Lotus Emeya S Review

Let's get one thing immediately out of the way - the Lotus brand now is not the one you used to know. Simple, compact and arrestingly light sports cars are a thing of the past. Your fibreglass-bodied Elises and Exiges? Yeah, push them gently down memory lane.

In this new iteration, the brand has distinctly and clearly moved into the luxury EV segment (less the Emira, which is Lotus' last combustion-powered model). This clear shift first started with the Eletre SUV, and now this - the Lotus Emeya. 

What is it?

The Emeya is a four-door sedan (or liftback, if you must be pedantic) built on the same electric platform as the Eletre. Lotus calls it a hyper GT (grand tourer), so it strives to be both high-performance and high-luxury.

Immediately, there's something fascinating about the way it looks. With arresting shapes, distinctive details such as the quad DRLs that form a menacing scowl, and undeniable road presence, the Emeya is endlessly attention-grabbing.

The Emeya is a long car, so the 360-camera definitely comes in very handy when parking (and inevitably spilling out of the lot slightly)

It also helps that it's big. Very big, in fact. At over 5.1m long, the Emeya is going to slightly spill out of most typically-sized carpark lots.

With the Emeya, there are a number of aerodynamic features that enhance its driveability, like the active rear spoiler, active front grille, as well as optional active front air dam and rear diffuser. It all adds to the aggressive looks of the car.

The KEF sound system delivers crystal clear tunes with some of the best sound staging I've experienced inside a car

Quality all around

Pop open the soft close doors, step inside the Emeya, and you will immediately be wowed by the overall quality and luxury of the cabin. Materials are top-notch, and premium equipment abound.

I particularly love the KEF sound system. It's one of the best I've ever experienced in a car, and this isn't even the even higher-end KEF Reference Audio system (which you can have as an option, though you will have to give up the middle rear seat to accommodate the additional subwoofer). I also particularly like the fact that there isn't an option to adjust the EQ. It's set up in a precise and specific way - with a rock tune played at quite high volumes, you can hear all the specific details from each individual instrument, and the audio is precise, accurate and tight. The result is delectably immersive audio and excellent sound staging.

The infotainment system is sleek and packed with functionality, but could do with some refinement. The icons are on the small side, and generally not so easy to toggle while on the move. Thankfully there's still a physical switch to adjust air-con temperature (but not fan speed). The front passenger also has a screen that can be used to toggle music playback.

With luxurious materials and high levels of standard equipment, such as massage and ventilated front seats, the Emeya's cabin is a delightful place to be in

The standard Comfort Seat Pack offers massage and ventilation on the front seats, and ventilation on the rear seats as well! That's a great boon for everyone on board. There's also a rear screen for passengers to control a variety of features, from your standard air-con and seats to even adjusting the glass roof's opacity.

And most importantly, there's ample comfort in the rear, helped greatly by the generous space afforded by the 3,069mm wheelbase. A passenger would also happily occupy the middle seat, so this is a very practical and usable family car. 

And as you'd expect, there are also plenty of optional extras. Intelligent glass roof with selectable opacity - a fun, if somewhat unnecessary, touch (and also $17k). I really like the feel of the Alcantara/carbon steering wheel, but it is a $3.5k option. Red seatbelts? $2.5k. The test car comes with $102k worth of options (though a big one is the $42k Dynamic Handling Pack), but even in its bog-standard trim the Emeya S comes generously equipped.

With 450kW and 710Nm of torque on tap, the Emeya is plenty quick, while also demonstrating an accurate helm

Electric power

A high quality interior is one thing, but that still needs to translate to the road. And the Emeya S does not disappoint. 

It's very quick, obviously. 450kW (608bhp) and 710Nm of torque mean that the twin motors will send this Emeya S from rest to 100km/h in just 4.2 seconds. A more ludicrous Emeya R variant will do the century sprint in a wholly shocking and unnecessary 2.8 seconds, if that's your jam.

Power delivery is urgent yet smooth, and with your right foot planted the Emeya is capable of obliterating the tarmac ahead of you. And it responds well through corners as well. The steering is meaty and accurate (but not particularly communicative), and the taught chassis acquits itself well to aggressive steering manoeuvres (also helped by the active anti-roll bars). Overall, it feels highly competent and high quality, but lacking slightly in absolute excitement.

Regeneration levels and drive modes can be quickly toggled using the steering-mounted paddles

More relevantly, I think, it is perfectly comfortable cruising along at highway speeds (that's its GT proposition, after all). The ride is on the firm side, but it is well-modulated and forgiving over bumps. The steering mounted paddles allow you to quickly adjust regeneration levels and drive modes, which is a handy touch.

The brakes are also excellent, but given the car’s significant heft, you still want to brake early and with a decent amount of braking distance available (unless you like regularly standing on the brake pedal).

It's undeniably sporty, but the Emeya is no true sports car - it's hard to be a proper sports car weighing 2.5 tonnes.

At 2.5 tonnes, the Emeya is no true sports car, but impresses with its overall on-road quality and refinement

Get into slow city traffic and the car's size will reveal itself. It's not hard, per se, but you definitely know that you are helming a big car. An optional rear-wheel steering option (part of the Dynamic Handling Pack) is available to tighten the car's turning radius.

The Emeya has a 102kWh battery with a claimed 540km of range. With the efficiency figures I was doing, I would have managed to get about 450km, which is a reasonable number in isolation, but for a large battery you'd probably want a little more.

A new Lotus proposition

The Emeya screams quality. Walking away from it, that's the most important impression that I takeaway. Yes, it's very fast, it's pretty good to drive, it's quite a conversation starter, but the thing that sticks with you is the high-quality nature of the product execution.

Is it a true Lotus? That's an almost impossible question to answer, because you would first have to decide on a single definitive definition of what the brand is.

Leave aside its history, and yes, the Emeya is a suiting representative of this new Lotus identity that prioritises luxury and quality.

Leave the past behind - the evolution of the Lotus brand, with models like the Eletre and this Emeya, elevates the brand's standing and positioning into the luxury segment 

The Audi RS e-tron GT and Porsche Taycan are the obvious electric GT competitors for the Emeya, with the Taycan still setting the high bar for driving engagement (though Lotus actually benchmarks the Emeya against the slightly-larger Porsche Panamera). The Emeya is far from cheap, but it is notably more affordable than those two - that's a value proposition worth considering, given that this Emeya S already comes quite well-equipped as standard.

There is also the inevitable comparison to the Eletre, which is in many ways a very similar kind of offering. The Emeya stands out for delivering a more sporty and athletic drive, and a lower-slung profile that is more appealing to performance enthusiasts.

Then there is the big question of 'why' - why has Lotus pivoted away from lightweight sports cars and to these luxury EVs? The answer is quite simple: Money. For a long time, the Lotus brand has teetered on the financial edge as a small volume, niche sports car manufacturer. While perhaps the Emira represents the last direct connection to its sports car heritage, the future of the brand (and its success) will likely hinge on models like this Emeya. After all, the brand has already committed to going fully electric, and it's in this luxury sedan segment (and SUV, with the Eletre) that new customers - and profit - are to be found.

It's evident that Lotus is very clear of the direction that it will take. With excellent quality and undeniable performance, this Emeya charts a promising and hopeful future for the brand.

Here are some other all-eletric GTs to consider: 

The Audi RS e-tron GT is beautifully styled, impeccably luxurious on the inside, and mind-bendingly fast

The Porsche Taycan 4S is also outrageously fast and impeccably capable