S2000 versus Lotus Exige and VXR220

Esstoothou · 11-05-2005, 10:30 AM

How does the S2000 compare to these cars in your opinion?

They come in around 300kgs (25%) lighter so accelerate a lot faster, especially the turbo-charged VXR, but are they as good overall?

A friend is deciding between these three cars at the moment.

RCduck7 · 11-05-2005, 11:43 AM

If you want a car that is sporty and still is comfotable on long jouneys then the S2000 will be the choice.
The s2000 fits somewhere between a porsche boxter and lotus elise as a drivers car.
Myself i would go for a lotus exige.
The vxr 220 turbo may be a little faster on a straight line but for handling the lotus exige is defenitly gonna win in the bends.
If the exige still isn't fast enough for you you can still bolt on a supercharger without any serious modifications needed to the engine as i have heard.
A lotus exige also looks much cooler and wilder then a vxr.
However gearchanges are dream to use on the s2000... but it's a bit less a driver's car then the lotus.

rijk456gt · 11-05-2005, 07:11 PM

I have an Elise 111R (Federalized version, so, faster than the 220 turbo) as well as an S2000. After two years of using the Elise as a daily driver I decided that I'm tired of getting wet, because I'm driving topless all the time, and I'm tired of rolling out of the car with the top on when it rains too much.

So, my daily driver will be my S2000 by the end of this month. Quick automated top, that I can keep open until the rain is too heavy. However, I will miss driving around in an "exotic". I keep the Lotus for the weekends, and take it out only when the weather permits (I will need to get snow tires, because I will NOT put the car away for the winter).

I like the power of the S2000. The gears are closer and allow you to keep the car between 6K and 8K easier than the Lotus. The Lotus has much better roadholding than anything I've seen.

RCduck7 · 11-06-2005, 01:44 AM

He was mentioning an exige not an elise rijk456gt... the one with a fixed roof that supposed to stay on all the time.
However if you really want you can still dissemble the roof for summer days if your sure it won't rain.

rijk456gt · 11-06-2005, 06:12 AM

RC,

There is not that much difference between an Exige and the Elise with the sport package. I've seen some conversions of the Exige so that it takes the canvas top.

Esstoothou · 11-06-2005, 09:21 AM

I would be surprised if your Elise was as quick as a VXR220.

The latter has 240 bhp from it's turbo-charged engine and around twice the torque of the Lotus, even if yours has the 189bhp engine.

rijk456gt · 11-06-2005, 06:42 PM

See, I'm running behind again. I thought that the Opel (Vauxhall) had only 200hp or so and that Topgear had rated the Federalized Elise above the Vauxhall in drivability and accelleration.

CarbonCS · 11-06-2005, 07:10 PM

The Elise is all about power to weight ratio! Not the most power full engine but definetly a good amount lighter than the Vauxhall..

Esstoothou · 11-06-2005, 11:16 PM

VXR has 240ps (237bhp) and weighs 930kgs.

No Elise I know of can get near that.

CarbonCS · 11-07-2005, 02:57 AM

the lotus is 755 kg/1664 lb..
when you drop 4-500lbs on a car an it's only 40-50 horse power less the performance has to be pretty close! I'm sure the vauxhall is faster. I know it has a higher top speed. But the elise is just so light! i still like my s2000 BEST!

Esstoothou · 11-07-2005, 08:43 AM

I also prefer the S2000, even though the engine is weaker than the competition below 6000rpm.

I do wonder just how Honda manage to get 237bhp though, with n/aspiration, as the Vauxhall for example is turbocharged and then uprated, to only produce the same from the identical 2-litre capacity as the S2000.

Halo · 11-07-2005, 09:13 AM

It makes 240 (237 with the new rating system) because it is able to hold the same torque at high rpm. It does this because the internals, cam, intake and exhaust are all tuned to keep air moving well all the way to redline (torque does drop off at 8600 but not much).

Esstoothou · 11-08-2005, 12:08 AM

Just about the only engine in the car world, unforced, with as much power as the blown competition then.

MattG · 11-10-2005, 02:51 PM

How much value do you put on having a trunk/boot.

Esstoothou · 11-10-2005, 11:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattG

How much value do you put on having a trunk/boot.

None really!

(Don't fancy Nitrous though! Tends to wreck engines and I never use the stuff.)

MattG · 11-11-2005, 07:26 PM

Good.

I was looking at an early model Elise and a used S2000.
They were selling for approx the same price (elise was a little more).

That earlier model elise did not have the creature comforts of the S2000, and the lack of storage space was something I could not have in a daily driver.

It all depends on your preference.

Another point you may like to keep in mind is what engine is in the Elise that you are looking at. Although a large final(?) production run has been done to supply the latest models of cars (inc other brands) with Rover engines, as I understand it the future of the Rover engine is under a cloud at the moment.

Also from what I have read the VXR is using the earlier version of the Lotus ABS software. The new Lotus ABS is more advanced. But then again I'm sure you can find lots of reviews comparing the cars online.
I'm pretty sure EVO mag and CAR mag have compared the VXR and Elise.
Another good source for comparing all three would be TOPGEAR.

Esstoothou · 11-11-2005, 11:47 PM

The best engine in the Lotus Elise or Exige (a better car still) is the 189 bhp engine fitted for the past couple of years.
Light years better than the 140bhp motor the Elise used to have.

Also, the Lotus models are very expensive, considering how poorly equipped they are, especially compared to the S2000.
The quality is not as good and you pay 20% of the list price for the name, it would appear.

The Exige 240 LTD Edition is a 'charged beast, but very expensive and only made in one small production run.
240bhp and 900kgs would be fun I reckon!

RCduck7 · 11-12-2005, 08:53 AM

Also of intrest is that the exige has 195 wide tyres at the front and the elise only 175 wide wich makes it more understeery and less progressive then the exige.
It is like that in Europe and in the US also i think.
An elise can be fitted with wider wheels but adjustments have to be made.

Me personal i would love an exige but picky and the critical that i am it would have to be with a Honda type R engine wich has overall more midrange power then the yota engine.
They do conversions but add it to the price of a new exige and it becomes very pricey for what you get, even if the car brings a big smile driving it.

11-05-2005, 10:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
Esstoothou Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 41	S2000 versus Lotus Exige and VXR220 How does the S2000 compare to these cars in your opinion? They come in around 300kgs (25%) lighter so accelerate a lot faster, especially the turbo-charged VXR, but are they as good overall? A friend is deciding between these three cars at the moment.

11-06-2005, 07:10 PM	#8 (permalink)
CarbonCS Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 23	power to weight! The Elise is all about power to weight ratio! Not the most power full engine but definetly a good amount lighter than the Vauxhall..

11-07-2005, 02:57 AM	#10 (permalink)
CarbonCS Junior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Posts: 23	weight the lotus is 755 kg/1664 lb.. when you drop 4-500lbs on a car an it's only 40-50 horse power less the performance has to be pretty close! I'm sure the vauxhall is faster. I know it has a higher top speed. But the elise is just so light! i still like my s2000 BEST!

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11-05-2005, 11:43 AM	#2 (permalink)
RCduck7 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 125	If you want a car that is sporty and still is comfotable on long jouneys then the S2000 will be the choice. The s2000 fits somewhere between a porsche boxter and lotus elise as a drivers car. Myself i would go for a lotus exige. The vxr 220 turbo may be a little faster on a straight line but for handling the lotus exige is defenitly gonna win in the bends. If the exige still isn't fast enough for you you can still bolt on a supercharger without any serious modifications needed to the engine as i have heard. A lotus exige also looks much cooler and wilder then a vxr. However gearchanges are dream to use on the s2000... but it's a bit less a driver's car then the lotus.

11-05-2005, 07:11 PM	#3 (permalink)
rijk456gt Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 10	I have an Elise 111R (Federalized version, so, faster than the 220 turbo) as well as an S2000. After two years of using the Elise as a daily driver I decided that I'm tired of getting wet, because I'm driving topless all the time, and I'm tired of rolling out of the car with the top on when it rains too much. So, my daily driver will be my S2000 by the end of this month. Quick automated top, that I can keep open until the rain is too heavy. However, I will miss driving around in an "exotic". I keep the Lotus for the weekends, and take it out only when the weather permits (I will need to get snow tires, because I will NOT put the car away for the winter). I like the power of the S2000. The gears are closer and allow you to keep the car between 6K and 8K easier than the Lotus. The Lotus has much better roadholding than anything I've seen.

11-06-2005, 01:44 AM	#4 (permalink)
RCduck7 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 125	He was mentioning an exige not an elise rijk456gt... the one with a fixed roof that supposed to stay on all the time. However if you really want you can still dissemble the roof for summer days if your sure it won't rain.

11-06-2005, 06:12 AM	#5 (permalink)
rijk456gt Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 10	RC, There is not that much difference between an Exige and the Elise with the sport package. I've seen some conversions of the Exige so that it takes the canvas top.

11-06-2005, 09:21 AM	#6 (permalink)
Esstoothou Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 41	I would be surprised if your Elise was as quick as a VXR220. The latter has 240 bhp from it's turbo-charged engine and around twice the torque of the Lotus, even if yours has the 189bhp engine.

11-06-2005, 06:42 PM	#7 (permalink)
rijk456gt Junior Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 10	See, I'm running behind again. I thought that the Opel (Vauxhall) had only 200hp or so and that Topgear had rated the Federalized Elise above the Vauxhall in drivability and accelleration.

11-06-2005, 11:16 PM	#9 (permalink)
Esstoothou Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 41	VXR has 240ps (237bhp) and weighs 930kgs. No Elise I know of can get near that.

11-07-2005, 08:43 AM	#11 (permalink)
Esstoothou Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 41	I also prefer the S2000, even though the engine is weaker than the competition below 6000rpm. I do wonder just how Honda manage to get 237bhp though, with n/aspiration, as the Vauxhall for example is turbocharged and then uprated, to only produce the same from the identical 2-litre capacity as the S2000.

11-07-2005, 09:13 AM	#12 (permalink)
Halo Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2004 Posts: 610	It makes 240 (237 with the new rating system) because it is able to hold the same torque at high rpm. It does this because the internals, cam, intake and exhaust are all tuned to keep air moving well all the way to redline (torque does drop off at 8600 but not much).

11-08-2005, 12:08 AM	#13 (permalink)
Esstoothou Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 41	Just about the only engine in the car world, unforced, with as much power as the blown competition then.

11-10-2005, 02:51 PM	#14 (permalink)
MattG Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 363	How much value do you put on having a trunk/boot.

11-11-2005, 07:26 PM	#16 (permalink)
MattG Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 363	Good. I was looking at an early model Elise and a used S2000. They were selling for approx the same price (elise was a little more). That earlier model elise did not have the creature comforts of the S2000, and the lack of storage space was something I could not have in a daily driver. It all depends on your preference. Another point you may like to keep in mind is what engine is in the Elise that you are looking at. Although a large final(?) production run has been done to supply the latest models of cars (inc other brands) with Rover engines, as I understand it the future of the Rover engine is under a cloud at the moment. Also from what I have read the VXR is using the earlier version of the Lotus ABS software. The new Lotus ABS is more advanced. But then again I'm sure you can find lots of reviews comparing the cars online. I'm pretty sure EVO mag and CAR mag have compared the VXR and Elise. Another good source for comparing all three would be TOPGEAR.

11-11-2005, 11:47 PM	#17 (permalink)
Esstoothou Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 41	The best engine in the Lotus Elise or Exige (a better car still) is the 189 bhp engine fitted for the past couple of years. Light years better than the 140bhp motor the Elise used to have. Also, the Lotus models are very expensive, considering how poorly equipped they are, especially compared to the S2000. The quality is not as good and you pay 20% of the list price for the name, it would appear. The Exige 240 LTD Edition is a 'charged beast, but very expensive and only made in one small production run. 240bhp and 900kgs would be fun I reckon!

11-12-2005, 08:53 AM	#18 (permalink)
RCduck7 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 125	Also of intrest is that the exige has 195 wide tyres at the front and the elise only 175 wide wich makes it more understeery and less progressive then the exige. It is like that in Europe and in the US also i think. An elise can be fitted with wider wheels but adjustments have to be made. Me personal i would love an exige but picky and the critical that i am it would have to be with a Honda type R engine wich has overall more midrange power then the yota engine. They do conversions but add it to the price of a new exige and it becomes very pricey for what you get, even if the car brings a big smile driving it.