Lotus Emira production unit previewed in Malaysia – 405 PS/420 Nm supercharged 3.5L V6, 6MT; RM1.1m

Arriving in Malaysia for its official preview last week, the Lotus Emira come to our market as a proper, production-specification unit; the earlier unit that was in Malaysia last April was a pre-production car pressed into world tour duty.

Here in First Edition guise packing the familiar Toyota 2GR-FE 3.5 litre supercharged petrol V6 engine, producing 405 PS and 420 Nm of torque which are sent to the rear wheels via a good old-fashioned six-speed manual gearbox. Opt for the six-speed torque converter automatic, and that will offer its driver an extra 10 Nm (430 Nm peak).

Forced induction for this Japanese V6 comes courtesy of an Edelbrock 1740 supercharger. Thus equipped as in these images, the manual transmission Emira does the 0-100 kmh acceleration benchmark sprint in 4.3 seconds, while the six-speed automatic is marginally quicker at 4.2 seconds.

Despite the overhauled exterior and styling, the bones of the Emira continues to be of a bonded aluminium construction, although Lotus now promises a “paradigm shift in levels of practicality, comfort, functionality and technology” with the new-generation car that succeeds the Evora.

Standard equipment in the Emira includes LED lighting at its front and rear, the former set including automatic and welcome-home functionality and LED DRLs, while the rear end gets a set of titanium exhaust finishers along with heated power-folding side mirrors and rear parking sensors.

A range of option packs are available for the Emira, and this First Edition guise gets the lot – four option packs is its tally, and among these is the Lower Black Pack which, as its name suggests, brings gloss black trim for its lower bodywork parts such as the front bumper air blades, front splitter, side sills and rear diffuser.

No-cost options can also be specified on the Emira, such as deletion of privacy glass for the tailgate and three-quarter window panels. These also include chassis specifications, which is offered as a Tour or Sport chassis with Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport tyres, or as a Sport chassis with Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tyres.

The Emira cabin brings a step up in ambience over the Evora it replaces, where its multi-function flat-bottomed steering wheel – which can be specified in Nappa leather or Alcantara – is joined by a 12.3-inch TFT instrumentation display, while the centre of the dashboard gets a 10.25-inch touchscreen.

Here, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are supported, while further connectivity include Bluetooth and 12-volt and USB ports for device charging. Its sound system, in case you tire of the forced-induction V6 soundtrack, comes courtesy of a 10-channel, 340-watt setup by hi-fi marque KEF, which brings its signature Uni-Q speaker units.

Further conveniences include 12-way electrically adjustable seats with four-way lumbar adjustment and two memory presets for the driver that integrates door mirror positions. Also on are auto climate control, cruise control, keyless start and multiple drive modes.

The Lotus Emira in this First Edition form is priced from RM1,131,800, and is available from the first quarter of this year, according to the company. This will be joined by the 360 PS/430 Nm 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder Emira First Edition in Q3 2023, along with the Base Edition that will arrive in the fourth quarter of this year.

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