I'd agree that Tesla's all-electric powertrains offer a better everyday driving experience than a traditional internal combustion engine. However, we're talking about $70k-$100k+ cars here, and there are some really competitive ICE cars in that price range when you start looking at everything else.
For instance, while the entry-level cars from Mercedes don't really impress me that much, their more expensive models do, like a well-optioned E43 or E63 AMG. They really nail luxury in a way that Tesla doesn't. Also, I dare say I prefer their approach to the infotainment system.
Not just Mercedes, there is the new BMW M5 which will do 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds (https://youtu.be/hxsBUkm9vBs), Audi RS6 Performance and Porsche Panamera Turbo/Turbo S.
A those cars have beautiful interiors, fit 2 kids and a dog and go like lightening.
And burn tons of gas. The Plugin range for most cars is just terrible (except the Volt), and there were no competitive all electric until the Jaguar ipace (which just came out).
It’s not that bad if driven sensibly: I’ve seen 40MPG (Imperial) from these cars on long trips. The trouble is it’s almost impossible to be sensible where there is a twin turbo V8 at your feet waiting to be unleashed.
What’s the range like on the Model X if driven in a similar manner?
For some reason I could not reply to your message asking the range of the X. The rated range is roughly 300mi, and you can get close to that in moderate weather if you drive sensibly. If it is cold all bets are off, since the heater is just pure resistance and takes a huge bite out of the range.
The Tesla was kind of a compromise. We both wanted something that would be big and roomy, but burn less gas than our Prius. I wanted something that would be faster than the sports car that I had before I was forced to get the Prius.
When deciding on the Tesla, we drove a Volvo XC90 PHEV. It was, on paper, better than the Tesla for considerably less. But I just could not stand the automatic transmission or all the floor space wasted by the drivetrain hump. And the terrible battery-only range meant we'd be burning gas for most trips.
The Jaguar Ipace is about the only other car I'd consider, but it was not yet available when we got the Tesla.
This is emblematic of who Tesla's customer is until (if/when) the Model 3 gets really going. Almost no one can pay $100k to have a car "without a drivetrain hump" and that doesn't burn gas. Sure, those are nice things to have, but $100k is a lot of money to almost everyone in the world.
Spoken like someone who hasn't really driven a lot of cars. Does Tesla make better overall all electric cars than anyone else? Well, yeah, at the price point they sell them at. A Bolt EV is pretty damn good too.
Better overall cars period? That's insane. Just nuts. As some sibling commentators pointed out you can buy a hell of a lot of car for ~80-100k.
Even with the build issues they make better overall cars than anyone else.
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