LOTUS claims its Europa will make the brand more attractive to a wider audience. finds out if that’s really likely to happen.

I have a bruise on the back of my thigh. Nothing too serious, just the result of a brief and ill-advised affair of the heart.

You see, the new Lotus Europa may be easier to get into than its big sisters the Exige and Elise, but only slightly.

I have a colleague who is somewhat on the taller side than me and who resembles a poorly co-ordinated daddy long legs when trying to get into and out of your average Lotus - all legs and waving feet as he clambers over the high door sills.

The Europa - Lotus’s touring model - has much lower sills than its colleagues, but you still need to be young and agile to enter and exit with any ease - and dignity. And I’m not. Hence the slightly bruised right thigh, the result of a high number of entrances and exits over the course of a long weekend.

Once inside though, the Europa doesn’t disappoint - essentially the best bits of the Elise with some added comfort. Well, a radio and a carpet.

Competing with the AudiTT, BMW Z4, Nissan 350Z and Porsche Cayman, the Europa adheres strictly to the Lotus essentials.

It’s light, at just under 1,000kgs. It’s powerful, using a version of the 200bhp turbocharged engine from the Vauxhall VX220 that has fantastic low end torque.

Add those elements together and you get a thrilling car to drive. Floor the accelerator and you get that adrenaline pumping push in the back as the Europa takes off.

It’s a stunning looker too - far prettier than the Elise. Four inches longer and with a higher roofline, it has great presence. But what of its claims to be a tourer?

Lotus hasn’t compromised on the handling or suspension. It’s still tight, meaning all that power and speed can be guided through curves and bends with a minimum of effort and maximum result. But the standards of our roads mean you take a bit of a pounding on long journeys.

Rear vision is restricted at best: make sure you carefully adjust the wing mirrors before venturing out onto the motorway. Even then you need your wits about you and a clear picture in your mind of who’s doing what behind and alongside you.

Having said that, its diminutive size, power, low end torque and agility make it a dream for finding those elusive gaps to evade lumbering foreign lorries on the M25.

You’ll need to travel light. There is a luggage compartment but it’s small with a maximum payload of 50kg. Now, the lovely Mrs Rayfield would account for that with her vanity case alone for a weekend away so the rest of our luggage would have to be Fed Exed to our destination (it’s OK, I’m safe, she doesn’t usually read the motoring section).

The Europa is an easier car to live with on a daily basis than the Exige and Elise but still feels like a sports car and turns heads. And I loved it.

Lotus may well find a tranche of new customers - but they’ll still need the joints of a gymnast to get in and out.

FACTFILE

Lotus Europa S

PRICE: £33,000 [est] – on the road

INSURANCE GROUP: 20

PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 141mph / 0-60mph 5.5s [est]

FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 31mpg [est]