2005 Lotus Elise Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Complete visceral driving experience. From the climb into the drivers seat to the sound of every pebble coming off of the tires . Simply put, it’s a underpowered race car on the street. The power to weight is exceptional but you will desire additional power as the chassis and steering feedback quickly give you confidence. Great value per dollar, rare, striking attention getter and will not loose value. Mar 17, 2021

This auto was bought new and used as daily driver and NEVER tracked or abused (Could not if I tried it was and is always broke) First four years car was at dealership whole month of July broke, (Stored winters) Now out of warranty and has a bad computer (Can not pass required state emissions). 26,600 miles towed 16 times. Lotus USA was and is no help. Cheapest auto that the dealership sold-- They really did not care for it or to service it. Alarm system failed (replaced), Shift lever (Broke off 1900 miles),Transmission replaced. Short in wiring (From brand new) causing stalling (Found by private auto mech). rear grill broke off (Dealership in one of the Julys), Steering linkage failed (not fun and so much for handling). Regulator failed,radio replaced, etc etc etc STAY AWAY!!!Sep 24, 2013

Pros: Performance, Handling, Exotic Looks, Reliable powerplant, FUN Cons: Cost, Expensive and difficult maintenance, Loud interior (Pro for me), Spartan interior, no cup holders! Lotus Elise 2005 - 1.9 Liter I4 Engine Federal Elise/ 111R 2ZZ-GE Toyota Engine: 189 HP 0-60: 4.9 Seconds Top Speed: 148 MPH Options: Touring Pack, LSS Sport Wheels, SONY CDX GT700HD stereo Bought with 54xx Miles. Currently at 62xx at time of update Still haven't reached close to the limits in this car, but it corners 15MPH Faster than my jetta with no additional drama. The VVTL-i lift at 6000+ RPM's feels like a massive boost kicking in, while the normal powerband is still quite excellent due to the low weight. The "bad": I am starting to feel the advantages of my other cars having a backseat when I want to drive more than 1 person anywhere. Took it on a 2.5 Hour trip on the highway, and after 1.5 hours, the seat became a little uncomfortable. Getting in and out will never be graceful, and finally, I am paranoid about people damaging my car.Apr 09, 2013

The 2005 Lotus Elise is a niche vehicle to the extreme. Imagine driving a go-kart with more power and surrounded by a fiberglass shell. The car will go where you point it, but the drag-strip is an enemy... While the car will move from a standstill to sixty miles per hour quickly, anything beyond eighty becomes noticeably taxing on the low torque of the engine. The look of the car is based on the Ferrari Dino, and while beautiful it doesn't allow it to slip through the air, instead generating downforce and parasitic drag in the process.Jul 21, 2012

I have over 63K miles on my Elise with a mix of daily driving, track, and highway (trips from Houston to St. Louis MO and Aspen CO.) Car has been as reliable as you would expect a 4 cylinder Toyota to be. No significant problems. Car is very comfortable to drive. Seat and driving position are perfect for me. I wear the same headphones on road trips that I wear on commercial jet trips and the noise is not a problem. The car is very much at home on the track and driving it there is the only way to really appreciate what this or any other high performance sports car can do. Great car for driving on twisty country roads too. The Elise still gets looks, waves, and "Nice Car!" yells. I have even found lipstick lip prints on the rear clam twice. Most people think the Lotus costs several times its actual price. I have driven other high performance sports cars, most of which cost much more than the Elise. I have yet to find one for which I would trade even if cost was not an object. I found out the hard way that the costs of repairing a damaged Elise can quickly result in the car being totaled by an insurance company. Damaged the front suspension and body work and the cost of repairs was more than half the value of the car so it was totaled. There is nothing I would rather drive than an Elise so one week later I purchased a 2006 Elise. Like this one even better than the '05. Lotus made several improvements and the car is even better.May 21, 2012

At less than 2K lbs and 190hp, this car is super-fast! 0-60 in 4.6 sec I believe, which beats the Porche who boasts 0-60 in 6.0 sec! **Based on an online video review that didn't specify the make/model of Porche** Steering/handling is awesome (you know it's a true sports car when there's no power steering!), maintenance costs are reasonable since it has a 1.8L Toyota Celica motor, and car gets about 27mpg!! This is by far the most beautiful car I've ever seen and I just had to have one. Mine came with a hard top, awesome DVD/navigation system, upgraded brakes/rotors, and factory installed StarShield clear body/paint protector. Definitely not a family car as there is no backseat, and not just anyone could get in as it's so low to the ground! Definitely a fun ride--can't wait till the weather cools off so I can take the top off!Aug 16, 2011

yes it really is that good, fast and frightening on the corners. straightlie speed is very good indeed. breaks rip your face off, handling is like no other, well except maybe and exige lol. no repairs as such just and upgraded exhaust system from stock. its a stunner and small as hell. cost a wad and has only done 20,000 miles. she does roughly about 45 to the gallon which is not bad for something with its performance.Oct 06, 2009

This was the the first Federal version and mine was one of the first here (after 2.5 years on the waiting list, I got it 6 weeks after the first customer car was delivered in the U.S.) so the power was less than the current supercharged models, but the acceleration was pretty quick, especially once it got on the cam in the upper end of the rev range. Handling was go-cart-like. I used this car as a daily driver running a 100-mile round-trip to work every day, which is probably not the best way to own it, but I put over 34k miles on it in 16 months of ownership, so I certainly got to know it. It is fun having that level of performance on a commute (can put a smile on your face every day). It's small and quick, so you can fit into the smallest openings on the freeway to squeeze in front of those left-lane-phone-talkers then shoot away before they have time to drop the phone and flip you the bird. I don't recall too many unscheduled maintenance problems, but scheduled maintenance was surprizingly expensive for a 4-cyl Toyota engine (I guess the Lotus sign at the dealer gives them that right). Having drove it so many miles, I hit all the scheduled maintanance intervals much quicker than the average weekend Elise driver would. I had a touring model (no, that does not make it "comfortable") so it had the slightly-harder tire compound. They were good for between 10k and 20k miles. I went through a few sets, plus brake pads and a set of front rotors (they're pretty thin - light weight - and must be replaced when they get below a certain thickness), Appearance-wise, it is a reall head turner - even in black as mine was. You could hardly make a trip to work without seeing a couple mobile phone cameras come out - and that was in 2005 when every 13-yar-old did not have a mobile phone camera. One of those cars you could just stand in your garage and stare at. I took a couple long drives in it (e.g. Atlanta to Kansas City) and while I enjoyed it, it's probably not the car's forte. Youe left leg rests against the fraim rail, and for me (~6'3") it cut right into my left calf. Even going to work every day, this was an issue. And believe the warning in the owner's manual that the A/C is not going to keep you cool on a really hot day. I'd seriously consider the A/C delete offered on the Exige (for weight savings) if I got another. Better to just take the top off (a pretty quick operation to do and toss in the trunk), take off your tie (if you're stupid enough to drive it to work) and enjoy the 95 degreee heat (Atlanta summers). But fun fun fun to drive. Don't get it because it's an inexpensive exotic unless you really like performance cars. It's not as good for taking the wife to dinner in a skirt unless she's a bit of an exibitionist. Getting in and out with the opt on is an exercise for contortionists (it's hard to look graceful) and I even had to take the top off to get my dad out.Aug 09, 2009

The good: Handling: Nothing beats a Lotus in handling. Perfect for canyon roads, very predictable and easy to drive. Steering: The best in the world. Never driven a car with such a precise feeling. Transmission: Feels very solid, very rare to miss a gear, excellent transmission and clutch feeling. The bad: Minimal storage capacity. Not good for long journeys, will get you tired faster. If you have broad shoulders. You will be rubbing them with your companion. Could use more power. Maybe the Exige S240 is the cure.Jul 12, 2009

It's a Lotus Elise. I could write all the same stuff you have read many times over in car mag after car mag but it would just say a lot of the same stuff. It's a total blast to get up in mountains and wail around on the roads. You know a car handles good when guys in full leathers on Ducatti's wave you by. Has been very reliable, and is fairly economical to operate especially considering it's performance level. Tire replacement every 5-8K miles does add up a little though, as does insurance, but that doesn't stop me from daily driving it every day it's not nice enough to take the motorcycle.Jun 29, 2008