Use that power on a twisty road, and you’ll need a delicate touch on the throttle, especially because there’s a little more delay in the response of the right pedal than in most rivals, regardless of the driving mode you’re in. Get it right, however, and the loaded tyres dig in, gently push the car around the turn and launch you along the next straight. From the seat of the Emeya, there’s no doubt that EVs can be really thrilling to drive.
There are plenty of luxurious EVs already, though, and inside, the Emeya couldn’t be further removed from Lotus models of the past; this is truly a sumptuous, spacious and superbly finished place to sit. The 15.1-inch touchscreen looks sharp and is pretty slick to use, although some on-screen keys are small and we’d like a physical shortcut to disable the mandatory driver-assist systems. But we like the fact that the fan speed can be programmed into physical toggles on the centre console; along with the temperature settings being as a permanent fixture on the bottom of the touchscreen, it means controlling the interior climate is very intuitive.
The key benefit of the Emeya’s cabin over the Taycan’s however, is space. Kneeroom and elbow room are well beyond its German rival’s, and headroom is similar – even with the panoramic roof eating into the space slightly. Our only small gripe is that there’s next to no foot room under the front seats.
At 509 litres, the boot is very roomy, too, and the Emeya’s back seats can be folded down to raise the volume to 1,388 litres. There’s even a modest 34 litres under the bonnet so that the charge cables can be stored separately from the rest of the luggage.
