The Lotus Exige 2009 2010 is a two-seat mid-engine coupe that shares mechanical components with the Elise and was added to the U.S. lineup for 2006. For 2007, Lotus added the Exige S to the U.S. lineup, powered by a powered by a supercharged, intercooled version of the 1.8-liter engine used in the standard Exige to produce 220 horsepower and 165 lb-ft of torque. For 2008 the normally-aspirated Exige was dropped and the S 240 was added. Distinguished from the Exige S by the air intake on the roof that extends to the top of the windshield, the Exige S 240 boasts 240 horsepower, is capable of accelerating from zero to 60 mph in just 4 seconds and reaches 100 mph in just under 10 seconds.According to Lotus, the 240 accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.0 seconds and from 0 to 100 mph in 9.9 seconds, claims bolstered by our own informal stopwatch sessions. It does this with a Toyota powertrain—a 240-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine and a six-speed manual transmission.
The Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, according to our own testing, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and from 0 to 100 mph in 10.8 seconds. It does this with a 518-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 with a seven-speed automatic transmission.
So the Mercedes, with well more than double the horsepower of the Lotus, is slower. How is this possible? The scales tell the story: The Mercedes weighs a portly 4910 pounds. The light-on-its-feet Lotus weighs a claimed 2100 pounds. The Mercedes has more than twice the horsepower but carries more than twice the weight. This, of course, points up an added benefit for the Lotus: an EPA-rated 23 mpg in the city compared with 11 mpg for the Mercedes.
The Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, according to our own testing, accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds and from 0 to 100 mph in 10.8 seconds. It does this with a 518-hp, 6.2-liter V-8 with a seven-speed automatic transmission.
So the Mercedes, with well more than double the horsepower of the Lotus, is slower. How is this possible? The scales tell the story: The Mercedes weighs a portly 4910 pounds. The light-on-its-feet Lotus weighs a claimed 2100 pounds. The Mercedes has more than twice the horsepower but carries more than twice the weight. This, of course, points up an added benefit for the Lotus: an EPA-rated 23 mpg in the city compared with 11 mpg for the Mercedes.
