Everyone's got a favourite component of the new Lotus Exige S

From its pure Lotus door hinge to its spacey intercooler and even its exhaust pipe, this car has something to excite everyone.

The racetrack-bred Exige S tracks the road exactly; some would say this makes it the ultimate driving experience and the ideal way to tour New Zealand.

Others think it's best suited to the track, where it takes first place in the AA Torque show's dodgy floor it and brake it test, travelling from 0-100-0 in a staggering 107m.

Once you're inside the Exige S, you're unlikely to want to get out.

Once you're inside the Exige S, you're unlikely to want to get out, so it's lucky that the 220hp supercharged, 1.8l Yamaha engine saves you precious refuelling time by using a very efficient 7.6l of fuel per 100km.

Lotus founder Colin Chapman was a pioneer in the philosophy of performance through reduced weight.

Despite this astonishing efficiency, the Malaysian-built Exige S manages to get up to 100kph in 4.3 seconds thanks to a light yet strong aluminium space frame and lack of creature comforts (even the radio and air con can be removed to further reduce the weight).

So if you've ever wondered why everyone raves about the Lotus, we can tell you that it's probably because it's a great package that anyone can drive.