The old and venerable British car brand Lotus has certainly been given a new lease of life. The fact that James Bond himself drove a white Lotus Esprit in the film The Spy Who Loved Me does not make the brand any less famous. With the Eletre model and the new Emeya, it really does change shape completely from the cars it used to build. But that is often the case when established, old and prestigious car brands launch new electric cars. This is exactly what has happened with Lotus. If you put the new Emeya next to Lotus' latest petrol-powered model Emira, the cars really are like night and day. Of course, both cars are sporty but at the same time very different. The Emira is a small two-seater sports car with a mid-mounted petrol engine, while the Emeya is a large four-seater saloon with a sloping rear window, a so-called shooting brake. Or GT wagon as it is also called. It has a very powerful electric motor that makes most things stand still. There is a version called Emeya R and it has a full 905 horsepower. The Emeya I had on loan was an Emeya S, it had "only" 603 horses. 603 electric horses go a long way when it comes to outrunning other cars from a standstill. 0 to 100 is done in 4.15 seconds. The Emeya R does the same sprint in just 2.78 seconds and those are some serious numbers!

The fact that Lotus has always stood out has never been in the news. The fact that the Emeya S I had, which was also bright yellow, did not make things worse of course. Everyone looked at me wherever I drove. As usual, Lotus has succeeded with the design of the Emeya. It is really comfortable to rest your eyes on the Emeya. The shapes are complete and it is clearly noticeable that nothing has been left to chance. Take for example the front where the two rows of lights blend so beautifully with the rest of the shape. 

Once you've finished looking at the outside, open the doors and step inside Emeya, your eyes continue to be enticed. You see a clean and tidy interior with touches of alcantara and carbon fibre. The steering wheel is not quite round, but sporty bevelled on the upper and lower edges, and of course in alacantar. In the centre you have a large screen where most things are controlled, it is relatively easy to find the various settings. Everything is there but you have to look a little sometimes. But as an owner and you have become accustomed to the car, I do not see that this would be a problem. But they have made a small animation on the screen when you switch between the settings, and for those who think every second is worth money, this will be a small time thief. One cool detail is that when you change the temperature in the car, the colour of a small light strip that runs along the front panel changes. There is also a good storage compartment in the armrest between the front seats where there are USB-C connectors and 12V sockets. 

However, one thing I strongly dislike is the new rear-view mirrors which are not physical rear-view mirrors anymore but cameras on the outside of the car and screens on the inside of the doors. This may be very good for trucks where the rear-view mirrors actually contribute to more drag, and higher fuel consumption. It probably does here too but minimally and the disadvantage of them feels like more. Taking it a step further and something you will read about later here on carscollection.com is my test drive of the new Polestra 4 where they have removed the rear window and replaced it with a rear-view mirror that is a monitor and a camera on the roof. As with the Lotus Emeya, it takes some pretty keen eyes and good focus to shift your gaze from looking at a mirror and out a window to looking at a monitor. Add to that the slight change in perspective that happens when you move your head that doesn't exist when you look at a screen. The latter is probably something you get used to. But it still feels very unnecessary to change something that works. 

But if we ignore the rear-view mirrors and instead look at how the Emeya drives, it really does have a premium feel. It's comfortable, yet luxurious and sporty. You sit comfortably behind the wheel and quickly find your place. Of course, there's heating, ventilation and massage in the seats. 

Thanks to a new battery that we have chosen to put in Emeya, we have been able to get much more out of driving and even when there is less power left in the car. Driving at speeds far above those prevailing on our Swedish roads is almost too easy. Although, as I said, there is an even worse version of Emeya, the one I borrowed is more than enough. Emeya has an 800 volt platform and thus works extremely well with the really fast chargers. In just over 10 minutes you get enough power to continue your journey. 

The weight of 2.5 tonnes is of course to the car's disadvantage and makes it not as sporty as it looks. This is probably what will be most detrimental to electric sports cars. Here you could consider that the over 300 horses that are extra in the version that has an R instead of an S makes the difference needed. But unfortunately, it is absolutely no problem for the electric horses in the version with S to get the vehicle moving, but it is when you have to stop all the kilos and when it starts to turn that the weight shows itself, and unfortunately in a rather bad light. 

But if we ignore the weight and the electronic video mirrors for a moment, then the Lotus Emeya is actually a really nice car to travel in. Now I did not ride as a passenger in the car but of course tried the front passenger seat and those in the back. Travelling as a passenger in the Emeya is absolutely not something I would mind. So with that said, I would dare to say that Lotus has succeeded with Emeya and that it is a car that is visible and very pleasant to drive. So carscollection.com gives a thumbs up to the Lotus Emeya. So my question is, would James Bond win an Emeya?

Lotus Emeya S

Price: from 1 313 480 SEK

Engine: Electric. Front electric motor, maximum power 306 hp (225 kW). Rear electric motor, maximum power 306 hp (225 kW).

Maximum system power 603 hp (443 kW), total torque 710 Nm.

Transmission: Front and rear engines, four-wheel drive. Reduction gearbox.

Top speed: Limited to 249 km/h

0-100 km/h: 4.2 seconds

Electric range: 610 km

Battery size (gross): 102 kWh. 22 kW/402 kW AC/DC charging power. Heat pump.

Weight: 2 490 kg

Dimensions (length/width/height): 5140/2120/1460 mm