2011 Lotus Elise Review

The Lotus Elise is a compact, lightweight sports car meant for track driving. New for 2011
There are no significant changes to the Elise and Elise SC for 2011.

The Elise SC adds a supercharger to make 217 hp at 8,000 rpm and 155 pounds-feet of torque at 5,000 rpm.
Twin-piston front brake calipers and single-piston rear calipers; all four discs are cross-drilled to resist brake fade

Lotus isn’t fully revamping the car for 2011, but a mild update is in the cards for the world’s smallest provider of huge thrills.

Up front, a new fascia consolidates the various intake elements into one, Miata–like grin—now sans strakes—while single-element headlights replace the staggered-size units occupying the previous Elise’s hood. The biggest news for daily users of the Elise (Hi, Caswell!) is that the trunk can now be opened from inside the car, rather than relying solely on the key fob to be unlocked. Also, there is now a tiny Elise graphic on the new LED turn-signal element, so there’s that.
Most of us bemoan this change, although some point out that maybe the Elise will appeal to a broader audience now. No face lift will ever change that.

Meeting U.S. crash standards required the addition of airbags and other safety features that add weight. But Lotus knew that even sports car fans in this country would have trouble giving up comfort for the sake of extreme performance, so the U.S. Lotus Elise comes standard with air-conditioning, antilock brakes and a CD audio system. But don't look for stability control or power steering on this sports car. That made it easily the lightest performance car sold in this country.

With so little weight to push around, power requirements are minimal. Most Lotus Elises feature a Toyota-sourced (and Yamaha-built) 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine. There's no doubt the Lotus Elise is a special car -- for the money, you simply won't find a more thrilling driving experience. Current Lotus Elise

The 2011 Lotus Elise is a two-seat midengine roadster available in one trim level. Several options packages, such as the Touring, Sport and Performance packages, offer a bit of customization. Power for the Lotus Elise comes from a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine mated to a six-speed manual transmission. The Toyota-sourced engine benefits from Lotus-designed intake and exhaust components and a tweaked engine controller. Should the standard Elise be inadequate, there's always the supercharged Elise SC, boasting a 218-hp version of the standard Elise's engine.

Interior accommodations are pure sports car: Lightly padded composite sport seats provide plenty of support and controls are simple enough to keep your attention on the road. Used Lotus Elise Models

Lotus introduced the Americanized "111R" version of the Elise in 2005, enabled by a three-year NHTSA exemption as the car had failed to meet U.S. bumper regulations. The supercharged Elise SC debuted for 2008.