No MDX's for this family. So, that being said, any of you have strong opinions on the Tesla experience?
Three and a half years, no major issues. Maintenance costs are a tiny fraction of what comparably priced cars are. Not having to stand outside in the Chicago winters at gas stations is very nice. Electrical bills have gone up about $30/month. Household fuel expense dropped about $200/month.
Installing the 240v NEMA 14-50 outlet in my garage was a costly pain, but that's due to having a detached garage far away from the main electrical panel of my house. Most other owners I've spoken with said that it was a minor cost for them.
I have been in. I have driven a model Y and didn't like it mainly because I'm a giant and own the model X. The model Y felt like a golf cart and wasn't as nice as the Model X. That said if I weren't a giant and the model Y was all I knew it would be a great car.
It looks like the lead time for either model right now is a year. Good luck.
My wife says perhaps the only negative she's experienced is sometimes the radio won't work. She put a deposit on a Cybertruck (for me), but I doubt we'll stay with that as the Austin plant won't be producing those for a while. She just had a ceramic coat applied-we're in for the long term.
with the Full Self-Driving feature, which is not actually full self-driving. But no other car manufacturer is close to Tesla on that front. Overall, I give the Y a mixed review. There are some things I like and some I don't.
PROS:
1. Wicked fast
2. Silent
3. Regenerative braking
4. Low maintenance over life of vehicle (basically just tires, brakes, and air filter)
5. Level 2 autonomous driving
6. Corporate commitment to get to Level 5
7. Over-the-air software updates that continuously improve performance
8. Best charging network of any electric vehicle manufacturer
CONS:
1. No dash display for driver
2. Tricky to properly tap functions on iPad-like control panel when car is in motion
3. Poor sightlines in rearview and side mirrors
4. It is not a luxury car. The money is in the battery, motor, and technology.
5. Elon Musk is a chronic liar
6. Customer service is weak or non-existent if you need a human
7. Beta tester for unproven, erratic self-driving technology
8. OTA software updates cause some functions to default to the factory setting or otherwise create new gremlins in the system
9. I am now stereotyped as a Birkenstock-wearing nutty crunchy hippie tree hugger. I am not. My car has already been keyed and the front license plate partially vandalized.
If you're going to go electric and have driving needs outside a 50 mile radius, no other car company offers more value than Tesla -- yet. But I didn't want to wait another 3 to 5 years for the other manufacturers to catch up.
My biggest concern is the ongoing potential to have to deal with their maintenance staff, etc. I don't think I've ever read one positive experience.
They've addressed issues quickly and competently.
However if you are used to other luxury dealers' service shops, it's definitely not as plush.
I've had it for just under a year. The range is great (I've taken it on some very long road trips) and the technology in the car is fantastic. The acceleration is impressive, and I very much like not having to pay for gas (and we have free chargers where I work). There's also almost no maintenance, which is really nice (it's basically an ipad on wheels).
That said, I have had a couple of build issues, which is not uncommon for Tesla. The dealer covered them, but it took multiple trips to get it all straightened out, and they were kind of a pain in the ass about it. If I had to rate my experience, I'd give it 4/5 stars, but that one missing star is nontrivial. As long as you don't need any help from Tesla, it's awesome.
the batteries in its electric cars. You buy the cars for a lower price and lease the batteries. The company will automatically replace the batteries when they degrade to 70% of the original capacity.
VinFast is a very interesting story. Basically built a car company in less than two years. Vinfast debuted its electric cars at CES earlier this month. Decent looking:
talk my wife into a Model Y to replace her third and final mini-van. Now that she is a grandmother, she is considering something smaller.
She is totally anti-Tesla and probably anti-EV. She is very concerned about charging and running out of charge even though we have taken long trips in the Model X. But she points out all the charging stops not realizing I would need to stop anyway to empty "my tank". And she will only be driving around town mostly and knows that each morning you wake up to a full battery and you never have to go get gas.
I am going to keep trying. I think the Model Y is a very close to perfect car and will be the standard of comparison for many years.
I am not a big hybrid fan unless you are always going to be under warranty. You get the complexity of both systems and it seems kind of dumb. My daughter was going to get a hybrid Toyota Sienna or Chrysler Pacifica and i talked her into just going for the gas Pacifica. The Toyota was only in hybrid and was much more expensive.
The Volvo V60 has one that is basically all electric for up to 25 miles so depending on the size of commute, it could seriously limit gas consumption and then it runs hybrid beyond that distance.
As a loaner.
Nice car, but the range was not impressive at all.
He regrets it every time I talk to him. He wanted the bells and whistles the E Tron offered vs. the minimalist feature of the Tesla. However, the performance is subpar, while my Tesla is the best car I've ever driven. Just a couple of things the Tesla had over the Audi:
- Over the air software updates constantly with Tesla. None with Audi
- Service centers are all trained on Tesla's and E-vehicles. With the Audi, my friend always has to wait until "their electric car guy" is available to help. No one else knows what to do with it.
- Speaking of service, in almost 4 years of ownership, the only thing I had to take it in for were a fogging taillight (under warranty), a cracked rear windshield when a tree fell on it, and when I ripped the upholstery with my boot. That's it. My friend has to take it in all the time.
I think Tesla should update their design and improve the interior. Most Tesla buyers tend to value the non-performance tech. As opposed to, say, handling and comfort and quality of finishes.
Now, I like Tesla cars. And, I am probably driving my last gas car, or maybe next to last.
But, I think Teslas look a little like skinny Dodge Intrepids. Teslas do have world class acceleration, straight ahead speed and range.
But they sure don't look like the new Porsche and Audi electric vehicles.
I agree, Tesla's biggest pro's lie in the technology. Its also the best handling handling car I ever had (my last two cars were an Infinity G35 and Lexus ES). With the regenerative breaking, you can actually drive most of your trip without hitting the brake pedal. They call it one-pedal driving. That alone allows you to handle the car so much better.
However, the design and interior is very boring. Lucid is aiming to be superior in all aspects. The technology is probably only slightly behind Tesla and the design is miles ahead. The only problem so far is production and unknown ability to deliver and serve the cars.
I'm probably due for another car in another year or so. I would look for design upgrades by then.
You say that Lucid’s tech is slightly behind…why do you think this? In my mind their development in battery tech and motor design/tech has flown past Tesla over the past 3-5 years while Tesla has been focusing on the wrong things. While one can agree that driverless tech from Tesla is better than others currently, are they approaching it the wrong way? Eventually they may figure out that using a camera only system isn’t capable of achieving what they currently say they have (full self driving). Elon musk himself has backpedaled on his “LiDAR is dumb” statements as I think he’s slowly realizing his idea of data mining camera video for a car to make perfect decisions isn’t possible.
I believe Tesla is ahead given the massive amount of driver and experience data they've been able to collect. I mean everything about Lucid will be in concept phase until they can actually have a large enough fleet of cars in production.
A like a lot of what Lucid is saying, but until they can produce it at scale and put it into mass production, they will be behind.
With over the air software updates, Tesla can improve driver performance in real time. The car learns my driving style and can adjust accordingly.
The best example is with the battery life estimate. When I first bought the car, the estimated battery life wasn't accurate at all...not even close. A few years later and now its scary accurate!
Last fall I went to the ND-UVA game...driving down from Philly with a stop in DC for a night on the way down. On Sunday, I drove straight back from UVA to Philly. It mapped out my trip back with a short recharge stop built in (the charge time was less than my trip to the bathroom and grabbing a breakfast sandwich to go). The estimated battery life was spot on accurate the entire trip. The estimated remaining battery life when I started the trip was within a mile of two of what it actually was when I got home.
However the mileage estimate on my “only made for EV credits” VW e-golf is very accurate with it’s range. It’s very nice that the Tesla’s will plan your route with stops for charging.
I guess my concern lies in their ability to innovate beyond what they already have. Carbon sleeving to shave a couple tenths off a 0-60 time doesn’t mean anything to the general public. It’s also just improving upon a motor that’s a decade old. Sure, GM was putting the iron duke into cars for 25 years but it’s horrible efficiency lead to them getting passed by Asian automakers when consumers wanted better fuel economy. Then they got complacent (Honda mainly) failing to adapt to more stringent emissions rules when everyone got better at forced induction. In my mind Tesla has hung their hat on a modular chassis they have little interest in updating, along with an aging motor. This while still relying on Samsung cells for the batteries who’s modules haven’t been changed for 5+ years. The biggest innovation they could be doing is figuring out how to reduce prices as they scale yet due to increased demand they’re doing the opposite. I just worry that eventually people will discover that there are other options.
And yes, the Tesla supercharging network is probably the best decision Elon musk has made, but with 850ish stations and sales like they’ve had recently, those eventually become crowded and less useful. There’s also a lot of misinformation regarding charge times like Tesla has a secret sauce…an electrify america station can charge a lucid quicker than a Tesla. And due to battery construction and management, after 20-30 minutes on a level 3 charger, everything becomes equal across makes/models/platforms
I'm not sure if I'd buy anything Ford right now.
I called the dealership because my check engine light came on, and they said they can't get it in for a diagnostic check for at least 2 weeks. That doesn't work for me up here in Minnesota. If the check engine light is on, remote start doesn't work, which isn't good when the temps are so low.
Always nice to have just in case I need to clear a code that isn't urgent.
The ID.4 is VW's first "native" vehicle on their next-gen electric platform (vs. an ICE retrofit). It's gotten solid reviews, and I consider it comparable to the Y.
I'd also suggest the Audi Q4 (upmarket ID.4), but no one knows when those are actually going to show up on our shores. I plan to get one myself when they do.
The lack of a Supercharger network for non-Teslas would be a deal breaker for me. That network was Elon Musk's smartest move as it virtually eliminates range anxiety.
I have a Model 3 with almost 90k miles on it and have not used the Supercharger network often but it is extremely useful to have when you need it (long drives; forgetting to charge at home the prior night; etc.).
I also think Tesla is just far ahead of any other manufacturer at putting it all together for the EV experience, in particular software.
non-Tesla EV. What are the quick charging options for non-Tesla? The newest Tesla superchargers add 1000 miles of range per hour plugged in. I don't believe there is any comparable option to charge other EVs and if so, they certainly don't have similar numbers of charging locations.
If so, it is a great vehicle. Get a in-home charger, since the 120v charger is extremely slow.
Also, use the delivery checklist to validate that you do not have any QC issues (QC is the only problem with buying a Tesla. The UX/UI is awesome).
Nothing to see here.
They invited Poland. Cake was served.
If you're not into the Tesla interior the Mach-E feels much more like a normal car.
Trouble was (a) I didn't want to wait five months for it, which was the delivery window at the time, and (b) our current garage is tough to keep both a car and things in, not to mention I didn't want the hassle of running the high-voltage line out to it when we're looking at relocating.
What I did was get comed to drop another service right to the garage. We installed a new panel and then installed the charger. I got all of that done for $2250 including parts and labor.
I’m 100% on board with electric cars as daily drivers so long as you have an ICE car for road trips. Tesla makes a solid product that doesn’t appeal to me, but this video is very interesting in how their customers end up post sale. They’re big enough now that even if 5% of their newly sold vehicles have a problem (which is low for the industry), you can’t tell people to GFY and think that your business model will continue to thrive. This alone is enough to proceed with caution. That and they’re continually increasing the price on a product that hasn’t changed since 2007 (for the most part).
throughout the automotive industry. And the Model Y is selling like hot cakes. Hopefully the Berlin and Austin TX factories open soon to relieve some of the pent up demand.
I have a friend who ordered in September and she did not want the car until March 2022 due to winter weather. They have offered her an earlier delivery several times and she says no. They have also held the price through several increases as long as she does not change anything on the order. She has enjoyed the sales experience so far.
Waiting myself for delivery of a Model 3. Ordered in late November with an initial late December delivery. Has been pushed twice. Now March. Those I know that actually have the Model Y like it.