2008 Lotus Europa SE

Despite the glorification of its lightweight sports car duo, the Elise and Exige, U. K. - based automaker Lotus has refused to bring its Europa coupe to North America, preferring to sell sincere unequaled in Europe. That ' s bad news for us, because the Europa just got even better for 2008.

The big news is Lotus ' inclusion of a range - topping Europa SE model - - a model designed to provide more power and comfort in an attempt to bring new buyers into the fold. Still utilizing the 2. 0 - liter four - cylinder engine found in the standard Europa, the Europa S has been recalibrated to churn out 222 horsepower and 221 lb - ft of torque. That drops 0 to 60 mph times to just 5. 5 seconds, while increasing top speed to 143 mph.

Lotus has also tweaked the suspension to provide more comfort for daily driving - - also helping to distinguish the Europa from the hard - core Elise and Exige models. New, lighter wheels ( 17 - inches in front and 18 - inches at rear ) slip over AP Racing four - piston brake calipers with larger discs than the base model. Even the interior of the Europa SE is unique, with four full leather hides being used to trim seats and surfaces. All Europas get a premium stereo system as standard for the new year.

The entire Lotus range gets driver and passenger airbags as standard equipment for 2008, along with a standard engine start button.