Aston v Tesla

[Vanin]

Just had a showroom introduction to the Tesla in Amsterdam.
Looked good, a bit Quattroportish, seven seats, tons of room in boots front and rear, very low centre of gravity so corners on rails, fantastic electronics and gadgets , genuinely exciting and launching a four wheel drive version for around £100,000 which does 0-60 in 3.2 seconds.

300 mile range, 8 year unlimited mileage warranty, supercharging 20 minute battery possible.

I love Astons but how do you compete with that?
I would feel a little uncomfortable alongside a Tesla at the lights having just spent twice as much money on a new Vanquish.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bv2UE7sNBfA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSyDaKRMrFo


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RRKWORDPxM

[Vanin]

BigScotty said:

A little flex of the throttle, and the audible symphony that follows, should take care of that.

Your little flex of the throttle and the music that follows will seem a little limp as you watch the Tesla disappear in a cloud of rubber smoke!

But is this not the heart of Aston's problems . They have moved from gentleman's sports cars
into Ferrari young bounder territory which is more adrenalin fueled. A victim of success in that area there are too many 21st century cars around (one on every London street it seems) so they are not held in the high esteem of the older cars in the eyes of the general public.

The older cars like RichB's beautiful MkIII will always be treated with respect and courtesy, you assume that Rich is the sort of gent that opens doors for people and never raises his voice! Definitely not a bounder like me!

A lot of competing bounder cars out there many more capable than the Astons, so they are only living on their name and not leading the field as they used to in the past.

So if I had a couple of hundred grand to spend and given that 95% of the time in the uk you are baulked by the traffic and doing less than the speed limit, I think I would spend the money on a good classic like the MkIII and enjoy possible capital growth without capital gains tax as opposed to inevitable horrendous depreciation.

But what to advise Aston to do for a new range I have no idea. Have any of you?

[Vanin]

Just had a look on the BMW i8 thread for a view on perhaps a car which is more competitive in looks than the Tesla and saw this posted by EricS an Aston v12 V owner.

the Tesla is a battery car and is seriously impaired by its range in real life and takes at least 2-3 hours to charge up. And you have to use a dedicated charging spot if you want a quick charge. Plus it looks totally bland and uninspiring.
the day when I did test drive the i8, my main sportscar was an aston v12 vantage. I put it for sale the day I came back from driving the bmw. It was that good.
I disagree with the tester's comments regarding the sound. It is very well done and you can elect not to have it at all when you are not in the mood. It is a very relaxing drive when you want it to be and a great, great car regardless of what powers it.
it is staggeringly fast. The combination of electric and petrol engine gives it a stronger immediate and in gear acceleration than the v12v. In real life at least. The power is so accessible.
Remember that its structure is made of carbon fibre and the amount of technology in the car is staggering. To me, it felt more special and more of an event than the Aston v12v I was driving at the time. At £100k, it is a bargain.
Each to their own, i put my deposit down 2 months ago and I strongly suggest to anyone to go and have a test drive and see for themselves..


RichB. The Tesla I saw had two rear facing seats in the rear which fold flat and are an option, similar to an old Volvo 940 Estate to make it a seven sweater but not for adults in the back, just useful for taking kids on short runs.