Lotus's first foray into electric four-doors is luxurious but lacks the visceral nature of the brand's sports cars.
) for an efficient mix of launch performance and range at high speed. The R also gets a Track mode that minimizes the stability control's interference and ramps up accelerator response.On the subject of accelerator response, we can't exactly call the Eletre S slow, but we were surprised at the laid-back approach it took to off-the-line acceleration.
When not tasked with attempting jack-rabbit starts, the Eletre S rides smooth as custard, thanks to lightweight aluminum suspension components, electronically controlled dampers, and the air springs. We never caught the car out with a bump or a pothole, and even an unexpected cattle guard couldn't unsettle it. The Eletre is Lotus's first venture into electrically assisted power steering, and here we find the electrons less favorable.
If you've ever been in a Lotus Evora with its minuscule 7.0-inch infotainment screen, you may be taken aback by the Eletre's vast, glossy interface. The driver faces a 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster with a head-up display that was not customizable in our test cars, but Lotus says will become tweakable through a later over-the-air update, if not at delivery. The center touchscreen offers 15.
The Eletre is innovative and ambitious, but it struggles to find the middle ground between the expectations of a Lotus shopper and those of a luxury-SUV customer. One wants a vehicle to be raw, nimble, and connected; the other wants something comfortable, well optioned, and elegant. While it tries to straddle both lanes, the Eletre pulls hard to the SUV side. It nails comfortable, well optioned, and elegant.
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