LOTUS EVORA 3.5 V6 2dr (2009)

The Lotus Evora - a more grown-up Elise.

I had been waiting for the Lotus Evora for a long time and I must say that it has been worth the wait. The Elise was, for me, the greatest car in the history of motoring. It changed a lot of the rules of car-building and set a benchmark for supercars which has not yet been met by any other manufacturer. In my opinion, the Evora comes close to meeting it, but doesn't change the world of motoring in quite the same way. But wow, it's a fantastic vehicle.

The engine comes from Toyota, and it's really quite a piece of work. It puts out 276bhp and can take the Evora up to 60mph in under 5 seconds. The most surprising thing about the Evora is the low co2 emissions, at 205g/km, and half-decent fuel efficiency. Driving around urban environments I have reached 25mpg, and on more open road I can get over 30mpg.

You can fit children in the back if you like (I haven't got any to put in there), which is surprising because it looks very compact from the outside. The car doesn't quite match other Lotus models in terms of pure groundbreaking performance but it offers a more complete (dare I say, 'practical') driving experience.