The 2020 Lotus Evora GT is touted to be the fastest and most powerful road-going Lotus in the US and Canada. However, the new Evora GT410 promises to offer more comfort at a lower price. Truth be told, the Evora GT is the purest expression of a true sports car, but it’s not exactly brilliant as an everyday type of car.
But if you want a Lotus to drive every single day, you’re better off with the new Evora GT410. It still has a V6 engine in the front, a manual stick in the middle, and two spinning wheels in the rear axle. It’s the purest expression of an analog sports car, which means the Evora GT is destined for a niche market.
However, Evora GT410 wants to make an exemption.
The Evora GT410 is more affordable than the Sport model
In fact, the new Lotus Evora GT410 is approximately £3,000 ($3,900) cheaper than an equivalent Evora GT410 Sport, which is a significant amount of money saved for what is really a ‘cushier’ sports car.
In the United Kingdom, the Evora GT410 starts at £82,900 ($108,000). Again, the Evora in any guise is not strictly an ‘affordable’ choice, but very few modern cars offer the same degree of responsiveness and agility as a Lotus Evora.
But it receives a plethora of standard kit
With the 2020 Lotus Evora GT410, it seems you can have your cake and eat it, too. It starts at a significantly lower price, yes. But it doesn’t skimp on standard equipment. In fact, Lotus went the whole nine yards by giving the Evora GT410 an impressive list of standard kit.
The new Evora GT410 receives those luscious Sparco seats that were previously optional on the Evora Sport. Also included are standard air conditioning, a new infotainment system with satellite navigation, and Apple CarPlay (sadly, no Android Auto) connectivity. Interestingly enough, these features are also standard in GT410 Sport.
But Lotus isn’t done. The new Evora GT410 has cruise control, rear parking sensors with a reversing camera, heated seats, and red AP racing brake calipers. The vehicle also has 19-inch front/20-inch rear cast alloy wheels painted in either silver or gloss black.
The Evora GT410 is also more refined
Want more proof the Lotus Evora GT410 is more of a touring car than an all-out sports car? The vehicle is shod in Michelin Pilot Sport 4S all-season tires, which are still marvelously brilliant in terms of grip but with better cushioning for a smoother and calmer ride.
The Lotus Evora is a terrific handler and all that, but the standard sport suspension is stiff as a board over choppy city roads. While the new Michelin tires are better for everyday driving, Lotus also fiddled with the suspension settings in the Evora GT410.
Fitted with new dampers that deliver a more compliant ride, Lotus said the new suspension still delivers an outstanding performance-oriented experience but with better comfort.
The comfier interior is more ergonomic, too
Lotus understands that road cars need more sound insulation than regular sports cars. Also, a couple of storage bins wouldn’t hurt, either. Well, Lotus is answering our prayers by giving the Evora GT410 a more livable, quieter, and more ergonomic interior.
The Evora GT410 benefits from more sound deadening to significantly reduce tire roar and road noise on those long and tiring journeys. Also, the vehicle now has a set of proper armrests in the doors. Lotus also lets you choose from a varied selection of storage bins to store your wallet, keys, documents, and mobile devices.
As an added bonus, the Evora GT410 has a larger rear window for better visibility. Together with the standard reversing camera, the Evora GT410 is as easy to maneuver around town as a crappy mini car.
It’s comfier alright, but it’s not short on grunt
Don’t forget, the Lotus Evora GT has always been a lightweight two-seat sports car. Yes, the Evora has two rear seats, but only small canines can fit in those, hence the two-seat nomenclature. And since it doesn’t weigh much (tipping the scales at 3,175 pounds), the standard supercharged V6 feels as mighty as a V8 in the Evora.
We’re talking about a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 416-horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque. This means 0 to 60 mph in 4.1-seconds and a top speed of 186 mph. And since the engine is made by Toyota, you can expect it to churn merrily for quite a while.
Standard in the new Evora GT410 is a six-speed manual transmission. There’s also a six-speed automatic if you don’t savor the thought of pushing a clutch pedal, but what’s the point? If you want an Evora, the manual gearbox is the only way to go. But then again, the automatic has more torque from the blown V6 (332 pound-feet, in fact), but you won’t have the pleasure of rowing your own gears.
Lotus is now taking orders for the 2020 Evora GT410.