I have seen a lot of threads comparing the Cayman to other Porsche models and other sports cars but what about the Elise? They seem similar in size. The Elise has less HP but does 0-60 in less time. The Porsche has way more storage and comfort inside. Looking just at the performance side of it which one comes out on top in terms of speed and handling?
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Shahn
Hawc,
I felt there was less leg room in the Elise. Seriously, if you want a fun car and can do without the extras, the Elise is a nice, enthusiasts car. It's light for a reason, though, and the Toyota power plant is uninspiring. The seats are definitely for the young and the getting in and out of it is reserved for Yoga students and gymnasts. While the design is very sleek, in person it looks a little too "plastic-y" for my taste.
I felt there was less leg room in the Elise. Seriously, if you want a fun car and can do without the extras, the Elise is a nice, enthusiasts car. It's light for a reason, though, and the Toyota power plant is uninspiring. The seats are definitely for the young and the getting in and out of it is reserved for Yoga students and gymnasts. While the design is very sleek, in person it looks a little too "plastic-y" for my taste.
Check the links at the bottom of the page under 'Similar Threads'. Also, and it pains me to say this, you might want to try a search. Many discussion on this topic are archived here.
at one pt i had both cay s and exige.
for track use, exige is cheaper to buy, less to mod and almost free to run. a set of tires RA1 is 600, pads (4) is 250. cayman s is 2x more.
for dual use, cay is more versatile.
cornering is more fun in lotus for sure.
exiting turn up to 70-80mph, lotus if faster, above 80, N/A lotus runs out of juice.
for track use, exige is cheaper to buy, less to mod and almost free to run. a set of tires RA1 is 600, pads (4) is 250. cayman s is 2x more.
for dual use, cay is more versatile.
cornering is more fun in lotus for sure.
exiting turn up to 70-80mph, lotus if faster, above 80, N/A lotus runs out of juice.
Have spent a lot of time in Elise's at the track, and they are virtually without equal as a drive-off-the-showroom floor onto the track car. Amazing. But I can't imagine, even if I were ten years younger, commuting in the thing even in the summer. And we won't even talk about the things that fall off, or come loose, on brand new vehicles in the course of a day.
And the Noble. Please. These things are regulars at many of the events I attend, and I can't remember a single one running at the end of a single event. Not one. Couple of weeks ago two showed up...sure enough one needed to be pushed back into it's trailer; the other one came on it's own wheels and was still parked when I left...could it have survived? After dinner we saw it go by, on the back of a flatbed wrecker.
"If ya can't get a real car, get an English car, or a kit car."
Just don't get an English kit car.
And the Noble. Please. These things are regulars at many of the events I attend, and I can't remember a single one running at the end of a single event. Not one. Couple of weeks ago two showed up...sure enough one needed to be pushed back into it's trailer; the other one came on it's own wheels and was still parked when I left...could it have survived? After dinner we saw it go by, on the back of a flatbed wrecker.
"If ya can't get a real car, get an English car, or a kit car."
Just don't get an English kit car.
I think the I would take an Elise over a Cayman, but it would be hard to decide between an Elise vs a Cayman S. I couldn't make up my mind so I got both. But here's an interesting perspective from a thread on Elisetalk.
http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34084&highlight=elise+cayman
http://www.elisetalk.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34084&highlight=elise+cayman
Having driven both on and off a track I find ths question a doddle to answer:
Off the track : The Cayman, any longer than an hour on a less than perfect road will result in trips to the cyropractor in the lotus. Try getting out of a lotus in the parking space without damaging your neighbouring car... More comfort, better ride, more usable torque doesn't require the revs so high and therefore you can have a conversation with your passenger. Cayman is less common and far more of a head turner.
On the track: The lotus only the Lambourghini gallardo comes close to its handling, will change direction like a fly, perfectly balanced, light and likes the revs kept up as with all Japanese powerplants. Just don't do an endurance race in one
Well thats my two'penneth
What does everyone else think? Or should I play devil's advocate and do Cayman Vs Lotus Vs Caterham?
Off the track : The Cayman, any longer than an hour on a less than perfect road will result in trips to the cyropractor in the lotus. Try getting out of a lotus in the parking space without damaging your neighbouring car... More comfort, better ride, more usable torque doesn't require the revs so high and therefore you can have a conversation with your passenger. Cayman is less common and far more of a head turner.
On the track: The lotus only the Lambourghini gallardo comes close to its handling, will change direction like a fly, perfectly balanced, light and likes the revs kept up as with all Japanese powerplants. Just don't do an endurance race in one
Well thats my two'penneth
What does everyone else think? Or should I play devil's advocate and do Cayman Vs Lotus Vs Caterham?
For a day at the track, Elise. For two days at the track, or a lifetime, Cayman S. For me a no brainer.
I've admired the Elise for years, but the incredible weight that it has put on over the years, coupled with the high price for a bare-bones car, effectively removed it from my radar. The folks on Elisetalk who think they have a minimalist car should try driving a Seven. Now THAT is a track car over which I'd get excited.
Finally, a I read a quote in (I believe) evo magazine from an Elise owner:
"Elise - Designed by gods, built by monkeys"
That speaks volumes about the car's quality. It's simply too expensive to be so unreliable.
I've admired the Elise for years, but the incredible weight that it has put on over the years, coupled with the high price for a bare-bones car, effectively removed it from my radar. The folks on Elisetalk who think they have a minimalist car should try driving a Seven. Now THAT is a track car over which I'd get excited.
Finally, a I read a quote in (I believe) evo magazine from an Elise owner:
"Elise - Designed by gods, built by monkeys"
That speaks volumes about the car's quality. It's simply too expensive to be so unreliable.
totally correct. i have both, i am sure of it.
[/QUOTE]That speaks volumes about the car's quality. It's simply too expensive to be so unreliable.[/QUOTE]
i think you are confusing build quality with reliability.
lotus plasticky interior is cheap, rattles a lot, some bolts fall off every now and then... thus poor build quality. but it is dead reliable, and compare my exige and elise vs the three cayman s i had, lotus is a LOT MORE reliable.
but it's not a car, it's a toy. not many will drive it on street much. but of course i am insane, 9000 miles in 3 months.
Having driven a Lotus Elise, I would say it's more fun around a track than a Cayman S. I have also driven its big brother, the Lotus Exige S which caused cramp in my hands due to the enormous adrenaline rush. Both are huge fun in very short bursts. Both are totally impractical cars. I just couldn't drive an Elise as a daily driver.
I bought a CS because it is simply a much better all round car. The CS is a car that I can drive all year round, in any weather and in total comfort. It's a car that I can drive to work in, go shopping in or have a blast around a track in. It's also better built than the Lotus Elise/Exige.
I bought a CS because it is simply a much better all round car. The CS is a car that I can drive all year round, in any weather and in total comfort. It's a car that I can drive to work in, go shopping in or have a blast around a track in. It's also better built than the Lotus Elise/Exige.
Has anyone driven an Ariel Atom? Versus a Caterham, Lotus, Cayman, etc? I don't expect that you can get much more raw but I'm just going off of Top Gear, etc. They are coming to a track in Calgary, and charging for a days outing. Any experience out there?
Also having driven one, the real truth is that the elise is a go-kart, nothing more. So comparing the two is apples and oranges. Do you want a $70K car or a $45K go-kart? That's a silly choice for an adult.
BTW I named my daughter Elise.
BTW I named my daughter Elise.
I have only driven an Elise a couple of times and found the ingress/egress difficulty to be overstated. It does take some flexibility but I'm 52 and had no problem. When I was looking the resale value on them was taking a big hit. The go-kart comparisons are valid, extremely quick and responsive. I think the Cayman is much better looking and still is ablast to drive. My answer to this debate is in my driveway but if I had the money and room for another car the Exige S would get serious consideration.
First Post...
This is an interesting thread. I currently have a series 1 Lotus Elise and have used it as my everyday car for the last 7 years. Throughout that time it has been to the south of France several times and only the lack of air-con has really grated on me. However I am now at the point where I need something that offers the best of both worlds or at least that is what I think I have convinced myself of.
The Cayman S I test drove was superb, much better than I was expecting and ticked all the boxes (apart from the cost - they are hugely more expensive here in the UK and Porsche will not discount!). I've put a deposit down but am still in two minds. I realy would miss my Elise. After seven years of ownership it really is 'my' car. Everything has been changed (not always because it fell off
), so it is still a tough decision.
Enjoy the photos.
This is an interesting thread. I currently have a series 1 Lotus Elise and have used it as my everyday car for the last 7 years. Throughout that time it has been to the south of France several times and only the lack of air-con has really grated on me. However I am now at the point where I need something that offers the best of both worlds or at least that is what I think I have convinced myself of.
The Cayman S I test drove was superb, much better than I was expecting and ticked all the boxes (apart from the cost - they are hugely more expensive here in the UK and Porsche will not discount!). I've put a deposit down but am still in two minds. I realy would miss my Elise. After seven years of ownership it really is 'my' car. Everything has been changed (not always because it fell off
), so it is still a tough decision.Enjoy the photos.
Almost bought one...
Spent a whole of time on EliseTalk and basically made up my mind to get an Exige. But I sat down and made a list of pro's and con's and there were just too many con's. Like others have said, its just too unreliable and cheaply made. Granted the Toyota engine is bullet-proof, the rest of the car is far from that. Elise and Exige owners talk about all the rattles and sqeaks and little things that the car does, and they accept it as normal. Why pay $45K for a brand new car that does that? I am going to spend a little more and get a car performs well and will run the Lotus into the ground on a straight away. Although, the Lotus would runs circles around a Porsche on a curvy track...
Cant wait to get my CS! :banana:
Spent a whole of time on EliseTalk and basically made up my mind to get an Exige. But I sat down and made a list of pro's and con's and there were just too many con's. Like others have said, its just too unreliable and cheaply made. Granted the Toyota engine is bullet-proof, the rest of the car is far from that. Elise and Exige owners talk about all the rattles and sqeaks and little things that the car does, and they accept it as normal. Why pay $45K for a brand new car that does that? I am going to spend a little more and get a car performs well and will run the Lotus into the ground on a straight away. Although, the Lotus would runs circles around a Porsche on a curvy track...
Cant wait to get my CS! :banana:
yes, lotus is quicker to 60. but over 100, cayman will catch right up, very fast at that too.
i am not biased. i have had several caymans and two lotus. i am trying to provide data points to help those who are deciding.
i am not biased. i have had several caymans and two lotus. i am trying to provide data points to help those who are deciding.
Lotus make kit cars, much like TVR. I cannot get myself to take any manufacturer seriously that use engines from other manufacturers even if it has been modified. Lotus used to use a Ford engine before switching to a Toyota powerplant. The bodies are plastic and they do not look good after a few years use. To me it doesn't matter what the 0-60 time is, if they cannot build the complete article, they remain a kit car.
For the same reason, if I could afford it, I wouldn't own a Zonda (Merc engine) but would rather get a Ferrari, or better still a 911 Turbo or GT3, which come to think of is actually quite affordable...
For the same reason, if I could afford it, I wouldn't own a Zonda (Merc engine) but would rather get a Ferrari, or better still a 911 Turbo or GT3, which come to think of is actually quite affordable...
I have been running my Cayman S around Autobahn Country Club in Joliet and it is turning faster lap times than the Lotus's. Average speed around the full track is only about 75 mph and I would have to disagree about the entry & exit speeds as my Cayman S is faster all around the track. I think it is a perception issue, you feel like you are driving fast in a Lotus but in reality your actual speed isn't what your percieved speed is. Now my car does have PASM which does help a lot around the track. I was running in the 2:48s on Memorial day but have broken into the 2:46s there. Check out the track map at www.autobahncountryclub.net. As far as driving on the street there is no comparision, the Cayman S is much better.
I'd also pretty much made up my mind to get an Elise. I'd test-driven one a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it (and getting in and out isn't that bad, I basically use the same technique I use to get in and out of a car with a cage).
So a couple of months ago, when my wife decided to buy me a car (!), we went in with the intent of looking at that and the Cayman S (and if it was convenient, which it ended up not being, a M Coupe). I re-test-drove the Elise, and still liked it.
I went with the Cayman S for a few reasons.
First, when we were looking, it was with the intent of replacing a day-in-day-out daily driver. I can deal with a certain level of unreliability, but if the New Car wasn't available for some reason, I was going to end up driving our truck or our old CRX Si, neither of which appeal to me all that much. It's not so much that I think the Elise would be unreliable (the powertrain seems stout), but the local Lotus dealer has a terrible reputation for service. So putting "slightly unreliable" and "iffy local service options" together seemed like not the best plan. If I lived near a better Lotus dealer, things might have been different. Or if we'd planned on adding the Elise to the pile rather than replacing a car with the Elise, that might have changed things, too. (As it turns out, we kept the M Roadster the New Car was supposed to replace. Ah, well...)
Second, when I asked to see the trunk of the Elise, the one we opened up was quite wet. Like, the owners manual was mildewed. That's one thing I just can't abide: like a boat, the water always belongs on the outside. I freely admit that's a personal pet peeve. Our Elise-owning friend says that it's a known problem, it's something like if you park the car downhill -- or is it uphill? -- and it rains a lot, the trunk's not unlikely to be wet.
Third, my office is 220 miles away from my house. I only go to my office once a week, in general, but that's around 3.5 hours each direction, and I go up, work a full day, then head back the same evening. I've driven a 993 racecar on the street (it had tags and insurance) about six hours total in one day, and a 944 S2 and M3 racecars (again, with tags and insurance) maybe five hours total in one day... and I could do it, and I could even go for longer, but all of those were getting kinda uncomfortable near the end. I wanted the New Car in part to liven up the commute, and while I think I'm pretty hardcore, I had to admit the possibility that I'm not that hardcore.
So all together, it was Cayman 1, Elise 0. If any one of those things had been different, it might have ended up differently.
I'm enjoying the Cayman. I figured that no matter which I chose, I'd end up thinking about how the other half lives!
-Steve
So a couple of months ago, when my wife decided to buy me a car (!), we went in with the intent of looking at that and the Cayman S (and if it was convenient, which it ended up not being, a M Coupe). I re-test-drove the Elise, and still liked it.
I went with the Cayman S for a few reasons.
First, when we were looking, it was with the intent of replacing a day-in-day-out daily driver. I can deal with a certain level of unreliability, but if the New Car wasn't available for some reason, I was going to end up driving our truck or our old CRX Si, neither of which appeal to me all that much. It's not so much that I think the Elise would be unreliable (the powertrain seems stout), but the local Lotus dealer has a terrible reputation for service. So putting "slightly unreliable" and "iffy local service options" together seemed like not the best plan. If I lived near a better Lotus dealer, things might have been different. Or if we'd planned on adding the Elise to the pile rather than replacing a car with the Elise, that might have changed things, too. (As it turns out, we kept the M Roadster the New Car was supposed to replace. Ah, well...)
Second, when I asked to see the trunk of the Elise, the one we opened up was quite wet. Like, the owners manual was mildewed. That's one thing I just can't abide: like a boat, the water always belongs on the outside. I freely admit that's a personal pet peeve. Our Elise-owning friend says that it's a known problem, it's something like if you park the car downhill -- or is it uphill? -- and it rains a lot, the trunk's not unlikely to be wet.
Third, my office is 220 miles away from my house. I only go to my office once a week, in general, but that's around 3.5 hours each direction, and I go up, work a full day, then head back the same evening. I've driven a 993 racecar on the street (it had tags and insurance) about six hours total in one day, and a 944 S2 and M3 racecars (again, with tags and insurance) maybe five hours total in one day... and I could do it, and I could even go for longer, but all of those were getting kinda uncomfortable near the end. I wanted the New Car in part to liven up the commute, and while I think I'm pretty hardcore, I had to admit the possibility that I'm not that hardcore.
So all together, it was Cayman 1, Elise 0. If any one of those things had been different, it might have ended up differently.
I'm enjoying the Cayman. I figured that no matter which I chose, I'd end up thinking about how the other half lives!
-Steve
This is quite an old thread but I thought I'd revive it since I'm considering selling my 06 Elise for a Cayman S. Please keep in mind that neither car is in any way a daily driver. I probably drive the Elise 1-2 times a week for fun so ergonomics, comfort, daily drive properties don't bug me too much. Although I must admit I may be more tempted to drive it more often if it was a bit more luxurious (nice leather, auto climate control, other fun tech stuff)
What I'm looking for is information on build quality on the Cayman S and fun factor. The Elise has pretty good acceleration on the 2nd cam and mediocre below 6,000 rpms. I test drove a Cayman S and it definitely felt more torquey but did not feel faster all out than the Elise (I only took the Cayman S to 80 mph). The brakes on the CS were pretty good, steering was pretty good but nowhere near as sharp turn in as the Elise. Aka does the Cayman S honestly handle a larger more refined Elise? I haven't found a car that handles quite like the Lotus yet, it's simply telepathic.
As far as build quality the Porsche seemed impressive, no major squeaks or rattles. I have read a few threads here about people complaining about squeaks, rattles and pulling the interior apart to stuff foam and velcro to quiet it down. If I go with the Porsche I would expect aboslutely ZERO issues like that as it's a bit tiring on the Elise sometimes (have a random buzz sometimes but otherwise pretty squeak free).
I guess the best way to explain what I'm looking for is that the Elise is a 4 on a scale of 1-10 for luxury/comfort. I think the Cayman S is about a 8. However to me on pure driving fun alone I think the Elise is about a 9 and when I test drove the Cayman S (albeit a short test drive on city streets) it only felt like a 6. For you guys that owned both, when you get a Cayman S onto a track, autocross or twisty road does that 6 go up to a 8 or 9? If so I think I'm sold.
What I'm looking for is information on build quality on the Cayman S and fun factor. The Elise has pretty good acceleration on the 2nd cam and mediocre below 6,000 rpms. I test drove a Cayman S and it definitely felt more torquey but did not feel faster all out than the Elise (I only took the Cayman S to 80 mph). The brakes on the CS were pretty good, steering was pretty good but nowhere near as sharp turn in as the Elise. Aka does the Cayman S honestly handle a larger more refined Elise? I haven't found a car that handles quite like the Lotus yet, it's simply telepathic.
As far as build quality the Porsche seemed impressive, no major squeaks or rattles. I have read a few threads here about people complaining about squeaks, rattles and pulling the interior apart to stuff foam and velcro to quiet it down. If I go with the Porsche I would expect aboslutely ZERO issues like that as it's a bit tiring on the Elise sometimes (have a random buzz sometimes but otherwise pretty squeak free).
I guess the best way to explain what I'm looking for is that the Elise is a 4 on a scale of 1-10 for luxury/comfort. I think the Cayman S is about a 8. However to me on pure driving fun alone I think the Elise is about a 9 and when I test drove the Cayman S (albeit a short test drive on city streets) it only felt like a 6. For you guys that owned both, when you get a Cayman S onto a track, autocross or twisty road does that 6 go up to a 8 or 9? If so I think I'm sold.
Driven an '05 Elise sport package hard. Own a '08 CS. My plan is that my next car will be a used Elise. (In addition to the CS!)
Honestly, the CS doesn't really impress you much driving at 5/6 tenths. But that is exactly why it is such a great dual purpose car. I didn't purchase one for a whole year because of a slow test drive. I finally ordered one on "faith" knowing that it must be better than that one test drive. When I took delivery and finally got to play with it, I was blown away by how complete and fun a car it was. You just can't experience that in a slow test drive. It just doesn't feel that fast or sharp at 5/6 10ths. The CS comes alive the harder you push it. It doesn't really have too many bad habits and the motor really comes alive in the upper power band.
The real key to the CS is to get some more power out of it. You can pretty easily get them to 350 hp with bolt on stuff and that really transforms the car. This solves pretty much any complaint people have about it feeling sluggish or slow. If you do that with a low option car (like mine) that puts it at about 8.4 lbs/hp compared to the stock 10.
When I was on track last year (stock CS) I had to work pretty hard to chase down an Elise. They were surprisingly fast even on the straights! I was expecting to be able to pull him out of the corners a bit but that didn't happen. I had to set up a pass from several corners back in order to have enough speed to get around him by the end of the front straight. All and all I felt pretty evenly matched.
Honestly, the CS doesn't really impress you much driving at 5/6 tenths. But that is exactly why it is such a great dual purpose car. I didn't purchase one for a whole year because of a slow test drive. I finally ordered one on "faith" knowing that it must be better than that one test drive. When I took delivery and finally got to play with it, I was blown away by how complete and fun a car it was. You just can't experience that in a slow test drive. It just doesn't feel that fast or sharp at 5/6 10ths. The CS comes alive the harder you push it. It doesn't really have too many bad habits and the motor really comes alive in the upper power band.
The real key to the CS is to get some more power out of it. You can pretty easily get them to 350 hp with bolt on stuff and that really transforms the car. This solves pretty much any complaint people have about it feeling sluggish or slow. If you do that with a low option car (like mine) that puts it at about 8.4 lbs/hp compared to the stock 10.
When I was on track last year (stock CS) I had to work pretty hard to chase down an Elise. They were surprisingly fast even on the straights! I was expecting to be able to pull him out of the corners a bit but that didn't happen. I had to set up a pass from several corners back in order to have enough speed to get around him by the end of the front straight. All and all I felt pretty evenly matched.
UK Garage Presents Lotus Extrema
Now this is a Lotus Exige I could really sink my teeth into.. very deeply!
![Image]()
![Image]()
Now this is a Lotus Exige I could really sink my teeth into.. very deeply!
Whoa, +1 on thatUK Garage Presents Lotus Extrema
Now this is a Lotus Exige I could really sink my teeth into.. very deeply!
![Image]()
![Image]()
Traded a 2006 Elise w/ Sport Pack for my present 2007 CS. The Elise is a great track car although its clanky shifter is a real pain and it's hard to heel/toe without pedal mods. It's not a very good road car and certainly not for daily driving IMO. The getting in and out issue can be mastered, but crawling over that huge sill makes you wonder why you're forced to do it. The CS is a real car vs the Elise which feels like a stripper inside the cockpit. However, the Elise particularly in the bright red I had is always a head turner.
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