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First Drive: 2008 Lotus Exige S 240
The Lotus Position Just Might Be Pole Position
Everywhere you go, admiration for the Lotus Elise runs high. The supercharged Lotus Exige S makes people positively giddy. And why not? These lightweight sports cars handle so well that anything else seems fat and stupid. And Lotus does it with a 1.8-liter inline-4 that gives you the kind of great fuel economy you'd expect from a Prius.
The 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 is a new model sold alongside the Exige S, and it gives us more reasons to start saving for one of our own. Twenty more, in fact, as "240" stands for 240 horsepower — a 20-hp bump over a normal Exige S.
Little Things Add Up
Consistent with Lotus tradition, the modifications responsible for the increased horsepower represent no increase in weight, as the Exige S and the more powerful Exige S 240 both carry an identical official curb weight of just 2,077 pounds.
In weight-to-power terms, the Exige S is no slouch at just 9.4 pounds per hp. But each horsepower in the new Exige S 240 has only 8.7 pounds to haul around.
The 240 has high-flow fuel injectors to supply more gas to the supercharged Toyota 2ZZ, a revised roof scoop to bring more air to the party and reoptimized engine control software to make best use of both. That's basically it.
But there's more nuance to the design of the roof scoop than you think, as it doesn't supply intake air to the supercharger. Instead, the air it gulps is directed across the cooling fins of the Exige S's customary air-to-air intercooler perched atop the engine.
The scoop's broader inlet is also closer to the top edge of the windshield, a position that allows it to gather more air without appreciably increasing aerodynamic drag. Increased flow across the intercooler results in a cooler and denser intake charge, which in turn allows more aggressive ECU mapping that takes full advantage of the extra fuel.
Track-Day Payoff
Extended lapping at Spring Mountain Raceway in Nevada showed the 2008 Exige S 240 to be a formidable track car. Twenty extra ponies make this already thrilling car that much more responsive out of corners — and intoxicatingly fast on the straights.
Acceleration comes in a continuous surge that extends all the way to the engine's redline at 8,000, as that's where the 240-hp peak resides. A bit more torque is in the mix, too, as there is now 170 pound-feet at 5,500 rpm, a fractional increase over the 164 lb-ft available from the Exige S.
The rush to the rev limiter is now so inevitable that Lotus has added a set of three Formula 1-style shift lights to the revised gauge cluster. Adaptive software controls the lights, so the point at which they fire off varies with the amount of aggression displayed by the driver.
Matthew Becker, the director of vehicle engineering at Lotus, says the changes should deliver a 0-60-mph time of 4.0 seconds, only about a tenth or so quicker than before. Zero-to-100-mph times reportedly fall by about 2/10ths and top speed nudges up from 148 to 150 mph. This might not sound like much, but in a car likely to see a lot of track use, all of this can add up to a second per lap on some circuits — an eternity in competition.
Traction, Controlled
For competition-style standing starts, electronic launch control has been fitted. Good thing, too, as deliberate throttle control is otherwise needed to achieve a maximum launch without turning the Yokohama Advan A048 LTS tires into smoke.
With the engine off, you engage the system by pressing a button and flooring the throttle. At this point a knob on the left side of the steering column is used to set the desired launch rpm via the tach needle.
At the starting line, simply select 1st gear, floor the throttle and, as the engine furiously bounces off your preset launch rpm, side-step the clutch and hang on. Do remember to upshift, though.
You won't scatter the clutch doing this, because a clutch damper has been fitted to meter engagement so the clutch neither slips nor explodes.
Also standard on the S 240 is a fully adjustable stability control with a 12-step program. Relative slip between the front and rear wheels can be set between zero and 10 percent slip in 1 percent increments. Twirling the knob beyond 10 percent shuts off the stability control entirely.
This much fine control taught us that a modicum of traction intervention — about 6 percent slip — suited the tighter corners on the west loop at Spring Mountain.
Lateral-G Whiz
Since the Exige S hasn't gained any weight in this makeover, its handling still sets an extraordinary standard. This particular 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 came equipped with the optional Track Pack suspension, featuring 10-way adjustable Bilstein monotube shocks with adjustable spring perches and an adjustable front stabilizer bar. Even at a price of $1,650, we can say it's worth it.
Track Pack cars are delivered with the damping set slightly softer (position 3) than the standard Bilsteins, so the ride is slightly softer, though the handling capability is still there. But make no mistake, because "ride" is a relative term when applied to the track-ready Exige.
Once you set the clickers for the Track Pack Bilsteins to "8" front and "7" rear (Becker's recommended track setting), the quickness and precision of the steering response make the Exige feel as if it's laser-guided.
Meanwhile, the extra grunt from the engine requires larger front brakes. The ventilated and cross-drilled front rotors are slightly larger and the fixed front calipers from AP Racing are now four-piston units. Stopping distances aren't expected to be much shorter, but the new binders improve fade resistance.
This car proves completely up to a long day at the track — engine, clutch, brakes and tires. Just keep the Exige S 240's tank filled with premium and it's happy.
The Rest of It
Despite the increased engine performance, the rated fuel economy of the 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 remains the same as the Exige S: 20 mpg city and 26 highway. (It drops a bit this year because of the new 2008 EPA rating formula.)
If you opt for the Touring Pack ($1,600 this year), the Exige S 240 can be civilized with (horrors!) a cupholder. In typical Lotus fashion, this one's made from extruded aluminum and weighs less than your cell phone. The Touring Pack also provides an iPod connection, carpet, sound insulation and other things that would be standard on an ordinary street car, which the Exige certainly isn't.
Prices are, of course, higher for the 2008 Lotus Exige S 240. Without the Track Pack or Touring options, expect to pay $65,815 — about $4,000 more than the 2008 Exige S.
But the Lotus Exige S 240 isn't so much a car as it is the four-wheel analogue of a high-energy sport motorcycle. If you can afford a second car optimized for weekend thrills and track-day excursions, the 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 should be in your sights.
The Lotus Position Just Might Be Pole Position
Everywhere you go, admiration for the Lotus Elise runs high. The supercharged Lotus Exige S makes people positively giddy. And why not? These lightweight sports cars handle so well that anything else seems fat and stupid. And Lotus does it with a 1.8-liter inline-4 that gives you the kind of great fuel economy you'd expect from a Prius.
The 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 is a new model sold alongside the Exige S, and it gives us more reasons to start saving for one of our own. Twenty more, in fact, as "240" stands for 240 horsepower — a 20-hp bump over a normal Exige S.
Little Things Add Up
Consistent with Lotus tradition, the modifications responsible for the increased horsepower represent no increase in weight, as the Exige S and the more powerful Exige S 240 both carry an identical official curb weight of just 2,077 pounds.
In weight-to-power terms, the Exige S is no slouch at just 9.4 pounds per hp. But each horsepower in the new Exige S 240 has only 8.7 pounds to haul around.
The 240 has high-flow fuel injectors to supply more gas to the supercharged Toyota 2ZZ, a revised roof scoop to bring more air to the party and reoptimized engine control software to make best use of both. That's basically it.
But there's more nuance to the design of the roof scoop than you think, as it doesn't supply intake air to the supercharger. Instead, the air it gulps is directed across the cooling fins of the Exige S's customary air-to-air intercooler perched atop the engine.
The scoop's broader inlet is also closer to the top edge of the windshield, a position that allows it to gather more air without appreciably increasing aerodynamic drag. Increased flow across the intercooler results in a cooler and denser intake charge, which in turn allows more aggressive ECU mapping that takes full advantage of the extra fuel.
Track-Day Payoff
Extended lapping at Spring Mountain Raceway in Nevada showed the 2008 Exige S 240 to be a formidable track car. Twenty extra ponies make this already thrilling car that much more responsive out of corners — and intoxicatingly fast on the straights.
Acceleration comes in a continuous surge that extends all the way to the engine's redline at 8,000, as that's where the 240-hp peak resides. A bit more torque is in the mix, too, as there is now 170 pound-feet at 5,500 rpm, a fractional increase over the 164 lb-ft available from the Exige S.
The rush to the rev limiter is now so inevitable that Lotus has added a set of three Formula 1-style shift lights to the revised gauge cluster. Adaptive software controls the lights, so the point at which they fire off varies with the amount of aggression displayed by the driver.
Matthew Becker, the director of vehicle engineering at Lotus, says the changes should deliver a 0-60-mph time of 4.0 seconds, only about a tenth or so quicker than before. Zero-to-100-mph times reportedly fall by about 2/10ths and top speed nudges up from 148 to 150 mph. This might not sound like much, but in a car likely to see a lot of track use, all of this can add up to a second per lap on some circuits — an eternity in competition.
Traction, Controlled
For competition-style standing starts, electronic launch control has been fitted. Good thing, too, as deliberate throttle control is otherwise needed to achieve a maximum launch without turning the Yokohama Advan A048 LTS tires into smoke.
With the engine off, you engage the system by pressing a button and flooring the throttle. At this point a knob on the left side of the steering column is used to set the desired launch rpm via the tach needle.
At the starting line, simply select 1st gear, floor the throttle and, as the engine furiously bounces off your preset launch rpm, side-step the clutch and hang on. Do remember to upshift, though.
You won't scatter the clutch doing this, because a clutch damper has been fitted to meter engagement so the clutch neither slips nor explodes.
Also standard on the S 240 is a fully adjustable stability control with a 12-step program. Relative slip between the front and rear wheels can be set between zero and 10 percent slip in 1 percent increments. Twirling the knob beyond 10 percent shuts off the stability control entirely.
This much fine control taught us that a modicum of traction intervention — about 6 percent slip — suited the tighter corners on the west loop at Spring Mountain.
Lateral-G Whiz
Since the Exige S hasn't gained any weight in this makeover, its handling still sets an extraordinary standard. This particular 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 came equipped with the optional Track Pack suspension, featuring 10-way adjustable Bilstein monotube shocks with adjustable spring perches and an adjustable front stabilizer bar. Even at a price of $1,650, we can say it's worth it.
Track Pack cars are delivered with the damping set slightly softer (position 3) than the standard Bilsteins, so the ride is slightly softer, though the handling capability is still there. But make no mistake, because "ride" is a relative term when applied to the track-ready Exige.
Once you set the clickers for the Track Pack Bilsteins to "8" front and "7" rear (Becker's recommended track setting), the quickness and precision of the steering response make the Exige feel as if it's laser-guided.
Meanwhile, the extra grunt from the engine requires larger front brakes. The ventilated and cross-drilled front rotors are slightly larger and the fixed front calipers from AP Racing are now four-piston units. Stopping distances aren't expected to be much shorter, but the new binders improve fade resistance.
This car proves completely up to a long day at the track — engine, clutch, brakes and tires. Just keep the Exige S 240's tank filled with premium and it's happy.
The Rest of It
Despite the increased engine performance, the rated fuel economy of the 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 remains the same as the Exige S: 20 mpg city and 26 highway. (It drops a bit this year because of the new 2008 EPA rating formula.)
If you opt for the Touring Pack ($1,600 this year), the Exige S 240 can be civilized with (horrors!) a cupholder. In typical Lotus fashion, this one's made from extruded aluminum and weighs less than your cell phone. The Touring Pack also provides an iPod connection, carpet, sound insulation and other things that would be standard on an ordinary street car, which the Exige certainly isn't.
Prices are, of course, higher for the 2008 Lotus Exige S 240. Without the Track Pack or Touring options, expect to pay $65,815 — about $4,000 more than the 2008 Exige S.
But the Lotus Exige S 240 isn't so much a car as it is the four-wheel analogue of a high-energy sport motorcycle. If you can afford a second car optimized for weekend thrills and track-day excursions, the 2008 Lotus Exige S 240 should be in your sights.
