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Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

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Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#22
post #11

""They have an interesting rating system. It ends up representing the fact that all this performance and fuel efficiency comes out of a car that can seat 7 people. The variant that does 0-60 quicker and gives you AWD gives you better energy consumption. Things like these are what blew up their scale."" A few weeks ago (a month ago ?) BMW released the spec sheet / announcement for the new 7 series. And it's just sad.…

Maybe, people buying a Series 7 are wealthy people that want a family car. And for the raw performance, they need enough to boast, but what they really need is a luxurious interior. Wealthy people looking for performance look at sports car.

Anyway, they will change their car in 4 years. There is no reason for them to suffer through the early adopter problems (not good enough charging network, only in the silicon valley you don't look stupid if you tell your friend you can go in the south of France buying wine this we because there is not charging station on the way), they will simply buy when the future is there.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#23

Did consumer reports review a Model S 70D? I would think that would be a more practical car for consumer reports to review.

I guess. I mean they're both incredibly small niche vehicle volumes that it seems a bit strange to split hairs on which model.

Well the P85D costs $30k (over 50%) more so for your average wealthy person the P70D looks much more reasonable.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#24
post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just an aside that raw 0-60 time is probably not the kind of driving performance you're buying a BMW for.

Which is why I'll take the Tesla every single time.

I mean, there are also tons of shitty American cars you could have bought to get better 0-60 times for the dollar.

The point is there are other metrics than 0-60, and in fact 0-60 is --- at least within a given bracket of cars --- a pretty cheap metric to optimize.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#25
post #11

""They have an interesting rating system. It ends up representing the fact that all this performance and fuel efficiency comes out of a car that can seat 7 people. The variant that does 0-60 quicker and gives you AWD gives you better energy consumption. Things like these are what blew up their scale."" A few weeks ago (a month ago ?) BMW released the spec sheet / announcement for the new 7 series. And it's just sad.…

I'm going to guess that it doesn't get that performance or fuel efficiency when hauling seven people, though.

I assume that by "it" you mean the Model S?

Keep in mind that when you have 7 people in it, at least two must be relatively small (77lbs or under) children. So the added weight isn't quite as much as it sounds.

The P85D weighs just under 5,000lbs empty. Say your 7 passengers add 1,000lbs of weight, that's a 20% penalty on acceleration. Might be noticeable, but performance will still be extremely good.

As for range, aerodynamic drag dominates at highway speeds, which is where you'll be spending most of your time on a trip. The efficiency hit from extra passengers will be down in the noise. You could probably recoup it by driving 2MPH slower.

I haven't done a long trip with 7, but I did do a reasonably long road trip with 6 in my Model S, and the extra weight was not noticeable. You don't want to be flooring it in a powerful car with small kids most of the time anyway, and the energy use predictions were still spot on.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#26
I'm a Tesla owner (a 3 month old P85D) and it really isn't the best car for everyone. We still have a gasoline car (a Chevy Volt) because every now and then you need to take a long trip.

It also has a wonky UI. The touch screen isn't perfect and a few dedicated knobs and buttons on the dash service would go a long way.

And it's way too expensive to be the "perfect" car. It's an interesting gadget for geeks (like me!) with enough income to buy one without thinking about it. The fit and finish of other $100,000 cars exceeds that of the Tesla.

(We also have solar on the house so we're not burning coal in some poor person's neighborhood to run it.)

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#27
post #11

""They have an interesting rating system. It ends up representing the fact that all this performance and fuel efficiency comes out of a car that can seat 7 people. The variant that does 0-60 quicker and gives you AWD gives you better energy consumption. Things like these are what blew up their scale."" A few weeks ago (a month ago ?) BMW released the spec sheet / announcement for the new 7 series. And it's just sad.…

Having driven both a 7 Series and a Model S, I'll take the BMW any day. More comfortable, better handling, looks better, doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard, and allows road trips with far less planning needed. It's nice that the tesla has insane acceleration, but in practice that's not super useful. And gas is a small enough part of my budget that it's not material so that isn't really a factor.

"doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard"

Why is this a bad thing?

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess. I mean they're both incredibly small niche vehicle volumes that it seems a bit strange to split hairs on which model.

Well the P85D costs $30k (over 50%) more so for your average wealthy person the P70D looks much more reasonable.

Don't forget that they now offer a plain 70 in rear wheel drive configuration, which knocks off another $5,000.

Teslas aren't cheap by any means, but there are a lot of people who could afford something in the 70-85D range but not a P85D.

On the other hand, the only real difference between a P85D and an 85D is acceleration, so I don't think there's much need to do a separate review just for the lower-end cars.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#29
post #11

""They have an interesting rating system. It ends up representing the fact that all this performance and fuel efficiency comes out of a car that can seat 7 people. The variant that does 0-60 quicker and gives you AWD gives you better energy consumption. Things like these are what blew up their scale."" A few weeks ago (a month ago ?) BMW released the spec sheet / announcement for the new 7 series. And it's just sad.…

The driving dynamics of both cars are "sufficient", so those factors won't come into play at all for many buyers; the interior fit and finish (i.e. the factors that actually effect your life every day) of the Tesla leave a lot to be desired compared to the 7 series. Is it so unbelievable that other people may value different factors from you?

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess. I mean they're both incredibly small niche vehicle volumes that it seems a bit strange to split hairs on which model.

Well the P85D costs $30k (over 50%) more so for your average wealthy person the P70D looks much more reasonable.

There is no P70D. Just a 70D
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