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- Style-level Rating
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 7.0
/ 10
Overall Ratings
- The exterior design is its second-best attribute (behind dynamics), however, the rest of the car's design and build quality is far from what most people will accept in a $52,000 car.
8.3 / 10
Dynamics
8.0 / 10
Engine Performance- While it may only displace 1.8 liters, it need only propel about 2,000 pounds of car. That said, the Toyota-sourced 4 cylinder leads a double life with a frugal, around-town demeanor, but that all changes once the revs climb to the 6500-rpm cam changeover all the way up to the 8500-rpm rev limiter. Yee-ha!
6.0 / 10
Transmission Performance- With saving weight a primary concern, the Exige does nothing to quell the transmission's noisy linkage and flimsy feel. For those who know what this car is about, that may be overlooked, however, those who are expecting a slick Porsche gearbox will be sorely disappointed.
8.0 / 10 Brake Performance- Lotus has tuned late-acting ABS to offer a trained driver a racecar-like feel with a honest amount of threshold braking. To underscore its track-minded mission, the Exige's brake hardware is sourced from Lotus/AP Racing and Brembo.
9.0 / 10
Steering Perfomance- One of the benefits to building an extremely light car is that it negates the need for power steering. The Exige rack and pinion steering feels intensely direct and reflex quick.
10.0 / 10
Handling- What can anybody say about a car that orbits the skidpad at 0.97g and blazes through the slalom at 73.4 mph? That it has excellent handling is an understatement of epic proportions. The Exige is the benchmark for sports car handling.
9.0 / 10 Fun-to-Drive- If your daily commute consists of an uninhabited and unpatrolled stretch of canyon, then the Exige scores a 10 here. If on the other hand, you sit in traffic, the diminutive Exige will have you thinking twice about being fun to drive.
5.7 / 10 Comfort
6.0 / 10 Ride Comfort- This is truly a track car. Ride comfort is not a priority in the least. Most people have never ridden in a car as firm as the Exige. If you think it'll ride like a Mazda MX-5, you'd be mistaken.
6.0 / 10 Wind Noise- Quelling wind noise (or any other incidental noise for that matter) is not what this car is about.
6.0 / 10 Road Noise- Road noise can be felt as well as heard in the Exige. Lane lines and Botts dots take on new proportions.
7.0 / 10 Front Seat Comfort/Space/Access- While the ProBax-padded seats themselves are shockingly comfortable and the cabin is open and spare, simply getting in and out of the Exige requires some flexibility and finesse.
0.0 / 10
Rear Seat Comfort/Space/Access
9.0 / 10 Driving Position- Despite the small number of adjustments the driver can make, the Exige still manages to locate all the fundamental controls in just the right places.
6.3 / 10
Function
7.0 / 10 Headlight Illumination- Headlamp illumination is adequate.
6.0 / 10 Visibility- Side and particularly rear visibility is extremely compromised by the shape of the Exige.
7.0 / 10 Instrument Panel Layout- Two gauges are all you need in the Exige, and that's basically what you get.
7.0 / 10 Climate Control System Layout- Three twist knobs and a couple of buttons comprise the HVAC controls. Simple.
6.0 / 10 Audio System Layout- Fussy controls, tiny buttons, and an overly complex head unit.
6.0 / 10 Secondary Control Layout- Turn signal stalk and wipers are where you'd expect, but the three-step starting procedure and turning head- and foglamps on and off isn't as intuitive as it could've been considering how simple the rest of the interior is.
6.0 / 10 Interior Storage- Interior storage is nearly non-existent. Two aluminum trays at the base of the dash are all you get.
6.0 / 10 Standard Cargo/Trunk Space- Your meager (4 cu ft or 110-pound max) cargo rides in the same (barely separate) compartment as the engine. The odd shape and penchant for heating articles isn't optimal.
6.0 / 10 Maximum Cargo Space (ease & amount)- Nothing more than standard trunk space.
6.0 / 10 Cupholders- There are no cupholders in the Exige, but for the intended mission of the car, it's forgivable.
6.8 / 10 Design/Build Quality
8.0 / 10 Exterior Design- There is no doubt the Exige is an exotic car. You'll be surprised how many people ask what it is.
8.0 / 10 Interior Design- Like a race car, the Exige's chassis is visible from inside the car. Cool.
7.0 / 10 Interior Materials- Plastics are very plasticy, and almost everything feels as thin and light as it is.
6.0 / 10 Interior Control Tactile Feel- Hollow and fragile feel about the entire cabin.
6.0 / 10 Squeaks & Rattles- The semi-permanent top squeaks over driveways, the entire car rattles when you drive over a coin in the road.
6.0 / 10 Panel Fitment & Gaps- The Exige has the build quality of a kit car.
Consumer Ratings are also available for this style.
See the 2006 Lotus Exige Consumer Ratings |
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