Pity the wind because it approaches the 2024 Lotus Eletre. From distant, it should be gleeful, recognizing what seems to be a big SUV, good for settling down in opposition to in a pleasant enjoyable whirl. However there will likely be no relaxation for our molecules. As an alternative, they will discover themselves sped up and rushed by way of in orderly strains, bullied by way of tunnels and tucked intently in opposition to the stomach and sides of the Eletre, left breathless in its barely disturbed wake. It is a tough day for a would-be vortex when Lotus makes a slippery SUV.

The Eletre has a mission in addition to sustaining a drag coefficient of 0.26. Lotus needed to get a day job, and the Eletre is it. For the previous 70-plus years, Lotus has been noodling round in Norfolk, England, constructing the type of vehicles whose simplicity and purity are admired by many and bought by few. An enormous gross sales yr for Lotus would see possibly 4000 vehicles depart its manufacturing unit. Most years noticed fewer than 1500. All this was high quality as a result of a Lotus was artwork, made by a small group of devoted craftspeople, content material merely to maintain the lights on and the vehicles gentle.

Geely Group bought a controlling stake in Lotus in 2017, and the Chinese language conglomerate needs to make the model a recognizable title outdoors of those that can quote Colin Chapman. With an bold purpose of promoting 100,000 vehicles a yr by 2028—word that it took 70 years for Lotus to make its first 100,000 vehicles—Geely wants Lotus to supply greater than sports activities vehicles for twisty roads. The answer, because it appears to be for thus many sports-car manufacturers, is a efficiency SUV. Lotus barrels into this section with a two-motor, all-wheel-drive four-door that feels half Evija—electrical, quick, Swiss-cheesed with aero from entrance to rear—and half Europa—fat-backed and prone to encourage heated design discussions.

The primary Lotus SUV

There’s lots to speak about. The Eletre is a giant machine, a pair inches shorter than a Lamborghini Urus, or, in the event you want a extra prosaic baseline, about the identical size as a Honda Pilot. In contrast to a slab-sided Honda, the Eletre is a posh panorama of rises and gullies, its sides sucked in prefer it had buccal fats removing, its bodywork cut up with pass-throughs like a midcentury kitchen.

With out many locations for the air to bunch up and trigger a ruckus, the very first thing we seen in our Photo voltaic Yellow Eletre S was how quiet the cabin was, even by EV requirements. There is no piped-in artificial whirring, and the automobile’s energetic road-noise cancellation works so properly in live performance with the strictly managed airflow that you would be able to hear the susurrations of your arm in opposition to the assorted faux-suede-covered surfaces within the Eletre’s well-padded inside. The one different noise throughout our drive is the occasional click on and buzz of the energetic rear spoiler because it adjusts between its 4 settings, tucking away at low pace and totally deploying underneath onerous braking.

The Eletre affords three trim ranges, all with two motors and an 109.0-kWh lithium-ion battery pack able to charging at as much as 350 kilowatts and providing an estimated vary that, as soon as the EPA slaps their label on it, must be round 260 miles for probably the most potent variant and 315 miles for probably the most civilized trim. Even the bottom Eletre comes commonplace with adaptive air springs, 22-inch wheels, four-zone local weather management, a head-up show, and wi-fi telephone mirroring. The Eletre S provides within the efficient—if noisy—energetic rear wing, soft-close doorways, ambient lighting, and a really spectacular 23-speaker audio system. Flip that factor up and you may simply drown out the spoiler. Each the bottom automobile and the S use the identical permanent-magnet electrical motors making a mixed 603 horsepower and 523 pound-feet of torque. If that is not zippy sufficient, there’s the Eletre R, with a extra highly effective rear motor that bumps up the entire pony rely to 905 and provides a two-speed transmission (just like the Porsche Taycan and Audi e-tron GT) for an environment friendly mixture of launch efficiency and vary at excessive pace. The R additionally will get a Observe mode that minimizes the soundness management’s interference and ramps up accelerator response.

Driving the Eletre

With reference to accelerator response, we won’t precisely name the Eletre S sluggish, however we have been stunned on the laid-back strategy it took to off-the-line acceleration. From a roll, it would stretch your jowls to your ears, however a stoplight begin comes with a noticeable pause earlier than the Eletre units its Lotus-spec Pirelli P Zero PZ4 Elects in movement. Lotus says the relaxed begin is on function, because the proposed viewers for the Eletre S is likely to be getting into the electric-vehicle house for the primary time and would favor a extra civilized begin. For the feral amongst us, the Eletre R twitches and wriggles underneath energy like a preventing trout, even with stability management on. Like Goldilocks, we would want one thing within the center.

When not tasked with trying jack-rabbit begins, the Eletre S rides clean as custard, due to light-weight aluminum suspension parts, electronically managed dampers, and the air springs. We by no means caught the automobile out with a bump or a pothole, and even an surprising cattle guard could not unsettle it. The Eletre is Lotus’s first enterprise into electrically assisted energy steering, and right here we discover the electrons much less favorable. The steering is fast and straightforward to dial in however heavier than crucial and quick on suggestions, diminishing the sense of connection.

Heavier than crucial additionally describes the Eletre’s really feel in corners. The Lotus rotates like a barrel racer, however even Lotus’s coaching cannot conceal that it is extra Clydesdale than quarter horse. The Eletre’s roughly 5500 kilos make themselves identified in sharp turns and underneath braking, when even the entrance Brembo six-piston brake calipers clamping aluminum hats and iron-faced rotors require a strong push of the pedal to convey issues to a halt—and that is with the brake regen cranked as much as max.

The Eletre’s inside

The positives of a giant Lotus are discovered within the Eletre’s top-shelf inside. Each touchable floor is sueded or knurled, with refined pops of coloration and bronzed-metal finishes. The seats are plush but supportive within the entrance, and the rear seat affords limo ranges of legroom. Each the bench and the rear sport buckets are padded sufficient that calling shotgun will likely be a sport of the previous. Particulars just like the metallic mesh speaker grilles and pop-flush cupholders provide visible rewards from the second you open the door. The long-term knowledge of protecting these cupholders in suede is one other story, however that is an issue for after the spill.

For those who’ve ever been in a Lotus Evora with its minuscule 7.0-inch infotainment display, it’s possible you’ll be greatly surprised by the Eletre’s huge, shiny interface. The driving force faces a 12.6-inch digital instrument cluster with a head-up show that was not customizable in our check vehicles, however Lotus says will turn into tweakable by way of a later over-the-air replace, if not at supply. The middle touchscreen affords 15.1 inches of crystal-clear graphics, and even the passenger will get a slim strip of touch-sensitive show that permits management of the radio. Bodily controls for media are on the steering wheel, and a few local weather controls have bodily switches—pretty, textured toggles. Different controls, together with for the air vents and the driver-aid settings, can solely be accessed by way of the display, however we discovered that almost all have been inside one or two faucets of the principle menu.

A number of of the Eletre’s flashier tech options—like the fragile cameras changing the side-view mirrors and the adaptive LED headlights—will not be obtainable within the U.S. Others, just like the deployable lidar, are makes an attempt to get forward of attainable upcoming expertise. Ought to extra closely automated driving turn into a actuality, Lotus needs to have the {hardware} prepared for an over-the-air software program replace.

The Eletre is modern and impressive, however it struggles to seek out the center floor between the expectations of a Lotus shopper and people of a luxury-SUV buyer. One needs a car to be uncooked, nimble, and linked; the opposite needs one thing snug, properly optioned, and stylish. Whereas it tries to straddle each lanes, the Eletre pulls onerous to the SUV aspect. It nails snug, properly optioned, and stylish. It is also quick and supple, however even Lotus hasn’t found out make an EV really feel gentle and easy simply but.

Senior Editor, Options

Like a sleeper agent activated late within the sport, Elana Scherr didn’t know her calling at a younger age. Like many ladies, she deliberate to be a vet-astronaut-artist, and got here closest to that final one by attending UCLA artwork faculty. She painted photos of vehicles, however didn’t personal one. Elana reluctantly acquired a driver’s license at age 21 and found that she not solely liked vehicles and needed to drive them, however that different folks liked vehicles and needed to examine them, which meant any individual needed to write about them. Since receiving activation codes, Elana has written for quite a few automobile magazines and web sites, protecting classics, automobile tradition, expertise, motorsports, and new-car critiques.