When Lotus first unveiled the Emira in 2021, a resurgence of England’s quintessential lightweight sports car manufacturer under the Geely conglomerate’s new ownership seemed all but certain. An impeccable design, modern and attractive from every angle, rode on the next evolution of the outgoing Evora’s bonded aluminum chassis. Inside, crisp and contemporary lines throughout included a pair of thoughtfully sized gauge and infotainment screens – and critically, a dedicated two-seater layout offering more room both length- and width-wise.
The Evora’s supercharged 3.5-liter V6 carried over, too, but Lotus also sourced a turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four from Mercedes-AMG that came mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch transmission. Especially when optioned with the Sport chassis, versus a softer Tour setup also available, this powertrain effectively transformed the Emira into a legitimate mini-supercar. Pandemic woes then haunted Lotus, however, leading to Emira deliveries in the United States facing heavy delays.
When the production cars finally arrived, this wonderfully lightweight sports car seemed a bit underbaked. Now, after a few more years in the Hethel oven, the Emira receives a host of significant upgrades for model year 2026 that include revised suspension tuning, improvements to the dual-clutch gearbox, a thoroughly modern ADAS suite, and a new Racing Line trim package. The changes apply best to the AMG-powered Emira Turbo, so I happily took a loaner in Los Angeles to test whether this underdog can now truly step up into a title fight against an established opponent on the way out of production: Porsche’s canceled 718 Cayman.
Model year 2026 makes the Emira lineup a bit more confusing because the SE nomenclature that debuted last year continues on, as well. So, other than paint color and upholstery spec, the choices for an Emira buyer include whether to spec the supercharged V6 SE with either a six-speed manual or torque-converter automatic, versus the Turbo with that eight-speed auto in SE spec (400 hp) or non-SE base (360 hp). Then, a selection between the Sport and Tour chassis.
Hence why my loaner’s window sticker stretches out to a hilariously long title “2026 Lotus Emira Turbo SE Racing Line.” The Racing Line package available on all models might sound more hardcore, but unfortunately winds up as more of an appearance package that adds badging, colored brake calipers, and yellow pinstriping – all somewhat reminiscent of, but not quite as extensive as, the limited-production Clark Edition that celebrates 60 years since driver Jim Clark drove a Lotus Type 38 to win at the 1965 Indianapolis 500.
My Emira arrived in a brighter green (Eos Green, technically) over a full Alcantara interior.
A more restrained British Racing or forest metallic might look better, but I can still
remember the first time laying eyes on an Emira in the flesh – and it’s still easy to argue
that this might be the single best-looking car on the market today from any
manufacturer.
More importantly, especially for a Lotus, even the first time driving this 2026 Emira around the block revealed how much of a difference the model year updates made. The DCT gearbox functions better in all scenarios thanks to a full recalibration. Gone is the low-speed shuddering, gone the gearshift indecision at half throttle. And no more abrupt, clunky shifts that upset the chassis while driving hard – again, critical because despite pumping out 400 ponies, the Emira remains all about driving dynamics at all times.
The revised suspension tuning also stood out immediately, but any Lotus deserves time to shine on a tight canyon road, so I quickly headed up to my favorite stomping grounds in Malibu. After fires and rainstorms that led to mudslides, the roughed-up asphalt provided an excellent opportunity to suss out the new Emira’s baseline characteristics. And because Lotus decided against slamming the Emira to the ground, bumps and cracks never presented a challenge, instead allowing for easy exploration of the chassis’s communication.
The Emira still leans onto the tires, squatting and diving with a telepathic ability to convey tire grip to the driver in the seat and each hand on the steering wheel. Slightly more float and cushion in the mid-range of shock damper travel allows for a bit more body roll, steadily loading up the tires as weight transfer enables more traction.
Fingertips on the steering wheel, eyes up in the bright morning sun, I feathered in more and more speed, blipping up and down through the gears while trying to play with the inescapable whine of turbo boost building.
The exhaust never overwhelms the cockpit, even with the valving opened up in Sport or Track modes. And letting off the throttle then produced a flutter of wastegate blowoff, seemingly right behind my left ear. The soundtrack becomes eerily reminiscent of a Maserati MC20, since an inline-four and V6 never quite sound great in the modern era of corked-up emissions equipment. So much so that I wound up short shifting regularly, just to hear and feel the turbo spool up through the revs rather than trying to unleash peak power by shifting more frequently.
The only peculiar aspect of the 2026 revision started to rear up once I fell back into the Emira’s flow state. Namely, that the Racing Line trim swaps on Goodyear Eagle F1 tires despite the previous Sport chassis that I tested coming with grippier Michelin Cup 2 rubber as part of the Driver’s Pack. Cup 2s can come as an extra-cost option, but this unexpected decision from Lotus shaves off the final few decimal points of outright performance, especially when cornering. On a somewhat dusty day and cold morning, I “only” managed to hit 1.5 g of lateral load with the new setup. And the chatter of ABS tended to activate slightly earlier, too.
Few other sports or supercars on the planet can corner at anywhere near 1.5 g. But the falloff against my previous best in an Emira on the same roads, other than tire choice, also likely comes down to the old suspension setup lacking a final few percent of Lotus magic. With less mechanical perfection to rely upon, Lotus then compensated with an aggressive alignment to unlock those hardcore cornering capabilities of the Cup 2 tires.
As a result, in the earlier Turbo with the Sport chassis and Cup 2s, I managed as high as 1.7 g – the best of any road car I’ve ever driven. However, that alignment caused darty behavior while driving anywhere short of the absolute limit, harnessing the constant interplay between oversteer, understeer, and slip angles that the Emira’s mid- engineered layout allows.
But for most, driving on anything other than the smoothest asphalt, constant tram-lining on cracks in the road, and an unsettled nature while driving at any speed somewhat dulled the fun. With the new-for-2026 suspension setup, Lotus clearly decided to calm the chassis down – even for the Sport – by increasing front rebound while reducing the rear end’s high-speed damping and bump travel. Doing so noticeably improves 99% of driving.
This falls in line more and makes better sense when comparing the Emira to Porsche’s most apt competitor, the 718 Cayman GTS 4.0. Similarly priced at just under $100,00 to start, the Emira originally attempted to compete against the Cayman GT4’s more aggressive dynamic – the GTS 4.0, despite lacking the finest razor edge, actually provided a more enjoyable drive for the majority of daily life. Now, the Emira vaults up to a new level of all-around-ness, despite, of course, lacking the intoxicating 8,000-rpm redline and the crisp response of a naturally aspirated flat-six engine.
And Lotus still could have spent a bit more time ironing out the kinks, too. Now that the DCT runs so much more smoothly, the brakes became a bit of a challenge to modulate at low speeds. I suspect the brake booster system needs some attention to compensate for the gearbox’s improved action, because the initial half or three-quarters of an inch of pedal travel creates minimal bite until the pads suddenly chomp down and bring the Emira to a very sudden stop. Modulating this input requires conscious thought and a delicate toe, and will inevitably lead to some neck-snapping moments.
Then again, maybe as the first loan out with under 200 miles on the odometer, this car needed a brake bleed or to have the pads bedded in. I certainly tried my utmost to get the latter done in Malibu, and the unfortunate tendency toward lurchy stops did seem to improve by a slim margin. The braking comes across as more of a bummer because otherwise, with the new suspension tuning and alignment, I relaxed far more quickly in the new Emira, even driving with one hand on the flat-bottom steering wheel a fair amount of the time.
Previously, the touchy steering required utmost attention, so luckily, the inclusion of European-mandated driver aid systems makes a bit more sense here. I used adaptive cruise and let the lane keep assist hold my lines more often, because I now enjoyed taking the Emira out for errands or to run around town hunting for restaurants.
Of course, a quick widget on the touchscreen to easily turn off the nannies would help, or even a physical button as Aston Martin puts right on the center console to replace an enforced dive into extensive menu options. But such a stark shift toward a more comfortable mindset, rather than relegating the Lotus to weekend runs only, should, if anything, only further bolster the appeal.
Of course, even with the improvements, I struggle to make the case for selecting the
Turbo (in SE or non-SE output) with the DCT. Maybe with a mild ECU tune and an
aftermarket exhaust, the AMG powerplant might hit new high notes – as is, the fact that
Mercedes won’t sell Lotus a manual connected to that engine, which borders on corporate sabotage.
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The supercharged V6 linked to the six-speed manual simply fits into the Lotus ethos better, and apparently, improved shifter action for the manual arrived this year, too, though I never minded the original as much as some of my colleagues. Regardless, plenty of aftermarket kits, including the single best gearshifter I’ve ever laid hand to, developed by InoKinetic here in SoCal, can work over the exposed linkages quite easily.
As for the Racing Line, I also vote for following Lotus founder Colin Chapman’s maxim to “Simplify, then add lightness” by skipping out on anything unnecessary while speccing an Emira. The Racing Line does neither, and most surprisingly does not include carbon-fiber buckets. My 12-way electronically adjustable seats might weigh a fair amount more, and they’re just bolstered enough for spirited drives yet pleasant enough for everyday life.
At six-foot-one with long limbs, I spent my time still shocked by how much the Emiria’s spaciousness and modern design perfectly match the rest of the 2026 updates, all of which combine to make this Lotus even more appealing for the everyday driver and canyon carver alike.
Images: Michael Van Runkle
