Author: Jon Luke Cave

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Opinion Viewpoint

For Evora and Ever

I loved my time with the Elise R, but my week with the Evora GT was exceptional. This car has two more cylinders, one more supercharger, much more space, tons more power, better storage, modern radio, amazing suspension tuning, and a far superior shifter. 

The second I sat down in the Evora after getting out of the Elise, I was shocked at how high up and comfy the seats were. It’s low compared to a normal car, but everything is high compared to an Elise. I turned on my heated seats, plugged my phone into Apple Carplay, and drove away in comfort. Daily driving an Elise is possible, but not practical or logical. Daily driving the Evora GT is awesome. Supercar looks, killer exhaust note, cruise control, a back seat area and decent size trunk to keep junk — it’s great. I have a few gripes for a $100K car, though. There is nowhere to put stuff between the driver and passenger, which means you have to put your phone in the passenger seat or behind you in a weird cup holder. The Evora also uses an Alpine head unit. Apple car play works well, but the backup camera quality is comparable to a GameBoy Color. Still, much better than having no backup camera at all. This is to be expected as this Evora has been on the same platform since 2009. Very small complaints over all. 

The best way to describe the Evora is as a small McLaren. Like McLarens, it is mid-engined, comfortable, analog (thanks to its hydraulic steering), and capable of demolishing a twisty road. Unlike a McLaren, it is (somewhat) attainable. At $100K, the Evora GT is a bargain. Nothing else at that price point offers an experience quite like it. You can’t even get a base model Porsche 911 for the price of a loaded Evora GT. 

Now, the numbers: the Evora GT is powered by a 3.5L supercharged Toyota V6 that makes 416 hp and 332lb/ft of torque. 0-60 takes 4 seconds and it weighs just 3100 lbs. Base MSRP is $96,500. But, like the Lightweight Lotus Elise, this car isn’t about the numbers, it’s about driver involvement and a proper British sports car experience — which it absolutely delivers. Don’t dismiss the engine for being a Toyota V6. This 60-degree V6 is an amazing engine. The power is great, but the real magic is the way it sounds. This car absolutely wails. Automotive journalist Jason Camissa named this as the best-sounding car he drove in 2021, and he drives literally everything. Another benefit of being a Toyota engine is the peace of mind. Toyota is known for making bulletproof, long-lasting engines, which is a relief when driving a car made in England. If I was looking for a sports car around $100K, this is definitely what I would choose. What a great car. 

But, the Evora is dead! Lotus has been purchased by Geely Automotive, and with the influx of money comes a whole new line of Loti including the range topping $2M all-electric Evija. This change in ownership also means all Loti we know now will go away. This 2011 Elise was the final year that the Elise was offered in the USA, and 2021 is the last year for the Evora ever. They are being replaced by the Type 131 and Emira respectively. All signs point toward the Emira being improved in every way compared to the Evora, and I imagine the Type 131 will be excellent as well. Lotus is a unique manufacturer making hyper-focused sports cars in a world of egg-shaped crossovers. As their lineup expands, they’ll lose some of that focus, but they will always offer their bread and butter: lightweight drivers’ cars. 

Massive thanks to Scott Grady for allowing me to spend time with his awesome cars. It was a joy and a privilege. Be sure to follow @jlc.on.cars for more automotive content.

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News News Feature

Flying Lotus

Lotus Elise R and Lotus Evora GT (Photo: Nick Umsted)

Lotus is a brand that everyone has heard of, but most people know nothing about. I just spent two weeks daily driving two awesome and very different Loti, and I’m going to tell you all about them.

My first week was with Lotus’ iconic Elise. This particular Elise is a 2011 Elise R, and it’s one of 77 on Earth. Lotus was founded by Colin Chapman, whose most famous quote is: “Simplify, then add lightness.” That’s the philosophy behind the entire brand, and it’s especially evident in the Elise. It’s a bare-bones, mid-engined sports car that is entirely focused on handling above all else. The one I drove has the most deluxe interior available, which comes with such luxuries as floor mats, the world’s worst radio, heat, AC, and electric windows/door locks. That’s it. You know it’s basic when you count floor mats as an option. The reason this car lacks so many features is because it’s built to be — wait for it — simple and lightweight.

The car is powered by a Toyota 1.8 liter 4-cylinder mounted behind the driver that makes a whopping 189 horsepower and some torque, probably. A manual transmission is the only option. Sounds like a boring drivetrain, eh? Nope! This revvy little engine zings up to 8,000 rpm and makes a glorious sound as it propels the 2,000-pound car to 60 in less than five seconds! I was expecting this car to be a miserable car to commute in, but it really wasn’t bad. Yeah, it makes a Miata feel like a Bentley by comparison, but it’s really not that rough. Aside from commuting, I also got the chance to take it on the twisty road I grew up on and it was a joy. No surprise there. The Elise has nearly zero storage other than the small trunk behind the engine, which is big enough for some groceries and maybe a duffel bag. If you want comfort, space, and storage, don’t buy a Lotus. Although, the Evora GT is a completely different experience.

I loved my time with the Elise R, but my week with the Evora GT was much better. This car has two more cylinders, one more supercharger, much more space, tons more power, better storage, modern radio, amazing suspension tuning, and a far superior shifter. The second I sat down in the Evora after getting out of the Elise, I was shocked at how high up and comfy the seats were. It’s low compared to a normal car, but everything is high compared to an Elise. I turned on my heated seats, plugged my phone in, and drove away in comfort. Daily driving an Elise is possible, but not pleasant. Daily driving the Evora GT is awesome. Supercar looks, killer exhaust note, cruise control, a back seat area, and decent-sized trunk to keep junk — it’s great! I have a few gripes for a $100K car, though. There is nowhere to put stuff between the driver and passenger, which means you have to put your phone in the passenger seat or behind you in the weird cup holder. The Evora also uses an Alpine head unit. Apple CarPlay works well, but the backup camera quality is comparable to a Game Boy Color. Still, much better than having no backup camera. Very small complaints overall. Absolutely amazing car!

Lotus has been purchased by Geely Auto, and with the influx of money comes a whole new line of Loti including the range-topping $2M all-electric Evija. This change in ownership also means all Loti we know now will go away. This 2011 Elise was the final year that the Elise was offered in the USA, and 2021 is the last year for the Evora ever. They are being replaced by the Type 131 and Emira respectively. All signs point toward the Emira being improved in every way compared to the Evora, and I imagine the Type 131 will be excellent as well. I’ll be spending some time with the Emira, and I hope to try out a Type 131, too. Lotus is a unique manufacturer making hyper-focused sports cars in a world of egg-shaped crossovers. As their lineup expands, they’ll lose some of that focus, but they will always offer their bread and butter: lightweight drivers’ cars.

Massive thanks to Scott Grady for allowing me to spend time with his awesome cars! It’s an honor to be trusted with other people’s toys.

Jon Luke Cave runs Cars on Main Memphis, Memphis Driven Exotics, and Memphis Offroad Excursions. Find him on Facebook and Instagram @jlc.on.cars.

Categories
Opinion Viewpoint

Stop Buying Massive Trucks (for No Reason)

(Credit: Jon Luke Cave)

Going from a McLaren to a Ford F-450 diesel is a logical progression, right? Probably not. I’ll jump right into some numbers: over 20 percent of new vehicles sold are pickup trucks. The top three best-selling vehicles on the market are full-size pickups (Ford F series, Ram 1500, and Chevy Silverado). Why? Statistics show that the vast majority of truck owners don’t use their trucks for truck things more than a couple times per year. So, why do so many people spend $56,000, on average, on pickups when they could just buy something more logical and rent or borrow a truck when needed? People like big trucks, that’s why. 

I am a proponent of buying the right tool for the job. This also applies to car buying. If you want a practical, no frills, cheap daily driver, you get a Prius. If you want an affordable sports car, you get a Miata. If you need to haul 30,000 pounds of junk, you get a heavy-duty truck. Most people will need a truck once or twice a year. So, they go buy one and daily drive it just so they’re ready for those few hours of truck things. It’s mind-bogglingly illogical. It costs about $40 to rent the Home Depot truck for half a day. It costs an extra couple thousand per year to drive a full-size truck rather than a nice, practical Mazda 3 hatch, for example. It costs around $45K to own an F150 for five years. A Mazda 3 costs $28K to own for five years. That is a massive difference! And I didn’t pick some horrible econobox to compare to the F150, the Mazda 3 is an excellent car with an amazing interior, great driving dynamics, excellent design, and tons of space. 

I spent a week daily driving a 2013 Ford F-450 Lariat with the 6.7L turbo diesel. It’s massive. This one has the crew cab and 8’ bed which is the longest version you can buy. In fact, It’s the longest noncommercial vehicle on the market at 22 feet long and it’s also 8’ wide not including the mirrors and weighs 8,000 lbs. which is the same as 4 Mitsubishi Mirages. The big diesel makes 400 hp and a whopping 800 lbs./ft of torque which makes this thing four seconds faster to 60 mph than a Mitsubishi Mirage. This F-450 was equipped with a killer Sony sound system with a sub built in, heated and cooled leather seats, and all the other usual features. The seats are huge and very comfortable and, obviously, there is a ton of space. It has a normal glove box, huge center console, and even a third enclosed storage area on top of the dash with more 12v and USB outlets built in. This thing makes a Rolls Royce Phantom feel cramped. No complaints about the interior, especially for a 2013 model. But, as soon as you start driving, the size of this behemoth makes itself very known. It’s wider than a Hummer H1 and longer than any other truck on the market, so it’s not exactly easy to maneuver. Parking lots are a nightmare, driveways seem like they’re made by Little Tikes by comparison, and you can just forget about street parking in a city. Turning in this truck feels more like turning in a bus rather than a normal car. You can feel yourself moving sideways if that makes any sense. I emptied out my normal Germantown two-car garage to see if this truck would fit. Not even close. I pulled into the garage as far as possible and there was still a few feet of truck sticking out. The size isn’t a problem if you’re towing a gooseneck across the country, but as a daily driver, it’s immensely impractical. 

But, here’s the thing, if we all bought cars purely based on logic, we would all drive Priuses. That’s a boring world that I want no part of. So, go buy yourself a big ole parkin’ spot fillin’, diesel suckin’, garage not fittin’, hard maneuverin’ pickup if that’s what you want! But don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Not quite (Credit: Jon Luke Cave)
Categories
News News Feature

McLaren in Memphis

McLaren 570S Spider (Photo: Jon Luke Cave)

Memphis is a medium-sized city with a small-town car culture. Our car scene mostly consists of modern and classic American metal with a few imports thrown in there. As the fourth-poorest city in the USA, the 901 has pretty dull traffic. You aren’t likely to come across much more than a Corvette on your commute. Although small, Memphis does have a growing exotic car scene most Memphians don’t even know about. Thanks to a very generous friend, I was allowed to drive one of Memphis’ elusive exotics for a week. The car was a McLaren 570S Spider, and it was awesome.

I live in Germantown and commute Downtown five days a week. It’s a boring ride to say the least. We all know a McLaren will be fun on a good twisty road, but would it be able to make a dreary commute delightful, or will it just be stressful and hard to see out of? The answer is yes! It’s a little stressful to be driving something that costs more than the average house price in Memphis, but wow what an experience! Just seeing the joy this car brought to the faces of fellow commuters was so great. Some cool cars only appeal to car people; this car appeals to everyone. It’s like driving a spaceship while everyone else is in a carriage.

A little more about the car itself: It’s a 2018 McLaren 570S Spider. 570 horsepower from a 3.8 liter twin turbo V8 running through a seven-speed dual clutch to the rear wheels. Zero to 60 mph happens in around 3 seconds and it can hit 204 mph. All that to say, it’s quicker than the 2004 Lexus SUV I usually commute in. Just to give you an idea of how crazy the people at McLaren are: This is their slowest car. Kinda hard to imagine.

Is it rough and loud on I-40 in a supercar? Nope. The engine is tame when you want it to be and the suspension is likewise calm and compliant. It’s no Rolls-Royce Phantom, but it’s quite civilized. I left it in the softest suspension setting and usually kept the engine in sport. I got on I-40, set cruise control at 70, and it drove just like a normal car. This car masks speed, and it’s easy to find yourself well over the 65 mph limit, so I kept the speeds down and pretended like I wasn’t champing at the bit to put my right foot down. Every now and again some space would open up and I would drop a couple gears and give it 3/4 throttle, and the numbers on the dash reached … some numbers.

A coworker asked, “I have a really dumb question. Is it any different to drive than a normal car?” And that was a very un-dumb question! That’s what I wanted this article to address. Are these cars really all that different? Are they really worth twice as much as an already expensive Porsche 911 Carrera S? Oh yes. This was one of the best weeks of my life, and the only thing that was different was the car I commuted in. It definitely transforms a boring drive into a fun drive, a normal commute into an exceptional commute, and a mundane grocery run into a momentary escape. The amount of smiles this car brought to the faces of Memphians used to Altima after Altima was a joy to watch. I didn’t see people filled with jealousy or anger at the rich; I saw people whose days were made just by seeing this spaceship pass them on Poplar.

Yes, you can get quicker acceleration for less money, but those cars don’t offer anything like the supercar experience. Numbers tell only a tiny piece of the story. You can even get something like a brand-new Porsche 911 Carrera S for half the money or a C8 Corvette for even less than half the money, yet they don’t scratch the same itch even though the numbers are similar. I love this car and Memphis loves this car. So, if you need me, I’ll be in Tunica trying to turn $23 into $200K.

Wish me luck!

Jon Luke Cave runs Cars on Main Memphis, Memphis Driven Exotics, and Memphis Offroad Excursions. Find him on Facebook and Instagram @cars.on.main.