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2010 Lotus Exige S bows at Geneva Auto Show, coming soon to the US
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The Lotus Exige is like one of those movies that can be watched over an over again—such as Le Mans, or Grand Prix if you fast forward through the soap opera stuff—and enjoy it every time. Except the movies are always the same. Lotus always manages, despite all odds, to make the Exige better every time.
The Lotus Exige, for those who don’t know, is the elemental sports car, made under founder Colin Chapman’s dictum of automotive design: “Simplify, then add lightness.” Indeed, the Lotus Exige S has a chassis made from epoxy-bonded aluminum extrusions and is very light at just over 2000 lbs. Even with a 240 horsepower engine, the Exige S can leap from 0-60 mph in 4.1 seconds and tops out at 150 mph and is still be able to achieve an EPA-rated 26 mpg on the highway.
A two-seat coupe is small outside and snug inside. It fits like a racing glove, says Lotus, but it’s a glove for while the XL need not apply. Call it revenge of the little guy. It helps to have small feet and close-fitting shoes. The footwell is small and the room around the pedals limited.
It’s all worth it on a winding road or particularly on the track. The Exige is quick and diamond cutter precise and it’s a cliché to say, but the Lotus Exige really does feel like an extension of your nervous system. We published a review of a 2009 Lotus Exige S last fall, so for more information, read our track test.
View our slideshow for more views of the 2010 Lotus Exige S.
As outstanding as the 2009 Lotus Exige S may be, however, Lotus has developed what calls “a few key enhancements” for 2010. The front end has been restyled and a new larger rear wing installed. It’s not just a matter of styling. The changes are also functional.
Up front The new front end of the 2010 Exige has a larger, more angular air intake to sends more cooling air over the radiator to improve the car’s performance, and ahead of the wheels, there are two additional openings for twin oil coolers. The horizontal vanes in these openings are functional, says Lotus, stabilizing airflow, increasing cooling efficiency.
Winging it The rear wing is based on the design from the Lotus Exige GT3 road car concept introduced at the 2007 Geneva Auto Show. The wing for the 2010 Exige S is a full 7.1 inches wider than the 2009 model’s, and Lotus mounts it 1.8 inches higher and 2.4 inches further back. The wing is mounted to the rear clamshell (the whole rear of the Lotus Exige tips up and back to expose the mid-mounted engine) via end plates. Lotus claims this adds stiffness and also helps guide airflow over the wing for maximum efficiency. The new wing decreases aerodynamic drag while maintaining a downforce of 93 pounds at 100 mph.
Still up in the air, however, is which engine variant Lotus will use in its North American spec cars. It could mean more power. Says Lotus Cars USA spokesman Kevin Smith, “It will either be the [current] 240 hp (S 240 spec) or the 257 hp (S 260 spec), but we don’t yet have this nailed down with our colleagues in the UK.”
When and how much That will need to be before fall, 2009, when the 2010 Lotus Exige S, which debuted at the 2009 Geneva Auto Show, goes on sale in the United States and Canada. Not surprisingly, pricing has not been established for the 2010 Lotus Exige S, however the 2009 Lotus Exige S 240 has a base price of $65,690. The 2010 Lotus Exige S should be in the same vicinity, based on all the things such is normally based on.
The 2010 Lotus Exige S then won’t be so much a repeat viewing of the same movie—as we said, not a bad thing—but a sequel, as if Steve McQueen decided to make “Le Mans, the Next Year,” or Grand Prix, When They Went to the 3.0-lite Formula. Whatever, it’s all good to us. Would someone pass the popcorn please? This oughta be good.
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