Lotus, as the legend goes, was built on a whisper and a prayer, and a borderline obsession with lightness. Colin Chapman, the man behind the badge, would probably break into hives at the thought of thick door insulation or soft-close tailgates.
AMG, meanwhile, marches to a different drumbeat altogether. It’s a name that conjures mental images of burly saloons with flared nostrils and a rumble so deep it frightens the wildlife.
Yet here we are with the Emira Turbo SE, the by-product of this improbable pairing. A parting gift from Lotus to the internal combustion engine.
The result of a complicated family tree rooted in Norfolk, with a branch extended generously by Geely, and somewhere on that family board, Mercedes-AMG.
Pretty. Purposeful. Poised.
Visually, the Emira is a triumph. You could park it next to a Ferrari 296 and it wouldn’t blink. All those scoops and scallops give it an unapologetically attractive presence. The tailpipes, those twin-chambered cannons, are shared with the V6, as are the proportions. But this I4 model is something different beneath the skin.
Gone is the shouty Toyota-sourced supercharged V6. In its place, a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder sourced from AMG, the same firecracker that lives in the Mercedes-AMG A45 S. But here, it’s dialled down slightly to 360bhp and slotted into Lotus’s aluminium chassis.
You wouldn’t know it at first. Start her up and she’s almost shy, burbling quietly, almost apologetically, as if unsure whether it belongs here. But then you prod the throttle, feel the tension build, and the magic begins to stir.
It’s Not the V6. But That’s the Point.
The Emira Turbo SE doesn’t try to imitate its bigger-engined sibling. In fact, it takes a different route to the same destination.
At full tilt, the engine wails its way to a lofty 7,200rpm, accompanied by the sharp suck and blow of turbo breath and valvetrain chatter, like mechanical jazz in surround sound.
Paired with an 8-speed dual-clutch gearbox, shifts are snappy… mostly. There’s the occasional moment where a downshift comes with delayed enthusiasm, and upshifts in Sport mode feel unnecessarily dramatic.
Fortunately, flick the paddles yourself, and the Emira remembers it’s a Lotus – crisp, intuitive, and eager.
Is it fast?
Yes, decisively so.
0–100km/h in 4.4 seconds is nothing to sniff at. But it’s not just about numbers. It’s about how those numbers feel. The Emira makes you feel every millimetre of tarmac pass beneath your seat.
Lotus has always been about the drive, and the Emira carries that torch proudly. The ride is supple, polished, almost elastic. It glides over bumps, yet sharpens up when you dive into a bend.
And oh, how it corners.
There’s no fancy trickery here, just sound fundamentals. Steering is direct and communicative. Brakes from AP Racing deliver feel and bite in equal measure. With its rear-biased weight distribution and vast 295-section rear tyres, the Emira can easily switch between planted and playful.
Is it as precise as a Cayman GTS? Not quite. But the Emira has an organic, old-school fluidity. It talks to you, with a steady, knowing hand on your shoulder.
Form Meets Function, Mostly.
Inside, Lotus has finally shed its kit-car past. The cabin feels modern and mature, awash with Alcantara, aluminium, and crisp digital displays.
It’s no German, but it’s no plastic fantastic either. There’s a real sense of occasion, with beautifully milled shift paddles and an artful gear selector that’s part sculpture, part switchgear.
The seats, however, are a mild letdown, plagued by oddly intrusive headrests. A shame, considering how lovely everything else feels.
Once you play around with the infotainment, the switches, the cubbies, you realise: this isn’t just a Lotus you drive. It’s one you can live with.
The Compromise.
The Emira Turbo SE weighs just 11kg less than the V6, thanks to the DCT gearbox and added complexity. And despite its AMG bloodline, the engine doesn’t quite deliver the throttle response or aural drama you get in the V6. There’s a sliver of disconnect, as if the chassis is ready to waltz but the powertrain has brought along a metronome.
Still, for every moment it hesitates, there’s one where it comes alive. It reminds you that this is the last of its kind. A pure, mid-engined, petrol-powered Lotus built for people who still care about driving.
A Heartfelt Swan Song
The Lotus Emira Turbo SE is many things. Beautiful. Engaging. Occasionally infuriating. But above all, it’s a love letter to the analogue, the mechanical, the joyful.
It’s a car that exists not because it’s the easiest or cheapest to make, but because someone at Lotus believed it should.
Sure, the I4 doesn’t deliver the same visceral theatre as the V6. And yes, the price is creeping dangerously close to Porsche Cayman GTS territory. But then again, in a world of silent EVs and hyper-intelligent software, this is one of the few sports cars left that still looks you in the eye and asks, “Shall we dance?”
Technical Specifications
Lotus Emira Turbo SE
Engine: 2-litre in-line 4, Turbocharged
Drivetrain: Rear-Wheel Drive
Power: 400 bhp
Torque: 480 Nm
Gearbox: 8-Speed (A) DCT
0-100km/h: 4 seconds (claimed)
Fuel Tank Capacity: 52.5 litres
Fuel Economy: 11 km/litre (claimed)
Price: POA (accurate at the time of this article)
Photo Credits: Sean Loo (@auto.driven)
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