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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

#71

Post by beachstartup »

adam12 wrote: post #53
johnnyg wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think Telsa providing a given feature set makes them responsible for the misuse of it.

Of course it doesn't make them responsible. I just don't think someone should be driving like that unless they are on a test track.

i punch it at full throttle to 65mph every time i use an on-ramp. i bought a performance car to use it as advertised.

perfectly legal, and appropriate, when traffic permits.

in fact, if you don't, you're probably a shitty driver and need to learn how to merge. when you're merging into a river of steel doing 80mph and you're doing 45 because you're watching the consumption meter on your hybrid, you're an asshole.

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

#72

Post by mikeash »

johnward wrote: post #40
rsync wrote: 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 a Tesla fan but the 7 series still wins in "recharge" time.

Well, that depends.

Are you counting the sum of all of the time you spend waiting for the car to recharge/refill? If so, and if you're a typical driver, then the Tesla wins. In an average month, you might spend a total of 15 minutes gassing up your car, and zero minutes charging your Tesla (because it's charging while you sleep).

On road trips, it will depend on how well charging stops coincide with bathroom/meal/coffee stops. A supercharger stop is both longer and more frequent than a gas stop, no dispute there, but if you time it to coincide with a break that outlasts the charging stop (easy to do) then the time penalty is zero. It's not practical to overlap gas filling with other stuff, so you can even lose out there.

Now, if you're the sort who drives five hours at a time without stopping then the gas car can win big on charging time. But even if you do that, unless you take those trips pretty frequently, the Tesla can still win on total time spent filling up.

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

#73

Post by mikeash »

kylec wrote: post #69
Lightbody wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Responding to the several comments about how there aren't tactical buttons and that you have to look at the large center console: that isn't accurate. There are four buttons and two "scroll wheel buttons" on the steering wheel that control music, the sunroof, climate, etc. The feedback for those buttons is provided on the second digital screen that is behind the steer column, so your eyes just move up/down not toward…

I did not know this, thanks for sharing. I found a video on YouTube where someone went over the buttons and how to use them. My biggest complaint with them would be that in order to adjust the climate you have to press the right scroll wheel, scroll to the setting you want to adjust (temperature, fan speed, roof, etc), press the button again, then use the scroll wheel again to adjust the setting, all while looking at…

Note that it remembers which setting you used last, so in the common case where you're always adjusting e.g. temperature, you just scroll the wheel up or down.

I won't argue that the setup is less convenient than it could be. On the other hand, I always found reaching over to some center console to fiddle with buttons and knobs to be extremely cumbersome even if I learned to find them all by feel.

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

#74

Post by tajen »

chabby wrote: post #54

Just my 2 cents: I've driven both a P85D and a 2014 Porsche 911 4S cabriolet fairly extensively. Guess which one I decided to buy? The Porsche. These might not be two cars that are commonly cross-shopped, and the Tesla does beat the Porsche to 60 mph. Still, the Porsche was clearly the winner in just about every other way in my estimation. Anyone else have a similar experience?

> in just about every other way

I might not be able to buy a Porsche any time soon, but which ways are you suggesting?

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

#75

Post by moron4hire »

frankchn wrote: post #70
moron4hire wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But you're comparing this to BMW, which in place of that iPad has iDrive, which is perhaps the single largest UX abomination on the planet. And personally, I've never been on the highway, with a semi-truck barrelling down on me from behind, needing to get over to make an exit, and thought to myself, "gee, I really wish I had less acceleration right now".

Which model year BMW did you drive? The early iDrive systems were quite crappy and the controllers were prone to breaking, but the current generation ones are actually pretty good. Acceleration is great, but I don't think in your scenario it matters whether you have a 3 second 0-60 car or a 5 second one. Both of them are probably going to out-accelerate whatever truck that is coming down (unless the truck is trying t…

I believe it was a 2014. It was last year, in Germany and Austria. For a rental, it didn't have that many miles on it, which is why I'm assuming it couldn't have been very old.

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

#76

Post by beachstartup »

zippergz wrote: post #16
rsync wrote: 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.

the funniest thing about tesla is it turned a bunch of non-car people into car people - they're arguing over cars on the internet now, completely unconsciously. let me say that again - arguing over cars on the internet like a bunch of car guys. isn't that hilarious? i think it is.

there isn't much difference between a tesla fanboy/fangirl and ... say, for example, a GT-R fanboy/girl.

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

#77

Post by coldpie »

moron4hire wrote: post #68
funkyy wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There is many reasons, but major for me is that you need to look at the screen when switching AC, performing simple tasks. With regular buttons you can memorize where is what and not look at them when switching options which increases the safety. Also large screen is distracting, BMW 7 focuses on driving and comfort removing from in front of your eyes anything that could tire your eyes.

I've never been inside a Tesla, but I've driven a few thousand miles in a (rented) BMW, and I would really be very surprised if Tesla could beat BMW in the "pure, crystallized-shit of UX" department. iDrive is an abomination.

All screens in cars are abominations and I will never buy one.

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

#78

Post by jazzyk »

johnward wrote: post #40
rsync wrote: 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 a Tesla fan but the 7 series still wins in "recharge" time.

True, and in the abundance of "charging" stations.

But it is the _only_ advantage left (see disclaimer at the end).

- Reliability should be much higher with Tesla, as the engine is much simpler.

- Ride quality. The 7 is a boat, does not have the agility of smaller, sportier BMW models.

- Looks. Obviously subjective, but 7's styling is very conservative and has not changed much.

Disclaimer: These two cars are targeted at two quite different (though equally affluent) types of buyers. Some people prefer conservative, some sporty.

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

#79

Post by sahaskatta »

tw04 wrote: post #65

I get that the Tesla is awesome, but it seems pretty frigging ridiculous that to give a car 103 out of 100 when it only has a range of 200 miles.

How ridiculous would it be for a car company to give you a lifetime unlimited supply of gasoline along with the purchase of your car? Absolutely ridiculous. Guess what? That's exactly what Tesla does. http://www.teslamotors.com/supercharger

Unlike gas cars, you start off with 200 miles of range EVERY MORNING since you charge overnight. Most Americans also only drive an average of 40 miles a day. And for those long trips, you have Superchargers.

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

#80

Post by kylec »

mikeash wrote: post #55
kylec wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The P85D is, no question, stupendously fast 0-60. But is that really all you care about when driving a car? I recently was shopping for a performance car and the Tesla was never even a consideration because of all the other limitations (range, charging availability, etc). As something to show off with, the Tesla wows and amazes people. As a car to drive on a daily basis, I think it is too compromised.

Do you drive more than 250 miles in a day on a regular basis? When you do drive that far, do you do it on routes that aren't covered by Tesla's Supercharger network? As a daily driver, the Tesla is easier to deal with than a normal car. With a normal car, you have to worry about how much gas you have, when and where you'll stop to fill up, etc. My Model S is full in the morning every time. For trips that exceed the r…

I live in Massachusetts, and I regularly visit my parents in Maine, which is about 270 miles away. There are no Superchargers along the route, at my parents' house, nor indeed anywhere in Maine. I also live in an apartment, and there is no electric car charging here, so I'd probably have to frequent the local Supercharger to keep it topped off.

The "etc" covers things like not having physical controls for adjusting the climate and sound systems, as well as a generally substandard interior for a $100K car. Not dealbreakers per se, but factors that leaned me away from considering the car.

I don't know if I'm in the minority here, maybe I am. Maybe most people own a house with a garage and never take road trips further than 250 miles (or own a second car with which to do so), but I'm not one of those people. I suspect, though, that there's more of us than you might think.

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