I’ve always been a fan of lotus (well it was an iconic bond car after all). Plucky, fast, exciting with fantastic handling. Even if you pick up an old 80s or 90s one it will still give you a heart pumping experience. Now this British terrier has been sold to the Chinese and proton which is fine I mean it was too good to not get bought up by someone and the far east is the big hitter out there in todays global market. So, what’s new this year from the makers of small two seat completely impractical sports cars. Yes, of cause, it’s an electric luxury SUV the Lotus Eletre. A big bulky all electric vehicle with a boot and I don’t mean one for your hat and gloves like in the old Lotus but one that you could use for a couple of suitcases.

You can get it in a five-seat option as well but that’s about the last of the practical stuff except for the 300 mile range. It comes with a rather special sound system by KEF which comes in a standard 1300 watts or an upgrade 2100 watts. So, enough power to boil water in under 5 minutes. Not all the power is sat in the sound system as it has the incredible 0-60 speeds of electric cars, 4.5 seconds or just under 3 if you go for the R spec version. But the stat that really stands out is the 50 to 75 mph of 1.5 seconds. So, overtaking won’t be a problem then. You can also upgrade from the very nice and comfy 20” wheels to get 23” wheels because who needs a spinal column. It is also set up for full autonomy with LIDAR so when rules allow you can press a button and sit back in the plush interior with its huge touch screen and let it hurtle along the motorway. In fact, its full of gimmicks and gismos the internal computer system is fast.

The thing is … is this a lotus? Well, no it isn’t but I don’t care, it looks fantastic goes like stink and is a genuine contender to Lamborghini, Tesla, and Porsche. It is not the little pocket rockets I fell in love with as a boy, but I’m older now and need a few more comforts around me you know like electric windows and 4-way climate control.