MotorMouths

Lotus has patented a kind of easy, predictable balance and directness so even average drivers walk away from the Evora feeling like Mario Andretti. At $73,500, what you have here is the everyman’s Ferrari.

The Evora looks fabulous, it’s a quantum leap up in Lotus refinement and driveability, yet it retains the feathery, purebred feel of its feisty two-seat siblings.

Other than a few low-rent interior items,we think that Lotus, overall, has nailed it. The Evora’s dazzling driver feedback easily won over our one-track mind.

I present to you perhaps the most fun available on four wheels: The 2010 Lotus Evora. No, not fun. Joy. Inexpressible, diamond-showering, running-naked-through-a-field-of-virgins ecstasy. Handling perfection. I am going to buy one.

According to Lotus, the Evora will get to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds and 100 mph in 12.3. It’ll top out at 162 mph. My only complaint? I wish the Toyota engine sounded better.

Lotus seems as if it’s ready to break out of its niche as a maker of hobby cars to become a mainstream manufacturer. You can actually live with an Evora every day.

The Lotus Evora is a driver’s sports car, yet will still be kind enough on your kidneys. If you are looking for a sub-$100k sports car with exotic appeal, a comfortable ride and a mean sporty side, the Evora should be on your short list.

The Brits have always had a way of making others nervous when they put together a solid sports car – and the Evora is it. The new Lotus offers unmatched performance, style and originality with a few typically British quirks for $73,500.

This kinder, gentler 2010 Lotus Evora is perfectly suited to drivers who seek excitement in all-out cornering performance but were previously turned off by the many sacrifices demanded by its Elise and Exige stablemates.

With only around 640 destined yearly for the U.S., common will not be an Evora descriptor. Rather, one common depiction could be piloting the Lotus to the track, hot lapping for a full day of therapy, and then unwinding with a leisurely spin home. Everyday? Just about.

The Lotus Evora doesn’t attain the levels of luxury of some of the most obvious competition, but its pure handling and its exclusivity — not to mention young women actually jumping up and down and waving at you as you drive by — should ensure Evora’s success.

The 2011 Lotus Evora combines 160mph performance and sub-5.0 sec 0-60mph acceleration with estimated 30mpg real-world fuel consumption.