Lotus Emira gets the world's most powerful four (thanks AMG!)

Wednesday, 23 March 2022

The Lotus Emira is here as the British carmaker's farewell to the combustion engine.

Lotus has revealed the New Zealand availability and specification of the four-cylinder ‘First Edition’ model of the company’s last ICE car, the Emira.

Along with the Toyota-sourced 298kW supercharged 3.5-litre V6, the Emira First Edition will also be available with what Lotus calls “the world’s most powerful four-cylinder engine” in the form of the Mercedes-AMG-supplied M139 2.0-litre turbo unit.

At 310kW, the AMG engine is indeed the most powerful production four on the planet, however in Lotus guise it has been detuned to ‘just’ 268kW, no doubt in order to not overshadow the V6 model. That said, the Emira does weigh around 145kg less than the AMG A 45, so its performance will no doubt be beyond reproach.

The four-cylinder version of the Lotus Emira First Edition will land here before the end of the year.

Lotus Auckland says that the Emira First Edition “offers a high level of standard equipment and is available with a variety of ‘no-cost’ optional finishes and materials to enable customers to tailor the car to their own style.”

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Four option packs are included as standard on the First Edition model.

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The four-cylinder First Edition will feature the same specification as the V6, but will come with AMG’s 8-speed dual clutch transmission, as opposed to the V6’s conventional automatic or manual transmissions.

That means it will ride on diamond-cut 20-inch ultra-lightweight V-spoke forged alloy wheels with silver or gloss black versions are available as a no-cost option. Two-piece brake discs – with branded calipers in either red, black, yellow or silver – are also part of the First Edition spec.

Four option packs are also fitted to the First Edition as standard – the “Lower Black Pack” sees the front bumper air blades, front splitter, side sills and rear diffuser all in finished in gloss black, while the “Lotus Drivers Pack” gives buyers the choice of Tour or Sport suspension, and Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport or Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

It also includes Track Mode ESP, with a new Track mode highlighted on the TFT instrument display screen which prioritises “information required for high-performance driving.”

The “Design Pack” adds privacy glass, sports pedals, a black Alcantara headliner and Emira-branded footwell mats, while the “Convenience Pack” adds front parking sensors (rear sensors are standard), a reversing camera, rain-sensing wipers with aero blades, auto-dimming mirrors and a rear luggage storage net.

Lotus Auckland says the Emira First Edition configurator is live now on its website, and customers can reserve their car from the 8th of April, with deliveries starting towards the end of the year.

Local prices of the four-cylinder car are yet to be revealed, but the V6 FIrst Edition model starts at $177,000.