Sunrose305

I test drove the Tesla S 90D Monday after driving the E300 last week. On the Tesla I LOVED the speed (0-60 4.5 sec), the fact that it is electric, has an extraordinary autopilot and receives regular improvements over wifi. But sadly that was not enough to overcome the $40k higher price, the awful interior, the mediocre reliability, overworked service dept network and finally, the hassle of making 100% certain you never run out of watts.

So I just ordered the following config:

2017 E300
Sport pkg
Grey exterior
Macchiato Beige/Black MB-Tex
Designo Magnolia "Flowing Lines" wood
18" 5-Spoke wheels
Premium 3 package
Burmester Sound System
Air Body Control
2nd 12'3" display
Acoustic Comfort Package

I'm told 6-8 weeks for delivery!

c4004matic

The teslas speed is really a misnomer, by the 1/4 mile it is falling behind or behind most other supposedly slower sport cars. Worse yet the car runs out of juice or goes into limp mode if driven at high speed or repated acceleration. It maybe quick but its far from fast. You cant get away from the fact that a teslas full battery pack only has one eigth of the energy as a gas tank, you cant cheat math. Wnen the tesla was run in the nordslife it only ran one quarter of a full run, it then simply overheated and thats all it wrote.

Dashoto

Different strokes for different folks. My brother has a Tesla and the idea of going cross country fuel free going from super charger to super charger, at no cost either, is pretty cool. Tesla has done a good job of removing range anxiety.

The big automakers will soon follow, and that's all Tesla hopes to accomplish.

Sunrose305

Agreed. If the Tesla had an interior anywhere close to the E300 I would have bought it. Their sales guy just called me this morning to follow-up and I told him I bought the E300 yesterday. He asked me why and I listed the reasons stated above. He said they have hired someone to work on a complete make-over of the Tesla interior. I think if/when that happens their sales will skyrocket. Most people buying $100k cars want a high level of fit, finish, comfort and accessories.

joshg1001

Im more worried about tesla build quality than anything else. Their interiors aren't great, but I can live with it. A nice interior scares me as to how much that would add to the price tag. I also dislike that the price is set and haggle free. No matter how much money you save from free charging, it wont overcome the thousands you can get off an E class.

c4004matic

It will only take him one or two more days than with a regular car and there are a grand total 4 possible routes. Count me out. What if your travelling on I 10 through Texas and want to make a "little" side trip to see Carlsbad Caverns or on I 90 through WI and want to visit the Apostle Islands?


Don't take me wrong the day that they make an electric car that can drive 400- 500 miles on a charge and fully charge in 3 minutes, particularly in the boonies of Wyoming, Montana, Texas or Iowa or Wisconsin, Montana MI, etc, etc, etc I'm in!!!!!


People forget that at the turn of the 20th century electric cars had more than a decent chance of becoming our primary means of transport, however, the overwhelming advantages of IC over batteries sealed their fate. The same applies today. Batteries have gotten a lot better but so has IC making it a moot issue unless you only use your car for local transportation. But, lets face, it if you only use your car for local travel, in most instances, public transport will beat a 100 thousand dollar car every time.
Till batteries, at least, double, if not triple, in energy density the electrical car will just be a fad.
Note: even with a supercharger it takes over an hour to fully charge a tesla battery pack! Maybe Tesla owners have the time to chat with other owners for an hour while they juice up, but the other 99% of us are on a tight schedule!!!

c4004matic

Manufacturers like Mercedes have been building "coaches" for more than a century, don't expect any miracles from a "flying by the seat of the pants" manufacturer that is very far from yet making a penny. Tesla is not Amazon a company where investors are happy to plow money in despite slim "profit". Amazon owns the online retail market which is thousands if not hundreds of thousands of times larger than a tiny startup car company and has had vertiginous growth since its inception. Tesla is a mirage of red ink, and shaky to bad science. Even when they build the so called mega battery factory and if they are able to cut battery costs in half, they still have the same fundamental problem, insufficient battery energy density to rival the IC engine! If they figure out how to increase energy density the whole factory would go down the drain since it would have to be completely different chemistry and technology!!!!!
Tesla is like Trump's Atlantic city casinos it doesn't add up any way you slice it.

Sunrose305

Build quality definitely remains an issue for Tesla, though the 2016 S model has improved dramatically according to Consumer Reports, actually beating the MB E-Class. Tesla's Model S Road test and owner satisfaction are the highest of any car ever rated by CR.

ua549

Most places in the US do not have public transport. I live in a major metro area with minimal public transportation even though there are hefty transportation taxes. It can take me 4 hours or more using the public bus to go from my house 6 miles (direct route) to the courthouse.

Electric cars are only good for urban transport.

c4004matic

California dreaming, I suppose .
But I agree its only good for local transport. From the reliability standpoint Tesla should be the most reliable car on the planet given that electrical motors are essentially maintenance free, just look at a fan anywhere that has been running without incident for 25 years!
I'm a very environmentally conscious guy but I abhor the whole "look at me" I'm a greenie thing. Devices become greener if, and when, there is an undeniable and practical economic incentive for it to be so. Even in Europe where distances are much shorter electric cars have little to no appeal since there is public transport everywhere and no one would argue that an electric train with 300 passengers is a lot more environment friendly than 300 tesla cars.

joshg1001

Yes, after 5 years on the market, I would expect the S to perform well, but the X has glaring fit and finish issues which are unacceptable on such a pricey vehicle. You would think Tesla would have learned how to achieve this since the interior is pretty similar and the exterior panels didn't receive any manufacturing change, accept the falcon doors which was more a design/engineering achievement over assembly.

Also, even though Tesla admirably updates their cars over the air, the design is getting old. While the S has been on sale for 5 years, let's not forget they announced the vehicle many years before that, so we have seen the design for 8+ years. No news on when the S will be a refresh, and the future 3 has similar design cues.

dgmanny

i drove a p85 for two years and sold it and now drive an e550. Constantly figuring out how far I could drive based on charge level was a pain. In cold weather the range was much less if you want to be warm. And the handling wasn't great on the highway. It takes an hour to charge at superchargers for long trips assuming no one else is using the charger. I love my e550.

c4004matic

Ding, Ding! We have a winner.
I also bet that during the first year of ownership you couldn't stop bragging about how great your Tesla was! Its called the I just spent 100K on a car effect, it has to be fabulous though it isn't!
Despite many level headed people telling prospective buyers of what a bad deal it is, its impossible to rationalize with people's herd mentality. They'll spend 100K on a Tesla because its "in" but they won't look at a Camry or Accord hybrid which solve all the drawbacks of a Tesla but have no panache. Same thing happens with climate change deniers, once you become so invested on a fools errand you can't change your mind till a ton of bricks falls on your head.

ua549

Camry and Accord also lack acceleration and good looks in addition to the fit and finish issues that plague Tesla. IMO hybrids have all of the negative features of electrics in addition to the drawbacks of an internal combustion engine. So go ahead and double down and buy a Japanese hybrid.

c4004matic

I'm no hybrid lover since I'm a lead foot. But, if the justification for a Tesla is being green, Plug in hybrids offers 90% of what a tesla offers. Many plug in hybrid users never use the gas engine except if they are travelling somewhere outside of their regular commute. Furthermore, you would be very surprised on how transparent and peppy the new hybrid systems are. And lest we forget they cost less than half of a Tesla while offering accommodations that are as good in not better! The interior of a Tesla looks like a Chevy Cruze with an I pad grafted to the center console!

ua549

The Chevrolet Volt has an optimistic range of 40 miles. With air conditioning running, a necessity in Florida, the range drops to about 20 miles if the traffic lights are green.

Mike__S

What we will have are a multitude of short haul electrics at affordable prices and numerous hybrid type vehicles with smallish, fuel efficient fossil motors and perhaps solid "city range" electric capacity that also boost their acceleration rates under dual power. These latter designs will be more costly, but will resolve the range problem. There will be no stopping for an hour or two every 250 miles, yet they will be remarkable fuel efficient.

As for car companies having an advantage of start up electric car makers, remember that Canon and Nikon, affectionately known as 'Canikon' are in deep trouble presently do to cameras made by Panasonic and Sony. Never say never. Especially in this era of rapid prototyping and computer aided manufacturing. There are a lot of highly trained young engineers out there who only need a guiding hand from a serious entrepreneur. And not specifically Musk or not specifically Silicon Valley.

Egonvdv

let me dig up this thread.

I'm looking at my next lease (august) and really like to go electric.

the problem is that there are not many affordable premium cars with a good range (500km/300miles)

Mercedes seems to be sleeping (?!) and only has the EQC, which is out of my price range.

So i was looking at the tesla 3,

this car is in the same PRICE range as the e Class (65-67k euro) , though size wise should be compared to a C-class...

(Unfortunately the E-class' real competitor; the Tesla S , is out of my budget at 91k eur)

i test drove my friend's tesla and must say it is fantastic.

i really love electric cars and absolutely do not miss the sound of an engine - on this there is NO competition, electric wins , hands down.

also the whole connected/gadget side is great. compared to tesla, it feels Mercedes is a car from the early 2000's (dial up modem anyone ?)

the tesla has almost all the option and most of it can be controlled from a distance;
heat/cool the car , open the doors with your phone; it's all there..

the on-board cameras act as a dashcam (since a recent update) & will also film during park

very nice sound system

And all these features are standard and new ones are being added all the time over wifi...

But...,

The interior is very plane/dull/bland and a bit plasticy.. (very american)
The fact that there are no buttons anywhere, actually "accentuates" the problem.

seats are nice & firm (leather) but definitely not the same finish as what you find in an E class.

Trunk seems as big as the e class, and the front trunk (frunk) adds some extra space, (though it won't fit a body…)

As for the exterior… what to say: it's not an ugly car, but not very great looking either. especially the nose is a bit weird.

glass roof is great, going over the full lenght of the car… though it won't open.

i do want to take it for another spin as have not yet tried the autonomous driving - which is a must for me since i got it on my E-class.

But Im' pretty conflicted:

tesla is electric, loaded with features & all works smoothly, while mercedes is bigger & better built

The tesla will cost me about 8 eur electricity per month.. the mercedes 150 eur in diesel.

what are your thoughts on it?

where do you stand on electric and do you think there' a better alternative from tesla ?

C280 Sport

Drove a couple of them. Ride is not that great. Looks are not pretty. Interior is cheap and boring. It does not feel like a luxury car at all. 0-60, low upkeep and tech is all these cars have. Get a E450 that way you get the smooth V6.

ua549

There are 2 Tesla cars in my neighborhood - 2016 Tesla S 75D & 2017 Tesla X 75D. I've been in both cars. To be blunt, the cars have not lived up to expectations. After 3 years and 40k miles the model S interior looks and feels very worn. The (US) range rating is ~260 miles. The reality is 180 to 190 miles of Florida driving (AC used 100% of time). Both owners charge the batteries at every opportunity. There have been many electrical problems (both models) along with issues related to the model X doors. All repairs were completed under warranty. As with my MB dealer cars are retrieved for service with a loaner left for the owner. Bottom line is that neither owner would own another Tesla.

Have you considered other electric vehicles or hybrids? There is a new GLC 350e de arriving soon. Personally, I am considering the revamped GLC with the hybrid EQ setup. My wife doesn't want an all electric vehicle.

Cerave

Model 3 rides rough compared to E class.

electric car acceleration is really good, though.

Sunrose305

I have a deposit (fully refundable) on a Tesla Y crossover that begins shipping next month. It will be replacing a 2010 Lexus RX450 Hybrid SUV (our second family car, the E330 is our first) and likely not used on long trips. I did consider the Audi e-Tron but it is too expensive.

E300-18

I understand that the Tesla Y has a similar interior design to the Tesla 3. No dashboard. All the display and most of the controls are handled through an iPad-type display on the center console. I would find that terribly distracting, and it would be a deal breaker for me. These cars are not yet inexpensive, but the interior sure looks cheap, IMHO.

kingscorpian27

I have test driven the Model S & 3. Not my cup of tea. When MB has an electric vehicle with over air updates like Tesla then and only then I will consider an electric. There is nothing Tesla could do to get me to own one of their vehicles.

I turn and look at my car ever time I get out and walk away. When I have a car it has to speak to me and a Tesla does absolutely nothing for me.

Helmar

As long as a stop to refuel takes 1-2 hours, electric cars will never be practical for road trips.

The only way to reduce refuel time to < 10 minutes is to use swappable battery packs, where gas stations would maintain a cache of charged packs, you drive in, pay some money, have your depleted battery pack swapped with a charged battery pack, and drive off.