Lotus offers six-speed auto on 345-hp Exige S

PADDLE SHIFTERS DEBUT EARLY NEXT YEAR

    Well that’s it. Time to go home. The last enthusiast on the road can just turn the street lights off when they’re done: Lotus is putting a six-speed automatic in the Exige S.

    The company says the new ‘box “offers the involvement of a manual paddle-shift with all the convenience of an automatic.” Great. Lotus also says the trans has been specifically tailored to the Exige S and its 345-hp 3.5-liter V6. The new setup offers both “sport” and “race” modes, which change shifting speed when higher performance is desired.

    “By introducing a paddle-shift, we have expanded the Exige product range to make it more accessible to customers worldwide,” said Jean-Marc Gales, CEO of Group Lotus. “Now, customers who are more accustomed to two pedals and automatic transmissions can enjoy the unbelievable performance and handling of the Exige S without compromise.”

    That’s probably true, but we just can’t imagine many Lotus buyers, owners, or wanters being concerned with having a slushbox. Maybe we’re wrong.

    The Exige S automatic is completing its final stages of testing, according to Lotus, and will exceed the manual variant in performance both on the track and at the strip. Again, we’re sure that’s true, but we think more buyers will lament the loss of involvement over an extra tenth of second on the 0-60 mph sprint.

    The automatic transmission will cost 2,000 British pounds when it goes on sale early next year. We’d convert to U.S. dollars but the Exige isn’t offered on our side of the pond anymore. Still, it’s a sad day for enthusiasts and fans of driver involvement. At least Lotus still offers a “standard” transmission from the factory -- the same can’t be said for Ferrari, Lamborghini or Jaguar.