CarGuy07

Hello fellow enthusiasts!

Looking to purchase a new car to go with my Macan and have been flip flopping between the CGTS 4.0 and Emira. The former is tried and true but is so common here in Silicon Valley. The other is sexy, handles a bit better, and is not as common, but the quality and dealer support are questionable. Any major reasons to go for one vs the other?

mslam02

I was between a 718 spyder and Emira, but that was before Emira was even available to compare in person or do a test drive. You seem to be aware of the major drawbacks with Lotus (though now that Geely owns them is the quality better? Too early to say). Though I have not driven the Emira (bought the spyder), here is my research based summary of wins:

Quality: Porsche
Dealer network: Porsche
Looks (subjective): Pretty close but I'd probably skew Emira over CGTS as well
Power: CGTS
Handling: ? Objectively on a quick google search CGTS holds 1.09 g's of lateral force on skid pad where Emira is 1.02 g's. But Emira is a lighter car so might feel more like a "drivers car."
Steering: Emira has hydraulic steering rack so i'm going to give it the win here for steering feel
Practicality: both have back seats, Porshce has a frunk and Emira has a Trunk (no frunk) so thats a wash.
Price: Emira
Resale price: Porsche

And i'll finish with what everyone else is going to say: Drive both and see which one feels best to you.

Best of luck!

Jay9722

I own a 23 Spyder and have owned every Spyder variant in the past. They are great cars. The 4.0 engine is fantastic and Porsche quality and reliability is never a concern. As a previous owner of a 21 Evora GT I can honestly tell you that build quality and dealer network availability was a huge issue. My nearest lotus dealer was almost 400 miles away. So if you have little issues that require work under warranty you might wait until you have a grocery list of repairs before taking in the car for service. And the parts you need probably won’t be in stock at the dealership so you’ll be waiting on shipping. Your car could be sitting in a dealership back lot for awhile.
Is the Emira different under new management? Maybe. But most of the reviews I have watched say that the Emira is just a polished and updated Evora. Not that that’s a bad thing because the Evora was a fantastic car. But have there been enough changes that the build quality issues have been addressed? Just know what you’re getting yourself into. The Emira is a beautiful car and might be worth all the potential hassles. But I have never had to consider that owning Porsches

leftlane

Pleasure versus pain - your choice 😜

Nandska

Voted Porsche just based on dealer network. Really thought about the Lotus Emira but not having a dealership close was just a no go for me.

CarGuy07

There are two Lotus dealers near me. They both sell other brands too. One is about 25-30 minutes and the other is 40 minutes away. That compared to the closest Porsche dealer of 15 minutes. Not a huge deal. The lead time for answers from Lotus HQ for warranty work and parts is what worries me most. Not to mention, the parts might be more expensive since it’s all fiberglass? This could mean higher insurance premiums.

needmoregarage

Porsche Cayman/Boxster/Spyder with a back seat??? Correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m not aware of a back seat in any of the Cayman/Boxster/Spyder models.

ATL Fahrer

The Emira doesn’t have a back seat either.

Have driven the car - it’s a blast. Lots of reasons to pick the P-car. The Emira will get more looks and holds its own with respect to performance.

Check out Harry’s Garage video for a real world eval…
BTW, I voted for the Lotus 😉

GT4_Rick

Lotus quality, reliability, cost of ownership, depreciation will all be worse than a cayman. The Emira looks great and exotic, but in my opinion that's the only benefit and it isn't enough of one to choose the Emira.