Driving test with the Lotus Eletre: “I am deeply impressed”

The Lotus brand has undergone a major metamorphosis since it was taken over by the Chinese Geely group. The Lotus Eletre is the first ‘new style’ from Lotus, and with that the electric SUV could well be a success.

In short: the Lotus car brand is currently more or less divided into two. At the old home location in Hethel, lightweight sports cars – with or without a combustion engine – will continue to be developed and built for as long as possible, while new locations in Germany and China are working on electric volume models in order to be competitive with established names such as Porsche, Audi and BMW. The first result is the Eletre: a 5.1 meter long and two meter wide electric SUV marketed in the Netherlands for just under 100,000 euros (although it can be significantly more expensive).

More than 900 hp in the Lotus Eletre R

Among other things, you get a 112 kWh battery with a WLTP range of 600 kilometers, which can be charged with outputs of up to 350 kW due to the 800 volt voltage. The Eletre is powered by a single electric motor on each axle, which together delivers 603 hp and 710 Nm on the Eletre and Eletre S.

The Eletre R has a more powerful motor on the rear axle with a total output of 905 hp and 985 Nm, which enables a sprint from 0 to 100 in less than three seconds. In order to bring the more than 2.5 tons of battery, electric motor and premium luxury Lotus-worthy around the corner, an option was invested in the development of air suspension plus adaptive dampers, with variable roll stabilization and all-wheel steering.

Better than the German premium brands?

Lotus isn’t exactly known for its high-end interior finishes and advanced infotainment features, but with the Lotus Eletre, big strides have been made in those areas. The quality experience is in all respects at the level of German premiums and maybe even one step above. The 29-inch infotainment screen is undoubtedly miles ahead of the others in terms of functionality, resolution and computing speed. That’s just what buyers of these types of cars in all parts of the world want. We were recently able to find out in the Oslo area whether the Eletre makes as much of an impression in reality as it does on paper. See in the video whether the established premium brands really need to worry or not.