Front-Wheel-Drive Heresy? We Test the 1992 Lotus Elan

Dick Kelley|Car and DriverFrom the August 1991 issue of Car and Driver.

Are we surprised by this car? Does Dolly Parton have big hair? The Lotus name, after all, evokes vivid associations. Namely, rear-wheel drive, powerful but pesky little engines, race-car han­dling, provocative looks, spotty quality control, and cockpits as snug as coat closets.

At a glance, the Elan fits the Lotus profile: a distinctive, limited-supply sportster for two. But it’s a different, untradition­al Lotus.

Take the Elan’s front-drive layout. Cognac-sipping windbags the world over have been howling in their leather chairs ever since Lotus announced that the Elan would be its first front­-drive car. But although rear drive would have kept the tradition­alists happy, Lotus engineers decided a front-drive Elan would offer the best combination of all-condition traction, secure handling, and powertrain adaptability.

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Ah, yes—the powertrain. The Elan’s is an Isuzu-built turbo four mated to an Isuzu five-speed manual transaxle (European models offer the turbo as an option). You can practically hear the pub prattle over that one. “On my word, Smithers, it says here they’ve gone and put a Japanese engine in the new Lotus! A front-drive Lotus. Better pass me another pint of Guinness, will you, old thing?”

Again, at the risk of committing blasphemy, Lotus was only being sensible. Isuzu’s turbocharged and intercooled, sixteen­-valve 1.6-liter four, used in the four-wheel-drive Impulse RS, produces an impressive 162 horsepower at 6600 rpm and 148 pound-feet of torque at 4200. Perhaps more important, it’s stout and not finicky. Let’s face it: a little Japanese reliability under the hood couldn’t hurt.

Also unusual is the cockpit. It sports just two seats, but it’s roomy for a Lotus—even large. Leg room is generous, elbow room is abundant, and head room verges on extravagant—even with the soft top in place. Until now, such spaciousness has not been a part of the Lotus portfolio.

Which brings us back to the surprise. Even with its tradition-­breaking layout and foreign drivetrain, the Elan feels very much a part of the Lotus heritage. Except that most of the rough Lotus edges have been polished smooth.

The body says “Lotus” all the way—the same dashing looks we’ve come to expect from the maker of the Esprit and the origi­nal rear-drive Elan. If you don’t agree, wait to pass final judg­ment until you’ve seen an Elan in person: photographs don’t properly convey the car’s rakish profile and wide, assertive stance. Just 152.2 inches long (more than two feet shorter than a Corvette), the Elan is nearly half that wide—its proportions give it the look of a four-wheeled hovercraft. Add to that the Elan’s drop-away nose, sweptback windshield, and integral rear wing and you have a car that wouldn’t look any more ready for speed if its doors wore sponsorship decals.

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The interior amplifies the car’s sporting air. This is what should be next to the words “two-seater” in the dictionary. No we-can-use-them-in-a-pinch rear seats. No giant glove box. Not enough extra space for a briefcase. (Okay, there is a small trunk out back that could carry two tidy overnight bags.) The Elan offers comfort, yes—leather seats, power ame­nities, and a fine Sony audio system are standard. But utility? No way. Lotuses, even untraditional Lotuses, are built for driving.

Look inside: the cockpit brims with good thinking. The controls are smartly placed, and they move expensively (the engineer in charge of turn-signal-lever ac­tion deserves a shot at knighthood). The four-spoke steering wheel (with standard air bag) sits not too high, not too low. The seats are comfortable. We have but two criticisms of the interior: the steering wheel blocks the top of the speedometer and tachometer for some drivers, and the bodywork is invisible from the driver’s seat, making it impossible to accurately position the Elan’s extremities. Other­wise, this is the first Lotus to show per­snickety attention to detail.

The Elan drives with the same sense of careful development. The engine starts—and runs—without a hiccup. No stalls, no endless cranking, no worries. The Isuzu five-speed slots into gear with a light touch; the clutch engages smoothly. Again, you expect penalties in a car that looks this exotic, but the Elan drives as contentedly as a family sedan.

Which is not to imply that the Elan is a pretender. With its 162-horsepower en­gine motivating just 2452 pounds, the Elan backs up the sporting promise made by its dashing shape. A run to 60 mph takes 6.4 seconds, and top speed is 131 mph. Not supercar numbers, to be sure, but certainly quick enough to justify the Lotus badge.

The Isuzu turbo 1.6 isn’t the smoothest four-cylinder engine around, but Lotus has done a fine job of damping out most of the untoward vibrations and noises; what remains is an appropriately spirited snarl. Lotus hasn’t had to alter the engine’s rev­forever nature—it loves to gun to its 7000-rpm redline. Power delivery is excellent: thanks to quick and linear blower re­sponse, the engine feels more like a nor­mally aspirated powerplant than a turbo.

Four-wheel disc brakes, vented in front, are also part of the Elan program (regrettably, anti-lock brakes are not of­fered). The brakes are strong, but prema­ture rear lockup stretched the 70-to-0-mph stopping distance to 190 feet.

More than straight-line performance, the Lotus name mandates great handling. And yes, front-drive disbelievers, the Elan delivers.

For statistics freaks, here’s the skidpad number right up front: 0.86 g. Plenty grippy, but that figure doesn’t convey the quick response and remarkable balance of the Elan chassis. Understeer? Just enough to keep the Elan secure. In turns, the Elan feels as neutral as a really good rear­-driver—certainly as balanced as any front-drive car we can recall. Bend the car into a corner and the back end tucks in right behind the front. There’s no tor­tured howling from the outside front tire, no skittish moves from the rear. All this despite the Elan carrying 66.7 percent of its weight up front.

Some of the credit for this sterling cor­nering behavior goes to the engineers at Goodyear, who developed new 205/45ZR-16 Eagle GS-D tires especially for the U.S.-market Elan. Showcased on handsome sixteen-inch alloy wheels, the tires work beautifully.

Other Elan virtues include a near-total absence of torque steer and fine power steering that transmits unclouded infor­mation through the wheel.

All of which points to the obvious ques­tion: Is the Elan the best-handling front­-drive car in the world? That’s hard to say without a back-to-back comparison with a number of other candidates. We can say with conviction, though, that in this case you can believe the hype: the front-drive Elan lives up to the Lotus tradition.

For the U.S. market, Lotus has soft­ened the Elan’s suspension a tad and add­ed some structural bracing for increased body rigidity. The result is a car that, for all of its remarkable handling prowess, de­livers a good ride and tackles choppy pavement without appreciable body flut­ter. In other words, the Elan is as good at going slow as it is at going fast—no mean feat for an exoticar.

As if to remind of the old Lotus way, a few troubles cropped up during our test car’s stay with us. A faulty switch pre­vented us from dipping the high beams at night. And the roof leaked. The Elan’s manual soft top is a clever device that folds down in seconds and stows under a built-in hard boot. When erected, it stays tight and ripple-free. But during a heavy spring storm with the Elan sitting outside, the cockpit filled with enough rain to run a Water Wiggle for a few minutes. We hope the problem stems from the early-­production status of our car.

The Elan is not an inexpensive proposi­tion. Base price is $40,989, including lux­ury tax and freight. The only factory op­tion is metallic paint ($975), and Lotus dealers can install a Sony compact-disc player, if desired. But price probably won’t be an issue: this is not, after all, a car for every person. Lotus plans to import only about 1000 Elans to the U.S. this year. And the car is so distinctive and reward­ing to drive that dealers should have no trouble selling every one they can get their hands on.

If that surprises some traditionalists, they should consider this: the Elan is the finest car Lotus has ever built.

The Lotus Elan elbows into a market already occupied by two formidable and firmly entrenched competitors: the Chevrolet Corvette convertible and the Porsche 944S2 Cabriolet. How does it measure up?

Design: The 944’s shape has been around since 1982; it’s either “dated” or “classic,” depending on your predilec­tion for the marque. It’s unquestionably an expensive look, though. The luscious Corvette has been face-lifted for 1991, but it too is familiar (like Jacqueline Bisset is familiar, that is). The Elan’s shape is certainly the most adventur­ous: onlookers either love it or they say it looks stubby. Whatever people think, though, the styling gets extra points for being the most daring of the trio. Ad­vantage: Too close to call. Like trying to pick your favorite Playmate.

Interior: The 944’s cockpit is pure German seriousness—aside from a few scattered controls, it’s simple and or­derly and efficient. The Corvette’s cabin suffers from a low-in-the-car seating po­sition and a strangely conceived panel with both analog and digital displays. The Elan’s interior is excellent, with clear gauges and a good driving posi­tion. But it lacks the 944’s you-pay-for-­it quality. Advantage: Porsche.

Convertible top: The Elan’s taut top folds down easily. But, as noted in our road test, its impregnability is suspect. The 944’s top is admirably tight when up, but it requires tools to be disengaged from the headliner and, once lowered, it must be covered by a snap-on fabric boot. The Corvette’s top folds up or down in seconds, stows under a neat hard boot, and seals out the weather successfully. Advantage: Corvette.

Primary controls: The 944 has per­haps the best steering in the world, but its shifter is notchy and its clutch is hard to engage smoothly. The Corvette pos­sesses fine steering and a terrific gear­box. The Elan scores well in those cate­gories too, but it improves on the Corvette with lighter control efforts. Advantage: Lotus.

Structural rigidity: These are three of the tightest convertibles on the road. But the 944 is as stout as a Rolex.

Acceleration: The Corvette has a 250-hp 5.7-liter V-8. The other two cars have four-cylinder engines—potent fours, yes, but still fours. Plus, the Vette gets even more power for the 1992 mod­el year. Advantage: Corvette.

Handling: Saying that the Elan may be the best front-driver in the world isn’t enough: it’s one of the best-han­dling cars in the world, period. The 944, with its exquisite steering and supreme­ly poised chassis, is also one of the Olympians. But of the three the Vette is the most stable and the easiest to drive hard, and it produces handling num­bers that just cannot be ignored. Advantage: Corvette.

Value: The 944 costs $53,155. Out of the running here. The Lotus, at $40,989, is a value only if you look at its price as being cheap compared with other exoticars. The Corvette, starting at $40,252, delivers an unbeatable per­formance-to-dollar ratio.Advantage: Corvette.

Panache: Let’s be honest: all three of these droptops are look-at-me ma­chines. So style is a big consideration in making a purchase. And when it comes to style, nothing beats the rarity of an exoticar. The Elan, with its extroverted body and exclusivity is the only mem­ber of this group that qualifies as a true exotic.Advantage: Lotus.

The Lotus Elan is up against well­-armed rivals. The Porsche leads the quality/status/refinement race. The Corvette boasts supercar performance and a loyal following.

For Lotus, the key is to find 1000 buyers who want something special.

1992 Lotus Elan//Include body style if relevant//Vehicle Type: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 2-passenger, 2-door convertible

ENGINEturbocharged and intercooled DOHC 24-valve inline-4, iron block and aluminum head, port fuel injectionDisplacement: 97 in3, 1588 cm3Power: 162 hp @ 6600 rpmTorque: 148 lb-ft @ 4200 rpm

CHASSISSuspension, F/R: control arms/control armsBrakes, F/R: 10.0-in vented disc/9.3-in discTires: Goodyear Eagle GS-DF205/45ZR-16

DIMENSIONSWheelbase: 88.6 inLength: 152.2 inWidth: 68.2 inHeight: 49.2 inPassenger Volume: 45 ft3Trunk Volume: 7 ft3Curb Weight: 2452 lb

C/D TEST RESULTS60 mph: 6.6 sec1/4-Mile: 15.1 sec @ 91 mph100 mph: 19.7 secRolling Start, 5–60 mph: 7.7 secTop Gear, 30–50 mph: 11.2 secTop Gear, 50–70 mph: 9.6 secTop Speed: 131 mphBraking, 70–0 mph: 190 ftRoadholding, 300-ft Skidpad: 0.86 g

Interior SoundIdle: 51 dBAFull Throttle: 86 dBA70-mph Cruising: 78 dBA

C/D FUEL ECONOMYObserved: 24 mpgEPA FUEL ECONOMYCity/Highway: 24/31 mpg

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