BTW WEBSRFR we're picking up our 70D today. I elected to pay cash but I'm now wondering if I should have gone with a 3 year lease, if MB will really have something out as soon as 2018.

 

Congrats on your 70D!

Multiple sources tell me what Mercedes will have out first is not a sedan/car but more of a CUV type vehicle. Also they are saying 2018 but that could be for a launch in Europe so it might be 3 years from now by the time you can actually buy one in the US. Also I have no clue where Mercedes plans to get batteries for actual mass production of EVs in the magnitude of hundreds of thousands so any ramp up might be delayed.

The 70D is a tremendous value for what you are getting. Also your 70D actually has a 75 KWh battery that is software limited so that's a benefit for charging.

My advice to you is to enjoy the 70D for about 4-6 years so you can amortize the cost of the vehicle over a longer period and by then you will see a variety of very compelling EVs with 400+ miles of range. The S Class EV should also be out by then.

Unless you own a business and can deduct your lease payments if I were you, I'd buy the 70D outright and own it for a while. You will love the 70D. Autopilot completely changes the long distance driving experience.

 

I'm actually considering a last minute change to a lease. Partly I'm worried about resale value after the Model 3 and MB come out. It might be nice to have a 'put option' in the form of a 3 year term. OTOH their leases are not cheap.

 

Below is some info about MB's relationship with Tesla and the use of Panasonic batteries including the MB B Class with a 300 mile range:




Mercedes Is Saying Goodbye To Tesla

August 21st, 2015 by Steve Hanley

Mercedes has been using batteries, motors, and inverters supplied by Tesla for its B-Class Electric model, but now Mercedes is saying goodbye to Tesla for good. Going forward, it will use its own motors and inverters in the B-Class Electric and look to other companies for the batteries. According to Germany’s highly regarded Auto Motor und Sport (AMUS), Mercedes says the updated B-Class Electric will have more than 300 miles of range, which is a big step up from its present range of 100 miles using Tesla components.

The AMUS report does not make it clear if that range is based on the European testing standard or the US protocol. If predicated on the European testing procedure, range in the US would work out to more like 200 miles, but that is still equal to the upcoming Tesla Model 3, which is due in showrooms in 2017. If it is based on the US protocol, that is more than the best Tesla has to offer.
The current B-Class Electric lists for $42,375, which is about $8,000 more than the Tesla Model 3. But many industry analysts doubt whether the Tesla will really be able to sell the Model 3 for only $35,000. Many expect the car, with popular options, will retail for between $40,000 and $50,000. Of course, what a next-gen B-Class Electric sells for is even more up in the air.
Mercedes already has 3 other plug-in cars in the showroom — the S 550e, C 350e and the GLE 550e — and says it plans on having 10 plug-in models on the road by 2017. All of the batteries for the current plug-in hybrid models are sourced from Panasonic. Whether Panasonic will supply all of Mercedes’ needs going forward, including the B-Class Electric, is unknown.


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It's probably a smart choice to lease, especially if you own a business as that will allow you to write off most of the depreciation via the lease payments.

EVs over the next 3 years will improve substantially. Tesla is on the verge of releasing a full autonomous car within the next year or so. Battery costs are expected to come down 30-40%, the Germans by then will finally start offering compelling EVs, and due to higher battery densities there will be ~400+ mile range EVs.

Premium cars are never a good short time financial acquisition. Both a Mercedes or a Tesla will be worth just about 50% of what was paid for it about 3 years later.

 

I don't have a business that requires a car. Anyway, I ended up buying outright, mostly because I found out that if leasing, I would effectively lose about half the federal tax credit if I ended up keeping the car after 3 years.

 

Actually if you lease and decide to buy you will loose the Federal Rebate in its entirety as they apply the rebate not as a cap cost reduction but by adding it to the residual (lowers cost for leasing but inflates it for buying at the end of the lease).

Congrats and enjoy the 70D! Keep the car as long as you can so you can amortize the depreciation over a longer period.

Compelling Mercedes EVs should be available in about 3-4 years. The first of the 4 EVs Mercedes is working on will be announced this fall. Sadly it is will be announced as a concept car so no idea what the final design will look like or when it will be available for purchase.

http://autoweek.com/article/paris-mo...e-electric-car

 

Yes I see now, thanks.

 

We are just a few months away from seeing what Mercedes' first non-crippled EV will look like.

The reveal is expected to be in September or October.

Will be interesting to see the specs and what the actual interior and exterior will look like.

http://www.technobuffalo.com/2016/07...r-tesla-rival/

 

Tesla will never get any play from me...Cannot see myself support the modern day Howard Hughes
That dude is weird! Like the basketball ball gods
say" MJ all day", MB all the way!

 

I doubt Elon Musk gives a rat's derrier what you think. Tesla hardly needs any play from you when the Model S is outselling the S Class in the US with Tesla spending nothing on advertising.

While clueless people steeped in their ignorance whine about the accomplishments of Elon Musk, the finest engineers in America build rockets that launch spacecraft and land vertically with propulsive precision. An accomplishment that all of Elon Musk's competitors, including entire nation states, said could not be done.

So pardon me while I celebrate American innovation and ingenuity that is reinventing the automobile industry with Tesla and the space launch industry with SpaceX while some forum boy belittles the accomplishments of others.

 

No one's "belittling" anything. He is just holding an opinion, the same thing everyone whose seen this thread has already done. His accomplishments are certainly grand, and with things such as paypal he has helped many including myself, but to some of us the Model S isn't one of these things which help us - at least not yet.

 

First of all Sir, I don't care what this quack thinks, believes nor however many rockets he shoots to the outer layer of space! And I certainly will not purchase a 4 Wheel car that sits on a darn 9 volt oversized battery. So while he's burning up your pennies, We'll be slipping cold brews in the parking lot!!
Friend!

 

How has this thread managed to stay alive?

 

I tested the Tesla and the Mercedes S-class and ended up with the Mercedes . I am also a technology guy in my early 40s and loved the big display on the Tesla and the features that come with it. OTA firmware updates for the car? COOL! The Mercedes still has a 3G antenna and the infotainment is WAY behind the competition.

It it was the interior that turned me off. Not as much room in the Tesla and the interior wasn't even close to the S class. I am a pretty big guy and it's very important that the car be comfortable for me . The seats in the Tesla don't even come close to the S class . I also felt like the interior was not one that would be in 100,000+ dollar car .

The technology professional in me wanted to buy the Tesla but ultimately it was the comfort and interior that pushed me into the S class .

 

Two or three Tesla fan boys keep advertising for the brand and can't live with the fact that not everyone shares their enthusiasm. The concept that everyone has their own personal views seems to be a foreign concept. So this thread goes on and on and on.
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Actually no one here cares what you think WEBSRFR!


As an employee of Tesla you should stick to the Tesla forum because you are such a pompous ***!