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How do you make a 2.6-tonne luxury SUV handle like a Lotus, while at the same time giving it as much as 905bhp? It's a conundrum encapsulated by this car, the Lotus Eletre R.
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Luxury Full Electric Cars
Background
There's never been a mainstream Lotus with more power than the Eletra R. But there's never been a heavier Lotus model either. Which might lead you to doubt the wisdom of giving this top version of the brand's electric SUV as much as 905bhp. But what a confection is in prospect.
And you don't have to have it as an SUV. All the same engineering is available in the brand's identically-platformed Emeya fastback GT. But it's the top Eletra that's our focus here.
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Driving experience
Lotus claims the Eletra has been engineered to deliver everything you would expect from the brand, in terms of ride and handling, steering and driver engagement. There's a clever three- in-one electric motor system integrating motor, controller and reducer into one package. And thanks to copious use of carbon fibre and aluminium, this car is light by EV standards too. Just one reason why the company is able to claim that this Eletra R is the world's fastest dual motor production SUV. This model has combined motor output of 905bhp accessed (unusually in an EV) by a dual-speed transmission which allows for faster acceleration. The 62mph sprint is dispatched in just 2.95s en route to 165mph. Plus there's lowered suspension, race-style damper settings and anti-roll control.
The 'R' also comes with a 'Lotus Dynamic Handling Pack' (optional on other models) which includes an active anti-roll system, active rear-wheel steering and an extra 'Track' driving mode. The standard drive settings are 'Tour', 'Range', 'Sport', 'Individual' and 'Off Road'. These are controlled via a right hand steering wheel paddle and alter not only throttle response and steering feel but also responses from the Continuous Damping Control adaptive dampers. Suspension feel though, is always on the firm side. The drive modes also alter the ride height of the 2-Chamber air suspension, which lowers itself in 'Sport' and 'Range' (as part of the active aerodynamics) but raises in 'Off Road' (which also offers an even loftier 'Highest' setting). That, along with the standard Hill Descent Control system, might make surprisingly gnarly tracks passable, provided you were brave enough to attempt them in a six-figure luxury Lotus.
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Design and build
So much is different here. Not only the fact that this is an all-electric Lotus SUV but also the fact that this car has five doors, a big boot and, at 5.1-metres in length, is vastly bigger than anything the brand has previously made (almost the same size as a Lamborghini Urus). Yet great lengths have been gone to by Design Chief Ben Payne and his team to give the car a Lotus 'feel', primarily in the way that the compact bonnet, the short overhangs and the cab-forward stance reference the brand's previous mid-engined design layout. There are nods to Lotus cars of the present too, with sharp edges at the front and the glass canopy on top of the body, both referencing the look of the Evija hypercar. Huge 22 or 23-inch wheels help visually 'shrink' the silhouette. And at the rear, there's a full-width ribbon light and a carbonfibre three-stage deployable roof-mounted spoiler. And digital stalks are available as an option to replace the usual door mirrors.
Inside, if anything, it's even more extreme and yes, again there is a very Lotus feel thanks to the driver-focused minimalist vibe. The small-diameter steering well with its regen-adjust and drive mode paddles is retro, yet futuristic. And through it, you view a slim info strip (under 30mm tall) which displays key vehicle and journeying info. Anything else you'll need is found on a 15.1-inch landscape-orientated central infotainment screen. A camera on the dash watches where you're looking and adjusts screen brightness automatically - which is useful to stop the little screens at either end of the dash (the ones replacing the door mirrors) becoming distracting. The front seats are super-slim race-style items. For the rear, a three-person bench is standard and rear legroom is impressive. A four-seat layout is optional with individual rear chairs. However, this reduces boot space from the normal 688-litres to 611-litres. Not bad for a Lotus though.
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Market and model
So, what might a luxury electric Lotus SUV like this cost? Well quite a lot in the case of the top R model we're trying here, which at the time of this test in Summer 2024 was pitched at a cool £120,000. That's £10,000 less than the equivalent Lotus Emeya R (a fastback GT) and reasonably competitive against obvious competitors like the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo S, the Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV 53 4MATIC+, the Audi SQ8 Fastback e-tron and the (left hand drive-only) Tesla Model X Plaid.
Equipment-wise on the Eletre R, the key inclusion is the 'Lotus Dynamic Handling Pack' which costs well over £6,000 on the two other models in the range and includes an active anti-roll system and active rear-wheel steering. The R gets an uprated Eletre 675 motor with 2-speed transmission and an extra 'Track' mode. And is set apart by a 'Carbon Fibre Pack', which adds that material to the front spoiler, the lower rear diffuser and the side sills.
Other standard equipment includes 22-inch wheels, an augmented reality Head-up display and five drive modes that alter the car's steering, powertrain and suspension parameters. Plus there's a clever 'Electric Reverse Mirror Display' package which replaces conventional door mirrors and uses three cameras; one replacing the usual internal rear view mirror, one to contribute to a 360-degree surround view of the car and one as part of intelligent driving technologies.
As for media connectivity, there's a 15.1-inch OLED touchscreen in the centre of the dash that's fitted with Lotus's latest Hyper OS operating system for the driver and passengers, pre-prepared for over-the-air updates. A dedicated smartphone app, wireless 'Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto' smartphone-mirroring and 5G data compatibility are also included. As is a 1,380-watt 15-speaker KEF stereo. LiDAR sensors have been placed around the bodywork which (with the right options boxes ticked) will allow able the car to offer level four self-driving capability as soon this is allowed by legislation. 'Highway System Pack' and 'Parking Pack' options are available to widen the suite of driver assets.
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Cost of ownership
We gave you the driving range figure earlier - 304 miles for the Eletra R (it's 373 miles for the other two variants). This Lotus model's 'Electric Premium Architecture' 800-volt platform supports the latest ultra-rapid chargers that are springing up all over Europe: many rival premium brand EVs are still stuck on the old 400-volt system with their architecture. The 112kWh battery supports charging speeds of up to 420kW, which should enable you at a conventional rapid charger to replenish the battery from 10-80% in 20 minutes.
The charging port has been placed on the front wing, which means electricity coming through to the car will be as close as possible to where it's needed, which cuts down on unnecessary internal cabling and the extra weight that would bring. A five year warranty is standard in the UK. Lotus offers roadside assistance across Europe for five years after vehicle purchase.
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Summary
Whether Lotus founder Colin Chapman would have liked this uber-heavy uber-rapid hyper-SUV is irrelevant. He'd have liked the way that cars like this Eletra future-proof the company he founded back in 1948. And make possible other lighter sports car designs that in future might be more 'Lotus-like'.
For the present, this Eletre R is quite a feat of engineering - and needs all of it to keep its 905bhp related to tarmac territory. You might disapprove of it, yet want one at the same time. At last here, an emotion that's recognisably Lotus.
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