When the Lotus Eletre dropped in 2022, some eyebrows had been raised. This can be a firm well-known for tiny, razor-sharp sports activities vehicles just like the Exige and Esprit. An electrical luxurious SUV wasn’t what followers anticipated.
However the Eletre isn’t only a badge on an enormous EV. It’s quick, sharp, and unmistakably Lotus, proving the model can evolve with out dropping its edge. Sports activities automobile makers have been leaping on the luxurious SUV development for years — Ferrari, Lamborghini, Aston Martin — and it’s saved them alive and related.
- Base Trim Engine
-
Electrical
- Base Trim Transmission
-
single-speed Automated
- Base Trim Drivetrain
-
All-Wheel Drive
- Base Trim Horsepower
-
591 hp
- Gas Financial system
-
TBC
- Make
-
Lotus
- Mannequin
-
Eletre
- Phase
-
Midsize Luxurious SUV
Porsche’s Cayenne in 2002 is the traditional instance. That SUV helped save the corporate and confirmed a much bigger, extra luxurious automobile might nonetheless drive like a sports activities automobile. The Eletre does the identical, mixing Lotus DNA with electrical energy and SUV practicality, and doing it with critical fashion.
In an effort to offer you an trustworthy and unbiased assessment, the automobile reviewed on this article was pushed each day all through the course of every day life for a interval of 10 days. For detailed perception into testing procedures and information assortment, please assessment our methodology coverage.
2025 Lotus Eletre First Impressions
|
Execs |
Cons |
|---|---|
|
|
Individuals can’t cease speaking concerning the Eletre’s dimension, and truthfully, it’s laborious responsible them. Lotus constructed its repute on featherweight two-seaters, so dropping a 200-inch-long, 79-inch-wide luxurious EV into the lineup is… fairly the pivot. On paper, it’s truly greater than a Kia EV9 or Volvo EX90, and never far off the monster-sized, eight-seat Land Rover Defender 130. To place it one other manner, the Eletre is enjoying in the identical league because the Bentley Bentayga, Vary Rover, and Mercedes-Benz GLS. Sure, a Lotus that’s full-on SUV massive.
The Eletre could also be Lotus’ first luxurious SUV, nevertheless it nonetheless is aware of the way to transfer like a Lotus ought to. Energy and torque meet sensible lively dynamics, turning this heavyweight into one thing far sharper than you’d count on.
Design? Dramatic. The physique is all about “porosity”—air channeled by means of in addition to across the automobile. It’s not only for present both. Much less drag means extra vary, a better prime velocity, and higher effectivity. Principally, it appears unique and backs it up.
Then there are the motorsport touches. A carbon-fiber floating roof spoiler that appears prefer it got here straight off a race automobile. A full-width rear LED strip that glows in 4 colours. And on the entrance, razor-thin LED clusters with scrolling indicators.
Driving Impressions And Efficiency
Proper now, the U.S. will get only one model of the Eletre—the Eletre Carbon. Easy. Throughout the pond, although, issues are a bit extra sophisticated. Within the UK, Lotus not too long ago gave the lineup a shakeup. As a substitute of the outdated Eletre, Eletre S, and Eletre R, patrons now select between the Eletre 600 and Eletre 900, every with a couple of trim ranges to choose from.
The naming is simple sufficient: “600” and “900” are all about energy output. Extra numbers, extra punch. And it was the previous that we not too long ago examined, in Sport SE guise.
The Eletre 600 packs a critical punch. Its dual-motor setup delivers 450 kW (603 bhp) to all 4 wheels, and the result’s traditional Lotus drama in a really un-classic bundle. 0–62 mph takes simply 4.5 seconds, and it’ll hold pulling to 160 mph. After all, Lotus couldn’t cease there. Step as much as the 900 and issues get wild. With 675 kW (905 bhp) on faucet, this model feels much less like a household SUV and extra like a supercar in disguise. The numbers again it up: 0–62 mph in simply 2.95 seconds and the identical 160 mph prime velocity.
Translating the traditional Lotus driving really feel right into a 2.4-tonne, high-riding SUV shouldn’t work. But, towards the percentages, it does. The steering is pin-sharp and fantastically weighted, the throttle is as keen as something carrying a Lotus badge, and the entire automobile feels extra alive than its dimension suggests.
Our 600 Sport SE tester got here fitted with lively rear anti-roll suspension and four-wheel steering. On paper, that feels like plenty of tech. On the street, you barely discover it working—however you do discover the impact. The Eletre adjustments route with shocking agility, threading by means of bends with out the understeer and tire scrub that journey up most massive electrical SUVs.
The usual air suspension is equally well-judged, working in concord with the remainder of the setup to ship a experience that’s each snug and composed. However it’s not excellent, as round city, the experience can really feel a bit agency, and there is extra street noise than you may count on from a luxurious EV. That stated, it’s a deeply spectacular reminder that Lotus nonetheless is aware of the way to construct a driver’s automobile — even when it occurs to be an SUV.
2025 Lotus Eletre 600 Sport SE Efficiency Specs (UK Mannequin)
|
Powertrain |
450 kW Twin Motor + 11 kWh Battery |
|---|---|
|
Transmission |
One-Pace Automated |
|
Horsepower |
603 BHP |
|
Driveline |
All-Wheel Drive |
|
0–62 MPH |
4.5 Seconds |
|
Prime Pace |
160 MPH |
|
Vary (WLTP) |
329 Miles |
|
Expenses to 80 P.c |
20 Minutes |
You’ve acquired 5 driving modes to fiddle with: Vary eases off the throttle to save lots of battery, Sport lets each motors go full blast, and Tour sits properly within the center with a stable mixture of consolation and efficiency. Personally, Tour and Sport felt just like the candy spot, whereas Vary is nice when you’re making an attempt to take advantage of each additional mile. There’s additionally an Off-Street mode when you really feel like taking the Eletre off the overwhelmed path, and an Particular person mode that allows you to dial in a setup that’s 100-percent your personal.
2025 Lotus Eletre Effectivity
Whether or not you go for the Eletre 600 or the 900, you’re getting one huge battery with 109 kWh of usable juice. Official vary numbers fluctuate rather a lot relying on which model you choose: the 600 base mannequin can supposedly stretch as much as 373 miles, whereas the 600 Sport SE we examined tops out at 329 miles. Step as much as the 900, and people figures drop to someplace between 254 and 310 miles.
In real-world testing, our 600 Sport SE averaged 44.1 kWh per 100 miles—that’s about 2.27 miles per kWh. Crunching the numbers with the battery’s usable capability, we ended up round 247 miles of precise vary, fairly a bit decrease than the official 329-mile declare.
Inside Design And Consolation
Step contained in the Eletre, and it’s clear this isn’t your typical Lotus. Consolation and area take heart stage, together with a stable sound system and a quiet, rattle-free cabin. The supplies alone present an enormous leap ahead, starting from LOTUSWEAR efficiency cloth to Alcantara and plush Nappa leather-based. Colour choices run from traditional black to the hanging Jasper red-and-black leather-based of our check automobile, and even gold when you’re feeling a bit fancy.
The seats strike an awesome steadiness between sporty and cozy, giving sufficient lateral assist to carry you in by means of corners. Change to Sport mode, and two additional facet bolsters kick in to hug your torso tighter—a neat little trick. The driving place works nicely because of a power-adjustable steering column and a variety of seat changes. At 5ft 8in tall, I discovered the whole lot straightforward to achieve and cozy, although taller drivers may nonetheless want for a bit extra steering column journey.
Sensible touches are all over the place. A high-set heart console hides cup-holders that pop open while you press them, with a telephone charging pad tucked slightly below the central air vent. Deep door pockets reinforce that this can be a automobile constructed for day-to-day life, not simply weekend thrills.
Out again, the Eletre is out there in both a four- or five-seat structure. Because of its three-meter wheelbase and flat ground, the rear feels impressively spacious in both configuration. The seats are adjustable, giving passengers loads of methods to get snug, and so they supply wonderful assist. The middle console provides additional storage and an infotainment display, letting rear passengers tweak local weather, audio, and even regulate their seat positions for max consolation.
It’s no shocker that the Eletre comes with the most important trunk of any Lotus, providing a roomy 24.3 cubic toes. Raise the trunk ground, and also you’ll discover a helpful hidden compartment for cables, whereas up entrance a 1.6-cubic-foot frunk retains issues inside straightforward attain when you want storing them there. Go for the three-seat bench structure, fold down the rear seatbacks, and you’ll stretch the trunk area all the way in which to 53.8 cubic toes — loads of room for absolutely anything.
Lotus has additionally added a sensible characteristic with the air suspension: hit a button on the trunk’s facet lining, and the rear of the automobile lowers 75 mm, making a a lot simpler load lip. It’s a easy however intelligent contact that proves Lotus has actually thought of what drivers will want daily.
Since 2017, Lotus has been majority-owned by China’s Geely Holding Group, which has helped modernize the model and its tech. Geely additionally owns Volvo and Polestar, each of which use Google-based infotainment programs — however Lotus went its personal manner.
The Eletre comes with Hyper OS, an in-house system that’s half of a bigger computing platform designed to finally deal with LIDAR-based self-driving options. Powered by new NVIDIA processors, Lotus says it’s not less than twice as quick as the closest rivals. In follow, Hyper OS works nicely. A number of the animations really feel a bit excessive, however general, it’s intuitive. Switching between screens is immediate, and the structure is simple sufficient that almost all drivers will get the cling of it after just some journeys.
General Verdict
Let’s be trustworthy — the Eletre isn’t low-cost. The press automobile I drove had an MSRP of £112,745 (about $153,396 at as we speak’s trade price), which is critical cash by any measure. However after 10 days behind the wheel, I can see why somebody may justify it. You’re getting sports-car thrills in SUV kind, a high-quality inside, cutting-edge tech, and on a regular basis usability — all wrapped in one thing that also feels unmistakably Lotus.
After all, there are compromises. Effectivity is poor in comparison with rivals, the automobile’s sheer dimension and weight are all the time current, and the experience can really feel agency round city. Street noise creeps in at velocity, and the ADAS programs could be extra irritating than helpful. These quirks remind you this isn’t a featherweight Lotus, however a heavyweight luxurious EV with its personal character.
Even so, the Eletre proves Lotus can evolve with out dropping its spirit. It could not have the uncooked purity of an Elise, nevertheless it blends pleasure, practicality, and fashionable luxurious in a manner few EV SUVs can. For patrons ready to pay the worth, it’s a daring and distinctive different to the same old luxurious EV crowd.