Lotus Exige

If the Elise from which it is derived is about delicacy and lightweight thrills the Exige is a more brutal, intense and expensive twist on the same formula. It’s a very pricey car to buy upfront, the Cup 430 version nudging into six figures and not far off supercar money. And against that kind of pricetag the minimalist Lotus vibe is stretched to its limit, especially when you consider the quality of the rivals you could have for equivalent money. At this level purchase price is only one consideration, though, and retained value is a bigger consideration. If you can avoid the temptation to rack up lots of miles the Exige holds its money well, so depreciation is less of a concern than it might be with, say, a Jaguar F-Type or even a Porsche 911. In terms of daily running costs the Exige is built for performance, not efficiency, and will guzzle fuel if you’re enjoying the performance on offer. But buyers will know what they’re getting into and buying with their eyes open about the day to day costs.