Lotus Shows off the 2016 Evora 400

2016 Lotus Evora 400 (Credit: © Lotus)

Last year, the only Lotus that one could legally buy for road use in America was the Evora. Unfortunately, the Evora failed to meet the latest in airbag requirements, so the brand was forced to shelve the model while it underwent updates. As we enter the 2016 model year, that redesigned model, now known as the Evora 400, has made its debut.

Starting on the outside, the 2015 Evora 400 carries a lot of new design features, but its look remains very similar to the last model. The headlights are very much the same, oversized units that were present before, but the front apron is all-new. Wide-open air inlets allow the car to breathe and give it a true supercar look. Around back, the rear fascia is more deeply sculpted, the rear wing stands out more, the taillights seem to set in a little more deeply than before, the bumper looks significantly broader, and the rear diffuser is better integrated into the bumper. The exterior changes are rather significant, despite not being completely revolutionary.

2016 Lotus Evora 400 (Credit: © Lotus)

As for the interior, the Evora underwent a series of changes in an attempt to make it a more useful everyday car. The first step was to lower the door sills by 56 mm and make them narrower by 43 mm, making ingress and egress a lot easier. The redesigned front seats are 3 kg lighter each, while the rear seats gain 280 mm in width and are also 3.4 kg lighter. Lotus also reworked the HVAC system for better airflow inside the cabin. Finally, as new lightweight forged-magnesium steering wheel and revised gauges grace the driver’s area.

Under the hood, Lotus has reworked the 3.5-liter V-6 engine to the tune of 400 horsepower and 302 pound-feet of torque – a 55-horsepower and 7-pound-feet gain over the last Evora. This bump is courtesy of a reworked supercharger, a new charge cooler, and revised engine management. A switchable exhaust allows the driver to choose peace and quiet or free-flowing exhaust noise.

2016 Lotus Evora 400 (Credit: © Lotus)

Between the reworked engine and the rear wheels is an updated manual transmission that features a revised clutch and low-inertia flywheel. The manual also come with a Toresen limited-slip diff. The auto transmission features a revised shift pattern.

The transmission and engine combine for a 0-to-60 time of just 4.1 seconds and a top speed of 185 mph – 0.3 seconds quicker and 7 mph faster than the last Evora S.

Lotus states that it will reveal pricing later, but it did mention that the Evora 400’s European launch will happen in August 2015 and its North American launch will happen in the fall of 2015.