LOTUS EUROPA 3dr (2008)

The Lotus Europa - a step backwards for Lotus,

The Europa is Lotus' quite desperate attempt at some sort of brand consolidation - unfortunately Lotus don't seem to know which direction they are travelling here and have got a little muddled. I owned one of these for a while but I ended up selling it on pretty quick as to be frank it is flawed in a number of important ways.

Whilst being bigger than the Elise, the Europa really should have gone all the way and just been even bigger. It really is far too cosy inside, still, and yet the expansion of space could easily have been extended a few inches to create a much more comfortable experience. The interiors are frankly tacky and well below what you would expect from a car of this calibre. It's this attention to detail that disappointed me.

That having been said, Lotus do not appear to have compromised on the performance and the Europa have created something with really sustainable speed and power, highly suitable for rally-style driving. Overall though I would say it's a step in the wrong direction for a great car manufacturer.