Supercharged 2007 Lotus Exige S bound for U.S. - Car News
220-hp road rocket hits U.S. showrooms this fall at $57,860.
BY STEVE SILER, September 2006Lotus is fleshing out its enigmatic Elise/Exige sports-car family with yet another variant—the supercharged Exige S coupe. When Lotus first unveiled its newest baby in the U.K. back in July, it claimed that no official plans to bring the car to the U.S. existed. Now, of course, we can see that they were thinking about it, and the company has fast-tracked the little rocket for its U.S. debut later this year, likely around the time of the Los Angeles auto show in late November.
With 220 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque—80 percent of which is available at 2000 rpm—the 2100-pound Exige S is said to be capable of attaining 60 miles per hour just 4.1 seconds after the light turns green, maybe 4.2 after a heavy lunch. This makes it the quickest Exige yet to be sold on our shores (not counting the 15 non-street-legal, 243-hp Sport Exige Cup racers Lotus sold earlier this year). Furthermore, Lotus estimates that the Exige S will deliver a 25-mpg EPA-combined rating. Like fuel economy matters here.
Such remarkable acceleration numbers are made possible by the fitment of a supercharger and air-to-air intercooler to the Exige’s already potent Toyota-sourced, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine mounted just behind the passenger cell. Redline is 8500 rpm, with a compression ratio of 11.5:1. The six-speed manual is carried over from the Exige. Also unchanged from the Exige is its basic body shape, including its flat smooth underbelly. The only exterior features differentiating the Exige and its more powerful sibling are their distinct front splitters, rear wings and side air intakes.
Want one? Bring $57,860—or $6K more than the standard Exige—to your local Lotus dealer and pray for a warm, dry winter.
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