anybody here actually own a Tesla?

[hyphen]

fatboy b said:

The 32" end-on TV screen is enough to put me off regardless of how it's powered. But there's no excuse for such a poor quality interior for that price. But I guess it is American.

I sat and prodded around a Model S and the SUV a few days ago. Both were fine to me.

If anything the build quality was impressive with the door handles coming out on motion sensors, soft closing doors, the windscreen that extends over your head and what not.

The large screen is to be expected from a technology company and has advantages such as the massive picture for the rear view camera. Plus looks built in as opposed to the tablet stuck on dash designs of new german motors.

[DoubleD]

ex1 said:

DoubleD said:

From what ive read its a good nimble town car, but its not an exciting hot hatch.

Everyone who has driven mine have been EV sceptics and said much the same. They have all come back with a smile on their face telling my how "fun" it is.

I havent driven one. Im sure its a nice car though.

Quote from "what car"

At faster speeds the i3 can feel a bit twitchy and nervous, though, so it isn't as fun to drive along a twisting country road as you might imagine.

It seems to be a decent town car. But it doesnt appear to drive like a hot hatch type car and it certainly doesnt look sporty to me.

[Blaster72]

Back to Tesla, is the model X in the Uk now. I haven't seen any on the roads.

[jamoor]

DoubleD said:

I havent driven one. Im sure its a nice car though.

Quote from "what car"

At faster speeds the i3 can feel a bit twitchy and nervous, though, so it isn't as fun to drive along a twisting country road as you might imagine.

It seems to be a decent town car. But it doesnt appear to drive like a hot hatch type car and it certainly doesnt look sporty to me.

The i3 is a gimmick, it's a funny looking car that isn't exactly desirable. It looks odd, has a cheapened interior and will date horribly.

It's one of the examples of why electric cars have e struggled to become mainstream.

[c2mike]

I have driven 23,000 miles in my Tesla S85 since April 2015.
Yes it works fine and it has been trouble free. I guess there is a lot less stuff to overheat, rattle, burn out and need adjustment.
I charge it overnight at home, so I don't worry about range for normal driving and don't have to "fill up" on the road. In fact I now have to remind myself to check the gas gauge when driving an ICE car.
For long journeys, 200 miles is fine, leaving a bit in reserve. Will be less if the weather is very cold as the heater is hungry (probably in the region of 15% less). The newer dual motor ("D") and larger battery (90 & 100) models will go further.
Supercharger network is expanding: coverage in England and France is good. Scotland and Wales less so. Ireland non-existant, but is planned.
https://supercharge.info/
Super smooth drive with amazing precise throttle control and "engine braking". I love the interior design and control interface, but I'm not a fan of busy "button fest" designs. Hardly ever have to refer to the instruction manual.
I have had loads of software updates, so my car is continually improving.
This is the future - just needs to get cheaper.

[gangzoom]

Blaster72 said:

Back to Tesla, is the model X in the Uk now. I haven't seen any on the roads.

First UK deliveries started just at the end of last year, looking at this video from one of the Tesla VBLOGer it appears they are starting to arrive in numbers. Our has been built and is now in transit from the US with a UK delivery date in Feb/March. But prices have gone up alot since we ordered ours at the end of August with another 5% coming in a weeks time. Cheapest version now starts at £80K before options and with no real discounts to speak of price I think will be the main limiting factor for the X in the UK.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDKtaH6RMcn22L3_A...

Edited by gangzoom on Sunday 8th January 16:44

[Bee_Jay]

Blaster72 said:

Back to Tesla, is the model X in the Uk now. I haven't seen any on the roads.

Yup - picked mine up on Dec 28th. They are delivering a few every day now across the country.

[Bee_Jay]

To add one more thing here - I have found that most people's perceptions of EVs are either a little outdated or come from pre-conceived misconceptions (or from listing to Clarkson!).

Most once they have been driven in or even better driven one soon agree that it is the way forward. However with current pricing, range and charging networks there is still a way to go.

[Paul Dishman]

bloomen said:

Holy moly. That's still dire. One supercharger in the whole south west....
There's still a lengthy ways to go.

There's almost always at least one Tesla there

[Bee_Jay]

Paul Dishman said:

bloomen said:

Holy moly. That's still dire. One supercharger in the whole south west....
There's still a lengthy ways to go.

There's almost always at least one Tesla there

And sometimes a honking great Porsche Cayenne Hybrid hogging one of the only two spaces. (It can't plug in, only Teslas can, he knows this, but apparently is a local who doesn't care!)

[Rich_W]

Saw a Model X on Dutch plates recently. It seems quite large in person. It's got presence.

[fatboy b]

hyphen said:

fatboy b said:

The 32" end-on TV screen is enough to put me off regardless of how it's powered. But there's no excuse for such a poor quality interior for that price. But I guess it is American.

I sat and prodded around a Model S and the SUV a few days ago. Both were fine to me.

If anything the build quality was impressive with the door handles coming out on motion sensors, soft closing doors, the windscreen that extends over your head and what not.

The large screen is to be expected from a technology company and has advantages such as the massive picture for the rear view camera. Plus looks built in as opposed to the tablet stuck on dash designs of new german motors.

I think Tesla have the only built in screen that doesn't look built in. Sorry, but the dash is hideous. The materials are to be expected from an American car manufacturer. Cheap & nasty. But for the price they charge, it needs to be a whole lot better.

[ex1]

jamoor said:

The i3 is a gimmick, it's a funny looking car that isn't exactly desirable. It looks odd, has a cheapened interior and will date horribly.

It's one of the examples of why electric cars have e struggled to become mainstream.

I think pretty much the opposite of everything you have said From your comments I would guess you have not owned or driven one?

The reason EV have yet to become mainstream is resistance to change. Most people are pretty negative about change just because they like to feel comfordable doing the same st they have always done.

The i3 is an incredible piece of engineering and design it as big as an S-Max or as small as a Smart car when driving it. I've driven pretty much every EV on the market and the i3 is the one that impressed me most. In 15/20 years people will look back on the i3 as a game changer. It has is issues but look at some of the things they have done.

30% more eco friendly than any other production car - not MPG but how much we take from the planet to build
First carbon production car
As fast as a M3 to 30mph
Excluding batteries it weighs less than 900kg!


The looks are personal preference but I love them and think it will age very well.

[CQ8]

We bought our Tesla Model S 85 new in December 2014 and it is just about to hit 60k miles. In that time is has been utterly reliable, more so than any other ICE car we have had. Although it is laden with technology, the motor itself is so much simpler than a petrol/diesel engine.

True, the interior isn't the same quality as my 2015 Range Rover Vogue but it is still very comfortable and has stood up well to the wear and tear of two young boys. It is very good on long journeys, we live in the South West and regularly drive up to London with a quick stop at a supercharger (we would stop anyway with the children for food/toilet breaks). You get used to the big screen very quickly and the Sat Nav (via Google) is far superior to the one in the Range Rover. The lack of noise and vibration is not to be underestimated, it is a very relaxing car to drive.

We charge at home mostly but there is a supercharger just by our children's school which we use regularly. It was included in the price of the car so we make use of it as much as possible!

I wouldn't have one as my only car but I really do love it. I certainly wouldn't be without an electric car now and I'm very happy to stay with Tesla for the foreseeable future. We are considering a Model 3 as my wife finds the S a big car but having to pay for supercharging puts me off. I think I'll wait until we can test drive one and see if it's worth switching.

I would recommend anyone who is interested in one to get a test drive. An electric car does not fit everyone's life but if it could work for you then I urge you to give it a try.

[Blaster72]

Bee_Jay said:

Blaster72 said:

Back to Tesla, is the model X in the Uk now. I haven't seen any on the roads.

Yup - picked mine up on Dec 28th. They are delivering a few every day now across the country.

Ace, does it feel as big as it looks to tool around in or is it say as useable as an X5 or similar?

[rscott]

Tesla seem to be aware the current interiors don't quite match expectations - they've recently poached the head of interior from Volvo.

[silverthorn2151]

I know 2 chaps that have switched to electric. One a Tesla and my bruv in law with an i3. They love them. They both drive into central London each day. The tesla driver reckons to be saving over £500 a month excluding fuel saving which is significant by having free congestion charge and parking. The other just drives to a destination but also has no congestion charge and has free parking and charging. He loves the 0-30 time, its agile in traffic a d the interior is a nice place to be.

Both are petrol heads and have a selection of fine cars to use when driving in a different way.

Its the future.

[C7 JFW]

As a non-owner there are three hurdles preventing a purchase:

- I regularly do 3-400 miles journeys (up to 6-800 miles some days) so range/charging pace is a problem.
- There aren't enough chargers
- These vehicles are much too expensive

I really, really hope these issues are resolved as I expect they're brilliant cars.

[cobra kid]

Can someone saunter past and just unplug it during the night? Or is it some sort of secure plug?

[kambites]

C7 JFW said:

As a non-owner there are three hurdles preventing a purchase:

- I regularly do 3-400 miles journeys (up to 6-800 miles some days) so range/charging pace is a problem.
- There aren't enough chargers
- These vehicles are much too expensive

I really, really hope these issues are resolved as I expect they're brilliant cars.

I'm not sure they will for such an extreme usage profile, at least not in the near future. Not so much because they can't but because I don't think the market is really big enough for that sort of mileage for anyone to bother.