Test: Lotus Eletre S – Porsche’s nightmare (2024)

What is this?

Lotus of the future. Because the British brand that until recently built sports cars in the shed has been swallowed by the giant Geely, which also owns Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and smart. Geely brings the sports car brand to the very top of the rankings in one step. What Porsche is to the Volkswagen Group and Maserati to Stellantis, Lotus must be to Geely. And Eletre as the first weapon, a true electric charging SUV.

It looks good, but…

Indeed, “but”. Because if you know the history of Lotus, you know that the brand didn’t go through lightweight sports cars with less electronics than your 90s Tamagotchi. base, but the truth is worse. In recent years, Lotus has been in deep trouble and dealers have seen less interest year after year. Without selling cars, you cannot survive as a car brand. So something had to be done. That thing … became Geely.

China’s Geely, which now includes Volvo, Polestar, Lynk&Co, smart and Zeekr, joined Lotus and decided that the British brand must be a model for digitization and electrification. Now we hear all the alarm bells ringing. Because we wouldn’t ride in a space rocket built by a local lumberjack. However, if the lumberjack is supported by Space X…

Bombastic

What is the meaning of that? Lotus did not come up with this Eletre alone. No, Lotus was assisted in development by engineers from brands from the new family and was allowed to shop on the shelves of the larger Geely group. The result is a car that feels as Lotus as a box of blue Chimey, but tastes like that beer (#NoReclame).

Still, if you can see beyond the looks of this Eletre. Lotus’ first SUV is immediately bombastic. More than 5 meters of drama, nonsense, but also an eye for detail. Just look at the active air vents on the front that open and close in a diamond pattern. The rim is 20 inches from the base version and can grow to a size of up to 23 inches. Once again, at Lotus! What? do you want digital mirrors (inconvenient)? That is 3,030 euros. Is there a lot of carbon fiber in the body? 11,500 euros please! Would you like to combine the roof racks – only on the Eletre S – with the panoramic roof? It can’t. It’s a level of absurdity that wouldn’t be right for a Lamborghini.

Pleasant finish

If you can still debate the appearance of the Eletre, then there is not a bad word to say about the interior. The materials used are of the highest quality, the finish is of the highest quality and the whole thing looks elegant without looking dirty. We’re 300% sure that Porsche is currently sweating under their armpits because they still don’t have an electric Cayenne in their lineup. Because this Brit fills that void.

In addition to the narrow screen strip for the driver and passenger, the central 15.1-inch screen in particular wants to attract attention. That’s nothing new for gaming, but with a recent OTA update it can also play Android Auto and Apple Carplay wirelessly. Directions from Waze, for example, are displayed by tapping directly through the head-up display. Once again … IN LOTUS! Although the roof is strongly sloped, the occupants’ bedroom is preserved and its length of 5.1 meters still leaves you with 611 liters of trunk space. The 46 liter frunk is (almost) bigger than the entire Lotus Elise trunk!

Marketing conversation

The important question is indeed whether this Eletre can retain Lotus DNA. Well, Geely’s marketing department first had to work. Motto “ad speed, ad speed” was replaced by “For drivers”. So to the driver. The driver immediately gets 612 hp and 710 Nm of torque under his right foot in the Eletre and Eletre S. Only the Eletre R goes one step further with 918 hp (985 Nm).

Despite the great power, the Eletre S usually also drags 2.6 tons of itself. Which makes a run time of 4.5 seconds rather uneventful in an EV environment. That’s no faster than a Tesla Model 3 Long Range… and you see them on every street corner! First of all, this is a luxury EV with plenty of power and battery. However, throw something in Sport and you feel how the Eletetre prepares itself for better cornering performance. This is one of the sporter driving an electric SUV, although the statement that probably made Colin Chapman spin twice in his coffin.

Burden king

So don’t think that with this Eletre S you are buying a facelifted Elise S. And let’s be honest, luckily he isn’t either. Thanks to its large 109 kWh battery, it also presents itself as a long-distance grinder. At the extreme we saw a consumption of 27 kWh/100 km (so a distance of 400 km is still possible), but we also connected a consumption of 19.7 kWh/100 km on the board computer (= 553 km range) . On average we recorded a consumption of 22.7 kWh/100 km. Which equates to a good range of 480 km.

And we haven’t even talked about the party part of the Eletre: DC fast charging. Eletre has a maximum speed of not less than 350 kW DC. That is fast, very fast. Even after 60%, it still easily pulls 200 kW. Additionally, we have yet to test any EVs that charge as fast as the Eletre S. The Eletre is also a top-drawer 22 kW AC charger.

An unexpected angle

So this is the car they are undoubtedly sworn by within the Volkswagen Group. Because Audi, Porsche or Bentley? They have no response to this Eletre. Just like the rest of the automotive environment, really. Indeed, you have to get at least 98,690 euros and it is acceptable again, our test sample with its carbon fiber trim reached 167,300 euros. On the other hand, have you ever looked at a Mercedes EQS SUV or a BMW iX?

The only car that can pack a punch in terms of comfort, space and cargo comes from a completely unexpected source. Yes, we are talking about the Kia EV9. The world has gone mad ladies and gentlemen, absolutely mad…

Conclusion

Almost all premium brands that have an electric SUV in the pipeline are definitely feeling the pinch. Because there is a good chance that their latest flagship cannot match this Eletre. What? Should Lotus build a large electric SUV? That’s a whole different discussion. And for those who purify: at the same time there is also Emeya sedan and the brand still sells a sports car with a V6 or even – for the ultimate purist – a four-cylinder.