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With that in mind I have put down a deposit on the First Edition of the Ford Mustang. I am partial to Mustangs as my first car was a 1966 Mustang GT convertible, four on the floor with the 289 V8!
Let me begin but saying I am an old car guy. I pretty much have lived an breathed cars for most of my life. I have been a Mercedes fan boy every since as a 5 year old I climbed into the front seat of my Dads new to him year old '59 180.
Last weekend I made the mistake of test driving a Model 3 with my wife. My intent was to check the box as I expected the ride quality to be poor. They provided me with a dual motor with the 18 rather than 19 in tires. Initially I thought I had confirmed my suspicion about the ride quality but once out of the parking lot and on the road I didn't notice the ride quality as an issue. As I got onto the highway I put my foot down and it was absolutely the quickest car I have every been in and unfortunately my wife loved it. It handled extremely well and was remarkably quiet. I actually prefer the smaller size and would be happy to never go to another gas station again.
Where I am stuck is the value proposition, which I could accept if I thought the car would last forever but that brings me to my biggest concern, which is the battery life. As much as I like the ECO benefit of the electric shelling out $15k+ in ten years doesn't have a lot of appeal. Part of the lack of value proposition is that as fun as the acceleration was I really don't prize it all that highly as I drive my W212 to maximize mileage and longevity which means slow. The remaining issues are as you pointed out, the interior design is not Mercedes beauty and the front end looks like something from the movie E.T.
As C280 suggested I am going to take another drive and see what I think. Meantime everytime I bring up a car she says Tesla 3.
I keep hearing the silly singsong of how fast teslas are! Fast and torquey are different things. I have yet to find a Tesla to beat my E 43, after they take a quick jump for the first 1/8 of a mile it becomes an "adios amigos" situation. An E63 would make the same situation a slaughter from beginning to end. Note a tesla 100 model and an E63 cost about the same!
I keep hearing the silly singsong of how fast teslas are! Fast and torquey are different things. I have yet to find a Tesla to beat my E 43, after they take a quick jump for the first 1/8 of a mile it becomes an "adios amigos" situation. An E63 would make the same situation a slaughter from beginning to end. Note a tesla 100 model and an E63 cost about the same!
Their rapid acceleration and upgradable technology is definitely not enough for me. My wife’s main attributes to the SUV she drives is it’s cute and she likes the color. Not very practical so we all look at things differently
While I agree that 0-60 and 1/4 mile times and trap speed are not what define a luxury car, to keep facts straight, no neither your E43 nor an E63 will beat a Tesla;
While I agree that 0-60 and 1/4 mile times and trap speed are not what define a luxury car, to keep facts straight, no neither your E43 nor an E63 will beat a Tesla;
Just a couple of comments from another "recovering gearhead."
I am still not convinced of the universal viability of the electric car in the US. Consider the following:
1. In major cities like Chicago, auto ownership is still very high. Many people live in either high-rise apartments or condo's. The parking facilities in these buildings are not capable of supplying AC power sufficient to charge fleets of electric cars. Who is going to want to spend the millions of dollars to refit each of these massive buildings for charging electric cars? I doubt that the average condo dweller is going to want to pay their "fair share" of the massive infrastructure investment to charge their car. This would not be a cheap project.
2. Many more people (actually, probably millions of people) live in apartments in high-density neighborhoods where coming home after work means parking their cars on the street, often several blocks from their apartments and always in different places. How would you charge an electric car? Is the city going to install AC outlets on the streets to power your portable charger? I don't think so. Even if they did, billing would be a nightmare, and open for rampant fraud in a big city.
3. Personally, I live in an older house where the driveway is over 100 feet long, and the garage is at the back of the lot, far from the house. The electric power in my garage is only 115 volts AC, 15 amps. This wouldn't power much of a charger, and I am not willing to spend many thousands of dollars to upgrade the electric service panel in the house, then tear up the concrete driveway to run new underground power lines to the garage (underground power required by building code).
4. I second the concern about all-season range of the Tesla and other electrics. I have a business colleague who currently leases a Tesla. I always joke with him that I would happily race him. . . from Chicago to Kansas City. 'nuff said.
I do believe that electric autos will find their place among other modes of personal transportation. I just fail to see how they can become "universal" in the US, given the points I have raised. In another 50 or 100 years, maybe, but there have to be many other major changes to make electric cars practical.
As for the Chevy Volt. . . how's that working out for you, GM? Possibly nice idea, now extinct.
Keep in mind that c4004matci tracks his E43. It is not just straight line performance he is considering. Some of the Tesla models with lower battery power do indeed run out of steam quickly.
Keep in mind that c4004matci tracks his E43. It is not just straight line performance he is considering. Some of the Tesla models with lower battery power do indeed run out of steam quickly.
correctomondo. All teslas I have creamed have bee 75s and 3s. Its fun because 3 owners think they just bought a ferrari!
0-60 Times. For kids in school reading magazines and for boy racers. Yes the Tesla 0-60 is fast. The world knows this lol. At the end of the day I would still take the E63 over any Tesla.
0-60 Times. For kids in school reading magazines and for boy racers. Yes the Tesla 0-60 is fast. The world knows this lol. At the end of the day I would still take the E63 over any Tesla.
Tesla can be very fast but they are a bítch at pit stops.
While I agree that 0-60 and 1/4 mile times and trap speed are not what define a luxury car, to keep facts straight, no neither your E43 nor an E63 will beat a Tesla;
Personally i don't care much about the acceleration, but that's just one of the things that come standard with an electric car (even a nissan leafe surprises me )
"range" is another matter, and as we can see from the above, everybody has their own opinions on it
but forgetting the above for now, i can only say that the car truly drives great, an the interior is of pretty good quality.
would i like to see a few more control buttons? Sure, but via the screen everything is pretty easy to access
(I'd even say it's much easier than the mercedes menu)
the speed is also (only) displayed on this screen so slightly to the right of you, but this didn't bother me
the autonomous driving works really well, though on some country roads it would not engage (system temporarily unavailable)
i don't know if this is because they restricted it, or if the car just can't "follow" the road.
(if it's the latter, then the system is FAR from being ready to drive fully autonomously!)
And the the car did brake twice in my 40 min drive for no apparent reason (never happend in my mercedes)
what's not handy is that you have to click the cruise stick once to activate cruise control & twice to activate autonomous driving
(if i'm going to cruise i'm going to cruise all the way!)
i'm not sure if their system is better than that of MB, but i really didn't drive long enough to test it thoroughly.
in the end it's a different kind of car; sportier, lower to the ground, smaller.. going back into my own car felt like stepping into a limousine.
As i said earlier, the E is just better built, where the Tesla feels a bit plasticy on the inside.
And the design on the outside.. well, it doesn't get my juices flowing, but it's ok to look at
the tesla gives a lot of avantages:
the gouvernement gives me bonus of about 7.000 eur , so the car would come to abt 54.00 eur
i could then buy it with a loan (interest under 1%...) instead of lease, since they are pretty much maintenance free
this means i pay abt 950 eur over 5 years and the car is mine, instead of a lease of 1200 euro over 3 years and i have nothing
every morning the car will be charged and ready to go..at a third of the price of petrol
and it will be a sweet quiet ride.
BUT… it would just be "a" car that i own.. it would not speak to me at all
and believe me my E class talks to me all the time ;-)
every time i get in her (oeps..) she wraps her arms around me and makes me feel so good
A Tesla might be maintenance free but definitely not free maintenance,
you'd be surprise how much they charge for an annual service, last time I check it cost more than a standard B service at my local Mercedes dealer
Tesla recommends lubrication service every 12 months or 12,500 miles; tire rotation, balance and wheel alignment every 10,000 to 12,000 miles; air filters and brake fluid every 2 years. My neighbor (model s) spends about $600 per service visit.
2019 E 450, 2016 E350 4matic (retired), 2018 Ford Edge Sport, 2008 Porsche Boxster
From driving for over 60 years, working in many garages and my personal experience:
If the tires are wearing evenly and the car tracks straight, an alignment is not necessary;
If there is no shimmer or roughness, balancing the tires is not necessary
If the tires are wearing evenly, you can check with a tire gauge there is no reason to rotate the tires
I have seen cars perfectly aligned and after an alignment they were out of alignment: There is an old saying which applies here:
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it"
I do not know what Tesla is recommending as to "lubrication": Today and for the past 10 years, bearings, etc. that used to need grease are now sealed so there is no lubrication. Are they talking about door and trunk hinges?
As I see it, what a Tesla requires, besides replacement of normal wear and tear items such as wiper blades, tires, brakes, is change the brake fluid every 2 years, (although most American and Asian cars do not require this - it seems to be a European thing) and air filters.
Posted on TeslaRTI in 2015: My neighbor said this is about right at today's prices though there is Florida sales tax added on parts (not labor). Note that lubrication includes cleaning and lubricating brake calipers per the Tesla service guide.
02-08-2020, 04:02 PM
