Lotus EMIRA

Cabin

The Nappa leather seats mix with Alcantara on the hexagonal steering wheel, and the Turbo trim gets LOTUSWEAR woven performance fabric with 12-way electric adjustment. Getting in requires stepping over a high, broad sill, so passengers need to drop into the seat rather than simply sit down, a small ritual every Emira owner learns quickly. Once inside, the cabin feels roomier than the car’s low roofline suggests, with proper legroom and headroom for taller drivers.

There is a 10.3-inch touchscreen that runs the infotainment system with voice command support, though the icons can lag slightly under quick inputs. Ahead of the driver sits a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster with large, easy-to-read dials, though the layout is fixed rather than configurable, a minor limitation compared with rivals that let drivers rearrange their own display.

On manual V6 cars, the gear lever is brushed aluminium and connected to a visible mechanism you can watch move as you shift, a deliberately mechanical touch in an era when most sports cars hide their workings. Overall, the cabin build quality feels sturdier than earlier Lotus models, with well-grained plastics and fewer creaks over rough roads.

Front Seat

• Nappa leather with Alcantara accents is standard
• 12-way electric adjustment with memory function
• Firm, supportive cushioning suited to spirited driving
• A high door sill requires a deliberate step-in motion 

Rear Seat

There is no rear seating; the Emira is a strict two-seater, and the space behind the front seats holds soft bags rather than passengers. It’s worth setting expectations here clearly, since buyers cross-shopping four-seat sports coupes will need to look elsewhere if a rear bench matters. What you do get is properly useful storage: a deep well under the central armrest, a dedicated smartphone slot, and decent-sized door bins that make daily use less of a compromise than the two-seat layout suggests.

Climate Control

Manual climate control comes standard, sufficient for a car built around driving feel rather than cabin luxury, though the compact interior means the system cools the space quickly even in peak summer heat.

Storage

• Space behind the seats for soft bags and jackets
• Deep centre armrest storage well
• Dedicated smartphone slot ahead of the gear selector
• Door bins sized for wallets and small items 

Charging

• USB and auxiliary input standard
• Bluetooth hands-free connectivity across the range
• 12-volt accessory outlet for dash cameras or radar detectors

Boot Space

At 151 litres, the boot is small, but the Emira also has 208 litres of cabin luggage capacity behind the seats. As you know, this is not a car for a big grocery run or matching luggage sets, and buyers should think of it more as a car for a helmet bag and an overnight case than a proper long-distance tourer.

• Driver and passenger airbags are standard
• High-definition rearview camera
• Autonomous emergency braking, lane-departure warning, blind-spot warning, and traffic-sign recognition
• Fatigue detection and other driver-assistance features, depending on specification
• Lotus Drivers Pack and Extended Co-Driver Pack available depending on trim and configuration 

Most of the driver-assistance technology here is standard on the 2026 V6 SE and Turbo, while the Extended Co-Driver Pack adds features such as adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, door-opening warning, and high-beam assist. This is worth checking carefully when configuring a car, since equipment can vary between the different trims and option packs. 

Front

The face borrows heavily from the Evija hypercar, with a sharp leading edge and deeply carved air inlets on either side that feed cooling to the engine behind the cabin. Full LED lighting runs around the car, and the overall shape looks like nothing else on the road at this price, closer to something out of a concept car reveal than a production sports car you can order through a UAE dealer.

Side Profile

At 4,413 mm long and 1,895 mm wide with the mirrors folded, the Emira is roughly the same length as a Porsche 718 Cayman but rides low and stretches wide across the body, giving it a squatter, more planted stance. The wide air inlets ahead of the rear wheels aren’t decoration; they keep the mid-mounted engine breathing properly on a hot Dubai afternoon. Some of the cutouts along the bonnet look slightly at odds with the rest of the design from certain angles, though the overall shape stays cohesive rather than busy.

Alloy Wheels

The standard cars get 20-inch alloy wheels, while the Turbo SE steps up to 20-inch forged wheels that help reduce unsprung weight and sharpen turn-in. The V6 SE also gets 20-inch forged alloy wheels as standard. Wheel choice matters more here than on most cars in this segment, since Lotus has built its entire reputation on how a car changes direction, and lighter wheels at each corner noticeably improve that feeling.

Rear

A vented rear bumper lets pressurised air escape from the wheel arches, and a subtle mesh grille sits over the exhaust outlets rather than a slab of chrome trim. The tall taillights stretch the visual width of the rear end, reinforcing the wide track underneath. It’s a rear view built to look purposeful in a wing mirror, which is exactly where most other road users will see it.

Colors

Lotus offers the Emira through its personalisation programme in a wide range of shades, including Zinc Grey and newer colours such as EOS Green and Purple Haze metallic, alongside Racing Line pinstripe options in Vivid Red, Acute Yellow, or Mercury Silver on the performance-focused SE trims. UAE stock can also vary by shipment, so buyers looking for a specific colour should check what is currently available rather than assuming every shade is immediately in stock. Lotus says the V6 SE is available with 15 exterior colours and several wheel and brake-caliper choices.

The V6 SE’s soundtrack is more emotionally engaging than its raw pace, blaring into life on start-up before settling into a deep idle that turbocharged rivals simply cannot replicate.

That said, the gear shift on the manual has been refined for the V6 SE, with Lotus adding a new compression mount for the manual gearbox to make the shifts more precise. Outright performance doesn’t fully match the drama of the noise, but that is hardly the reason buyers choose the V6.

The Turbo SE, with its extra power and dual-clutch gearbox, is the quicker car in a straight line and arguably the more complete daily option for UAE roads where launch control and rapid shifts matter more than a manual’s involvement.

City Performance

Around Dubai’s city streets, the Emira’s low ride height and wide sills demand a bit more care than a typical sedan, particularly over speed bumps outside malls or steep driveway entrances at hotel valet stands. Visibility out of the cabin is better than the sloping roofline suggests, though reversing still benefits from the standard camera, given how little you can see over your shoulder.

• Low ground clearance requires caution over speed bumps and steep ramps
• Dual-clutch Turbo models suit stop-start traffic better than the manual V6
• The compact dimensions help with parking despite the wide body
• A rearview camera compensates for limited visibility over the shoulder 

Highway Performance

On the long straight stretches toward Abu Dhabi or Al Ain, the Emira settles into a composed, confident cruise, and the hydraulically assisted steering stays sharp and responds even at sustained speed, a trait increasingly rare as rivals move toward numb electric steering setups. You can feel the excellent road grip, and the car changes direction with a precision that reminds you exactly why people still buy Lotus cars despite the badge’s small dealer footprint in the region.

• Steering remains sharp and connected at highway speeds
• Strong grip levels support confident high-speed direction changes
• Turbo SE’s higher top speed suits open highway stretches
• Manual V6 rewards active engagement over relaxed cruising 

Ride and Handling

This is where the Emira earns its reputation and something really special: experience. The road grip is excellent, and the car turns into corners with real precision rather than fuss, backed by a steering setup that transmits road texture through your hands with a clarity most modern sports cars have traded away for isolation. The suspension can feel stiff over rougher UAE road surfaces, particularly on the SE trims with their sport-tuned setup, a fair trade for buyers who value cornering ability over comfort, but worth test-driving before committing if daily comfort matters as much as weekend thrills.

Emira Turbo

This is the base variant with the 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder, eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox, and Touring chassis tune for a slightly more forgiving daily ride. It produces 360 hp and completes the 0–100 km/h sprint in 4.4 seconds.

Emira Turbo SE

In this, you get 40 hp more than the standard Turbo, along with sports suspension, launch control, and high-performance two-piece brakes, plus a higher top speed and quicker 0–100 km/h time. It produces 400 hp and reaches 291 km/h.

Emira V6 SE

Keeps the supercharged 3.5-litre V6 and six-speed manual alive, paired with sports suspension and upgraded brakes, for buyers who want the last proper manual Lotus. The V6 SE produces 400 hp and reaches 290 km/h, while an automatic transmission is also available as an option in some markets.

For most UAE buyers wanting a daily usable sports car, the Turbo SE makes the strongest case, combining the sharper dual-clutch response with real everyday manners. The V6 SE is for a smaller group of buyers chasing the theatre of a manual gearbox and supercharger note over outright capability, and they know who they are the moment they hear it start. The standard Turbo remains a sensible entry point for buyers wanting Lotus ownership without stretching for the SE upgrades.

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