Lotus has bitten the bullet and is set to offer an automatic gearbox in its Exige S track car
Lotus has announced that its Exige S sports car will be available with a six-speed automatic from January 2015.
The Lotus Exige S is admired by many for being one of the purest and most hardcore driving experiences around, yet the Norwich-based outfit has elected to fit its track weapon with six-speed paddleshift automatic at the start of next year.
Commanding a £2,000 premium over the standard £54,500 manual coupe (or £55,500 roadster), the Exige will be available with the same Toyota-sourced torque-converter ‘box from the Evora IPS coupe.
But Lotus claims the gearbox it has been tweaked specifically for the Exige. It now features two modes, Sport and Race, to give quicker and more responsive changes, and column mounted paddles for sharp overrides.
The firm also assures us that the 346bhp, 3.5-litre supercharged V6-powered Exige S is actually quicker than the manual. Not just in the 0-62mph sprint, where it shaves 0.1 seconds off, but around Lotus’ Hethel test track too. This is particularly impressive considering that this is not an advanced dual-clutch system, as is common in performance cars nowadays.
Lotus boss Jean-Marc Gales claims offering the Exige with an automatic will make the car ‘more accessible for customers worldwide’ than before, particularly for American markets where sales of autos are highest.
Do you think a car like the Exige needs an automatic gearbox? Let us know in the comments section below.
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