Why no EV estates/wagons?

[DonkeyApple]

oop north said:

DonkeyApple said:

Why fixate on aero when prepared to spend a lot of money?
.

Range

How does the X overcome this problem?

[DonkeyApple]

ZesPak said:

... And drive better. More economically.

They don’t really drive better. That’s just the old waffle about low cog and the need to put in Ring laps at peak racing skill levels when nipping to the shops

It’s a really marginal argument and not one that the consumer actually cares about one jot as they are all demanding massive, rolly SUVs that will kill everyone as they turn out of their driveway.

And if the core argument for an estate is superior driving dynamics then no one is going to rush to build an EV one for a handful of specialists.

They are in their way but they aren’t exactly going to feature at the top of anyone’s to do list over other EVs. It is just a matter of waiting and using something else until then.

[otolith]

If someone is the sort of oaf who can't tell that an estate drives better, he's probably also the sort of oaf who thinks an SUV looks better.

[ZesPak]

DonkeyApple said:

They don’t really drive better. That’s just the old waffle about low cog and the need to put in Ring laps at peak racing skill levels when nipping to the shops

I've driven loads of them and I really don't gel with how most drive in terms of suspension. Most recently the Velar and an X5.
It is inherantly a compromise. They are going to weigh more, have more wind resistance (and thus noise).

My Jaguar XF wasn't a perfect car, but to me it felt more planted and better to drive than SUV's costing twice what it cost. A lot of it might be personal preference, but I don't think I've ever driven it anywhere at 10/10ths.

[DonkeyApple]

otolith said:

If someone is the sort of oaf who can't tell that an estate drives better, he's probably also the sort of oaf who thinks an SUV looks better.

No one cares. You can place your stringback gloves on the mantle piece, take off your driving god badge and open your eyes to look at the real world and what people are buying and it will become all too painfully clear that next to no one cares. It is not a remotely relevant metric to the modern consumer. It’s about the badge on the back, which shape carries the most status and what the monthly cost is.

The SUV completely dominates over the estate. No one cares that the estate should steer a little bit better. Those that do form part of the tiny group that buy estates over SUVs.

It’s not about anyone being an oaf. It is simply not an important true metric to the consumer.

The love of a fast estate is a PH thing. We aren’t normal consumers. And even on PH very few people have estates.

[otolith]

Oh, I quite agree, how it drives is not an important consideration to most buyers, who probably imagine that you have to be a racing driver on a track to even detect the difference. It never has been, they never cared whether a Cavalier handled better than a Sierra and endless reams of paper have been expended on opinions that most buyers don't care about. But most buyers also think an SUV looks better.

[georgezippy]

All that needs to happen is the Model S is approved for towing and I'm in. It's only a couple of times a year, but I do also use the towbar mounted bike carrier a fair bit. I know it CAN tow but tesla still say no and I don't know how your insurance/warranty would be affected.

As for the SUV argument, if Tesla non SUV shaped things (model S/3 etc) sell like hot cakes, why wouldn't another manufacturer join in?

[ZesPak]

I think Tesla sells DESPITE being a Sedan.

I initially looked for the i pace and ended up with the model S despite always having an estated (C class, 307 SW, 159, XF,...). The boot of the model S is vast though. it would be ridiculous as an estate but I would have had it.
Comparison:
Mercedes E class (afaik the biggest estate car?) : 640 L
Model S : 740 L + 150 L

Now if you have big dogs to transport I could see the argument, but that's about it.