Lotus Exige Sport Final Edition review: farewell, Exige

Is the Exige still worth getting in a froth about?

Yes. Well, assuming you want an intense driving experience. Other sports cars are quicker, almost all are more powerful, many have more downforce and other track-related headlines to grab at. But very, very few indeed are more rewarding and engaging to drive than the Lotus Exige. And this is your last chance to own a new one.

Really? They’ve been pumping out the limited editions a lot in the last few years…

They have, basically trying to keep production alive while they got the model plan and funding in place to create the cars that will replace it – cars we now know will arrive later this year.

So yeah, Lotus is insistent there will be no Final Final Edition. Just these two Exiges and the Elise.

Hang on, two Final Edition Exiges?

That’s right, you can choose between the £64,000 Sport 390 Final Edition and the £79,900 Sport 420 Final Edition.

Which would you have?

Bit early for that, but since you ask, I’d have the 390. For me it’s a sweeter, more forgiving car than the 420. Barely any slower, quite a bit cheaper. And also more heavily changed than the 350 it replaces. Yep, you’re right, it’s got an extra 40bhp courtesy of the same charge-cooled supercharger that sits in the back of the 420. That car, uprated by only 10bhp (an ECU tweak), does target a different audience.

The red car in the pics is the 420, right?

Correct. More carbon, more aggression, uprated fully adjustable Nitron suspension, Michelin Cup2 tyres. Same 1,110kg kerbweight, perhaps surprisingly. It’s the track-chaser of the pair. But still sits in the line-up below the Cup 430. Quite a long way below considering the Cup 430 costs just into six figures.

But you don’t like that one?

I do, it’s just more compromised than the 390, has less bandwidth. It’s very track focused and pretty unforgiving on the road unless you’re prepared to fiddle with those damper settings. I’m not sure it’s that much better on track to justify the outlay either. Granted Hethel was soaking wet when I visited, which taxed the 420's Cup2 tyres more than it did the 390's Pilot Sports. It did have more bite into corners, better brake feel, and perhaps more precise drive out the far side, but it wasn’t transformative.

The 390, on the other hand, does the track stuff very, very well, but will be a lot less taxing on the journey there and back. You’ll be less tempted to trailer it about the place in other words.

Makes a better road car, in other words?

It does. The Bilstein dampers have that bit more give in them, rounding off the bumps better, and allowing a bit of roll into the chassis. It’s a more absorbent ride – although this is still a car for solo trips. Talking to a passenger ain’t easy and you’re going to emerge at the far end feeling a little churned up – not because the ride is turbulent, but because there’s quite a bit of hubbub inside.

Not from the engine, especially. In terms of noise that only wakes up when the exhaust valve flips open at 4,500rpm. Below that it’s quite subdued. Instead it’s general NVH that gets to you: road roar, the buzz of vibration through steering and seat, the constant, diligent communication of exactly what’s happening coming back through suspension and steering. Great on B-roads, less great when you’ve got 150 miles ahead of you. If you want a comfortable Lotus, the Elise, surprisingly, does it better. And the Evija probably will too. Although that’s a tad more money.

And a lot more speed...

There is that, although how much speed do you actually need? Lotus claims the slower 390 is good for 60mph in 3.7 secs and a 172mph top end. Apparently the 420 chops that down to 3.3secs. I kind of doubt it. The Cup2s will have more traction, but the power to weight ratio only climbs from 350bhp/tonne to 378. And don’t forget there’s no efficient little robot pulling at the gear cogs for you – you’re doing that yourself.

Which is actually a treat, just as sweet here as in the Elise. When I got back from driving the Exige 420 I sat in it for a while and just pushed and pulled at the lever, watching how it all operates. Unbelievably geeky, but it’s that sort of car.

I’ve never been a huge fan of the transverse 3.5-litre V6. Like the Elise’s 1.8 it’s sourced from Toyota originally, and has tended to be a bit characterless in the past. But credit where it’s due, it feels more bespoke now than it ever has before. Amazing response as there’s no turbo delay with an always-there-for-you supercharger, decent noise – especially once up past 4,500rpm – and extra energy as it homes in on the 7,000rpm cutout. At its best from 5-7k, but more than healthy everywhere. With little weight to push, a 400bhp Exige is an absolute ripper.

Any drawbacks to it?

Early Exiges (it launched back in 2012) felt like they had a high centre of gravity and didn’t handle as sweetly as the equivalent Elise. That’s been eradicated over the years, and both these cars feel super-precise and incisive. The main drawback of the engine, besides its thirst, is that the ancillaries mounted on top of it wreck rearward visibility.

How are they both inside?

The 420 comes with carbon bucket seats which, although they come from the same mould as the 390's GRP (Glass Reinforced Plastic) chairs, do have usefully higher side bolsters. Aside from that it’s mostly down to spec choices. There is a boot behind the engine, but anything you put in it will get hot.

Will you miss the Exige when it’s gone?

Not as much as the Elise. That car was the genuine game-changer, this was always the tougher nut, the pumped-up car that sprang off the Elise platform. The role it serves, and its legacy once it’s gone, will be to remind you that no-one cares as much about driving as Lotus. Porsche, Ferrari, Alpine, Ariel, Caterham – they’re all great, but when it comes to the business of making cars lithe and communicative, I still don’t think there’s a company to touch Lotus. Disagree? Have your say in the comments below.

Score: 8/10

Specs: 3.5-litre supercharged, V6. 390bhp/311lb ft or 420bhp and 318lb ft, 0-60mph in 3.7secs or 3.3secs, 172mph or 180mph max, 27.7mpg/230g/km for both