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Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

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61–70 of 642 posts

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#61

I don’t get this to be honest. Had a couple of experiences as a passenger and now I actively avoid them (on Uber). The ride is absolutely awful. So rigid. Every bump on the road is felt, to the point I felt nauseated. They’re spacious, and maybe they’re nice to drive? But if I bought this without test driving it first, I would return it.

The quality of Tesla vehicles are objectively terrible. I had looked at purchasing one 4-5 years ago when they were all the hype and I walked away from the test drive dissapointed. Yes you push the pedal and it go fast. Everyone with a Tesla loves to show that off that and I can't dispute it. But the actual ride quality is (or at least was) truly horrible. Terrible road noise and suspension that bottoms out and rebou…

And my E46 M3 had interior door trim with glue that melted in the sun and fell off. Oh and the crankshaft bearings ate themselves and grenaded the engine at highway speed (the dealer charged BMW $14k just for the engine on that warranty repair).

Or my wife's Audi where the black coating on all the interior plastic scrunched up and peeled off. And that same car had a CVT transmission with so many failures Audi actually paid off repairs via a class action lawsuit (I got a check for around $4k! first and only time a class action actually benefitted me and not the lawyers). Oh and the defective Bosch ignition coils that caused misfires.

For what it is worth my Model Y (Dec 21) doesn't have odd panel gaps or other problems. It has extremely minimal maintenance requirements. I don't care about the price of gas or even electricity because my solar panels charge it for free. And it is fun to drive.

Not everyone will like the ride, the features, or whatever else... but they are selling every single one that rolls off the fully-booked production line.

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people (like myself) prefer a sporty ride. They're really fun to drive. I own one and don't regret it. Obviously no car will appeal to everyone but clearly Tesla has a market despite the nay-sayers. edit: The purchase experience beats traditional car makers hands down. No high pressure sales tactics or scams like rust preventer. Nay-sayers also under-rate Tesla's mobile service. Go into the app, create a ticket,…

I love when people say this. Because it tells me that they have never actually driven a sports car before. When tesla owners say "sporty" they mean acceleration. Yes Teslas have mad acceleration. Not disputing that. But thats not a sporty drive. If anything thats more what you would get from a muscle car, which offers pure torque at the cost of basically everything else, which is what Tesla offers. Tesla isn't a spor…

For the record I drove a 2001 E46 M3 for years. My follow-on was an Infinity G37-S.

I am very familiar with what sporty handling means.

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#63
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I love when people say this. Because it tells me that they have never actually driven a sports car before. When tesla owners say "sporty" they mean acceleration. Yes Teslas have mad acceleration. Not disputing that. But thats not a sporty drive. If anything thats more what you would get from a muscle car, which offers pure torque at the cost of basically everything else, which is what Tesla offers. Tesla isn't a spor…

> That's the difference between a mechanical drive and an emotional one. I'm sorry, what? Who's to say a linear acceleration can't be an "emotional drive"? This is pure personal preference. You're extrapolating based on your own opinions, and I guarantee isn't a universal sentiment. Personally, I'd want a electric car that behaves like an electric car , not trying to simulate a transmission that doesn't exist. This h…

>This has the same vibe as "mount a speaker to play fake engine sounds on a near-silent EV, because that's what people who grew up with muscle cars expect to hear".

To be fair, a significant chunk of normal cars have this too.

>Who's to say a linear acceleration can't be an "emotional drive"?

Sometimes, you want to turn corners too (electric cars have a disadvantage in this area because they're a lot heavier) but in a typical city you don't really have to do that very much so the straight-pull power gets you 90% of the sports car experience.

Not that that's inherently a bad thing- Mustangs are the only car Ford still sells for a good reason (and the base Tesla wouldn't sell if it had economy-car horsepower)- but if you want a car like that capable of turning corners with that speed then you need to spend a little (or a lot) more.

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#64
post #41
post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They were very intentionally weird , not ugly.

I think the true "intentionally weird" design crowns go to the "compliance cars" that automakers came out with. I think of the honda insight and all fuel-cell cars. My theory is that it was to limit sales. Also it was so that any sales go to "true believers" with breathless enthusiasm for the tech.

Chevy Volt v1

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some people (like myself) prefer a sporty ride. They're really fun to drive. I own one and don't regret it. Obviously no car will appeal to everyone but clearly Tesla has a market despite the nay-sayers. edit: The purchase experience beats traditional car makers hands down. No high pressure sales tactics or scams like rust preventer. Nay-sayers also under-rate Tesla's mobile service. Go into the app, create a ticket,…

They’ve got some work to do in the suspension tuning department. They should take notes from BMW and the 3-series. That’s how you do a sport ride that’s still comfortable.

FWIW they have revised the Model Y suspension for 2023. Reports say it is more comfortable without affecting handling. Some owners have reportedly ordered the parts from the 2023 vintage and had them installed on prior year models - but I haven't verified that so YMMV.

If reports continue to be positive that it doesn't negatively affect handling I may give it a try (depending on the cost). Of course another great Tesla feature is mobile service... I'm curious if they'd be able to do a suspension swap. They can already do tire replacement and rotate/balance. You schedule it in the app and they show up at your house to do the work. It is extremely convenient.

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#66
post #43

This is largely due to China, right? It doesn't appear that Tesla is even close to this title in the US market.

Probably Norway and other places where government subsidies make it an easy decision to get a Tesla because it's affordable. The majority of US automotive buyers can't afford a basic model 3.

Model 3 is available new for less than the average US vehicle price https://fortune.com/2023/02/21/tesla-model-3-sells-5000-less...

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#67
post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The quality of Tesla vehicles are objectively terrible. I had looked at purchasing one 4-5 years ago when they were all the hype and I walked away from the test drive dissapointed. Yes you push the pedal and it go fast. Everyone with a Tesla loves to show that off that and I can't dispute it. But the actual ride quality is (or at least was) truly horrible. Terrible road noise and suspension that bottoms out and rebou…

It's a big seller and it's impossible to argue with that. But I also fail to see their niche. You're a big spender and you want everyone to know it? Lucid. You want the ultimate in efficiency? Hyundai Ioniq is as good as the Y. Don't have much money? Fiat 500e.

If you cross shop the Model Y with any other EV right now spec for spec, price for price, it's the clear winner. That's not to mention it takes a click online and a few weeks to get one in comparison to having to deal with a vipers nest of scammers and upsellers.

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#68
post #43

This is largely due to China, right? It doesn't appear that Tesla is even close to this title in the US market.

Probably Norway and other places where government subsidies make it an easy decision to get a Tesla because it's affordable. The majority of US automotive buyers can't afford a basic model 3.

> The majority of US automotive buyers can't afford a basic model 3.

You say that in a country where three at least $40k+ full size pickups are the best selling models.

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To the extent that EVs last longer with very low maintenance costs, people will likely keep them even longer than they would keep other cars. And if Tesla can accelerate purchases of people who are considering getting an EV, they can drain the pool of potential EV buyers before other manufacturers are fully up and running. As a result, other manufacturers will have to anticipate lower sales numbers, which means they…

Whether EVs last longer is yet to be seen. The batteries are a huge flaw in their ability to last long term. Replacing the batteries are likely a $10k+ cost, meaning that as cars get older it may not be worth doing. Imagine having a car worth $8k because it is 10 years old and needing to spend $10k on it to update the batteries. Would it make sense? Or would you just buy a car worth $18k instead? People willing to dr…

There are now Tesla's driving around with 300,000 miles on their original battery. You should be fairly confident of getting 200,000 miles out of a Tesla battery, which is about as much as you can expect from any car. You can hope for more, but you can't expect more.

If you are really concerned about battery life, get a vehicle with an LFP battery. Those are estimated to have a 750,000 mile life.

Re: Tesla Model Y overtakes Corolla to be world’s best-selling car in 2023

#70

I don’t get this to be honest. Had a couple of experiences as a passenger and now I actively avoid them (on Uber). The ride is absolutely awful. So rigid. Every bump on the road is felt, to the point I felt nauseated. They’re spacious, and maybe they’re nice to drive? But if I bought this without test driving it first, I would return it.

Tesla's have a BMW-like ride, with significant road feel. Drivers love it, passengers hate it. There's a reason that limo's use Mercedes', not BMW's.
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