2008 Lotus Elise

The Lotus Elise is a roadster and the related Lotus Exige is a coupe, both based on the same chassis. The base engine in the Elise is a 189-horsepower, 1.8-liter Toyota four-cylinder, while the Elise SC and Exige S come with a 218-horsepower supercharged version. The Lotus Exige S240 comes with a 240-horsepower supercharged engine. For those who truly take their car to the racetrack on occasion, the better car is the Exige, reviewers say. But for more fun on the back roads, with maybe a track day or two, the Lotus Elise SC is preferable.

When compared with other more-civilized sports cars, the Lotus Elise and Exige come up short in many categories, critics say. But the reviews also point out that enthusiasts expect many of the Lotus models' shortcomings, such as the small cabin, lack or storage room and difficulty in climbing in and out. Less forgivable are the poor stereo sound, weak air conditioning, less-than-comfortable seats and cheap interior. For shoppers who cannot put up with the many compromises and discomfort inherent in the Lotus, reviewers suggest looking at similarly priced yet more-sophisticated sports cars such as the Porsche Boxster (*est. $45,800 to $59,900) or the BMW Z4 M coupe or convertible (*est. $50,100 to $52,100).

Many of the car enthusiast sites include excellent road-test reviews of the Lotus Elise or Exige. Motor Trend magazine has one of the best reviews of the Elise SC, with good background and behind-the-wheel descriptions. Car and Driver magazine tests the Elise SC as well, and Road & Track magazine reviews the Exige S. Automobile magazine names the Elise one of its "All Stars" for 2008 but does not have a complete road test.