Not that way back, the concept of a Lotus SUV, not to mention an electrical one, felt just like the punchline to a foul joke. In spite of everything, the very nature of SUVs and EVs fly within the face of firm founder Colin Chapman’s well-known ethos of “Simplify, then add lightness.” Lotus’ Eletre has, for all intents and functions, taken that outdated ideology out again and given it the Ol’ Yeller therapy. Whereas that is likely going to piss within the Wheaties of sports activities automobile purists the world over, I’d argue that it’s each a crucial and factor. Let me clarify.

The 2024 Lotus Eletre is a two-row midsize electrical luxurious SUV that’s accessible with both a 603 or 905 hp twin motor drivetrain and a 112-kilowatt-hour battery pack that’s good for an estimated most vary of 373 miles on the European WLTP cycle. In our extra conservative EPA cycle, that will doubtless work out to round 290 miles, which, whereas not class-leading, ought to show greater than sufficient for many consumers.

As has been the case with most Lotus fashions all through historical past, the drivetrain right here charges as fairly good to nice. It’s not that particular in a world the place 1,200-hp sedans are prowling our roads. Additionally, as has been the case with Lotus since time immemorial, the drivetrain isn’t the star of the present. That honor goes as an alternative to the chassis, but it surely’s right here the place Lotus has some onerous truths to face about the way in which it desires the Eletre to be perceived by the motoring public.

All through my time with the automobile, Lotus’ folks needed to drive house the purpose that the Eletre is a Lotus by and thru. It’s not, a minimum of not within the basic sense. It’s a giant heavy SUV with optionally available 23-inch wheels. It’s not going to deal with like a sports activities automobile, ever. This doesn’t imply it’s not spectacular for what it’s, however the basic Lotus traits of a energetic, keen chassis and fascinating controls that make you’re feeling such as you’re a part of the automobile simply aren’t current right here.

The Eletre marks Lotus’ first use of electrical energy steering. Whereas this tech is effectively established now and has virtually completely supplanted the hydraulic energy steering system because the default know-how, the businesses which have develop into actually good on the troublesome programming of the system have been doing it for some time. Porsche, for instance, with arguably the best-calibrated EPS system, has been iterating for over a decade. What meaning for Lotus is that whereas the steering isn’t dangerous, and it felt comparatively direct and many correct, it didn’t really feel as alive as I’ve come to count on from the model.

The Eletre’s air suspension is the same story. It’s actually good total. The experience is great, with loads of compliance coupled with glorious physique management, but it surely doesn’t really feel significantly playful or participating. Although, to be truthful, with the automobile’s debut being in Norway with its infamously low velocity limits (critically, how is sort of a whole nation capped at like 40 mph?), I wasn’t precisely capable of push the automobile to its limits.

Even on the “efficiency” portion of the launch, the place we had been put within the Eletre R with a closed airstrip accessible to us, Lotus was eager to maintain us from pushing too onerous. Our launch management demo was restricted to a prime velocity of round 100 mph, and there was a driving teacher in the precise seat to implement that. Equally, for the slalom, we weren’t allowed to place it within the extra permissive monitor mode for worry that the automobile would get out of hand.

So, whereas the Eletre doesn’t do the Lotus factor from a dynamics standpoint, that doesn’t imply it’s dangerous or boring. I truly discovered that it’s total a extra polished product than I anticipated. The inside is great, with very nice supplies that really feel effectively put collectively and well-considered. My take a look at car was slathered in sufficient faux suede to choke a rhino, and whereas I hate that, I notice it’s a private style factor, and the execution is admittedly fairly good.

The middle infotainment display screen dominates the entrance seat expertise, which isn’t a foul factor, because of the super-responsive nature of the Android-based Lotus HyperOS system controlling all the pieces. Connectivity is nice with a number of USB-C ports in the back and front seating areas, and whereas the automobile I drove doesn’t have Apple CarPlay or Android Auto but, I’ve been assured that they’re coming quickly by way of an over-the-air replace.

Being a contemporary luxurious SUV, there’s loads of superior driver help on board. This contains options like automated excessive beams, adaptive cruise, blind spot warning, lane-keep help, and so on. The actually cool half, although – and the half that units the Eletre forward of the remainder of the group – is the three deployable lidar sensors that include each Eletre. In line with Lotus, these will let the SUV be hardware-ready for Degree 4 autonomous driving, which it says is coming in some unspecified time in the future.

The deployable facet of the sensors is cool as a result of it helps reduce down wind resistance which is at all times good for effectivity, and if folks don’t like how they appear, they gained’t see them whereas the automobile is parked. Talking of reducing wind resistance, it’s possible you’ll discover that the Eletre’s physique is fairly damned porous (to make use of Lotus’ language). The vents and scoops are all actual and work to present this big-ass SUV a super-slippery 0.26 drag coefficient. For comparability’s sake, that’s simply 0.1 cD greater than a first-generation Honda Perception and 0.3 cD higher than a Ford Mustang Mach-E. Whereas the look is polarizing (I occur to love it in individual), the outcomes are onerous to argue with.

If you’d like a Lotus Eletre, it is possible for you to to get it in three flavors: Eletre, Eletre S and the top-spec Eletre R. The automobile I spent probably the most time with is the Eletre S, which Lotus believes would be the quantity vendor. The R was used on our runway and slalom drive. We don’t have US pricing but, however we do have UK pricing, so we are able to make some wild-ass guesses as to what this factor will retail for when it makes the soar stateside.

The bottom Eletre will retail for 89,500 GBP, which is the equal of round $114,000, however that worth contains value-added tax (VAT), which we don’t pay, so that will knock 20 p.c off straight away. There are different elements, however we’d ballpark the bottom Eletre at round $95,000 within the US. The Eletre S take a look at automobile I drove would work out to roughly $128,500, however that’s principally loaded with each possibility. The Eletre R theoretically would begin at round $122,000 earlier than choices.

Unbiased of pricing, Lotus has some gargantuan hurdles to beat if it desires to promote the Eletre in quantity within the US. First, most non-enthusiast automobile folks don’t doubtless know or perceive what Lotus is, so the heritage speak means nothing to them. Subsequent, no person of their proper thoughts would name Lotus’ present vendor community right here “strong,” and folks will want bodily places to purchase and repair these infants. The truth that the Eletre is inbuilt China could possibly be an issue for some consumers. Lotus isn’t the primary to try to promote a Chinese language-built automobile right here – each GM and Volvo/Polestar already do that – however People aren’t at all times the quickest to adapt to issues like that. Lastly, for the individuals who do know what Lotus is, getting them over the concept that the corporate could make a reliable SUV that’s large, heavy and electrical might be a problem too. To fight these points, Lotus has been on a little bit of a hiring spree and, based on its advertising and marketing crew, is engaged on options.

So, contemplating all the pieces I’ve mentioned, I nonetheless suppose that Lotus has the potential to actually flip issues round with the Eletre. The corporate wants a quantity car that appeals to the plenty as a result of sports activities vehicles simply gained’t pay the payments, because it has confirmed repeatedly. The Eletre is exotic-looking, superior to drive, presents respectable vary, and supplied they will maintain costs from going too far over the $100k mark; it could possibly be fairly respectable competitors for issues just like the Tesla Mannequin X or the BMW iX.

The Eletre is flawed, positive, but it surely’s a car value getting enthusiastic about as a result of, frankly, the extra Lotuses which can be out and on the roads, the higher and as a bonus, having more cash coming in may imply nice issues for the corporate’s sports activities vehicles and that’s value getting enthusiastic about too.