I would consider a Tesla if it offered CarPlay. And I would prefer tactile controls instead of that hideous tablet.
I even implemented one of the UI elements in my sass application. I can't imagine saying that about any other car "infotainment" system.
It is really nice to have maps/nav/spotify NOT dependent on my phone or even my phone's cellular connection. There is zero latency from the time I sit down in the driver's seat until I am ready to go. Nothing to connect. Nothing to boot. No apps to open up.
I walk up to my car. Open the door. Sit down. Push a button on the steering wheel. Say "Drive home". Push down on the "stalk" (turn signal, but on the right). And press the accelerator. No key or fob. No ignition. No gear shift.
Steering wheel buttons / stalk controls I can use without looking, but Tesla has those as well.
The risk of using the touchscreen in my Tesla vs using a tactile control in a traditional car is night and day in favor of the Tesla. Even if you have to look at the screen and not tactile controls.
I am not physically executing most maneuvers. And as a result, I am MORE alert to the conditions around me.
I don't miss physical dash buttons either, because figuring out the touch screen is pretty natural. Just like any other software. Plus it is nice to have new buttons added from time to time.
It can't just be "no CarPlay is a dealbreaker".
Of all the infotainment systems I've used, including Android Auto, Tesla's is the best by orders of magnitude.
Deals are context dependent. This should read "a deal breaker for <someone>". Clearly it's not a deal breaker for you, which is fine. Could very well be a deal breaker for someone else.
Would you ever seriously consider an Apple iPhone? Given comments you've made regarding iOS and Apple in the past, I suspect not, which makes the whole point moot in your context.
Different people value things differently. That's okay, and you don't need to agree with their value judgements. Refusing to see that other's value judgements are okay for them—while not necessarily the same as yours—is important.
Do you always formulate a plan of attack when someone questions you about things?
> Would you ever seriously consider an Apple iPhone? Given comments you've made regarding iOS and Apple in the past, I suspect not, which makes the whole point moot in your context.
Every time I upgrade my phone. Being critical of something doesn't mean you dislike or dismiss it.
> Different people value things differently. That's okay, and you don't need to agree with their value judgements. Refusing to see that other's value judgements are okay for them—while not necessarily the same as yours—is important.
I don't disagree with you. In my comment I said I had never used CarPlay AND asked why people valued it. I then compared it (indirectly) to Android Auto, and then said that I didn't find Android Auto a compelling enough reason to influence my car buying decision. Again, I asked what is so compelling about CarPlay that it's a dealbreaker given all the other factors that go into purchasing a car.
Thus far your arguments for CarPlay have been to attack my character and frame me as an Apple hater.
No. That’s why I opened with what for me would be the most compelling reason for CarPlay to be a deal breaker: integration with apps already on my device.
> ”because of an opinion you've formed of me based on my comment history”
You and I have discussed Apple and iOS before, more than once. It seems I just happen to recall them better.
Phrases like “hater” (and it’s opposite pejorative, “fanboy”) are unhelpful and I’m careful not to use them. You’re right, you can be critical of something without disliking or hating it.
Not to slight you personally, I just don't pay attention to usernames in online discussion forums for the most part so that contextualization and framing is lost on me. It's rare that I take not of a username or think "oh it's that guy".
> Phrases like “hater” (and it’s opposite pejorative, “fanboy”) are unhelpful.
I would disagree. While they might be inaccurate labels, however they succinctly communicate the perception of the person using the label.
Saying "you think I'm an Apple hater" conveys the same sentiment as "I get the impression that, after you having looked through my comment history, you think that I am irrationally prejudiced against Apple Products".
For you to assert that I would never seriously consider Apple products implies one of two things. Either I am making an informed decision based on my extensive knowledge of them and the company, or it's an irrational decision based on my feelings.
Why do I need to justify myself to this extent and still not have an answer to my original question about why CarPlay is such a dealbreaker?
To elaborate my original question further...
I realize the overwhelming majority of car infotainment systems are hot steaming garbage. I would even be willing to say all of them are, with the exception of Tesla's.
With that in mind, why is CarPlay a deal breaker for some consider a Tesla. To me, CarPlay being a deal breaker means either there's a problem Tesla's system or CarPlay has value beyond what Tesla is doing. So which is it and why?
Thus far the best answer I have gotten is "you would never seriously consider an Apple product".
The difference I see with Tesla is that many owners will say that the Tesla UX makes carplay redundant, outside of the iPhone's lockdown on sending/receiving texts and whatnot (although maybe they have an entitlement to use it, certain uses like Google Glass/Focals by North/Cars seem like something Apple would give text message permission to).
Android Auto is also not a deal breaker for me in purchasing a car, not even close, so I'm generally curious why people view it or CarPlay as dealbreakers.
Other than typing in an address to navigate, or setting a particularly weird preference, the tactile controls on the steering wheel do just about everything and it's all I ever use.
One of the biggest problems for most people about EV adoption is range. No one really beats Tesla on this datapoint just yet. Not Jaguar, not VW, not Mercedes, and not Porsche. VW's ID.3 should beat that, but it won't even be released in the US and isn't out until the middle to end of this year.
I own a Bolt in Maine and absolutely love it.
The Tesla competitor to the Bolt is not the Model 3 Long Range, it is the Model 3 SR with ~250 miles of range. The 2020 Bolt beats the Model 3 SR in terms of both range and price.
MSRP on the 2020 bolt is $36,620. How were you were able to talk them down $10k on the price?
In the end I got $9k off from the dealer and $2k off from a Maine-exclusive tax credit that is related to VW's emissions fraud settlement.
I think I just got really lucky.
I assume you're talking about EPA range, which in and of itself is problematic. The 2019 I-PACE is not comparable to the 2012 Model S. It's comparable to the 2019 Model X.
That said, recent software tweaks that Jaguar has made put its range at over 250 miles. This is even with Jaguar holding back a portion of the battery pack to prevent premature degradation. Comparing Jaguar's 2019 EV to its equivalent (class and price) 2019 EV from Tesla, it has more range.
"Fill up time" is one, EVs don't regularly "fill up".
Tactile controls is another. Between auto settings (lights, wipers, etc), voice (you can now turn the vents with your voice) and the streering wheel knobs (volume, etc), asking for "tactile controls" is like asking the wrong question.
The wipers are automatic and initially (like 18 months ago) they weren't good. But instead of asking "why couldn't they put simple tactile wiper controls" a much better question was "Why can't they train a neural net and make the car smarter so the wipers work better than manual controls?"
And the answer was, yeah they could. And they did and today the wipers are quite good.
I get that I am an outlier compared to most Tesla owners who weigh things differently. I'll just be glad when there are alternatives at the level of battery, drivetrain, and mechanical & aerodynamic efficiency of a Tesla that take a different tack on controls, interfaces, and remote access.
But I agree with @null_turkey - after the Model 3, it's clear any vehicle I would buy next for daily or near-daily use would not have a pure ICE drivetrain; at a minimum, it would need to be a plug-in hybrid.
My S and X both have "normal" wiper controls on a stick attached to the steering wheel, although I almost never use it since they are set to automatically turn on and change intensity depending on rainfall.
That said, I miss CarPlay for Messages (recently added to Tesla but not as good) and better Spotify controls (how exactly is Tesla sorting albums?). I guess Waze, too.
I mean, I think it's more of a party trick honestly. I set the AC vents once when setting up the car and haven't touched it since. I set the temperature once a season, roughly.
In the most recent update (last week) virtually everything can be done by voice. You can literally say, “my butt is cold” and it will turn on the seat heater. You can say, “turn up the heat” and it will turn up the heat.
The volume and whatnot can be controlled via the tactile roller knobs on the right and left side of the steering wheel.
Tesla allows you to do all three of the things you stated while keeping your eyes on the road. I can do these things in my Model 3 today.
I think if you wanted to own a Tesla and never use the touchscreen while driving, it would be entirely possible although you wouldn't get access to some infotainment features that many other cars don't have anyway. With voice commands, though, a lot of those would work anyway.
Tesla already has some tactile controls - they're on the steering wheel. I think people are just asking for more of them. If Tesla continued along in the same vein, a few more software defined controls wouldn't hurt UX updates at all - they would just give users more options for the UX functions they use most often.
> It doesn't appear either complaint is inhibiting sales.
People buy cars as entire units, they don't buy features piecemeal. I could just as easily claim Tesla is selling cars in spite of its dearth of tactile controls.