HoosierDaddy
Well-Known Member
- Thread starter
- #1
No Hate. Just finally in a situation where adding an EV for around town is appealing.
Didn't take long to figure out that Tesla is way ahead of the rest. But which model?
Acceleration was a major factor, so was 90% certain I would order an S Plaid if I liked everything else about the Model S. But I was annoyed that Tesla was very obviously marking Ss up a lot more than the other models. An example was optional paint colors were double what the same colors were on other models.
So I scheduled a test drive of an S Long Range since that's the only S the Tesla "store" had. But would make sure the rest of the car met our needs. I knew the Long Range was a 3.3 sec 0-60 car instead of 1.9 for the Plaid.
Percentage wise 1.9 is a massive improvement over 3.3. But that 3.3 in the S Long Range felt a lot faster than I expected and felt faster than past bikes that hit 60 quicker than that. And felt much quicker than the 2016 GT. So, back to the drawing board.
Found out there is a Performance version of the Model 3 and it matches the 3.3 second 0-60 of the S Long Range. So, a much better bang for the buck if a 3.3 second 0-60 was acceptable. Plus, a 3 would fit in the garage without moving cabinets I had on the back wall. But still need to find out why the 3 matches the S long range to 60 but falls off a lot by a 1/4 mile and whether I cared. Plus, it appears the 3 still qualifies for a $7,500 tax credit.
While mulling all that, Tesla drops the price of the Ss a massive amount and now charges less or nothing for options.
And Tesla just released a new model 3 but not in the US yet and no date or specs for a Performance version but with rumors of a Plaid version.
Have not test drove a model 3 yet. I know I'd prefer the stalks on the current 3. I absolutely HATED the turn signal touch buttons on the S. Even after 45 minutes driving it, I had to look at the wheel to see where to press. No tactile indications of where they are. The only other thing I did not like about the S was road noise on big seams on the road. On the other hand it has adaptive dampers which the current model 3 does not have. But on the 3rd hand, roads here are good enough I passed on adaptive dampers on the ATS I ordered in 2013 and didn't care they weren't available on my 2016 GT. And on a 4th hand, Model 3s have NO factory display in front of the driver. Only thing I believe I would want in front of me is a speedometer. BUT there are tons of plug and play 3rd party displays for cheap including ones exactly like on the Model S.
I guess I'm too impatient at 74 YO to wait for a Performance/Plaid version of the revised model 3.
So down to a current S Plaid or a current 3 Performance. I've never been price conscience but extremely bang for the buck conscious, hence the indecision. I prefer the smaller model 3 size with no kids and no backseat passengers I care enough about to want the extra size and bulk, but does a 1.9 0-60 make the plus size worth tolerating? It doesn't help to read reviews from owners who said it got old real "fast" and wished they'd went with a Long Range. I'm pretty sure the 1.9 mode is not a ready at any moment thing anyway. Need to find out Plaid 0-60 when just mashing the go-pedal.
Didn't take long to figure out that Tesla is way ahead of the rest. But which model?
Acceleration was a major factor, so was 90% certain I would order an S Plaid if I liked everything else about the Model S. But I was annoyed that Tesla was very obviously marking Ss up a lot more than the other models. An example was optional paint colors were double what the same colors were on other models.
So I scheduled a test drive of an S Long Range since that's the only S the Tesla "store" had. But would make sure the rest of the car met our needs. I knew the Long Range was a 3.3 sec 0-60 car instead of 1.9 for the Plaid.
Percentage wise 1.9 is a massive improvement over 3.3. But that 3.3 in the S Long Range felt a lot faster than I expected and felt faster than past bikes that hit 60 quicker than that. And felt much quicker than the 2016 GT. So, back to the drawing board.
Found out there is a Performance version of the Model 3 and it matches the 3.3 second 0-60 of the S Long Range. So, a much better bang for the buck if a 3.3 second 0-60 was acceptable. Plus, a 3 would fit in the garage without moving cabinets I had on the back wall. But still need to find out why the 3 matches the S long range to 60 but falls off a lot by a 1/4 mile and whether I cared. Plus, it appears the 3 still qualifies for a $7,500 tax credit.
While mulling all that, Tesla drops the price of the Ss a massive amount and now charges less or nothing for options.
And Tesla just released a new model 3 but not in the US yet and no date or specs for a Performance version but with rumors of a Plaid version.
Have not test drove a model 3 yet. I know I'd prefer the stalks on the current 3. I absolutely HATED the turn signal touch buttons on the S. Even after 45 minutes driving it, I had to look at the wheel to see where to press. No tactile indications of where they are. The only other thing I did not like about the S was road noise on big seams on the road. On the other hand it has adaptive dampers which the current model 3 does not have. But on the 3rd hand, roads here are good enough I passed on adaptive dampers on the ATS I ordered in 2013 and didn't care they weren't available on my 2016 GT. And on a 4th hand, Model 3s have NO factory display in front of the driver. Only thing I believe I would want in front of me is a speedometer. BUT there are tons of plug and play 3rd party displays for cheap including ones exactly like on the Model S.
I guess I'm too impatient at 74 YO to wait for a Performance/Plaid version of the revised model 3.
So down to a current S Plaid or a current 3 Performance. I've never been price conscience but extremely bang for the buck conscious, hence the indecision. I prefer the smaller model 3 size with no kids and no backseat passengers I care enough about to want the extra size and bulk, but does a 1.9 0-60 make the plus size worth tolerating? It doesn't help to read reviews from owners who said it got old real "fast" and wished they'd went with a Long Range. I'm pretty sure the 1.9 mode is not a ready at any moment thing anyway. Need to find out Plaid 0-60 when just mashing the go-pedal.
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