Lotus Emira i4

FIRST DRIVE We get behind the wheel of the last combustion Lotus ever. Is it a worthy send-off?

- Stuart Gallagher

HE THIS is the last new combustion-engined Lotus sports car. That's a line that started with the Seven, captured the world's imagination with the Elan, hit the silver screen with the Esprit, turned to the Elise for Lotus's salvation, and all ends with this, the turbocharged four-cylinder Emira i4.

Developed alongside the Toyotaengined V6 Emira, the i4 takes the 2.0-litre turbo engine and gearbox from the Mercedes-AMG A 45 and squeezes them into the middle of the Emira, which requires a number of changes from the B-pillars back. These include a new, 12kg-lighter aluminium subframe, new shear panels, uprights, and wishbones, while the electronics also required significant changes.

In the Emira i4 the Mercedes-AMG unit produces 360bhp and 430Nm of torque, and the car can cover the 0-60mph sprint in 4.3 seconds. 

Its eight-speed double-clutch gearbox (no manual is offered, unlike with the V6) has, like the engine, been mapped to Lotus's requirements.

As a powertrain package, it punches as hard as you'd expect for the numbers it turns out. It gets off the line with great energy that then builds as the revs climb. There's a buzz and athleticism to its power delivery, too, as you hunt around the top end of its rev band for every opportunity to generate thrust.

However, for all its performance, it's not the best-sounding engine. In fact, it's quite coarse, and only when you switch to the Sport or Track modes does the exhaust note get better.