As the world goes on a full-on EV charge (pardon the pun), the one brand that most enthusiasts would’ve imagined might resist the trend would be Lotus.
Yet here we are with the all-electric Eletre SUV. Well, hyper-SUV, actually, as Lotus calls it.
As an ex-Lotus owner, I know full well what a Lotus car represents and embodies, and the Eletre is everything opposite of that, and I’m not even talking about the fact that it’s an EV.
For one, it’s heavy. At 2.5 tonnes, this is the heaviest car the company has ever made. So much for Colin Chapman’s ‘add lightness’ mantra; they’ve just added heaviness with this one. It’s also the largest car the factory at Hethel has ever produced. Forget the nimble, compact, mid-engined, track-ready two-seater sports cars Lotus used to make; this is a full-sized five-seater SUV with a boot!
But would I buy one? Hell yeah, and here’s why.
With the Eletre, I will never have to relive the days of an aircon that doesn’t work, a roof that leaks and a side sill so vast that you need an overhead bridge to cross over to get into your seat. I’m also getting old, and I love SUVs. Aimed at a new (and old) generation of Lotus customers seeking a practical, versatile and spacious family-focused electric hyper-SUV, it promises to be the most advanced Lotus ever.
From the first impressions at the launch along Scotts Road, the future looks bright – at least in this shade of green (sorry). The Eletre aims to blend comfort, performance and ‘cutting-edge luxury design’ with sustainable materials, says Lotus, and from the images, I’m sure you can agree that they have gotten it right. The overall fit and finish are high-level stuff, and everything from the materials and design exudes the makings of a modern luxury sports car.
It’s feature-packed, too. The Eletre’s comprehensive standard specification includes active air suspension, continuous damping control, torque vectoring, Lotus Intelligent Dynamic Chassis Control, 22-inch 10-spoke forged wheels in silver with a diamond-turned finish (20-inch five-spoke in European markets), Matrix LED headlights, Adaptive Cruise Control, Visual Park Assist, four-zone climate control, 12-way electric-adjust front seats, head-up display, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 1,380W 15-speaker KEF Premium Audio system. Now you can take a breath.
Two trims will be made available: the Eletre S, the model focused on luxury, and the flagship Eletre R, the one that is all about performance. The R benefits from the Lotus Dynamic Handling Pack, comprising Intelligent Active Roll Control and Active Rear Steering, a Carbon Pack, Pirelli P Zero performance tyres, and a gloss black finish for the wheels. There’s also a sixth ‘Track’ Drive Mode for the R. Sounds fast, eh?
How fast? Well, Lotus claims that the Eletre S, with 603 bhp, can accelerate from 0-100km/h in only 4.5 seconds and go on to a maximum speed of 258km/h, with the ability to achieve a combined range of up to 600km. The top dog R boasts an incredible 905 bhp and 985 Nm and will cover the benchmark sprint in under 3 seconds.
But let’s get to the real juicy bits. No, not the outright performance or how fast the car can charge (it’s 10-80 per cent in only 20 minutes with rapid charging and up to 120 km of range in just five minutes, by the way). Let’s instead talk about what the company has done to make sure that this 2.5-tonne SUV can handle like an actual Lotus.
Of course, we can only give you a genuine verdict once we drive it, but these features should prove they are serious about keeping to their DNA.
The basic stuff is already promising – multi-link suspension systems in the front and rear with components made from lightweight aluminium and additional tech such as active anti-roll control, torque vectoring by braking, and active rear-wheel steering. Adjustable dual-chamber air springs, fitted as standard across the Eletre range, enable independent control of ride height and stiffness. The active air suspension also provides speed-dependent lowering of the car by up to 25mm to reduce drag and lower the centre of gravity. Conversely, it’ll provide more comfort in its higher setting on the highway.
The electronically-controlled damping system – CDC – continuously measures the loads coming into the suspension at a rate of 1,000 times per second and adapts the damping rate 500 times per second for improved body control without any harshness. The SUV is also the first Lotus to use electromechanical power steering, tuned to deliver a purer, connected feel and feedback. At only 2.5 turns lock-to-lock, the steering promises to be sports car quick as well.
The active rear-wheel-steering system is another Lotus first and aims to make the Eletre even more agile, along with Intelligent Active Roll Control (IARC). These two features are part of the Lotus Dynamic Handling Pack fitted as standard to the Eletre R and optional on the Eletre S.
There are other tasty bits like Lotus’ partnership with Pirelli; the Italian company provided a range of high-performance 22 and 23-inch P Zero and ultra-high-performance 22-inch P Zero Corsa tyres specifically for the Eletre. Other established brand names are Brembo and AP Racing, who have co-developed the SUV’s braking system and offer everything from the standard six-piston front callipers and two-piece Brembo discs to the optional carbon ceramic braking system available on the Eletre R with AP Racing’s 10-piston ‘Radi-Cal’ callipers and Brembo carbon ceramic discs.
The Eletre is the first of many electric Lotuses (we could never agree on the plural of Lotus); it’s built on the all-new Electric Premium Architecture (EPA), a flexible and modular platform bespoke to Lotus. It will be at the core of a range of new premium lifestyle performance EVs, which will be developed over the next few years. Plans to launch further models, including a sports sedan (Type 133), another SUV (Type 134), and more are in the pipeline.
We can argue till the cows come home if EVs are the proper sustainable solution, but if there is one brand that shows (albeit a little late) that the EV era is here to stay for a while, it’s Lotus. Let’s hope they can make these ‘soulless’ machines fun to drive. My hope is in the engineers at Hethel.
Photo Credits: Lotus Singapore
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