Personal Comparisons to Elise
 

I just wanted to introduce myself. I have owned a 2005 Lotus Elise for over 6 years and I have found myself driving it less and less in recent years. This is due in part to moving further from the mountains and in part to the complete lack of comfort and practicality. I love the steering and handling dynamics of the Elise, but recently I have been thinking I might enjoy a car that gives up a little bit of handling in favor of overall practicality and comfort. I am hoping to get some input from those who have spent significant seat time in both cars. I have already watched the Everyday Driver review on Youtube and it seemed to confirm my thoughts. I have not driven an FR-S or BRZ yet, but I am not sure a test drive will allow me to experience how the car will feel in comparison to my Elise when I am running it up one of my favorite mountain roads.

Any input is greatly appreciated!

The driving experience you get from the FRS/BRZ is phenomenal and very comfortable.

Compared to the Elise, seating style is a couple inches higher and visibility is a bit more giving you a bit more confidence. Easier to get in and out of, i'm 6 feet, in the fr-s it's in between a Boxer and an Elise.

Driving: a bit slower of the line, leans a little more and the tail is happier than the Elise. First thing you will notice is the steering and throttle response. Braking is too far apart but not to shabby.

Would I buy it after driving an Elise; YES, for daily use.

Keep the Elise for weekend or mountain driving, I am looking for an Exige S for mine.

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iv only had very limited time in an Elise and the FRS comes pretty close in steering response. When i first drove an FRS, the first thing that popped in my mind was elise months before that Everyday Driver Review.

Of course when I discussed this with others especially online, they immediately tried to disprove my finds and opinions saying there is no way a 2800lbs underpowered subaru with McPherson struts can compare to a Lotus with multilink, lighter chassy, and more power.

but hey at least later on I wasn't the only one who had the same thoughts I did. The FRS is a fantastic platform and was engineered to speak to the driver, it does it very well. To the point where im starting to compare how the FRS makes me feel as a driver, to cars in the higher price range.

The FRS is not a replacement to the Elise, the FRS is a compliment to what the Elise does best.

Thanks for the input. I can definitely see how the FRS would be a nice compliment to the Elise, and I probably would end up commuting with it much more often than the Elise. The reason I am considering the FRS as a replacement is I barely drive the Elise as it is. I have only put 1200 miles on it so far this year.

I'd trade in the elise and get an FR-S AND A BRZ, lol! I sometimes envy the throaty sirloin exhaust note of the mustang gt and the new camaro I see from time to time, but all in all I didn't buy this car to blend in, or handle like a bread truck. This is a drivers car, and probably the best compromise moving from a lotus down. Its supercar design for a econocar budget.

I owned an Elise and sold it after 2 years. At the time I also owned my NSX. I sold the Elise because it was just too difficult to use as a semi-daily driver. The BRZ fills that spot perfectly. Driving dynamics and feel are very close to the Elise. Think of BRZ / FR-S as an Elise coupe.

-J

Especially given that you're moving further away from the mountains, which I interpret to mean far fewer opportunities to use the Elise for what it excels at, it seems that an 86 would be a good choice. You'll give up a little bit of that closest-thing-to-a-go-kart in exchange for being able to use the car far more often. People are even talking about how great it is for road trips. I'm in a similar situation. I've never owned an Elise, but I've driven one (and wanted to own one). I currently own a BMW M Roadster which like your Elise doesn't get driven nearly enough, although it is several notches more practical. I'm planning on selling it soon and getting an 86.

I got rid of my Elise and Exige when I started running out of jeans. If you look at every pair I have, the left back pocket is ripped from getting caught on the door hinge when falling in. :paddle:

http://i619.photobucket.com/albums/t...pse6aed348.jpg

But honestly, the first thing I thought when getting into the FR-S was that it felt very 'Elise' like. The supercharger on the Exige S made it an entirely different animal.

The OP's 2005 Elise makes 189hp. More straight line speed because it weighs almost 1000lbs less, but not more powerful.

A used 2005 Elise can be found right around the same price as a new FR-S/BRZ (just one of them).

Yeah, that's pretty much what I am looking at right now. It's almost a 1:1 to go from my 2005 Elise with 50k on it to a new FR-S or BRZ.

Just some background.. I currently own a modified NSX. It's been lightened, supercharged, with aggressive suspension, and a racing seat. It's probably similar to your Elise in many ways pertinent to this conversation. My 6AT BRZ is certainly no replacement for my NSX.

My friend recently asked me why do I still have both? I mentioned to him that the BRZ is like your everyday morning coffee while my NSX is like the shot of cocaine you need once a month. I also bought my BRZ with an automatic (which I love very much) so there is little overlap.

Just something to think about... As good as the Toyobaru is, I have a feeling you will miss the Elise. I suppose you can get a 6MT and go FI. That setup may fill the void some.

I haven't owned or driven an Elise, but for what it's worth I bought my FRS because it was the closest thing to an Elise I could afford. The Elise is my dream car. Daily driving one for at least a year is on my bucket list for sure.

Tell you what, I'll trade cars with you straight up. :) 2200 miles on my MT Firestorm FRS.

Need to factor the cost of parts--the headlights for example are a couple thousand dollars. Maintenance is expensive, even for routine stuff (because of the packaging you need to take the back end off).

So even with the same purchase price, the Elise is much more expensive.

The FR-S isn't anything like the Elise, for better and for worse. Can't compare the steering feel of the non-power steering Elise and the FR-S (I think the FR-S is a bit numb). The engine isn't that quick in the Elise at 170hp, but it feels quick because of the lightness and how low you are in the ground. The FR-S has a deadspot in power in the midrange.

The Elise though is intolerable for long rides. Not daily driveable like the FR-S.