The 2025 Lotus Emira V6 is a highly anticipated mid-engine sports car that promises to deliver exceptional performance at an affordable price.
With its 400 horsepower supercharged V6 engine, the Lotus Emira is poised to take on the likes of Porsche and other established players in the supercar market.
In this video, I take a closer look at the Lotus Emira V6 and explore whether it lives up to its promise of being the best mid-engine sports car for the money.
With its unique blend of style, speed, and affordability, the Lotus Emira V6 is sure to appeal to anyone who loves cars and driving.
Whether you’re a car enthusiast, a fan of Lotus performance, or simply considering purchasing an affordable supercar, this video is for you!
Also check out Drive Culture on YouTube. Drive Culture is detailed car review YouTube channel hosted by the ultimate car enthusiast, Jonathon Rivers.
Who is Jonathon Rivers?
Well, he’s a +15 year Auto Industry veteran, born and raised in the Motor City!
He lived several years in Japan, speaks & reads Japanese, and now works for American Honda Motor. (Although this channel is his own & not affiliated)
He’s owned several fun cars including a Evo IV, multiple Civic Si, Focus RS, and most recently the Integra Type S (which he lead planning for Acura)!
He’s also been lucky enough to drive just about every key new product in the market from compact cars, to SUVs, EVs and super cars!
If that isn’t enough to prove his “car guy” status, Jonathon has also been featured in Motor Trend, Car and Driver, AutoBlog, Jay Leno’s Garage, Raiti’s Rides and the SavageGeese channels! He’s on Instagram here and Facebook here.
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A transcript, cleaned up by AI and edited by a staffer, is below.
[Image: YouTube Screenshot]
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Transcript:
Welcome to Drive Culture. I’m Jonathan Rivers, and today I have a 2025 Lotus Emira. I’m going to explain why this is one of the best sports cars on the market. We’ll cover the exterior, interior, and powertrain, though we won’t be driving this one because it’s for sale at the Vegas Auto Gallery in Las Vegas. I’ll link the dealership in the description, and if you want to see or buy the car, reach out to the head of sales and development, Anuke Patel. If you’re new to the channel, hit the bell and subscribe.
This is the first Lotus I’ve featured on Drive Culture, and it’s a special one. The spec, the color combination, and the rarity of this powertrain all play a part. It’s one of the best Lotuses you can buy. Lotus has a long history of lightweight sports cars—cars like the Elise and Exige—but the Emira feels like the brand’s most complete vehicle to date in craftsmanship, quality, and design.
Pricing for the Emira starts at $106,900. With the options on this car and destination charges, this one comes to $118,600. It isn’t inexpensive, but it looks like a Ferrari or Lamborghini at roughly a third of the price. Performance is on a different level, but it has one key feature most exotic cars don’t, which we’ll get to when we discuss the powertrain.
The exterior color is Nimbus Gray, a $1,200 option. It’s a blend of gray, gold, and silver that shifts in the light. We’ll get to the interior color shortly, but first, here’s a full exterior walkaround.
You don’t see many Emiras on the road. Even in Los Angeles, they’re rare, so this car will stand out. The Emira represents a new direction for Lotus. It’s still a compact, mid-engine, lightweight sports car, but it has more presence than past models like the Elise or Exige. It competes more directly with something like the Porsche Cayman.
The Nimbus Gray paint looks great in the sun, shifting between gold, silver, and gray. The hood vents are functional, staying true to Lotus’s focus on lightweight performance. The front end features the blacked-out Lotus badge, sharp LED headlights with “Emira” etched inside, functional venting, and a lower black lip spoiler.
From the side, the Emira looks especially exotic. The surfacing and aerodynamic elements are both stylistic and functional. It rides on 20-inch wheels: 245/35 ZR20 Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires up front and very wide 295/30 ZR20 Cup 2s in the rear. Behind them is a strong brake package with two-piece cross-drilled and slotted rotors and large silver Lotus-branded calipers front and rear.
The car has aerodynamic side mirrors with LED turn signals, gloss-black side sills, pop-out door handles, and large functional side intakes feeding the mid-engine layout. There’s a badge on the side that reads “Emira V6,” hinting at the engine we’ll discuss shortly.
At the rear, the car looks wide and exotic. “LOTUS” is spelled out across the back in black lettering against the Nimbus paint. The LED taillights have a distinct shape. The rear diffuser is aggressive, and the titanium-finish exhaust tips sit prominently at the center. You also get rear parking sensors and large openings that expose the tires. The V6 engine is visible through the rear glass, displayed with Lotus branding.
That covers the exterior. Now let’s step inside.
The interior of the Lotus Emira feels premium, especially compared with past Lotus models, which were extremely minimalist. This car retains the low, focused sports-car feel but elevates the materials and design.
Visibility is good out front and to the sides, and you can also see a bit of the engine through the rear window. The dashboard features clean design, quality stitching, and a badge that again reads “Emira V6.” The interior is two-tone black and tan, with a coffee-colored brown leather that pairs well with the Nimbus Gray exterior. The Vegas Auto Gallery has several Emiras on display, and this one may be the strongest specification.
The steering wheel feels bespoke. It’s small in diameter, leather-wrapped, and features perforated leather on the outer sections and smooth leather with contrast stitching inside. There’s a center stripe at the top, and the switchgear for volume and menus sits on each side. The Lotus badge sits in the center, and the lower spoke appears to be real metal.
Moving down the center stack, the controls are simple and analog, a contrast to many modern cars dominated by screens. The air-vent knobs have “Emira” embossed into them. The climate controls are straightforward with a tactile feel, and the switchgear has a premium weight.
As you move a little further down, the climate controls are simple and tactile, with premium-feeling switches. There’s a small pad for volume control that works well. Below that is the start/stop button covered by a red flip-up guard, which adds a bit of theater without being over the top.
The center screen is straightforward. It’s mounted high enough to see easily and has a clean interface with good response. Beneath it, the center console has a mix of piano black trim and metal accents, along with a proper manual gear lever in this case. The exposed linkage under the clear panel is one of the standout design touches. It looks mechanical and purposeful, and you can see every movement as you shift. That’s something you generally don’t get in modern cars.
The seats are finished in that same tan leather and feel well-bolstered without being overly aggressive. They offer good support and fit with the upscale approach Lotus has taken in the Amira. The stitching and material quality are noticeably higher than in previous Lotus models. The door panels follow the same two-tone theme, with soft-touch materials, leather inserts, and metal detailing around the handles and switches.
Visibility is better than expected for a mid-engine car. The windshield is wide, the side glass is large enough, and while the rear window is small, you still get a partial view of the engine through the glass. Storage is minimal, but that’s expected for a car in this category. There’s a small compartment behind the seats and a few cubbies in the center area.
Overall, the interior feels like a major step forward for the brand. It keeps the character of a lightweight sports car but adds a level of craftsmanship and comfort Lotus hasn’t traditionally offered. The materials, switchgear, and overall layout give it a more premium feel without losing the raw, mechanical nature that enthusiasts expect.
Now let’s talk about the powertrain. This Emira uses a supercharged 3.5-liter V6 sourced from Toyota, paired with a six-speed manual transmission. It produces 400 horsepower and about 310 lb-ft of torque. What makes this setup appealing is its reliability and character. The engine has a proven track record, and the supercharger gives it a linear, responsive feel. With the manual transmission, the car delivers an analog driving experience that’s becoming rare.
There’s an option for an automatic transmission, but the manual adds a level of engagement that suits the rest of the car. The gearing is short enough to feel lively without being tiring. Combined with the car’s lightweight design, the Emira feels quick and balanced. It’s not the fastest sports car on paper, but the power delivery, engine sound, and chassis tuning work together well.
Lotus vehicles have always been known for handling rather than straight-line numbers. The Emira continues that tradition with hydraulic steering instead of the electric systems used by most competitors. That gives you more feedback through the wheel and a connected feel on the road. The suspension tuning is firm but not punishing, and the Cup 2 tires offer significant grip when warmed up.
This car is equipped with the Touring suspension rather than the stiffer Sport setup, making it more livable for daily use while still maintaining precision. The brakes are strong, and the pedal feel is consistent. Everything about the powertrain and chassis feels intentionally mechanical.
Because this is a mid-engine layout, weight distribution is balanced, and the car remains stable under hard braking and quick direction changes. Even though we’re not driving this particular car, past experience with the Emira shows that it behaves predictably and encourages you to push it with confidence.
To wrap up, the 2025 Lotus Emira represents a significant step for the brand. It preserves the traits that made Lotus cars appealing—lightweight design, mechanical feel, and sharp handling—while improving comfort, design quality, and everyday usability. The Nimbus Gray exterior paired with the brown leather interior gives this example a strong visual presence, and the V6 manual configuration is likely to be the sought-after version in the long run.
If you want to see this car in person, it’s available at Vegas Auto Gallery. Reach out to Anuke Patel if you’re interested. Thanks for watching Drive Culture, and be sure to subscribe if you want more coverage of cars like this.
