dixienormus93 Especially with how slow he was changing to avoid miss shifting. If he did that in a manual porsche the lotus would most likely be infront. He must be losing a tenth on each upchange doing it like that.
@@hunghuge7717 He was hesitant because the Lotus looked like it was a hairy ride whereas the Cayman was a smooth operator. In the end the performance differences between the two is very little but the amount of driver effort is considerable to achieve similar performance. Lotus fans may say that means more involvement and that is true but......
@@cstraley nah, we say more involvement because our steering is sublime, and the feel between the fingertips and the raod is analog, as to where the Porsche is now electric steering 🙈
Not a fair comparison? The Evora S should have been a paddle shift to compete with the Cayman or vice versa in this segment. The Lotus is an amazing car that's truly underrated!!!
The Evora’s paddle shift is slower than the manual. At best the Cayman could have had a manual but then why should it? It’s not Porsche‘s fault Lotus don’t provide a decent paddle shift. Besides reviewers have to take the cars they are given.
I own the 2014 2.7 Cayman. Had it for nearly a year. It is my first "real" sports car and I couldn't be more amazed and pleased with my purchase! It drives so damn respectful in traffic. Smooth as ice, no jarring, jumping ahead of itself. Just smooth as she goes. Then, take it out for a little high RPM driving and the character changes in so many ways, it's difficult to count the changes, mainly because it still remains civil, ferociously civil that is. And I'm talking about the little brother here! The 2.7 can up and startle one with it's heart thumping barrage of power surge, especially from a rolling start. I can't even imagine what the how much more the 3.4 can do, although, I don't kid myself on this point. Perhaps that will be my next Porsche? It's all that good
The Lotus is an exotic and has a non-standard construction, they only make a few 100 a year (by hand). The Cayman is a mass produced car and they are everywhere. The Exige V6 is quicker than the Evora though, it's quicker than the Cayman GT4 too. The Evora is more of a GT.
I'm posting this before I see the Evora lap... I have to say: I don't care if it's slower (and I think it will be by 1-2 seconds) I would still pay more for that car over the Porsche because it's just such a beautiful car... I don't think Lotus has ever made a car that didn't take my breath away in aesthetics.
statikreg - I'm a hardcore Lotus fan... But the Europa or Elite... Not all there for me. But I'll take them over any Porsche. (Owned 2 Lotuses and 1 Porsche)
Not comparing apples to apples.... They should have been both manual transmissions or vice versa. The driver has to upshift and downshift numerous times during his hot lap, ultimately, adding time to his lap. If they had the same transmissions, It is quite possible the Lotus would have been faster.
The Lotus would be where the smart money goes, 6 years down the line a 2009 Elise is £17k a 2009 Boxster is £15k and when you think the Elise was £8k cheaper to buy new? And if you go older a 1997 Elise is £8k and a 1997 Boxster £3k! The Lotus will be more exclusive, turn more heads as you drive by and hold its value better.
+Jase Leese That's from an investment standpoint. In terms of practicality, refinement, and performance the Cayman S is ahead. Nonetheless, both fantastic vehicles.
+Brian C Not just an investment standpoint, but exclusivity as well. A substantial amount of more Caymans produced than Evoras hence it's strong residual. Agreed, both cars are fantastic, however I'd still prefer the Lotus for its exclusivity.
ReelOne Exclusivity is a nice thing to have but expect constant questions about the car and grabbing lots of attention everywhere you go which is +/- depending on the person and mood you are in etc. Honestly, I love the Lotus, almost everything about it. But as a daily driver for me the Cayman S is more livable because of its added refinement and extra space. If it was my second car the Lotus would definitely be in my top tier of choices.
***** I wouldn't. Every well to do middle aged man with a mid-life crisis goes out and buys one, whether he's likes cars or not. I'd rather own something a bit better looking and a bit less common.
Indeed ;D. I bought an Evora S cause the design is perfect for me. Here in Germany Porsche is so common and the Cayman is worth not more than a Golf R32. Even kids dont turn their heads anymore. Im living right beside a porsche center so i decided to be one of the 250 germans who bought an Evora. Porsche is just to show your financial status here in germany. Sry for my english.
It's also nowhere near as well engineered, advanced, or simply good, in any way. Porsche beats it in every imaginable objective or subjective way. Plus, despite being a car that should cost twice as much as the Evora, it's cheaper.
Christopher Thelisma 1.) No one cares that you live in a rich neighborhood and see all of these expensive cars 2.) You are probably lying because judging by your typing skills, you are maybe in middle school or your parents spent all their money on getting a car for you rather than a good education where you'd learn how to actually spell words correctly. 3.) *Neighborhood, *Bugattis
0:55 That was probably the most arousing V6 exhaust note I have ever heard. Had no idea 6 cylinders could sound so absolutely vicious. God, I want one of these so badly now.
He's comparing apples and oranges, the Evora is a manual, the Boxster a paddle-shift, so the time difference is irrelevant. To drive, the Evora is leagues above the Boxtser - steering, brakes, handling, ride. I test drove both for a whole weekend and there was no question for me that the Lotus was better.
Looks like a lot of above comments are coming from people who has never owned any of the cars being compared. I've personally owned lotus and now own 981 cayman. Two very different cars but if I have to choose again, I will pick Evora anyday. Cayman is a lot more comfortable and daily friendly but the driving impression, lotus takes it. and this is coming from a person that owned both.
Any opinion on which is more reliable? I've read the evora's clutch replacement can be pricy, but I would otherwise think the camry-based engine would mean better reliability and less maintenance
The standard Cayman (with stick, no PDK) had a lap time of 01:12:70. I think the Cayman S might be a little bit faster because it's lighter but the real difference is the PDK vs the manual transmission.
The time difference of 0.7 seconds can be more than attributed to the manual shift in the Lotus. Give me a proper manual anytime. The lap speed is not that much different. If the Porsche had a manual shift, the Lotus would have been faster by more than a mere 0.7 seconds. Besides, all Porsche's look the same and have for centuries. It's dated!! (see what I did there? centuries....HA)
Interesting. I owned the lotus s sports racer and now own the 981 cayman s. The cayman would not have been 51k when options are included. The cayman is overall a far more accomplished car and as a package is a far superior. Both are great though.
@Maruf Awal This is the first time I have ever heard anyone imply that the Cayman is not a drivers car. The Cayman comes with a manual and since when do driving enthusiasts prefer forced induction to natural aspiration?
I agree. Much better in person. Sounds great too! I did a review on my channel a while back. I'm doing Porsche cars now and did the Suzuki Busa today. Also, not turn heads? At an exotic meet Ferrari is a dime a dozen. Everybody has Ferrari/Lambo/Porshe/Corvette. You see an Evora, that is something special.
Sir, your back are incredibly bent, you should check that posture. Anyway great video and great driving! You guys have been doing excellent videos lately, much better than Autocar's
The fact is the Cayman is easy to drive fast. Time and time again, challenge after challenge the Cayman is the car to beat. If Porsche put more HP into the Cayman it would slay the competition.
It's not even about lap times. Seriously, I've only driven the basic 2.7 Cayman, and that thing drives like a dream. It's seriously one of the best drivers cars ever made, and probably one the 3 best money can buy today. It's so incredibly balanced, stable, predictable, the seating position is perfect, steering and brake feel are spot on. It just feels like it's glued to the road, and then when it let's go, it does it with zero drama and it's very easy to control. It's one of those cars that feel like no matter what you do, you won't spin it or slide off the road. It feels like a go-cart, except it's super refined and pretty comfortable at the same time. It's one of those cars that you drive and after that you need a one week break to forget about how good it iis before you sit behind a wheel of any other car because otherwise you're bound to be very disappointed.
The Cayman s doesn't go from 0-60 in 4 secs even the Cayman gt4 with the 3.8 does 0-60 in 4.4 What a completely pointless basis for a test as to which car is actually better, + incorrect data. and you guys are probably wondering why freelance motoring channels have open since you have and surpassed you in terms of subscriber numbers You can do better.
You can hear that he favors the porsche even before the test has started. Probably why he is so negative about the Evora. Been checking a lot different reviews of the Evora and this one is the first that rate the Cayman superior to the Lotus. The stats errors aside he is clearly biased or even worse ... sponsored by Porsche to say what he did. Every other review says the same (incl. Top Gear) that they'd get the Lotus any day of the week instead of the Cayman.
Yes it does. You're not looking at 0-60 times for the PDK versions with Chrono & launch control! The Boxster S does it in 4.2 secs, and the Boxster GTS in 4.1 secs. (source Road & Track & also motor trend).
I think Lotus Evora S with manual gearbox requires pretty much higher pilot's sensitivity to be pushed really at top (journalist was not a top driver). Plus in this contest PDK of Porsche gave a big advantage cause this track wasn't fast one. Finally I continue to think that Porsche (as Audi) is for everyone, even not expert drivers, while Lotus is only for purists of track and experienced drivers.
you can option up the Porsche increase the gap further,adding in addition to pdk and dynamic transmission mounts, Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB), Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Porsche Torque Vectoring (PTV) incl. mechanically locking rear differential. Even with these it still be cheaper then the Lotus Evora S. Yes the Evora is 2+2 but the rear pair of seats are effectively useless (little room)
How is comparing a 2+2 GT (Evora) vs a 2 seater sports car an apples to apples comparison? The Lotus Exige V6 is the TRUE competitor to the Caman S and will BLOW IT'S DOORS OFF. [Oops - is my Lotus owner's bias showing just a little bit? ;-) ]
Exige S? You want to compare a stripped down, 20 years behind in technology, bare Exige to a Cayman, which is a luxury coupe? One door panel in the Cayman costs more to make than the entire interior of the Exige. Let's not go into the fact that Exige S is horribly unrefined, uncomfortable, it's safety is a complete mystery, it has no sound proofing, it looks like a kit car, and if you look at the components under the skin, it's very primitive. Just look at it's body shell, chasis and suspension components...they look like something someone designed in AutoCAD during a coffe break and then hammered it all together in a shed as a hobby. Porsche Cayman is far more advanced car, much better engineered in every single, I repeat, in EVERY SINGLE detail, and performs better on track, and on the road. Even the Exige S is a joke on the track. A 275hp Renault Megane RS is faster around Nurburgring...and that's a 5 people, big boot, FWD hatchback, that also has 5 stars safety rating, 8 air bags, loads of equipment, and it basically a luxury car compared to any Lotus. Oh and...how is the Evota a 2+2? 2 + 2 of what? Toddlers? The rear seat is a joke, the only way you can fit an adult in the back is if you take the front seats out and cut his head off.
I like how there are so many Evora S and Cayman S owners on this video. Not to mention that Lotus makes less than 2000 Evoras every year, yet seems like most of them are on youtube saying how they are happy with their Evora and have not even one picture to prove that they own one.
you can`t be serious.. the lotus looks like something from japan in the mid 90`s. the word plastic springs to mind. the porsche are absolutely beautiful...espescially viewed side by side with the evora
Unfair comparison. The Porsche was as expensive as the Lotus with similar spec. Porsche has an options list as long as my ... . And, seriously, the Porsche is a souped-up Volkswagen. The Lotus is a proper racing car. I test drove both when new in 2010. And ordered a Lotus. Loved every second of my 3- year ownership.
This is a strange comparison? You're comparing a sequential paddle shifter Porsche with a manual shifter Lotus? Sequential vs. Manual is at least 2-3 second advantage ... I've had a Lotus manual and a Lotus sequential that I race so I do know. And finally, you probably lost at least a 1-2 seconds by NOT controlling the power exit oversteer in the Lotus ... sliding a car around like that equals slower lap times. Hopefully I'll be racing a new Lotus 3-11 next year and I'm pretty certain there isn't a single "race" Porsche (yes even the ALMS ones at $500K each) that can keep up.
Rob Ainscough I know what you’re saying but I think this video is more about the driver commentary regarding “feel” than the lap itself. The Porsche is clearly more easy to control for example.
mine is phantom black with black leather. if you youtube "lotus evora s boca raton" it will come up. I love the carbon grey I kinda regret not getting it in that color but I love black, its just so hard to keep clean.
I think the main problem is that lotus costs too much. If it was cheaper than cayman, we would accept the result, that it is slower, quality isn't as good. There are some very likeable things on lotus, but not for that price.
I was going to write my own little review on here as I owned a 2010 Cayman S and still Own an 2010 Evora NA. But then I saw how old this was and its not worth my time. Lets just say I still own the "slower" & "worse handling" Evora NA. Enough said.
If he had the evora version with the paddle shift to the steering, the evora could have saved the 0.7 seconds difference around this short technical track. ( Lot of shiftings ( 2-3-2-3)
Levi but the interior on the Evora S is pretty damn luxurious. People to comment on the interior have never sat in one plain and simple. The entire car is wrapped in leather, no plastic anywhere with high grade aluminum buttons. In 2011 they upgraded the quality and in 2012 they did another upgrade to the interior. It's as nice as a 911 interior minus the occasional rattle which lotus suffers from build quality. Like I said, leather in the lotus is nicer than my old is350c and matches my s550.
I had a 2009 lotus exige, honestly i would choose the lotus over the Porsche if i were to have a comfortable car as well. With the porsche you get the best of both worlds
Autoexpress: you state that the Cayman is cheaper than the Evora but to be fair you could have stated the actual price of both test cars, expecially as Porsche options as on your test car add a lot to the base car price.
I agree w WeekendGamingNerds; the stick gaffe at 6:04 and breakaway at 6:21 shows the driver's inexperience with the Evora; an experienced driver should have made up the difference in time. As a multiple Lotus owner, I'll admit the Cayman is probably more comfy as a daily driver, but my money's in the Evora every time around. And twice on track day.
If you pay attention, you'll see that most racing drivers sit very close to the wheel. Most people sit much too far so they can't reach around the steering wheel properly, and thus lose control more easily if they want to catch a skid...
Autoexpress: you state that the Cayman is some 80kg lighter than the Evora, but is it based on your actual verification or on the manufacturer claim (DIN) ? If the latter, your statement is certainly inaccurate regarding your test car as the manufacturer claim is on the basic car w/o any option. Options on your test car probably add over 50kg to the base car.
5th gear tested both of them and the evora was way in front. The difference in results here is that the guy doesn't know how to drive manual and cant drive without driver aids which the porsche is full of and not the evora (which is a better car by far!)
i want to drive an evora BECAUSE hardly anyone knows it exists, so, basically ill be anwering a lot of questions instead of people saying "oh..yeah. thats a porsche, thats cool."
There's a reason the Cayman is the mid-engine standard around the world. Does everything right. Doesnt have the most power, but uses it better than all comers. Its not just the numbers the Cayman puts up; its how it goes about its business that has earned it's reputation. Evoras have never sold worth a darn, though it does look handsome. Exige S is a much better piece of kit.
Wish FIAT would buy Lotus. Great concept but R&D pace is lagging as the company lacks volume. Should fit in nicely with Alfa and Ferrari while keeping the character intact.
Cayman S vs. Exige S would had been a much more interesting comparison. Although I am a huge Porsche fan, I think that would have resulted in a clear win for the Exige S.
