Short Take Road Test
After a short spin in the Lotus Exige S 260 Sport at this year’s 10Best trials, our editor-in-chief said driving it was like cheating death. He required a post-drive smoke to cool off.
With all Lotus cars, heart-pounding thrills come by way of lightness. The S 260 goes the full monty, shedding weight by using carbon fiber wherever feasible. The total weight savings add up to 60 pounds less than an Exige S, or 2000 at the curb.
The supercharged, 1.8-liter Toyota four-cylinder makes 17 more horsepower than the step-down S 240 model by way of engine-software adjustments. But two trips to the track left the $76,120 S 260 ($9305 more than the S 240) limping home. On the third attempt, the best 0-to-60 time we could produce was a disappointing 4.3 seconds. We’ve hit that mark 0.2 second sooner in the heavier, 220-hp S. Also, we had an S 260 at our recent Lightning Lap event, where it failed to navigate Virginia International Raceway’s 4.1-mile Grand Course any quicker than the 220-hp Exige S did in 2007.
The S 260 comes standard with all the track-focused options: a limited-slip differential, adjustable dampers, even launch control. Still, the narrowest of test drivers thought the “upgraded” carbon-fiber-framed seats were too pinchy. The ProBax seats in the standard Exige keep your body in place with an unexpected amount of comfort, further encouraging a base-model purchase. And remember, all this stuff made the Exige S 260 no quicker on one of America’s premier racetracks.
However, no Exige pinches on the fun-to-drive factor. With Victorinox-sharp turn-in, the unquantifiable extra horsepower slips from mind on an entertaining road because maximizing lateral acceleration (1.01 g on the skidpad) becomes the major concern. The brake-pedal pressure loads up as it would in a car without power assist, adding to the unprocessed delights.
Few cars deliver the unabridged driving entertainment that this Lotus does. Unfortunately, most of those other “few” are also made by Lotus, and they are only slightly more comfortable and less expensive. So why would one pay more for the presumably better S 260? Beats us. Maybe they like the number 260?
