A silenced critic at last - almost ;-)

[jkirkebo]

The two reasons for me that justify waiting for Gen III are 1) the overall size of Model S, which is really too big for our needs. For vacations and longer family trips we have our VW Touran with extremely economical engine, thus there is no need for another huge cargo/people carrier.

Funny you have a Touran. I have one too, and I can't wait to get rid of it. After we got the Leaf nearly two years ago neither me nor my wife had any desire to ever drive the Touran anymore. We made quite some sacrifices in average speed by using the Leaf on a lot of longer drives, often quick charging up to 4 times per day. Still, we needed a second (and bigger) car sometimes. Tomorrow my P85+ arrives and the Touran is up for sale

Never will I own any ICE car again.

 

[Mayhemm]

By "Touran", do you guys mean a VW Touareg?

Or is the Touran a model we don't get in North America?

 

[Discoducky]

By "Touran", do you guys mean a VW Touareg?

Or is the Touran a model we don't get in North America?

Small-ish SUV from the Volks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Touran

 

[AustinPowers]

Not an SUV, a minivan actually. The small SUV is called Tiguan. Plus there will be an even smaller SUV from next year onwards called Taigun.
And in the US there is a "minivan" called Routan if I recall correctly. But that is larger than what we get under the name Touran.

@jkirkebo: what's wrong with your Touran (other than it not being an EV)? It is actually our second Touran already, and we are very happy with it. Lots of space, good engine, great fuel economy, reliable, and not too expensive, even with lots of extras added. Nothing wrong with it at all.
The Touran is one reason why I like the BMW Active Tourer Concept - because it is similar to a Touran in size and practicality, yet a little more stylish and at least with a PHEV option.

 

[gene]

My prediction. Now that Austin Powers has driven an S, there is no way he'll wait for the Gen3 (E). He will find a way to afford/rationalize the purchase . I know I did.

 

[AustinPowers]

My prediction. Now that Austin Powers has driven an S, there is no way he'll wait for the Gen3 (E). He will find a way to afford/rationalize the purchase . I know I did.

I would love to. But even though I could possibly find some way to rationalize the purchase, there is no way I could afford it.
Two small kids, house to pay for, very little money left at the end of the month. Simple math really. Situation will be better by the time Gen III is around though.

 

[PhilBa]

Going back to an ICE is sheer torture. I recently had to drive my 1985 Toyota Manual transmission Pickup Truck. Talk about gutless, 3 foot driving. I stepped on the accelerator and nothing happened for like about an hour then the speed started to creep up. OK, so I exaggerate a little...

And even worse, I had to put gas in it. Gas stations are vile, disgusting places. Easily one of the worst aspects of driving an ICE.

 

[brianman]

And even worse, I had to put gas in it. Gas stations are vile, disgusting places. Easily one of the worst aspects of driving an ICE.

You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy. We must be cautious.

Oh wait, that's the dealerships...

 

[kota23]

Yep. Happened to me recently when I had my car in to fix a paint chip. At first I thought there was something wrong with the ICE car I was driving -- it was so loud, and it shook constantly, and it had such poor acceleration, with lag time, and it didn't slow down when I took my foot off the pedal... of course the car was operating perfectly.

Yes that is a perfect description of what it has felt like to drive my ICE car after the test drive. Still awaiting delivery of my S.

 

[lorih]

This thread is interesting. I started thinking about the cost thing. So many of my friends are waiting for Gen III, and I've hoped that a used Model S might be the solution in the shorter term, but it occurred to me, most people that buy a new car sell or trade-in the old one to get the new one.

Once the 30K Tesla comes out, whose going to buy the old ICE's being sold by people upgrading...Getting these totally off the road instead of reselling to someone else is best for the environment, but ecomonically, not great for people that waited for Gen III.

I'll have to fantasize about a world where there is a global "cash for clunkers program" (like the recent one from Obama that gave cash credits to get non-fuel efficient cars off the road) that will provide a financial incentive for more wide-spread Tesla adoption.

 

[djplong]

Oh, there'll be a market for my 2002 Camry with 226K (+ 3 years) miles on it. It won't pay much (I paid $11K+ for it in '06) but there'll be someone out there who wants a well-maintained car, even with all those miles.