up either side of you and the long gearlever extending skywards to meet your left hand. There isn’t a huge level of adjustability in the driving position, but there’s nothing that impinges on your ability to drive the car hard.
