Almost everything is uncomfortable in it. It is inconvenient to climb through a narrow opening and settle down somewhere below, as if you are loading into a hold; it’s uncomfortable to sit when a cramped saddle bites into you; uncomfortable to carry anything in the trunk the size of a glove box. And yet, I don’t feel like getting out of this car, not to mention returning the test car to the owners.
Behind the 111R index lies the most powerful modification of the Eliza. Modified 1.8-liter Toyota motor with valve lift control easily twists up to 8000 rpm, developing 192 hp In a rear-wheel drive car and weighing only 860 kg, this makes a lasting impression. But since we started with the minuses, we’ll rather deal with them.
This car does not find anything that does not rattle or itch, whether it be a gear lever, glass or aluminum panels in the passenger compartment. The faster you go, the louder the acoustic accompaniment. However, after 120 km / h the motor immediately behind the driver begins to roar so that it easily drowns out everything else.
Landing is a separate test. Whoever wants to provoke ridicule or constant mockery of himself, let him crawl into the Elise only once with a roof installed in front of his friends. First you need to fold like a penknife (if the stomach allows), stretch one leg forward above a high threshold, then carry the fifth point into a narrow opening, get into the driver’s seat cushion and finally pull the second leg folded in half, trying not to catch the door. And now, squeezed left and right, you are sitting inside, in a kind of tunnel, tapering towards the pedals. There is no look back, and the main element of comfort is the radio, which is still impossible to hear on the go. Air conditioning? Yes, there are a couple of silver buttons.
In the desire to get comfortable, the driver is limited. The shell enveloping your body moves only back and forth, however, in a rather large range. It is so narrow that slightly plump people will pay for long trips with bruises on their sides - do not ask about upholstery. Interior decoration? At today's “Eliza” she became a little better. But the handbrake lever still scrapes against the center tunnel. Clearances? Mostly normal, but not everywhere - any assembly robot for this would be written off to a landfill.
WORK MAKES RIDING PLEASANT
I think you understand: "Elise" is a disgrace on wheels! But what a wonderful thing … Finally, you notice that you are driving in a car again, and not just silently and smoothly sail past the surrounding landscape, as in an ordinary modern car. Here you can, here you need to work yourself.
The steering wheel, despite the power, makes you feel the way - he constantly communicates with the driver: here is the groove, here is a rough coating, now there are concrete slabs under you, and this is the marking of the edge of the road, be alert. The suspension is so stiff that over time it will teach you to go around any pack of cigarettes, not to mention the rough joints of the asphalt. But how it goes through turns! It feels as if you are riding a young stallion with indefatigable energy, who enjoys showing his strength again and again, rushing forward, vibrating and shaking. Press the gas, and the car seems to shoot. After 5.2 seconds, the speedometer needle slips the first hundred mark. What is the maximum speed? Very large - 241 km / h. But it’s impossible to ride the Lotus at such a speed! Because it is achievable only on a straight line, while the machine is designed for turns. This is rock and roll.
After a short, but warm acquaintance, you understand - this is a man’s car. At the first attempt to open the locks securing the roof, ladies' handles will be punished with broken nails. And in the “glove compartment”, which is located behind the engine and in other cars is called the trunk, you can not transport anything that is afraid of the heat and smell of engine oil. Loading platform height? God be with you, do not talk nonsense. Since they mostly hide a folded roof, the question of transporting frozen fruits, cans of soda or a fashionable handbag is purely theoretical.
