I'll save you some time ...
The interior of the lowest end BMW/Merc/Audi cars (3series/C-Class/A4) are so much nicer than the interior of a model S so as to be stupefying.
When it comes to the car hardware (besides the battery-thing) the Model S is a rather meager bang-for-buck deal.
I hope for Tesla that they can iterate on that hardware aspect as well as they do on the software part. The quality and looks as well as the manufacturing process are still the bread and butter of old giants.
What I'd like: Put a tesla engine in a car with quality interior (european/asian brands) and quality exterior (european brands/mazda), maybe their software too least for its "evergreen" update scheme - but keep the touchpad away from me unless it dims out in the dark and offers me haptic response.
Personally, I've always felt sports car companies---Porsche, Ferrari, and Mazda for a low-end comparison---all have interiors that feel far less luxurious than any luxury car available for 1/3rd the price, and many family cars of 1/2 the price.
Porsche didn't have cup holders until their 2001 editions, and as an unfortunate owner of one, I can attest those are the flimsiest cupholders ever to grace the face of the earth, and the entire interior is filled with so much fiddly plastic that's just waiting to break and often does. Any Mercedes, even one from 10 years previous, would have a nicer interior.
Did that prevent me from buying another Porsche? Well, no it didn't. I like the way the cars drive, and eschew luxury features if their weight is going to do anything to the handling or performance of the car.
You probably don't like how Model S handles (it's pretty heavy), but maybe you'll like the eventual 2-seater built on the Model 3 platform.
You can choose a drive train that has been more-or-less unchanged for many decades, with all the money spent on the interior, or you can choose a revolutionary drive train, with a basic interior.
It's simply your choice.
http://cleantechnica.com/2015/02/18/many-awards-tesla-won-in...
http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s/2013/long-term-road-tes...
This article alone turns most Tesla enthusiasts into apologists immediately. Its a revolutionary drive train, no one has done this before, that's why its having issues. Or we can expect Tesla to fix the issues, or whatever.
Sure, but it doesn't change the fact that Tesla is performing awfully in practical long-term tests. IE: apologists, as opposed to enthusiasts.
What other long-term tests are you referring to?
edit: Apologies, I read the Edmunds blog wrong. You were right, they're on their 4th drive unit.
> If you're keeping score, our Model S is now on its third drive unit: the one that came with the car, the one that was replaced in November, and this latest one. And that wasn't the only thing that was replaced on this service visit.
This is when Edmunds replaced the drive unit twice. Look at the date, Feb 2014.
Later, in July 2014: http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s/2013/long-term-road-tes...
Yet another drive unit replacement. Their Tesla S went through four drive trains (the first one came with the car, and then three replacements) in two years.
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Consumer Reports also had an issue with their long-term test.
http://www.roadandtrack.com/new-cars/car-technology/news/a27...
Consumer Reports is a survey methodology, as opposed to a single data-point like Edmunds. But the fact that reliability concerns are hitting the major, reputable, reviewers is worrisome to me.
This isn't JUST an Edmunds issue. Everyone is reporting reliability concerns. In part, its somewhat okay because Tesla the company stands behind their warranty and fixed the problems without issue. So as a consumer, you get excellent service.
On the other hand, dying in the middle of a highway and being forced to call a tow-truck is not an experience that should be common on a high-end luxury vehicle. The question is if Tesla has solved these issues in time for the Model 3 / mass market.
I see you've never owned a German luxury vehicle.
Good one. +1.
What does it have to do to count as not preemptive? Burst into flames at 70mph?
Of course I'm biased. Owned six Volvos. Always thought you couldn't buy a better interior. Simple tactile controls. Best seats in the business. And I loved the waterfall console in the three that had it.
I think I'm over cars for the most part, but if anything could tempt me it'd be the new S90. Makes a Model S interior look like cheap junk at half the price.
If in the past years manufacturers had to cheat on emissions in order to present improvements to performance numbers, then there doesn't seem to be much innovation or the tech has stagnated.
On the other hand, there seems to be lots of room for improvement/innovation on the electric side.
The cheating is rather insignificant when compared to the actual decline in emissions over couple past decades.
Internal combustion engines have become more efficient all the time; there is a lot that has been developed there over the years.
Many of those things, such as the material technology, probably benefit also electric vehicles. Tesla as we know it wouldn't be possible without the pile of innovations done with combustion engine cars.
Can you share more evidence to justify that claim? Not that I have any reason specifically to doubt it, but this seems like it warrants a lifetime analysis of the expected manufacturing and repair costs of Teslas.
You can, for some models, but often not any more. Modern drivetrains include dual-clutch transmissions, which have only appeared in the last 10 years (despite actually being invented before WWII).
>with all the money spent on the interior,
Not really. A lot has been spent on combustion engine efficiency, for instance. I drive a twelve-year-old Renault Megane, not a wasteful car at all at its time, but new ones consume at least 30 % less gasoline.