Tesla Model S

[TAP Auto Parts]

After all this I have one question... You guys actually read motortrend? Its like watching the Kardashins show - yea a lot of people watch it, its still trash.

That article is filled with errors/lies. For one, you cannot go 265 miles on a single charge with the entry level car. It has a range of 160 miles. To go that distance, you would need the 85kw battery (300 mile range) which would bring the base cost to 77400.

The base car has a top speed of 110 mph, not 133

The base car does not go 0-60 in 4 seconds, more like 6.5

Efficient? It is not. Dont believe me? Go research the creation and life expatiation of the batteries in that car.

Tesla cars are nothing special, and both drive like a bus, but they look cool and have a cool name and are packed with newer technology, so yeah of course it deserves car of the year. LOL

[Justin.b]

Isn't it understood that the Car of the Year award is purchased, not won?

Look at some of the past winners. It's a joke.

Chrysler 300, PT Cruiser, Chrysler 300M, 98 Chevy Malibu, Chrysler Cirrus... It seems like I'm picking on Chrysler, but that's because Chryslers dominated rental lots in the early 2000's and I rent a lot of cars including the 'Car of the Year' winners I listed. Those cars were AWFUL. The Malibu isn't horrible, but it was about on-par with a late-80's Accord.

I remember when the Renault Alliance won in 83. They put a sticker in the back window of every car in gold lettering that said it was Motortrend Car of the Year. I was too young to drive, but you didn't see many (any) alliances still on the road by '87.

-Justin

[ZDan]

Tesla Model S was also Automobile magazine's "Automobile of the Year".

http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...tesla_model_s/

Personally, I'd rather have a much smaller, lighter-weight, cheaper electric, but there's no denying that the car is pretty fricking awesome. At least to hear it from enthusiasts that have actually driven it!

[TAP Auto Parts]

I have driven it & it is an awesome car. It is not as good as these magazines say nor is it good bang for the buck. These magazines show impreza prices with STI stats

The big mags, motortrend, jd power, automobile, car & driver - all of that is pay to play advertising, I wouldnt trust a review from any of those magazines.

[Dadhawk]

Originally Posted by serialk11r

...Realistically, I think cars will always run on liquid fuel of some sort because the infrastructure doesn't need to be sorted out that way. ...

Yep, give my a liquid hydrogen fuel cell car with infrastructure. I'm all ready for that. In theory you can even pull the H out of standard gasoline.

[fatoni]

bought or not, i think it is important to note that tesla is probably the closest company to turning electric vehicles in to something that is considered a normal car. its the first electric that i like the look of and is "affordable." i feel like all i do seemingly talk about how mediocore the subion probably should have won that title

[Justin.b]

Does it matter what the big magazines say anymore? Does anyone read them?

I only see them at the barber shop, where they barely hold my interest for the 20 minutes I need to wait. And the barber doesn't even subscribe to any of the magazines. They just found out there's a barber shop there and send it out.

The FR-S is the first car I've bought since the youtube reviewers have been in full force and that's really the only places I looked for reviews. My mind was pretty made up anyway just by the rwd and weight of the car (everything else can be corrected in the aftermarket - those things are a bit more involved to change) so I was just looking for reviews that backed my decision.

-Justin

[Dimman]

Given what Toyota's doing with their EV racing, I think we may see interesting things from them in the future.An affordable plug-in version (or even full EV?) of the mini-Prius from improved battery and motor tech.

In the Pikes Peak article they claim that the battery is improved drastically (2 generstions) over the one they set the EV Nurburgring record with.

[White Shadow]

Originally Posted by Justin.b

Gas savings doesn't save you all that much. I have put together a spreadsheet that compares hybrid vehicle prices to their gasoline equivalents and even at $5/gallon none of them even cover the price differences over 100,000 miles.

In the case of something like the Tahoe vs the Tahoe hybrid, gas would have to be $7.40/gallon and it would take 200,000 miles to make up the difference.

Gas would need to be $6/gallon for a Prius to come even with a Corolla over 100,000 miles. Even at $11/gallon you won't break even in 100k on a Highlander, Escape or Tahoe.

I'm thinking either hybrid owners are poor at math or buy them to make a statement even if they claim it's for the savings.

-Justin

Yeah, that's exactly the point--buying a hybrid to save money is usually (but not always) a foolish move. But I do think there are still a lot of people who buy hybrids because it makes them feel more green, and I guess there's nothing wrong with that.

[White Shadow]

Originally Posted by TAP Auto

After all this I have one question... You guys actually read motortrend? Its like watching the Kardashins show - yea a lot of people watch it, its still trash.

That article is filled with errors/lies. For one, you cannot go 265 miles on a single charge with the entry level car. It has a range of 160 miles. To go that distance, you would need the 85kw battery (300 mile range) which would bring the base cost to 77400.

The base car has a top speed of 110 mph, not 133

The base car does not go 0-60 in 4 seconds, more like 6.5

Efficient? It is not. Dont believe me? Go research the creation and life expatiation of the batteries in that car.

Tesla cars are nothing special, and both drive like a bus, but they look cool and have a cool name and are packed with newer technology, so yeah of course it deserves car of the year. LOL

I read quite a few of the car magazines. Car & Driver is probably my favorite, but I also like Motor Trend and Automobile. For the most part, I don't have a problem with any of them. I'm not one of those fanboys who writes angry letters to the editor when BMW wins yet another comparison or the Honda Accord makes the 10 best list for eleventy something times in a row.

Automobile mag also declared the Model S as their car of the year, but they gave all the information you listed above. They talked about the different prices & the different performance you get with the various batteries available. So I can't fault them because they actually told the whole story.

[DIM]

Tesla Model S Performance vs Dodge Viper SRT10

[ame]http://youtu.be/VLCdP6sMN9k[/ame]








I never saw that coming...!

[mechaghost]

Woot

[meWant]

that is definitely an interesting read. thanks for posting

[ZDan]

Seems a bit of a special case. I've done the same analysis on my Vectrix VX-1 electric scooter vs my SV650 motorcycle, and I would be saving $21 per week if I were paying for the electricity. I'm not, though, so I really save $27/wk vs the ice motorcycle, $50/wk vs S2000 :-)