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Lotus lineup gets a serious Boost with Supercharged Exige S
As if the outstanding performance of the award-winning Elise roadster were not enough, legendary British sports car company Lotus has boosted its lineup by bringing its quickest, street-legal production car, the Exige S, to the United States.
The addition of a supercharger and intercooler to the 1.8 liter engine has raised the horsepower 16 percent (to 220 hp from 190) and torque 20 percent (to 165 lb.ft. from 133) from the standard Exige engine. Perhaps more importantly, with 80 percent of the peak torque available from just over 2,000 rpm, the engine has impressive flexibility making the car more relaxed yet instantly responsive with exceptional acceleration throughout the rpm range. The extra power of the Exige S, combined with the legendary Lotus handling, allows the car to jump out of corners and raises the Exige’s already outstanding performance to an entirely new level.
Weighing just 2,077 pounds, the Exige S sprints to 60 mph in a blistering 4.1 seconds, nearly a full second faster than the already quick standard Exige and the 100 mph barrier sails by in just 11 seconds. Despite its supercar-like acceleration and 148 mph top speed, fuel economy is a rather un-supercar-like 25 mpg combined (est.) thanks in part to the six-speed aluminum gearbox and Lotus T4e Engine Control System which includes variable-rpm cam switching for the first time.
“The Exige S is a real-world supercar,” said Bob Braner President and CEO of Lotus Cars USA. “It represents the ultimate expression of the Lotus production car and its performance matches that of supercars costing two or three times as much.”
The Exige S shares its 150 pound extruded aluminum chassis with the standard Exige and Elise, as well as the Exige’s aerodynamic package (front end splitter, flat undercarriage, rear diffuser and rear wing) to generate nearly 100 pounds of downforce at 100 mph. This downforce combined with the precise steering, outstanding suspension and grippy Yokohama A048 tires give the Exige unrivaled handling capability.
To differentiate the Exige S from its naturally-aspirated sibling, the rear wing, front splitter and side air intakes are painted body color, instead of black. A single oval exhaust replaces the twin-pipe design from the naturally-aspirated Elise and Exige. A revised roof-scoop provides a stream of cooling air to the intercooler that sits above the mid-mounted engine.
With an MSRP starting at $56,990 the Lotus Exige S is an incredible value and is expected in limited numbers at dealerships throughout the U.S. later this year.
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