BETTER PARTSLotus Eletre review: Is the electric SUV a real Lotus?
Don't judge too quickly, because he might surprise you
Do we need to point out that this is a controversial car? Oh, the internet is outraged: how dare they? How can they? This is not a real Lotus. It's not light, it's not small, you won't get cold toes in it in winter. It is not being built in Hethel, but in Wuhan, China. The Lotus Eletre is everything founder Colin Chapman had bad dreams about. Murder, fire, the end of time.
Where have we seen this kind of commentary before? Oh yes: at Porsche, about twenty years ago. Things weren't going too well for the brand at the time, but with the introduction of the Cayenne they were promptly saved – and well on their way to better times than ever. Even then, 'purists' shouted slogans about sacrilege and denial of 'their' brand. But they forgot the big picture for a moment: without the Cayenne, there would have been no Porsche at all a few years later.
We should be happy that Lotus still exists
Lotus has often been on the edge, and often they have been saved in the nick of time. Only to shuffle towards the abyss again a few years later. When Geely, one of China's larger automakers, absorbed the brand, they thought it would be useful to do things differently. For example, in a way that, er, has proven successful with other sports car brands.
The SUV is a smart move for Lotus
So that means one thing: SUVs. Customers want them, customers buy them, regardless of what Gerard in his slightly weathered Elise S1 with green-yellow seat belt covers thinks. And given the spirit of the times, it means a second thing: electric. Why would you, as a brand, invest in a powerful petrol engine if everything indicates that important markets will definitely change within a few years?
We understand the consternation, of course. SUVs are big, tall and heavy – exactly everything Lotus wanted to avoid all these years. And electric SUVs, especially if they also have to go a bit fast, are even heavier. The Eletre weighs (at least) 2,490 kilos, and while that is not excessive for its kind, it is also just under three Elises. It doesn't match what we've been told Lotus is for decades.
But, reality check: few people buy small, light, Spartan sports cars anymore. Not enough for a brand to survive beyond small-scale insignificance. If even the 911 couldn't save Porsche, could the Emira do it for Lotus? The Eletre is the bridge to a future with this brand.
Geely understands how it works
So it's a matter of moving along or disappearing; although there are varying degrees of compliance. Do you stick a Lotus logo on an existing Chinese crossover and go for a coffee? Or do you invest a lot of money and effort in building something that somehow lives up to the name? With Volvo, Geely has already proven that it understands how to take over a brand and still retain its value, so it is no big surprise that they also opt for option two here.
The Eletre already managed to intrigue us in the first photos. Despite his size, he has a certain athletic stance, like a heavyweight boxer who has decided to train for the 100-meter sprint. If you walk around it, you see how air vents lead into other air vents, how hollow its sides are and how the turbulence is guided from its wheel arches.
You spot the split roof spoiler and the active flaps in the grille that open and close like lotus flowers. You see the flaps on the roof and at the wheel arches, behind which the lidar hides when the self-driving functions (ready for level 4) are not used.
Lotus's brand values, says Lotus0, are not only about low weight, but also about aerodynamics and elegant engineering. They are not making that up - the brand's rich F1 history is marked by it. So if you make an SUV, make sure it uses air smartly and responsibly. That he looks as if his body has been vacuumed over the technology. Lightness can also be an external characteristic.
The Lotus1 Eletre R is the fastest version
At a small airport in Norway, not far from Oslo, we get into an Eletre R. The top version – 918 hp, from 0 to 100 in less than 3 seconds, top speed 265 km/h – is ideal for a first demonstration of what Lotus' new self-proclaimed 'hyper-SUV' is capable of. Before us is a high-speed slalom, followed by an empty stretch of runway for a short sprint from 0 to 160.
Side note: there is an instructor sitting next to us who doesn't allow us to enable Track mode. That's fine, then we just don't fully experience what he can do. It's fast, of course. But we have now been spoiled by crazy powerful electric cars – no matter how crazy it is to move from your spot in a small building at almost Bugatti pace, it is no longer really world news.
Does the Eletre feel a bit like a real Lotus2?
What impresses more are the response and stability. The twists and turns of the slalom are long and flowing, but the road surface is damp and as you increase your speed you inevitably encounter the legal limits of nature. Still, it takes a long time for the weight shift to overwhelm the grip of the steamroller-wide P Zeros.
And when we want to force understeer at the turning point, the Eletre's digital brain is on top of it. 'Don't worry, incompetent soul, I'll save you' – and the right wheels are slowed down or given power before things can go even slightly wrong. Playful? No, just be careful. But maybe that forbidden Track mode can break that.
The straight sprint is like any fast EV: look far ahead, hold on tight and apologize to your neck muscles afterwards. The Eletre's launch control function is simple. You keep your left foot on the brake, plant your right foot on… the current, release the brake and take off.
We spend the rest of the day on the public road in the Eletre S: no two-speed transmission, no Track mode, less horsepower (612) and a 0-to-100 sprint at a walking pace (4.5 whole seconds). , pff).
The slower Eletre goes further
But it also has a greater range – 600 kilometers according to WLTP specifications, instead of 490 – and costs 30,000 euros less. For most, this and the more bare-bones, but equally fast 'normal' Eletre (at 98,690 euros) will be the more interesting versions, given the chronic lack of freely accessible runways in the Netherlands and Belgium.
The interior is better than the old Lotuses
Now that we drive around quietly and alone, we take in the interior properly for the first time. It all looks opulent, more luxurious than you would expect based on the sleek, purposeful exterior. Knurled aluminum finish, seas of Alcantara, 23 KEF speakers with Dolby Atmos that can blow your inner ear out.
The central OLED screen appears to float in the center of the dashboard; in front of the driver and passenger are two small, elongated displays for driving information and things such as time/date and the music being played, respectively. The screens of the optional camera mirrors (don't do that...) are beautifully incorporated into the doors, in line with the dashboard. You 'adjust' them by swiping your finger over them.
Better give us regular mirrors, but still: it's pretty nice stuff | Photo: © TopGear
There is also a screen between the rear seats (instead of a full-fledged sofa, you can also order your Eletre as a four-seater) to control everything, and the enormous glass roof can be made opaque at the touch of a button. The infotainment, which runs on the Unreal technology known from the gaming world, works clearly and quickly. 'The new Lotus' has really put a lot of effort into this: the appearance is pleasant, the functionality is exemplary, it all fits together beautifully.
The Eletre drives fantastic
And then we come to how the Eletre drives. The parallels with Porsche are once again obvious, given that the Germans were for a long time one of the few able to make an SUV feel like a serious steering machine. After a few minutes it is clear that Lotus3 has set itself the goal of at least matching that milestone.
The individual components – steering, suspension, drivetrain calibration – join forces to supplant that detested weight as the main component of the driving experience. And they succeed better than many other sporty SUVs, electric or otherwise. The steering has no soft or vague center; that small subtle zone that often functions as a comfort factor is completely missing.
The Eletre will probably never go more 'off-road' again Photo: © TopGear
Move your hands just a fraction and the car responds. The danger of such a set-up is that you will have to deal with nervous handling on straight highways, but no: the Lotus4 Eletre rolls straight ahead unperturbed and is so stiff and focused that you have it hanging on your hands as a whole. See, think, go. This is remarkably sophisticated behavior for any kind of car, let alone a large SUV.
The chassis, air-sprung with multi-link suspension front and rear, supports the body so effectively that the weight seems to evaporate in the movement. Standard on the Eletre R, optional on the S and the regular Eletre, is the Lotus5 Dynamic Handling Pack with rear-wheel steering and active roll stabilizers – for maximum apparent lightness.
Hey? Paddle shifters behind the wheel?
With the paddles behind your steering wheel you can easily switch between the degree of regeneration (left) and the driving modes (right): lower is milder, upper is more intense. No digging into a screen, all dynamic settings are within reach. Exactly how you want it in a car with sporting intentions. The Tour mode is not overly soft; In Sport, the seats grip your diaphragm, everything is turned up to eleven and the cornering speed you can achieve defies all imagination.
Chinese companies know what we want
At Lotus6 they also know that there is no point in doing half measures. Those who swear by Porsches and BMW M's will accept nothing less – and that is the pond in which the Lotus7 Eletre wants to fish. Then the quality must be good, the involvement and tactile sensations must be good.
The asset asphalt management, so to speak, must be rock solid. You have to have the basic EV things – an 800-volt architecture, charging with up to 350 kW, relative efficiency – more than in order. And most importantly: you shouldn't promise anything you can't keep. In China they now know very well what we in the West want, and so - with the help of 'our' best people - they ensure that they give us exactly that.
Is it a real Lotus8 or not?
The Lotus9 Eletre carries a brand name that brings with it expectations, and if you cannot meet them based on the kilo restriction, you have to try to get the same meaning from everything around it. We don't actually know what exactly we expected in advance, but the Eletre overwhelmed us. He is intriguing and inspiring. Is it a real Lotus0? Much more important: he determines what a Lotus1 will be. And that prospect is promising.
Specifications of the Lotus2 Eletre S (2023)
Engine 2 e-motors 612 hp, 710 Nm 112 kWh (battery) Four-wheel drive continuously variable Performance 0-100 km/h in 4.5 s top 258 km/h Consumption 17.8 kWh/100 km 600 km (range) Charging time (10-80%) 20 min. @ 350 kW Weight 2,520 kg Prices € 124,090 (NL)