LOTUS EVORA

• Performance

  Power comes via a Toyota-sourced 3.5-litre V6 that generates a modest 276bhp, but is bolstered by a mere 1,382kg kerbweight. The Evora will hit 60mph in just under five seconds and pass 160mph, but still claims to be capable of 32.5mpg and emit just 205g/km of CO2. A great balance of performance and economy.

• 
  HandlingQuality

  It may be a £50k Lotus but it's stil a Lotus. So the inside smells of glue and feels slightly fragile. Grip the lovely flat-bottomed steering wheel and you realise that you cannot see even one of the vital ancillary controls that have been so beautifully crafted to sit flush into the dash directly behind your fists.
• The all-new chassis is mostly bonded aluminium and markedly stiffer than an Elise. This helps the Evora feel remarkably composed and responsive to the slightest steering input. There is more grip here than you could consider challenging and stunning levels of progressive, assertive braking. Lotus has included power steering for the first time in ages, but has done it well. It feels correctly weighted at any speed and avoids that over-assistance that could so readily have ruined a vital part of the Hethel DNA, while still feeling composed and reassuring under power. In the right hands, in the right conditions, the Evora is devastatingly quick.

• Practicality

  The 2+2 layout is the typical tokenism that we all know and despair of in sports cars. The rear is a squash even for the very young, and the boot is too small and awkward in consequence. For £1,500 less, you can have a parcel shelf instead of rear seats and accept the Evora as a comfortable two-seater.

• Running costs

  Despite its supercar performance, the running costs are more like a saloon's. It returns over 30mpg and emits 205g/km of CO2. And Lotuses historically retain a good chunk of their value.