Seven vs. Elise?

[Anonymous]

What do you guys think of the new (for the U.S., anyway) Elise?

I don't yet own either, but I was curious if present Seven owners would consider the Elise a suitable alternative to their car, with the shared roots and basic nature. The new Car and Driver magazine (July issue) pits the Elise against a Caterham SLR, Factory Five cobra replica, Honda S2000, and Miata, with the Elise coming out on top. The Caterham did great on the track, but of course lost points in the "comfort" categories, no surprise there.

Anyone driven an Elise in the US or overseas?

Stan

[soareyes]

Oops, forgot to sign in, that was my post ^^^

Stan

[Elv15]

cateram vs elise

I know of a few folks who are selling their sevens to get an Elise. Some of these folks are hardcore Lotus fans, some need more comfort, some just want something new.

However, as the article shows the Elise does not have the same performance as the seven. Someone described the Elise as catering to the "performance latte" crowd. The seven is more uncompromising. It depends on what is more important to you.

Cheers,

Tom

[slomove]

I would not replace my Seven with an Elise. That would leave me little to tinker with :shock:
But I could well imagine to have both 8) Actually my wife would like to have one. First showroom samples are scheduled for July or so.

Gert

[Steve Stephens]

My new Seven is in England, all freshly built, crated, and ready to ship to me. Having almost no experience in a Seven and none in the Elise, I wouldn't trade for the Elise. Basically I love the Seven since it is too fast to race; a sports racer for the street-very basic and simple and so different from anything on the roads plus performance that can't easily be beaten. It's raw and fun looking (ask me again after I have driven it). And the looks of the Elise leave me wanting something less swoopy and busy looking. Although the Elise is a great car, the Seven is what I want. The new Autoweek mag. has an article on the Elise which I was just reading.
Steve

[Slartybartfast]

I love the Elise. I think the styling is great and it will humilliate other so-called sports cars that cost twice as much.

However, despite the fact that my little Crossflow Seven barely puts 80HP on the tarmac on a good day, I wouldn't swap it for anything. It still corners and brakes as well as the Elise and I suspect it gets more "looks" than the Elise ever will. Besides, my own blood, sweat and tears (quite literally) went into the construction of my Seven.

I think I probably share my sentiment with a lot of others - I'd love to have an Elise, but not at the expense of my Seven.

[moosetestbestanden]

I'd like to drive the new Elise but I'm not sure I'd own one. It's got waaay too many Star Trek logos cut into every surface on the car for my tastes. Maybe an Exige but not an Elise. And I'd NEVER swap the 7 for one.

The latest EVO has a decent test on the new Exige btw.

[Michael Murphy]

I owned an Elise in Australia before moving to California, where I bought a seven. The "performance latte crowd" comment was mine, and I think the differences between the cars are so dramatic that you just can't compare them. The fundamental question is - do you want a car or a hobby? My daily driver is one of the best cars on the road, and I want something radically different for a hobby. For that, I could not go past a seven. I would not buy an Elise again unless I had to compromise by combining a track car with a daily driver (e.g. due to parking space limitations). As a compromise car, the Elise may not be a bad option although it seems that the US model gained a lot of weight on the way to becoming butt-ugly.