The Exige...Mad, bad and dangerous to know.
 Feb 21st, 2003
(Mar 3rd, 2004)
Advantages:
Supercar looks and performance at a reasonable price
Disadvantages:
Entirely impractical for everyday use
Recommendable:
Yes
Detailed rating:
Comfort
Road Handling
Security
Looks
Fuel consumption
more
  BladeRunner2003
About me:
I'M A DAD!!! As of 16.11.03 I have a beautiful baby girl called Satine Clare Pemberton!
Member since:21.02.2003
Reviews:39
Members who trust:26
Review rated by 49 Ciao members on average: very helpful 
This review received a counterstatement by a party concerned
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Thought I would update this opinion again as I've had the car about a year now and have about 15,000 miles in it. There is also an Exige 2 due to be unveiled shortly at The Geneva Motor Show (although it has a Toyota Engine, slightly less horsepower than an upgraded Exige 1 and a lower 0-60. I don't think it looks as good either; too much like an Elise in my opinion. FYI, in the league table at the end of this review, the new Exige would likely come in about 31 which is 16 positions behind mine ). I have been invited to a private test drive of this in about a month so I will report back if my opinion is changed. I hear they are planning a Motorsport version of it which may be worth buying if its faster than the current Exiges. I bought this car to replace the worst buy I ever made (MGF 1.8i Roadster) and I have to say, however impractical it is, it is by far the best thing I have ever done...it truly is The Batmobile.
The car was bought for £23,450 second hand with 12k miles on the clock. You can only buy them 2nd hand since only 500 were made (between 2000 and 2001 I believe). They were around £30,500 new but hold their value massively since they're already collectors items...I've been offered £25k for mine even with the extra mileage. When buying, check the history carefully to see whether it has been hammered on trackdays, it's not the end of the world if it has but if it has been heavily raced it may be set up for racing which may not ideal for road driving and if it has the horsepower upgrade on it then it probably wont pass an MOT since it is not road legal. However, the upgrade is desirable and there are ways around the MOT situation...please ask for details! So anyway, WHAT IS IT LIKE?
Fast? Well, I beat my bosses Ferrarri (up to about 80/90 anyway) and believe me; that made it all worth it! 0-60 in under 4.5 seconds which beats practically every other road car (including the Porsche Boxter S 3.2...see list at the end showing how the Exige is one of the fastest 15 cars in the world). Every boy racer in town tries to have a pop; M3's, Evo's, Skylines yada yada...no chance....don't embarass yourselves kids, I will defeat you haha! Reason for the speed is 196 BHP versus about 750 kilos of weight. Therefore the power to weight ratio and the torque is exceptional. What's more exceptional is that it is a 1.8 Rover K-Series engine that is basically a variation on an engine first created a decade ago. Although the straight line speed is pretty fast (it's supposed to be 135mph top speed but I've topped 145mph), the Exige comes into its own on cornering; I couldn't think of a car that could beat it. Main reason for the cornering excellence is the overall aerodynamincs, the hard, racing suspension and the amount of downforce you get from the tailfin...the car just sucks the road. It's mad because you are cornering so fast that you think to yourself "am I really doing this?". Frightening. It really is a gracefull car to drive, responsive, accurate yet still demanding (Exige means demanding in French) and slightly unpredictable. Needs to be carefully paced in bad conditions, you do get 'wobble' trying to accelerate massively in the rain (even with the awesome tyres, it's just too much power for the road and with all the weight being in the back, the rear end can flip out a touch). Head turning? People walk into lampposts when I drive past. It really is in my opinion a stunning vehicle, ergonomically alluring and very very loud. I drove past some kids the other day coming out of school and they all shouted "it's Batman"! The engine needs a lot of RPM so people think you're a bit of a show off despite the fact you are just be duly dilligent to the needs of the engine. Main cooling for the engine is the intake on the roof which is another great design feature. I bought the car for 4 reasons: (1) I have never seen one on the road (2) It made me feel physically sick after the test drive and scared the hell out of me. (3) It made the girl from the showroom who tested it with me actually sick...brill! (4) It intimidated me and to be honest; that was a turn on. It's a car that you drive not the other way round, definately a drivers car. Another marvelous design feature is that the engine is on show through the rear windsreeen (similar to the Ferrari) and
it looks the business.
Exciting? I shake after every journey. It is unbelievably thrilling. The noise, the power, the view from the cockpit, the g-forces! Fun? So much fun I am getting laugh lines. I literally laugh at the wheel because I get such a kick out of it.
Secure? Obviously a big target but security is excellent. Mea alarm / immobiliser (factory fitted as an option) with interior movement detectors. Key changes code every time it's used. The system really is excellent. No central locking in the car though. The bad points?
Comfortable? You gotta be kidding (but if you want comfort go buy a Volvo or something). The leather bucket seats are hard (but there is a pump which alters it which helps). Not great for the back on long journeys though. However, the driving position is superb and precise. It gets really really hot in the cockpit due to the lack of air con. Safe? No ABS, no traction control, no power steering, no airbags. But that's the whole point, you want a car you drive not a car that drives you. You do have to temper yourself when driving it though, I am considering some kind of advanced driver training. I understand that it is pretty safe and is designed with high speed impacts in mind: the cockpit is a heavily reinforced shell and the rest of the car is designed to crumple to absorb any impact. There is a fuel cut off for safety in the event of a crash.
Practical? I'm not using it to get to work now having just bought a Freelander HSE so will just use this a day or two a week. It's quite a temperemental car being a true sports car so it makes sense not to drive in 'stop start' conditions. Tyres, brakes and engine need to be at the right temperature (engine between about 80 and 95 degrees). Legal? Well, it is in first gear constable. Police cars frown at me every time I pass them and have the dilemma that they want to pull me but probably couldn't catch me if I didn't want them to.
Visibility? Although 180 degrees are unbelievably clear, your rear quarters and behind are difficult to see. The mirrors are on extended struts and help massively but reversing is difficult and your blind spot when changing lane is almost impossible to see. Do I recommend this car? Depends what you're looking for. If you want something really fast, you like a driving experience and don't mind a car saying to you "you may be at the wheel but this is my car and you are my bitch" then yes I would recommend it highly. If however you like the idea of a sportscar but have practical considerations such as a high degree of safety, low cost, clean license, kids etc then think carefully.
There is virtually no storage and no air con (does have basic heater / cooler though). No electric windows either. Not even a clock in it. It is basically just a stripped out racing car and that's the beauty of it, who wants a raft of gadgets in a sportscar? Mine came with a conventional seat belt but I had a 4 point harnesses put in (recommended). Also fitted a new number plate P8 DYL (as my name is Dylan and P8 has certain relevance to me).
I'm 30, have no points on my license and have 5 years no claims through company car insurance and after calling over 30 companies the best price I got was through Tesco at £1,422 fully comprehensive (with a £750 excess). Renewal is £1,100. As for Petrol, basically you will need to memorise the location of every Shell garage as it needs prefers their fuel, my car tends to hit flat spots on BP for example. Although Super is better, normal grade unleaded is still ok. Tank holds 36L and computer tells you when you get to 10L (always worth refuelling at this point to avoid the damages of fuel starvation to the engine). If you're zipping about town or driving in stop / start conditions (i.e. most motorways these days), fuel consumption is relatively high (about 8 litres for a 37 mile trip). Engine also tells you the engine temp which you need to be aware of with your driving style while it gets to 'race' temperature. The dials (speed and revs) are very clear, it redlines at about 8,000 revs. Gear ratios (close ratios) are fantastic.
Love hearing the engine when you clutch in as you can almost hear the car take a deep breath and say to itself "once more unto the breach my English friend". My friend was following me the other day (well, I should say attempting to follow me) and noticed the flames coming out of the exhaust between gear changes (you can here it kind of backfire when that happens). Don't you just love a car that spits flame? unofrtunately, if you put a cat on it (necessary to pass MOT emissions tests), the car doesn't breath fire but if you're savvy enough then the cat will only be on the car for a matter of hours! Services can be expensive as can the low profile tyres, specially designed for the Exige by Yokashoma). The services are every 6,000 miles or one year (whichever is sooner) and alternate between what's called a One Service and a Two Service (the former being the most in depth one). I just had the two service which cost £325 and I had two rear tyres fitted at a cost of £525 (they were new on when I bought it too). New break pads on the front will cost me £115. Lotus dealers and Lotus approved suppliers are really into what they're doing, know their stuff and are basically enthusiasts which is great. They do overcharge though. I reckon that aside from petrol, if you drive say 10,000 miles per annum you would need to spend about £2,000 - £3,000 on the car each year, possibly less (I will update you when I know).
A couple of minor faults I have noticed are that dirt gets inside the headlight covers which is going to be a hassle to clean (but that's what warranty's are for right?) and that they have a very short battery life if for example you leave your lights on (yes I am talking from experience here!). Worth investing in a trickle charger too if the car isn't used for a period of time. Battery is very hard to get to in the front of the car too, you have to remove the water reservoir and changing it can take a couple of hours I am told. Drove it one day and for some reason the battery life kept coming on when I was slowing down at lights but it corrected itself. It does take a few minutes to warm up sometimes so it can conk out if you stop at a junction. The most silly, frivilous, frightening and absurd vehicle I have ever driven, sell your grandma and go and buy one immediately.
Technical Specifications as Follows:
---------------------------------------------------- Body:
Unique fixed head, lightweight glass fibre reinforced composite bodywork.
Deep front air splitter and high level fixed rear wing facilitates balanced aerodynamic downforce characteristics of 35 kg (front) and 45 kg (rear) at 100 mph, increasing cornering grip and high speed stability whilst retaining the same drag coefficient as the standard Elise. Cold air intake integrated in the roof for engine bay forced cooling, combines with tailgate central exit duct for hot air extraction. New opening polycarbonate tailgate glass for baggage stowage access and increased rear vision.
Chassis:
Lotus designed lightweight structure of epoxy bonded aluminium alloy extrusions with integral steel rollover structure. Suspension:
Fully independent front and rear double wishbone systems with co-axial coil springs mounted on adjustable platforms to Koni monotube racing dampers, adjustable link front stabiliser bar, extruded Aluminium front and forged steel rear uprights.
Steering:
Rack and pinion steering.
Ratio: 15.8:1
2.8 handwheel turns lock to lock. Brakes:
Front and rear 282mm diameter cast iron cross-drilled ventilated discs. Non servo assisted pedal actuation, with front to rear hydraulic system split.
AP Racing opposed piston front calipers, Brembo single piston sliding rear calipers with mechanical cable operated parking brake system.
Wheels:
Rimstock, Aluminium Alloy Lotus Sport wheels.
Front - 7J x 16 inch
Rear - 8,5J x 17 inch Tyres:
New unique Yokohama A039 tyres developed in conjunction with Lotus to maximise grip and achieve Lotus ride and handling performance criteria.
Front - 195/50ZR16
Rear - 225/45ZR17
New tyres (A049's, standard on the new Exige 2)have been released recently, slightly cheaper and almost as good).
Instrumentation:
Electronic Stack Instruments unit with analogue display comprising re-calibrated Speedometer and Tachometer with multifunction LCD incorporating fuel and temperature read out and seat belt warning. Interior:
2 Seats. Fore / aft adjustable drivers seat (passengers seat fixed in rearmost position.) Electrical service components and Engine Management Controller are assembled to the rear bulkhead for accessibility but with theft/tamper protection cover.
Lighting:
6 inch dipped beam lamps, with aerodynamic clear perspex covers, and low mounted main beam lamps fitted as standard equipment. Engine:
4 cylinder in-line 1.8 litre, transverse mid mounted, water cooled with front mounted oil cooler. Double overhead camshafts with mechanical tappets and electronic multi-point fuel injection system. Lotus developed engine management controller.
Maximum Power
177 bhp / 179PS / 132.5kW @ 7800rpm (Can be upgraded to 196bhp or more as mine has)
Torque 171 Nm @ 5000rpm Transmission:
5 speed transaxle driving rear wheels.
Close ratio gears fitted as standard equipment.
Ratios :
First 2.923
Second 1.750
Third 1.307
Fourth 1.033
Fifth 0.848
Reverse 3.000
Final drive 4.200
Performance:
Maximum speed 146 mph (Based on my own test, book says 136mph!)
0 — 60 mph 4.4 Sec (with appropriate upgrade, standard is about 4.6) Dimensions:
Wheel base 2300 mm
Front track 1454 mm
Rear track 1489 mm
Overall length 3780 mm
Overall width 1720 mm (excluding mirrors)
Overall height 1175 mm (including integrated air intake scoop)
Ground clearance 112/122 mm (front/rear when mid laden)
Fuel
Tank capacity 40 litres (its actually 36 in mine, I don't know how they reckon 40 litres goes in)
Fuel grade 95 RON minimum Weight:
Dry weight 724 Kg
Unladen weight 780 Kg
Weight distribution 41/59 (% front/rear)
Standard Equipment:
META alarm system controller with immobiliser and key fob operation. In Car Entertainment (ICE) fitting kit including all wiring, roof mounted aerial and coaxial lead with ground plane tin foil, integral bulkhead and speaker mounting panel. Battery trickle charger wiring and socket. Options:
META microwave alarm and siren with bonnet and boot switches. Alpine speakers and grills. 4-point competition style safety belt harness and cross car beam mounting structure. Competition style seats with unique trim inserts and colours matched to door trim panels and steering wheel.
The following is a league table I have compiled of all the fastest supercars I can think of ranked by their 0-60. Each car gives its Price, CC, BHP, 0-60 and top speed. From a standing start, there are only 14 cars on the list which are faster than the Exige. The nearest priced vehicles
faster than the Exige are the Noble and the TVR although I myself would take the Exige over the Tuscan just on looks alone. The Caterham Super Seven is probably not too far away on price either but I don't know the precise cost. Thanks to Lost Prophet for the feedback / info on that one! The only other faster cars on the list are all £100k plus and to be only about a second behind the McLaren F1 and less than a second behind the Enzo up to 60mph is impressive given their combined value of over £1.1m. Nice to know that not a single Merc, Bentley, Maserati, BMW, Aston Martin, Mitsubishi, Suburu, Alfa Romeo, Audi etc beats the Exige at the lights and it is even better to know that it would embarrass several Ferraris, Lamborghinis, Porsches, TVR's etc. Within a split second of some of the most high profile sportscars in the world.
The so called boy racer favourites like Nissan Skylines, Mitsubishi EVO's, Suburu Imprezas, Toyotas Supras, BMW M3's, Porsche Boxters, Audi TT's Vauxhall VX220s etc are all soundly spanked by The Exige. Lovin it lovin lovin it...league as follows:
Car / Price / cc / BHP / 0 - 60 / Top Speed
--------------------------------------------------------- 1/ McLaren F1
£606,060 6064 627 3.3 240
2/ Catherham Super Seven R500
£? 1796 230 3.4 150 3/ Ferrari Enzo (FX)
£500,000 5998 650 3.6 217
4/ Pagani Zonda C12S
£298,000 7010 542 3.7 220 5/ Porsche 959
£? 2850 450 3.7 197
6/ Ferrari F40
£? 2936 478 3.7 201 7/ Ferrari F50
£? 4968 513 3.7 202
8/ Jaguar XJ220
£275,000 3500 542 3.7 212 9/ Lamborghini Diablo 6.0
£157,000 5992 550 3.8 200
10/ TVR Tuscan S
£48,800 3996 390 4.0 190 11/ Lamborghini Murcielago
£160,000 6192 570 4.0 205
12/ Noble M12 GTO
£45,550 2544 310 4.1 165 13/ Porsche 911 GT2 (996)
£109,800 3600 455 4.1 196
14/ Ferrari F575M
£160,845 5748 508 4.2 202 15/ Lotus Exige (with upgrade)
£31,471 1796 196 4.4 145
16/ Honda NSX R
£66,000 3179 276 4.4 168 17/ TVR Tamora
£36,500 3605 350 4.5 160
18/ Chrysler Viper GTS
£68,825 7990 378 4.5 177 19/ Ferrari 360 Modena
£103,068 3586 400 4.5 180
20/ Ferrari 360 Modena Spider
£109,101 3586 400 4.5 180 21/ TVR Chimaera 5.0
£36,680 4988 320 4.6 167
22/ Chevrolet Corvette
£33,999 5666 344 4.7 175 23/ Nissan Skyline GT-R
£54,000 2568 276 4.7 165
24/ Mercedes Benz SL55 AMG
£89,040 5439 470 4.7 202 25/ Ferrari F355 Spider
£? 3496 375 4.7 183
26/ Bentley GT Coupe 6.0 V12
£? 5998 552 4.7 190 27/ Maserati 4200 GT
£68,000 4244 385 4.8 177
28/ BMW Z8
£80,000 4941 369 4.8 155 29/ Aston Martin Vanquish V12
£160,000 5935 460 4.8 190
30/ TVR Griffith 500
£? 4988 320 4.8 167 31/ Maserati Spyder
£74,400 4244 385 4.9 176
32/ Aston Martin DB7 Vantage
£94,500 5935 420 4.9 185 33/ Lamborghini Countach QV
£? 5167 455 4.9 180
34/ TVR Cerbera S6
£41,100 3966 350 5.0 160 35/ Morgan Aero
£49,950 4398 286 5.0 160
36/ Porsche 911 Carrera
£55,950 3596 316 5.0 177 37/ Nissan Skylline R34 2.6 Twin Turbo
£? 2568 276 5.0 155
38/ Lotus Elise S2 111S
£27,995 1796 156 5.1 131 39/ BMW M3
£38,500 3246 338 5.1 155
40/ Mitsubishi Lancer EVO VIII 2.0 GSR
£? 1997 276 5.1 157 41/ Mitsubishi Lancer EVO RSII
£? 1997 276 5.1 157
42/ Suburu Impreza WRX Sti Prodrive
£? 1994 261 5.2 148 43/ AC Cobra
£38,950 4942 225 5.5 145
44/ Vauxhall VX220
£22,995 2198 145 5.6 136 45/ Porsche Carrera 4 Cabriolet
£65,750 3387 300 5.6 159
46/ Toyota Supra 3.0 Turbo
£? 2997 326 5.6 155 47/ Rolls Royce Phantom Saloon
£? 6749 453 5.7 149
48/ Ferrari Testarossa
£? 4942 390 5.8 181 49/ Porsche Boxter S 3.2
£38,150 3179 252 5.9 161
50/ Suburu Impreza WRX UK300 4WD
£? 1998 215 5.9 143 51/ Lotus Elise S2
£22,995 1796 120 6.1 125
52/ Alfa Romeo Spider 3.2 V6 24v
£? 3179 240 6.1 150 53/ Audi TT Coupe 3.2 V6 Quattro
£? 3189 246 6.3 155
54/ Porsche Boxter 2.7
£31,450 2687 217 6.5 155 55/ Suburu Impreza GX Sport AWD
£? 1998 124 9.8 119
If any car is missing from this list or you think any information is incorrect then please let me know and I will update accordingly. Thanks for reading.
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by (20%):
by (73%):
07.09.2008 20:12
top review and i saw your pic is an s1 exige wich is cool because you really never see them about but when you do arrrrrr i love em!!
17.05.2008 21:01
awesome car truly is i sat in the passenger seat down an abandoned air strip when working for jade motorsport on my work experience scared the crap out of me and have wanted one ever since haha. Whats your occupation may i ask?? Also have you had many break downs or any thing because i was watching 5th gear and they said awesome car but prone to break downs!!! o and i live round the corner from the caterham 7 garage if you want me to find out the price of the one on your list?? tom
25.02.2006 01:19
nice car