Lotus reveals 2012 Exige S at 2011 Frankfurt Motor show

First impression

After months of wait, Lotus released new 2012 Exige S at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show. This is a next generation car from Lotus with a stylish design and luxurious interiors. You can expect raw performance, unmatched ride, perfect handling, mind-blowing drive experience, and agility from this ultimate, lightweight, high performance sports car.

Lotus 2012 Exige S

The power train

Exige is equipped with a supercharged 24 valve 3.5 litre V6 engine that is tuned to produce a power of 345 HP (350 PS, 257.5 kW, 3456 cc) @7000 rpm and 400 Nm/295 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm. The engine utilises Eaton TVS technology to deliver this power.

The drive is sent directly to the rear via a six speed manual transmission. With a top speed of 170mph (274 km/h), the Exige does 0-60 (100 km/h) in 3.8 seconds and it can reach the mark of 160mph in 7.8 seconds.

The front tyre size is 205/45 R17 and the rear is 265/45 R18, all with ventilated disc brakes. The fuel tank capacity of the vehicle is 40 litres (8.8 gal), wheelbase of 2370mm and Carbon emission is 199g/km. Some other details about the car are not known yet, that will be published as soon as the car comes to the market.

The exterior and interior

The interiors and exteriors of the sports car are completely new to reflect the new soul transplant. The aggressive front splitter and the rear spoiler give it an aerodynamic profile. It features high performance bespoke tyre package with Pirelli P-Zero Corsa tyres as standard. The 2012 model is 10 inches longer and two inches wider than the previous models built with a lightweight steel rear sub frame. The length, width and height are 159.5 inches (4052mm), 70.9 inches (1802 mm), 45.4 inches (1153 mm) respectively. The ramp angle of the front is 7.4 degrees and for rear it is 16.4 degrees.

The model is currently offered with two interior packages-Premium and Premium Sport. Premium focuses on comfort while Premium S is all about driving experience and sportiness. In the interior, there are smooth panel contours and a new DPM Lotus driving management program. DPM allows the driver to choose between three modes-DPM off, touring and sport.

DPM has many other systems including DTC (Drag Torque Control), TCS (Traction Control System), ABS (Anti lock Braking System), EBD (Electronic Brake Distribution), CBC (Corner Brake Control), EDL (Electronic Differential Lock), ESC (Electronic Stability Control), HBA (Hydraulic Brake Assist), and the under steer recognition. If that is not enough for you, there is a fourth mode as well: Race that is available by additional Race Pack option. These settings provide the maximum traction, Launch Control and optimised track suspension.

Picture Gallery

Lotus 2012 Exige S

Expect raw performance, unmatched ride, perfect handling and mind-blowing drive experience from the car.

What’s new?

The weight of the model is 2, 380 pound which is 200 pounds more than the previous model. The new front splitter shows a cleaner line of the front and a small rear spoiler which adds on to its style. There is also a huge rear wing mounted at the rear deck. The backlights are fitted into a shallow panel that covers the entire width of the rear end. The headlights are combined in one piece and shows two triangular lights as opposed to the previous model with four oblong lights.

What’s refreshing?

At the first look, it looks like the predecessor but after a close look, you will find a number of distinct clues. The redesigned parts includes the headlights, single piece nose and the face.

Price and availability

Right now, the price and the time of release in the market is not available because they are yet to be finalised. The only thing we know that it will be released in 2012.

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