Quote:
Originally Posted by son_of_siggy
I drive a Volt, and there isn't anything wrong with it. It's a fantastic car. I love 'filling up' every time I get home. It costs me ~56 cents per day to drive ~35 miles roundtrip (7 cents per KWh here).
I have also had the opportunity to drive the Tesla S Performance. What a car!
There isn't much comparison between the Volt and Tesla S, other than they're both Electric. Comparing the two and asking why someone would take one over the other is like comparing an Accord to an M5. They're different vehicles with different targets. Both are comfortable passenger cars, but one puts around, and the other is a rocket. A sub-5 second 0-60 in a big passenger car is pretty damn quick. The Tesla puts down near CTS-V 0-60 times. Anyone see the video where it pulls from a dig and a roll on the Aston Martin 4-door?
It handles incredibly well for it's size, though I am no track junkie so take that for what it's worth.
The interior is great too. It may lack some of the materials of a 100k Mercedes, but the infotainment center is far superior than anything I've encountered. It's a 17" screen that controls EVERYTHING.
Find a showroom and check one out. Anyone who is looking at the Leaf or Volt, and then comparing it to the Tesla S isn't seeing anything past the electric motor similarities. An Accord and an M5 both have ICE powertrains, both seat 4+ adults, etc, but are they really that similar? Not in my opinion, and neither is the Leaf/Volt and the Tesla S.
And again, I love my Volt.
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You make very good points. But you missed the gist of my argument. I was thinking about it more from a logical and economic sense. I guess some people drive electric cars to protect the environment (never mind all the not so environmentally friendly toxic heavy metals that have to be used to make those huge batteries). But another big reason people drive electric cars is to save money and cut down on their fuel bills. Yes a Volt or Leaf aren't exactly very cheap, but with generous government subsidies and tax breaks, in addition to the savings in fuel costs they end up cheaper than an equivalent gasoline-powered car. But the Tesla Model S just doesn't make any sense to me in terms of logic and economics.
I guess I'm just trying to understand the rationale and the target market for a $130000 electric car. What's wrong with an M5, E63 AMG, or Panamera? All of these are rather good family cars that are still cheaper than the Model S. And they handle better too. Or are millionaires' consciences so troubled by driving a gas guzzling Merc or Porsche?
