Ciprian Florea wrote:Set to hit the European dealerships in December 2015 and other markets in January 2016, the updated sports car will be sold as the Elise Sport and Sport 220. The models replace the previous Elise and Elise S and mark a return of the "Sport" nameplate on a Lotus after a 16-year hiatus. The previous model to use the moniker was the Esprit, which spawned 300 Sport and Sport 350 versions in 1993 and 1999, respectively.
“We have further refined, distilled and sharpened the driving experience offered by our best selling sports car of the last 20 years, the Lotus Elise. Over the years, with each improvement to the Elise, we have ensured that the purity of the driving experience has been retained and improved upon and with these two new models, we have taken it on to the next level,” said Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus.
Exterior
Exterior upgrades are limited to a matte-black rear diffuser and a set of new wheels. The new lightweight rollers feature a multi-spoke design and measure 16 inches at the front and 17 inches to the rear. They can be had in either silver or black. A set of forged wheels that shaves a further five kg (11 pounds) from the Sport 220’s curb weight is available as an option.
Interior
Interior updates are also mild. Much like in the Elise S, the lightweight sports seats are standard and they can be optionally wrapped in leather or Alcantara. However, there’s a new option for a classic tartan trim that harks back to the Esprit S1 of the 1970s. The tartan interior was first introduced in 1976. For the uninitiated, tartan is a pattern consisting of criss-crossed horizontal and vertical lines in multiple colors. It’s basically the same pattern seen on Scottish kilts. In the Esprit S1, tartan seating surfaces and seat backs were usually combined with green, brown, or black sides.
The Sport 220 also received an upgraded, optional Clarion stereo system. The stereo is part of a package that includes a full carpet and sound insulation. Air conditioning and cruise control are also on the options list.
Although not exactly fresh, the Elise’s interior continues to exude sportiness thanks to its three-spoke steering wheel, plain instrument cluster, and clean dashboard. The step-down design give the cabin a race-like feel that you can’t get in many street-legal sports cars nowadays.
Drivetrain
Under the hood, the Elise Sport 220 carries the same engine as the previous Elise S. That’s a supercharged, 1.8-liter, four-cylinder unit rated at 217 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. The oomph travels to the rear wheels though a six-speed manual transmission.
Although power remained unchanged, the Elise 220 is 10 kg (22 pounds) lighter than the Elise S, tipping the scales at only 914 kg (2,015 pounds). The reduced weight doesn’t improve performance, but it does enhance fuel economy slightly, with the Sport 220 returning 47.9 mpg on the British cycle.
Like its predecessor, the Elise 220 needs 4.2 seconds to hit 60 mph from a standing start before reaching a top speed of 145 mph (233 km/h).
Lotus claims that the weight saving enables the Sport 220 to offer "an even purer driving experience" when compared to the Elise S. The Bilstein sports dampers also contribute to that experience, giving the roadster sharp and precise steering.
http://www.topspeed.com/cars/lotus/2016 ... 71775.html
