Lotus Evora 400 vs Porsche Cayman GT4 - Pork and Cheese? 

Hey guys, just to say thanks to James for letting me have a go in his Evora. I rather enjoyed the Lotus and can see why people love them! Very fun sounds great and drives brilliantly. If you can pick one up for £60k odd its a good shout for sure. I would love to take both on track, this is where i suspect the GT4 comes alive, before i bought the car i had a Cayman GTS and went to Silverstone and drove a GT4 and GT3. You can start to really stretch the car on track where as on the road it is way into its comfort zone, the Lotus really liked being on the road and is an event everytime you drive it. I am not overly brand loyal so i have no bias towards Porsche or anyone else, but im very glad i got the GT4. If anyone wants to pick my brains about it or more on what i thought about the Lotus just drop a message and i shall try to reply asap!

Such a fair unbiased report, refreshing to watch and as you rightly say two great cars with much to recommend them! If it wasn't for where I live, (Middle East) I'd have been driving an Evora for the last 8 months, but I have to suffer the indignity of being seen in my Jag XF-S instead. The Evora's a car you buy with your heart, the Jag is one which suits the head and the heart!

Delightful comparo! I was just thinking of this comparison when I saw a Lotus Evora GT at my local Porsche dealership. Love the back-to-back comparisons from real owners.

Lack of conclusion accepted; this was the most mature, open-minded and informative review I have ever watched. Well well done.

Great video for someone looking for more info on the Evora. I am genuinely surprised that it seems to be as fun, capable and competent as the very highly acclaimed GT4. I really need to go and test drive one someday!

Awesome video and great description from both owners how each other’s cars feel...awesome review

Damn I’m just loving the content on your channel! Proper car reviews for enthusiasts!

Nice review, from a GT4 owner, I'll have to try and 410 now.

400 is a great package, you have to accept the lack of lotus r&d budget, but still has it's strengths without resorting to 'character', if only people bought from smaller car makers in anything other than mags and comments. I think full a light-weighted 410 would be odd choice for a pure drivers car over an exige. I wish Toyota would sell the latest NA V8 from the lexus to lotus. A V8 Evora, or an Esprit would make more sense for 'bigger bro' hardcore model that's differentiated from the exige. I'd be interested to know the difference in weight to very forced induction plumbing 400/410 engine to the NA V8

This channel will blow up. Awesome quality from the get go!

Good review James. Definitely the 2 cars are a different take on a similar formula. Having driven both back to back on track I agree that the GT4 is more track focussed, and was slightly quicker around Hethel than my 400, I would guess mostly down to the cup tyres and stiffer suspension. I think the 410 sport and GT4 would be closer, as you say in your video. I prefer the driving position and view from the Evora with lower scuttle.. the Porsche seats would be a nice addition, although they are a bit too upright for my taste in the Cayman.

A video with honest and integrity for which many thanks I enjoyed it a lot.😊

Very nice and informative video. Your videos are getting better and better :)

Really Really good unbias review,,, so well done, i loved it

JayEmm on Cars Jay please answer a question for me ... 2017 GT410 with every weight saving option including titanium exhaust, no warranty .... versus the new 2020 Evora GT w carbon package an no titanium exhaust ... 2017 is $20K less cost ... which would you choose? Much appreciated and thank you for you work

Always been a huge fan of lotus

Great vid and great comparison for road work ... but if this test was focused on many track miles I wonder which one would Trump... when the GT4 first came out it was the toast of town talk on the track and I believe thats where its focused , not taking that away from the lotus but I think that would be a great comparison after a few track miles

Great review. My 2 years (with me) GT4 981 has a reverse camera which until this video I thought was OEM and boy is it useful. I DID know it has a mod to the final drive (with 6th gear restored) so I get to play with the gears at 14% lower ratio on the drive pinion to the differential (also gets rid of the spalling problem on the OEM component). I guess I would recommend the RPM Technik mod for greater engagement on the 718 or 981 GT4s. I took the UTAC CAT driver track school recently to learn to drive the mid engine layout better (coming from e46M3) and that was very worthwhile.

Great video! Maybe do an evora vs carrera now to see what the difference there is! Would definitely be interesting especially with the new turbo Porsche engines...

Great video and conclusions. Will be trying both (but Evora pulls my hard-string harder).

A correction to a comment about the Honda NSX. The original was manual steering only. Then there were some later model updates that included the electric power steering and also Drive By Wire. I think in fact they were both introduced in the same year.

Ok this was a great video and many thanks for doing it. i have already driven both and am right now looking at these two cars and this gave me some good insight. For sure one of Lotus's weak points in the US is the dealer network and they only have a 3 year warranty compared to the 4 year one on a Porsche Having said that right now a used GT4 is about 100k and you will be a second owner so in reality both cars will cost the same outlay but the Evora is new and the GT4 used. I think I am going to buy an Evora for the following reasons: I do have a dealer local to me, Caymans are literally everywhere, Lotus is unusual. Lotus will have a lower cost of ownership and hold a higher residual (assuming you cannot get a GT4 at list, IMHO the Lotus is a smoothy ride over rough city streets, I really like the Lotus green color :)

What an amazing video! Cheers!

Get the evora 410 sport/GT410 sport vs Cayman GT4 4.0 on some timed laps. Would be a great watch

Very nice video ( coming from an evora sports racer owner).. Would have been nice to know about fuel consumption comparisons.. How much do these cars really drink and was your gt4 friend using high octane as is recommended for the evora?

Both those cars sound fantastic

great video, very cool to have direct comparaison and by the owners ! Only donw side in my opinion, is that we see only the guy face, not the road, how the car behaves. Could be telling his opinion in a sofa just after trying the result would be almost similar

now that its 2020 I wonder what the exige 430 would be up against a gt4 @JayEmmonCars

Nice video James. As I've said before, I definitely love what I've learned about both cars, although I have not driven a Lotus yet. One of the reasons I chose a Porsche is because of the dealer network. My nearest Lotus dealer is 3+ hours away & if I needed service it would be difficult with the Lotus while I have a Porsche dealer 10min from home. Other reasons include the build quality & interior bits. I still think the Lotus is a fine choice & I like it's exclusivity, but it just didn't line up for me. Still hoping to drive one in the future. Side note, why do you guys dislike the electric parking brake so much? I absolutely love this feature as it gets rid of the ugly handbrake making the center console much nicer. It is also simple & easy to use & engages fully at the touch of a button while the handbrakes sometimes need adjustment.

Love the Evora

Both Great cars, have owned porsches in the past. I dont think I could ever give up my lotus for one again. The steering/drive even if a slight advantage, is the world to me and one of the sole reasons I bought a lotus. Cheers!

This is quickly becoming my favorite car channel on RU-vid!

you guys remind me of nick frost and simon pegg, great review! that evora sounds fantastic!

Get the impression he wanted you to love his car 😀he was fairly quiet when in the lotus. Good review chap. Keep it up.

This video needs a million views. Two fantastic cars! The ability to put a small child in the back of the Lotus would make it the more practical for me. I hope to pick up a used one in 2-3 years. My only major concern would be the cost of a new clutch as I hear they are pretty pricey in the regular Evora S. Which by the way I fell in love with when I test drove, but sadly, couldn't get over the manual gear box. Glad to hear that's changed.

Please do a version of this on track! That would be really fun. I suspect they're going to be very competitive.

Great reviews / drives. I've just taken delivery of the M2, based in Liverpool, if you ever fancy a drive out to review just let me know! Evo triangle isn't too far away D

Great comparison James,would have loved to see a drag race with these two cars also

Very nice comparison, James. A point of clarification, though -- the GT4 was far from a limited edition model. Porsche made a lot of them and many more than it initially intimated.

Congrats and I enjoyed your insights

Funny thing is, because of the issues with the red colours, it actually looks like a PTS Rubystone red GT4. Oh, and I agree on the 400's rubbish seats. Get yourself a couple of the old Recaros I'd say, a tad heavier but a lot better. (Ps: top tip, get both driver and passenger on camera for the inboard shots, makes it more interesting to follow the conversation).

Both beautiful cars, both sound wonderful on tap. I think the evora for everyday "wow" factor, but with that rear wing adn howl from the cayman, i can see why you called it a draw.

Great video. I've never owned either. In my opinion the GT4 is the better car by quite a way. But I'd have the Lotus. I think it has more character and it's more unusual. There's a lot to be said for unusual.

Jaguar f-type r vs evora 400 please. I think you drove both. What are your thoughts

Great review!

Thank you guys for this very good review, I enjoyed it a lot! Both cars are awesome, but due to the fact that I own a Speedster (I think you call it VX 220:)) I'm very much into Lotus and planning to visit HetheI as soon as possible. I really like the Evora, it's an amazing car. I accidentally found that video on RU-vid and have to say that I really like your channel! Best regards from Vienna/Austria, Alex :)

ok, you told me to watch this video, so I did. Some great reviews here. I agree with the vast majority of these opinions. I love the GT4, but I may actually favor the looks of the Lotus more. It looks a little more exotic and has some great proportions. I also like that it has 2 rear seats (I do own a 911 after all) although that isn't a make or break situation. I guess the weakness of the Lotus is the dealer network (in the USA) and the fact that Porsche basically produces the same HP with a NA engine vs a FI engine. And speaking of the engine, I still think that this is a bit of a "weakness" of the Evora, given that this is an example that Lotus really isn't an auto manufacture, but more of a chassis manufacture. For some reason that would kind of bug me knowing that the engine really isn't all that special other than it has a SC bolted on (given the price of the car). On the other hand, being a huge Porsche fan, I actually think the GT4 is a little "overrated". Yes, its a great car, but comparing it to a GT3 is a HUGE stretch. Lets me honest, go look at lap times online or at your local circuit, the GT4 usually is close to or even gets beat by the 991.1 C2S with the 911 ONLY using street tires, while the GT4 is using Cup 2 tires. I have heard that 997.2 C2S owners that go with a more aggressive alignment and cup 2 tires, can get some very similar lap times as the GT4. So while the GT4 is a great performing car, it isn't close to the GT3 (and if you can't turn faster lap times in a car with 115 more HP, you probably shouldn't be driving a Porsche) and is actually much closer to a 991.1 C2S or even a 997.2 C2S with proper tires. Of course the 991.2 C2S would absolutely destroy the GT4, as would the GTS. So lets stop talking about GT4 and GT3 in the same sentence just because they both have a wing. But like I said, great review and I love both cars (just not as much as the GT3 or the 911 ;) )

I still think the cars would be good competition for each other because of their matched features...but the folks at harrop have really boosted (pun intended) engine output by jumping from the TVS1320 supercharger that lotus installs to a TVS 1900 intercooled supercharger that can just force a larger volume of air into the engine and at much cooler temperatures. That would be a real game changer for the lotus… they show an exige with the same engine making almost 500 wheel horsepower on their Dyno on a 35C day… That’s pretty good for a car that light.

should i get the evora 400 or porsche cayman 987 .. guys which one is the best i know lotus evora has the best handling.. mainly using the car for cruising or long drive strolling.. any idea?

Cheers james. I'm 6 years late to the party but a good helpful vid. Hope you're doing well. buddsy

Correction, you said the GT4 has a base 911 engine, it's actually the engine from the Carrera S

Having a Focus RS here across the pond in the states feels more special, particularly in the west coast, though you are right the interior is just a Focus. I think the RS is different enough to separate itself noticeably from Subaru WRX STi's and still be a more fun car than the Honda Civic Type R's and Golf R's that it was pitted against. I still think it holds its own against them now, despite the Golf R now getting drifty.

What a great review

James I think your Cayman friend wanted to say something at the end but was cut off? He said "And I just wanted ...." What? what did he want? ? To offer a cup of tea ? It would have been nice to hear his final opinion summary as well after all he was a co-comparer (Is that a word?) lol

2 comments. 1. Would have liked to have heard the other drivers conclusion. 2. As far as 'boot space' goes.......that is why I am a big fan of sports cars with back seats. Back seats are bigger than any boot, and since you can't fit adults back there and I don't have kids, I count that as boot space. Lastly.......it's a lot easier to put things in and out of the back seat than having to open and close the boot in my opinion. Just another view point in evaluating boot space.

First thing I noticed was how much noisier the Cayman's cabin is in comparison to that of the Evora, and it has to be said, I do prefer the Evora's exhaust note.

Why the F is the GT4 owner talking about everything but the Evora while driving it?!

Great comparison. Thx. Luv and Peace.

May I recommend a two stroke gp replica

Still difficult to decide which one

Two awesome cars. Most car enthusiasts would love either. BTW, the engine from the GT4 came from the 911S.

An Exige 380 convertible for me please.

Great Video, thanks.

Great vid

Bad car within the last decade? PT Cruiser...

It's funny how the Evora 400 sounds better than the Cayman GT4, since the engine is from a Toyota Camry, gotta give Lotus credit for tuning it to something awesome

I sub'd because I have a similar frame as this guy. I need to be able to fit into a car that I am going to fantisize about.

I think the Lotus Evora 430 is out now...Both are great cars...brilliant really...You can't go wrong with either...

Review a 65 S2 Elan- my car! The best Elan according to Dave Bean.

If I had the money I'd get an Evora. It's more rare and better looking. Plus I'd want the handling qualities Jay described. Thanks.

Not quite sure how I missed this review. Pretty spot on. The Evora is a better DD, the GT4 is more logical weekend/Track toy. If you're ever out by the ring, drop me a line. Cheers, GT4/Evora Owner (Mindblown!)

very very good video and liked the review at the end. Lotus 400 vs 410? Also Exige V6 vs Evora 400

great vid, imo the lotus sounded much better

wow A 100 grand!....I hope he has sold it, they are going for 65k now.

Thanks for sharing.

Well I do hope a lotta ppl see this vid, great reviews (if not quite as entertaining as a full track thrash 'Top Gear' style).So ultimately a pure preference factor for all things between them, sounds cool. Well good luck Lotus to keep getting their builds better and better. If you knew in advance what both these cars were like side by side before you purchased (and the GT4 was available at list price), granted the amount of technical hitches you had with the 400, would that in itself have swayed you to the GT4?Quite presumably all GT4s would barely have had any faults for their owners

The resale will be night and day, as the GT4 will hold a much higher percentage of value going forward. The stability (or lack of it) of Lotus as a company as well as the small dealership base also hurts the Evora.

It seemed like I was waiting forever for you to put up this review but it was sure worth the wait! Really enjoyed that and many thanks to both of you for making this happen. I do have one question I'd love you to answer if you have time, and that's if you think their is an element of Porsche bias within the media? Btw this video didn't work for me either through RU-vid directly but played through FB??

Why not do a drag race and take them to a track?

very nice job, good personal comparison done by petrol-heads, not by so called professionals... in my opinion have some subjective points in this, is ok and acceptable.

surprisingly I thought the Lotus sounded at least as good if not better than the Porsche

James - do you know how different the standard cayman S with PASM is from the GT4 suspension system? (or is the GT4 suspension same PASM as the cayman S?)

evora is very underrated but looks so fuckin good.

Porsche hasn't used "rod linkage" since the 993. Everything since 986 and 996 has been cable shifted.

your lotus sounds amazing,

The sad thing is that I'll probably never get a chance to drive either

My heart says Lotus, but my heart says Porsche Cayman

The Lotus sounds much better and has more character than the Porsche.

The lotus sounds so good! So much better than the Porsche

Put the gt4 vs an exige 430 and after say me

Rarely do these comparisons look at the costs of maintenance, or ease of maintenance, or cost of parts.

first gen Cayman S with the IPD plenum and fabspeed exhaust, you get the real deal for 40k

Agree with comment below. What do you think of THE CAR?! Sat in a GT4 and hated the seats. A long drive would be a nightmare. Too upright. Maybe thats just me, as most reviewers seem to like them.

Lotus is seen as a more exotic brand where I'm from and Porsches are quite common. I've seen more Porsche Carrera GTs on the road than Lotuses. I do like the look of the Evora more, but the way I see it, the Lotus would make a better weekend car(toy) and the Porsche would be a better weekday car(daily)

Imagine having two of these purist machines in your garage at the same time!!!

I had a 2015 GY4 which was a great car. I ended up trading it for a 2020 718 Spyder which is a fantastic car. You can't beat Porsche.

100k against 70k? Come on that they are so close / only opinion counts means the Lotus won. The other ppoint is there are too many Porsches around, I live in germany - here heads turn when they see a Lotus!

I like Pork so I choose the Lotus Evora every time. Sure, a good Mozzarella, Cheddar, Provolone, or Swiss cheese could be nice but the Porsche Cayman GT4 does not speak to my soul nor wallet like the Lotus.

Dealer network? Rather do without one than a Porsche which is everywhere you look. Lotus reviews are much better too...

7:08 - "Super Spotes Car" ROTFL!