Karl on Cars

This is what I call a "committed car." You might think it's because the 2008 Lotus Elise Supercharged is committed to being a serious performance car with an excellent power-to-weight ratio and valid track-day yearnings. Well, that's part of it.

But it's also because, as an Elise driver and owner, you have to be committed. Putting up with the wind and road noise above 40 mph? That's a commitment. Hitting only the pedal(s) you want in that tight footwell? That's a commitment. Hell, just getting into this car with the targa top in place -- that's a major commitment. Makes my GT's entry/exit procedure feel like a minivan.

However, once you're fully ensconced in the snug bucket seats, have mastered the art of heel-and-toeing without jabbing the brake pedal, and resigned yourself to 80 dBa cabin noise, there's plenty-o-fun to be had. The supercharged 1.8-liter Toyota four easily flings the 2,000-pound Elise around like the go-cart it is.

I don't normally think of Toyota fours as torquey, and with only 156 pound-feet available I figured I'd still have to downshift for any passing manuevers. I was wrong. The Elise SC blasts past slower traffic using modest throttle work. Forced induction is so cool (even without an intercooler, as in this application). The other important numbers? Max horsepower 218. Zero-to-60? 4.4 seconds. Fuel economy (that number is probably considered important these days, even on a sports car)? 20/26.

After enjoying this car on Mulholland's twisties I came into Thousand Oaks and spotted a Porsche Cayman. It occurred to me that while the Elise is a thrill ride on canyon roads...so is the Cayman. And at a starting price of $55,000, the SC version of the Elise is within $5,000 of a Cayman S (and five grand more than a base Cayman). The Cayman can't offer the Elise's undiluted dynamic response, but the Porsche is still one of the most entertaining vehicles available for less than $100,000.

It's also quieter, comfier, roomier, plusher and up-scaler (I just made that word up). There's also no gymnastic training necessary to get into or out of the Cayman, and it has nearly four times the cargo space (15 cubic feet versus the Elise's 4). Once I started looking at the Elise in relation to the Cayman the Lotus' appeal sort of evaporated.

The Elise versus Cayman question is sort of like the Hummer H2 versus Honda Pilot query. For a tiny sliver of the population the H2 and Elise actually make sense. For everyone else there's a far more functional version that doesn't require the massive...well, commitment to ownership.