If you want a sports car with rear seats that isn’t a Porsche 911, your options are slim. Most two-plus-two coupes are more focused on grand touring, meaning you’ll be able to take the kids or the dog with you, but it won’t carve corners quite like you might wish. Happily, there is a left-field solution, and it might share an engine with your daily driver. Remember the Lotus Evora?
This handmade sports car with optimistic rear seats is a bit of a sleeper, because its simultaneously amazing yet often forgotten. Alright, the stereo is sourced from an aftermarket supplier, and the engine is from Toyota, but with telepathic handling and just enough practicality to use everyday, it’s a great left-field option. Plus, you can now buy one for the price of a new Toyota GR Corolla. Interested? Let’s dig in.
What Are We Looking At?
Back in 2006, iconic British sports car brand Lotus hatched a plan to broaden its appeal. The featherweight Elise and its hardcore Exige brother were fantastic, but they were a bit raw for everyday use. The idea was a new model offensive to try and steal sales from major competitors, and the last big swing was the Evora. In this case, the big swing was literal, with a larger footprint than any other Lotus of the time, tiny occasional-use rear seats, and the usability to go after the Porsche 911.
Obviously, with a car weighing 3,049 pounds and priced in serious territory, the Toyota four-cylinder engines in the Elise and Exige wouldn’t quite hack it in the Evora. However, Toyota doesn’t just make four-bangers, so Lotus got its hands on the 2GR-FE V6 also seen in the Sienna minivan. While that doesn’t sound hugely auspicious, we’re talking about a famously reliable timing chain-driven 3.5-liter quad-cam V6 making 276 horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. of torque without any forced induction assistance. Hitched to a six-speed manual transmission, the resulting production car that launched for the 2010 model year zipped from zero-to-60 mph in 4.8 seconds during Car And Driver instrumented testing, a tenth quicker than the GR Corolla but without the hideously abusive redline clutch-dump launch. Oh, and the handling? Textbook Lotus, as the magazine wrote.
Grip from the Pirelli P Zero rubber feels endless, and, like any car carrying the Lotus badge, this one is perfectly untroubled by high-speed turns. Braking, from the natural pedal feel to the 151-foot stops from 70 mph, is on par with that of the best sports cars in the world. But it’s the Evora’s precise and communicative steering that distinguishes the driving experience. As cornering loads build on the front tires, the steering effort through the hydraulically assisted rack-and-pinion steering increases—it feels spring-loaded, as if you’re winding up a giant toy, the tension increasing. When the front tires begin to relinquish grip, the steering releases as though the spring has been wound too far. Provoke the rear end, by abruptly lifting off the throttle or hammering it, and the Lotus will delicately and slowly drift its rear tires outward. A polished and slick skidpad surface resulted in a so-so 0.92 g; we fully expect the Evora to get closer to 1 g at our usual test venue.
Superlative, joyous sports car handling isn’t shocking, though. The big draw to the Evora was its comfort, and indeed, here was a Lotus you could actually grand tour in without risking your hearing or your back. The ride quality was remarkable, the NVH was reasonable for a sports car, and you even had space for luggage. So, exotic excitement, reasonable livability, and a rock-solid powertrain shared with just about every Toyota under the sun. Speaking of Toyotas, you can now buy an Evora for GR Corolla money. Tempting, isn’t it?
How Much Are We Talking?
For 2025, a mid-range GR Corolla Premium stickers for $42,575 including freight before you add an extra sub-radiator or an actual color. Can you find a Lotus Evora for that money? Sure. Just check out this Solar Yellow 2010 model that sold on Bring A Trailer for $41,500. With just 29,000 miles on the clock, a great color, and a clean Carfax, it looks like a whole lot of fun for new hot hatch money.
Then again, not everyone likes the attention of driving a Skittle. How about a more demure spec? This black 2010 Evora sold on Cars & Bids for a mere $36,200, although part of that bargain’s due to modifications. A full exhaust system, remap, lightweight flywheel, baffled oil pan, and InoKinetic short shifter mean this thing’s ready to rip, and with 23,600 miles on the clock, it hasn’t exactly been to the moon and back.
Oh, and if you’re not one to wait around for an auction, options do exist in the used car classifieds. This red 2011 Evora is up for sale in Colorado for $38,500, and although it does have 81,000 miles on the clock, it already sports an upgraded clutch and supporting hardware, so that major expense has been dealt with.
What Can Possibly Go Wrong On A Lotus Evora?
By now, you know that the Lotus Evora is handmade in England. That’s normally not a fantastic sign, but most common failure points are fairly minor. There’s a drain tube for the air conditioning up on the front bulkhead that can get blocked and lead to water in the footwells, but the fix is basically free if you can wrench. Owners report simply pulling the undertrays and removing the filter on the end of the tube cures the problem. Likewise, reports of trim and panel alignment issues can be fixed at home.
As for things that cost money, air conditioning compressors are known to fail on occasion. Thankfully, that part’s shared with a late-aughts Toyota RAV4, so although you’ll be looking at about $1,500 at an independent shop, it’s not ruinous. More concerning are the window regulators, which run more than $700 each. Oh, and clutch master cylinders are known to fail, but an upgraded Wilwood kit is available aftermarket for a reasonable $339. Still, it seems like common Evora issues are largely isolated to body equipment, with the powertrains appearing remarkably robust. Just remember to budget for the inevitable clutch replacement because it’s an incredibly involved process calling for 35 hours of labor. A good independent shop will be your best friend here.
Should you buy a Lotus Evora For GR Corolla Money?
If you can budget for the clutch, god yes. Okay, it probably won’t be as reliable as a GR Corolla, but the Evora doesn’t have any truly ruinous issues, and it’s an absolutely fantastic mid-engined sports car. Think of it as a spiritual cousin to the MR2, and you’re on the right track, except it already comes with the engine people want to swap into SW20s. Plus, unlike a 997.1 Porsche 911, you’ll be able to drive an Evora, fix things as they come up, and sleep soundly knowing the bones are rock-solid. How cool is that?
Top graphic image: Bring A Trailer
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I own an early Evora. I love it, but I haven’t driven it in a while because the clutch is slipping. I’m going to replace it this summer. In the meantime, I bought an ND Miata, which is nice, but it is not magical the way the Evora is.
the question is: will this Evora depreciate at the same rate as GR Corolla?
Realizing that my mom has 276hp in her 2 ton van is somehow scary
The only real contention to NOT buy an Evora is… a Cayman S.
Or, just get a new one for under $300 on Rock Auto, and do it yourself for 1/5th the price!
I can’t believe how insane labor costs are getting lately. I just redid the Rotors and pads on my Ford Fiesta. Cost me $140 in parts and about an hour of my day. The cheapest option I could find someone to do it for me, was over $450!. $300/Hr in labor? What the what?
I test drove an Evora in a beautiful pearl white a few years ago. At the time, I could have easily afforded it, but I didn’t buy it.
I’m fortunate in that I do have a sports car l love now, but I have to admit the Evora will always haunt me.
Take my advice: if you’re trying to decide whether to buy the car, just buy the damned car. It costs less than regret.
interesting take! If it’s used and it’s a good deal your risk is fairly low unless the engine just grenades. I can see that line of thought!!
Been looking for one of these that may be affordable to me.
Looks like it may not happen.
This is my Holy Grail.
But I don’t have enough shrubberies yet.
damn inflation. every time i reach the end zone the goal post moves 30 yards away. Being a millennial is like running on a tread mill and the faster you run the faster the belt spins and you never go anywhere!
Tell me about it. I started trying to put my r53 back together two years ago, and prices have rocketed up to make it almost unreachable, my only saving grace is that my wife wants it done and out of her driveway almost as bad as I want it back on the road.
Everyone knows what a Mini Cooper is. Almost nobody knows what an r53 is.
A few years ago, people started using chassis numbers, instead of the car’s actual name, to describe their car.
I do not understand the appeal of this, and I hope it’s just a fad. It seems a bit pretentious, just like using big words that nobody understands
No pretention was intended, r53 is simply easier to type on a cell phone than spelling out MINI Cooper S each time, and has become a habit while searching for parts for the car. My apologies if I’ve irritated you, that was not my intent.
P.s. some of us grew up in households with creative writing teachers for parents so being overly verbose is an unfotunate side effect of that upbringing, and results in far too frequent apologies on our parts. It does, however, help when I have to write reports to the board of pardons and parole, so silver linings and whatnot.
Or worse, Mimi Cooper S with the supercharged engine. R53 says everything, as does 951.
All the extra info is irrelevant in this context
I’m not that irritated. If you were asking a witness to describe the getaway car and they said it was an XY89 you wouldn’t know what that is. But if they say what kind of car it is you do know.
the prospect of being pulled over by a cop in a mini cooper is giving me the giggles.
I’d love to be able to take it out to go run code(it’s even blue), but instead I have to do that in an old dodge caravan, or ford transit. Being a parole officer rather than a regular street officer kind of sets some limits on what I can do.
But on a funny note, when I was a kid up in Washington the LaConner police department used to pull people over in pea green Renault Le Car’s. For the longest time one of the old patrol cars sat under a carport next to highway 20 between LaConner and Mount Vernon after it had been retired. My dad pointed it out regularly when we would drive by.
Damn it Thomas…just had to bring it up! The Evora has been my dream car ever since it came out. Last year I was finally daily driver sports car shopping and I looked at them quite a bit but they are still just a bit out of budget, which means they likely won’t ever be in budget cause they cleave to be approaching the bottom of their depreciation curve. I could have stretched the budget but would have been in an uncomfortable situation and not willing to put the family or myself in that spot. But dang it I love these so much!!!
I always liked these since I first saw one at the LA car show years ago… even new, they started at about $70K or something originally? So, not quite out of the realm of possibility for regular enthusiasts. The back seat is tiny (as it is on 911s) but I’d never put anyone back there so, what does it matter? The rest of the car looks great, it’s supposed to drive really well, be fairly livable in day to day use (if your back is in good shape which mine is definitely not), and (IMO) it having a Toyota engine is a plus, not a minus. TBH, the fact that they haven’t depreciated MORE than just to the upper $30Ks is probably due to their inherent goodness and longevity (relatively speaking, for a dedicated sportscar, let alone something English).
Would I buy one myself? No, but I have a bad back and rarely drive somewhere that I could really enjoy such a car. But then again, I wouldn’t buy a GR Corolla either, and that’s a great car too. 😉
I do like seeing both the occasional Evora and GR Corolla on the street too.
I’m not sure why you wouldn’t buy the Lotus over the Toyota at the same price point. I mean sure reliability might be less for the Lotus but as long as the warranty is covering it who cares?
What? No warranty? Actual repairs and maintenance might be tens of thousands more? Well that’s not the same price is it?
I mean, the brand new thing depreciates more… so… kind of a wash.
You understand the Evora has a Toyota engine though, right? It’s not going to cost you Ferrari or even Porsche money to maintain.
I love these and they are always a consideration, but I don’t think I’ll ever actually buy one.
I just don’t drive in anger that much lately, and I’ve got too many other things to deal with to get into autocross or track days in the near future.
I wonder if my incredible independent shop – that will only work on Japanese, American, and Korean makes – would be able to handle the clutch replacement if I got the bodywork off myself. I have a trusted body shop to get the bodywork back on straight. Worth musing over, but my RX-8 scratches my sports car itch.
Do you have to remove bodywork? I figured you’d need to drop the rear subframe.
OK, but you should ask your colleagues if it will baby.
Guaranteed, it won’t baby. Hell, modern baby seats won’t fit in the back of my much bigger and heavier 4 passenger BMW convertible unless the front seat is at the most forward, uncomfortable limit of its travel. I was able to take my primary school aged grandchildren in their booster seats. Still had to slide the seat partway forward.
In my 2000 Cherokee the front seats had to be moved forward and the backs straight up to fit a rear facing seat in the middle of the backseat. Putting it on either side simply was not an option.
The Evora will baby. I’ve done it. It even has the LATCH system in the back seat.
According to Torch, it will actually baby.
“Back in 2006, iconic British sports car brand Lotus hatched a plan to broaden its appeal. The featherweight Elise and its hardcore Exige brother were fantastic, but they were a bit raw for everyday use.”
Also on sale back in 2006 were the super-hardcore Lotus 2-Eleven (no doors, no roof, no windshield) and the comfy version of the Elise/Exige: the Europa, with a nice reliable GM turbo 2.0 and some sound deadening.
The plan for my Europa is that when I can’t manage getting in and out any more (it’s easier than an Elise, but not much) then I’ll get an Evora. I test drove an Evora when they were new, and found it to be as comfy as my BMW 535 but as involving as my Elise. I guess that’s why I still can’t afford one.
If I was in a position to buy either of these fantastic cars… I’d be a very happy man… well MORE happy at least lol
35 shop hours to replace the clutch!? Do you realize how much that is in dollars?
$3500 at $100 an hour. Plus tax.
Our hourly rates are more like $200-250 an hour around here.
$100/hr is nostalgia pricing.
I think that’s because the gearbox has to come out of the top of the chassis, not the bottom, so the rear bodywork has to come off. I took all the body work off my Elise and it wasn’t that hard, so maybe you can strip it down yourself to save money.
Although if you’re taking the car to bits that much you might as well drop on a supercharger while you’re there.
I think the Emira clutch can be done from underneath, so it’ll be a fraction of the cost.
That might be the craziest WYIT I’ve ever heard. I’m not even mad.
Turbo replacement on a Z32 300ZX was a 24 hour job. I thought that was crazy.
I just want to disclose to everyone here that I was looking at GR Corollas and for the first time ever, Lotus Evoras on FB Marketplace last night.
That’s why the algorithm directed Thomas to write this article for you today.
The algorithm is more powerful than we will ever know.
That being said, I really want an Evora now.
All the style of a British car with reliable Japanese mechanicals for the same amount of money as a lesser Japanese car?
What a Sterling recommendation!
I see what you did there.
An Acur-ate comment indeed.
These cars will eventually be legendary.
If these were that cheap when I bought my Elise I might have bought one of them instead. They definitely weren’t two years ago.
Not today, Satan!
Damn you, Thomas. Now I’m going to have to explain why this is a good idea to my wife.
Aren’t GR Corollas getting a bit of a reputation for spontaneously combusting? And then Toyota denying warranty coverage?
The Toyota quad-cam V6 has long been a lovely engine looking for a nicer home, it is nice that Lotus (of all companies) gave it one.
I mean if you mod the shit out of a car you shouldn’t be allowed to throw a a tantrum when you blow it up and the warranty doesn’t cover it. When it comes to tooner cars I just can’t trust anything I read on the internet. If you keep a GRC stock I’m sure it will treat you well. Apparently the one that blew up and went viral was a salvage title as well. When it came to the Toyobaru story that went viral the dude who blew his engine had been hooning the shit out of it on social media. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes.
THAT BEING SAID…you’re not tracking one without cooling upgrades. The differentials are known to overheat after only a few laps and once they’re too hot the power delivery is nerfed. Unfortunately Toyota hasn’t found a fix for this the last time I checked.
They’re cool cars, but they’re meant for the street and the occasional dirt or gravel backroad blast.
The GRC makes a lot of power for its size and cylinder count, so I personally wouldn’t want one due to durability concerns based on physics, but the few failures I’ve seen looked like driver error, same with the GRZs where most appeared to be money shifts. One guy even posted the log of the event showing hitting over 10k rpm while denying he money-shifted and complaining because Toyota wouldn’t cover him. It’s telling that most of the failures I saw were manual cars driven by children. I mean, OK, the engine in mine went at 33k, but Toyota covered it with no argument at all because I didn’t do anything to blow it up and that’s with only my word that I was keeping up with oil changes (which I do myself every 6k, but I had no proof other than the glitter oil otherwise looked pretty fresh when they inspected the engine). This is the same company that replaced entire frames on trucks for rust that were well out of any kind of warranty anyone offers and engines that failed in Camrys even with evidence that they failed largely because oil changes were not kept up with (It’s been a number of years, though IIRC, it was partly a design issue, but it shouldn’t have been a problem with a proper oil change schedule).
I blew the engine in my FR-S around 35k miles, Toyota covered the replacement. Unmodified, unabused and properly maintained.
It did take them a month to do the repair, but I got a loaner Corolla.
Same. I got a hybrid Corolla. The mileage was amazing and it wasn’t as bad as I was expecting, which isn’t to say it was at all satisfying to drive, just that it wasn’t actively bad (unlike my ’08 Camry). I recommend it for anyone who is looking for “just a cheap, reliable car that’s cheap to run”.