2002 Lotus Elise S2 from Australia and New Zealand - Comments

Irregular idle to the point of stalling (at idle) when the air con was on. Fixed by dealer.

You are likely to have heard the pluses and minuses of the Elise from one source or another. Pluses can be summarised: superb handling with incredible 'feel', head turning looks (you have no idea!), fantastic power to weight and enormous FUN!

Negatives include: hard bumpy ride, impossible to get in and out of, no frills at all, leaks, noisy and totally impractical.

I deliberated for a long time before buying my Elise. I didn't know if I could live with the compromises.

The clincher was the realisation that nothing is really an 'alternative' to an Elise. The negatives and compromises are exactly what make it so uncompromised. It can't be done any other way. So in the end it was a choice between an Elise or a life of wondering 'what if...?'.

So I went for the Elise and I couldnt be happier! The pluses continue exceeded my expectations. The negatives are so petty and pathetic when you have come to terms with what you are buying as to seem ludicrous!

The ride is firm and you feel everything, but, quite honestly, the seats are more comfortable than any car I have had previously and the chassis feedback is why you drive the car! You don't get hurt; you don't get tired; boy, do you get into the driving though!

It rattles and the engine is noisy. Once again this can be great or awful. When throwing it around tight back streets, roundabouts, mountain twists etc. the rort of the engine and the sound of the road is half the buzz. Driving 3hrs down a freeway would be better in big Merc, but is not unlivable. See how well you can throw the big Merc around a tight back street roundabout?

It WAS difficult to get in and out of initially. Now it is fine; natural even. No, it isn't a BMW sedan, but that is fairly obvious. If you are going to sit on the ground you are going to have to bend down.

In the end though, driving the Elise renders all other vehicles undrivable. Once you have adjusted to the unservoed brakes (about 1 minute) you can't go back. Stopping on a dime in this car is one of the most incredible feelings on the planet. Skydiving is boring by comparison. Likewise taking 90degree turns at 80-100kph. I can only liken it to watching a high action car chase movie in fast forward! When the Elise hits a bump it pulls back into the road faster than gravity could possibly do it. It is surreal. Every drive you take in this car is fun and I cannot overemphasise that point. You cannot compare plush comfort or electric windowed convenience to the buzz you feel from every drive you take in an Elise.

This is my everyday commuter and honestly, even if I had another car I couldnt leave the Elise in the garage. Even a trip to the supermarket is fun. And yes you can fit your groceries.

Good review and nice to see an Elise in Australia being commented on. There is nothing like an Elise for the money.

A great review! I learned a lot about the Elise from this, thanks!

Good review. It would carry more weight, however, if you had driven a bit further in your Elise. 1100 ks is a good distance I guess, but I hope you would still have the same views at 5000 ks. I'm a Lotus fan too!

Great review! I think you hit the nail on the head. the Elise doesn't pretend to be a luxury car, or a compromised modern roadster. it is the ultimate drive, and the ultimate drive will come with its disadvantages, for example a firm ride, hard seats, engine noise, and poor luggage space. if you want the best drivers car on the planet, then these minor attributes will not enter the equation.

A really nice review, and I'm glad to see an Elise entertaining its owner as it should. It's true that the impracticalities are irrelevant when you get a drive like this, but I am personally disgusted with the build quality of my late series 1.

At four years and just 22,000 miles old, it leaks to the extent that it's hardly worth putting the roof on (despite the hood being treated and "adjusted" no fewer than four times, the headlamp brackets had to be replaced when they corroded and broke, up, the fuel filler neck leaks if you fill the tank too quickly, the alarm siren has been replaced three times, the drivers window mechanism fell off the door, the door itself has dropped and scuffed the B-pillar near the catch, the battery has never held a charge for more than three days of inactivity, the gear linkage came adrift leaving the car stuck in 4th, and the dampers needed replacing at just 20k. Pretty appalling really.

I wouldn't mind if the car has been abused, but it lives in a dry, heated garage most of the time, and is used as a toy, with a couple of track days a year thrown in) It's also been maintained regardless of cost by an official Lotus agent, and as an engineer myself, I'm not exactly mechanically unsympathetic or ignorant.

I wonder if the S2 is any better built?

That review was great because you actually sounded like you knew what you were talking about. I totally believe you have one. That is a great car for its price. I would definitely consider getting one in the long future because I'm only 13.

Some useful reviews, and ones that are gradually convincing me to get one of these cars. I have a Z3 2.0 6cyl, and am trying to convince myself that the performance and handling of the Elise would out weigh the refinement of the BM. Fantastic lines on the elise 111s, and difficult to get in and out of.

I will do some more searching on engine problems, as the one I am looking at has the Rover 1.8 VVC (badged lotus) engine. I know this engine has had problems in the Rover and Land-Rover range of cars; need to search now and see if Lotus owners have had their heads off?

Thanks.

The K-series engine is prone to head gasket failure whatever car it is installed in. The problem is worst in big, heavy cars like the Freelander, but it happens in Elises and Sevens as well.

Light, compact and powerful as it might be, the design of this engine is deeply flawed in several key areas. The design of the seal between the top of the liners and the head/gasket places too much strain on the gasket and causes premature failure. Not helped by the metal of the liners expanding at a different rate to the surrounding block and head.

The second problem is that the standard of casting on these engines is crude, and varies dramatically. If you get a bad one it seems to pop gaskets until you give up and chuck it in a skip. Others are better. It's pot luck what you get.

The third problem is that the thermostat is placed on the return from the radiator rather than the outlet. A ludicrous design which relies on heat soak from the head side of the 'stat to "overcome" the cold water in the radiator before the thermostat opens. This holds the thermostat closed for too long, causing head temperatures to rise excessively. When the thermostat does eventually open, this (too) hot cylinder head is suddenly subjected to thermal shock from the cold radiator water hitting it. It's a comically bad design.

The thermostats have also been observed to "bounce" several times before they open. As soon as the cold water rushes through, it closes the 'stat again, causing head temperatures to rise again. Repeat two or three times for each engine warm up cycle. The only surprise of K-series head gaskets is that they last as long as they do.

Far better to get a later one with the bombproof Toyota engine. The company who designed the K-series went bust and if half its problems had been formally acknowledged, it would have probably taken a few of the smaller customer manufacturers with it. It's a dreadful engine and should be avoided like the plague.