chabot150

Which one to get?

I can get a new Elise SC (supercharged) for just under 50K. Car looks fantastic. It would be used as a daily driver in CT.

I have also been looking at the TTS. The car is much cheaper. I think I could get one for 44K for the premium plus loaded car. Anyone around this price?

TTsteve

I woud think an Elise is an uncomfortable daily driver. I would muh rather drive a TTS for several hundred miles at once than an Elise. Now for a weekend car, Elise. And is the TTS faster than the base Elise?

Allan Gibbs

Actually, I think he's looking at an Elise SC. 0 to 60 on the Elise is faster than the TTS but I think the TTS will still have an advantage due to the turbo and AWD - unless the Elise does a 8,000 clutch drop. The base Elise doesn't wake up until 6,200 rpm.

Drollomite Man

The Elise is about as close as you can come to a pure sports car--for any money. A huge favorite of drivers who do track events. But not the best choice for a daily driver, in my opinion. The wide sills and low height make entry/exit a chore, no matter how many times you've done it. There are very few creature comforts. The interior noise level is high, and not all that pleasant. And storage is practically nonexistent. I'm not trashing the car by any means. It's a wonderful purpose-built automobile, but I can't imagine living with it on a daily basis.

The TTS, on the other hand, isn't a pure sports car (though the June Car and Driver article was pretty laudatory), but balances performance and comfort in a package that is still unique. I don't know that there's another sports coupe that can be so utilitarian (all-wheel drive, a surprising abundance of storage/hauling capacity), sporting, comfortable and stylish at the same time. I think the TTS manages to effect a compromise among all the needs one has in a daily driver, without being compromised.

TTsteve

True that and the Elise SC is MSRP at close to $55K, $50K gets the base no turbo car. I see one or two around here and beside all the other stuff stated above I noticed that the seats are lyining on the floor so no room to bend your knees any too. Love to have it as a weekend car and chip it and see about 0 60 in 4 secs.

chabot150

This is a list of Pros and Cons I have made about the 2 cars. A 2008 Elise SC can be had for 50K new.

Elise SC
Pros
-More exotic looking
-Faster to 60
-Removable top
-Unreal handling
-Boatloads of fun to drive

Cons
-Worrying about scraping the clam
-I live in the hills of CT = Snow
-50K vs 45K
-Insurance slightly higher (much higher with a claim I believe)
-Reliability (would like to put close to 100k on it)
-Tire costs
-Don't know if I am up to fixing a lot of little things...

Audi TTS
Pros
-Good looks (love the LED headlights)
-Fast
-AWD
-Room for a set of clubs
-Great interior
-More reliability
-Cheaper (45k vs. 50K)
-Cheaper insurance

Cons
-Not as fast as the Elise 0-60
-Not as good looking
-Coupe


The Audi dealer is in the same building as the Lotus dealer, so the dealership is just as close. This is a tough decision...

TTsteve

To me the Elise looks is for a race car not a daily driver car. The TTS IMO looks better for a daily driver. I just need to get some extra cash so I can get the TTS. Go TTS and if you have money then get both.

XS2K

Elise pros: Removable top. TTS cons: Coupe ??? Why not get the TTS Roadster and have the best of all worlds. Given your list of pros & cons, it seems like the logical choice but we tend to make these decisions on emotion, not logic. When I was shopping for my TT Roadster, I saw a TTS Roadster, Brilliant Red in the showroom; it was stunning but unfortunately out of my price range. Exclusivity: It had it in spades !

chabot150

I am not a huge fan of the permanent soft top. At least with the Lotus, it has a removable hard top and a soft top.

fdvm

For what it's worth I have a good friend who has 4 Lotuses between him and his father, including an Elise with 60,000+ miles on it. They do most of their own maintenance, and they are the type who enjoy tinkering with the cars. My friends father uses the Elise as daily transportation, but after doing a road trip around the SF Bay area with the car (Central Valley to Sacremento then to Sonoma and finally to San Jose), my observations would be:

The car is a snug fit if you're 6 feet or more.

The low seating position wasn't a problem for me, but I was never particularly good getting into or out of the car (once again being 6'1" wasn't helping me with the low roof line).

There is little room for storage. The "trunk" is roomy enough for a couple of smallish backpacks and a laptop.

The car produces more noise, both road and engine, than I'd want to live with long term.

Unfortunately I didn't drive the car on trip for the reason that I'd have to do it barefoot. My feet which are somewhat wider than average and overlapped both the gas and the brake pedal (never had that problem with any other car). Maybe the dealer can adjust the pedals though?

After the trip I figured the car looks awesome, being an affordable exotic, and handles exceptionally well, and I too like the removable top. It's no longer on my fantasy car list though as it's not the right fit for me (I'd take a bit more room and a touch more luxury).
No surprise, but my suggestion for you would be to drive them back to back so you can figure out if you're more like my friend and his father or if your needs are closer to mine. My guess is that it won't be a hard decision given how different the cars are.

FM