Eeeeeek! Drove an ICE car for the first time in a year.

[SSonnentag]

After being an EV-only household for the past year, I was surprised at just how awful the ICE driving experience is. We had a Mercedes rental car, so the controls were the same, but there were so many things I missed about my S while driving the rental.

No Regen - Wow! I knew I liked it, but had no idea how much I would miss 1-pedal driving.
Delays - From engine to transmission, the delays in response from an ICE vehicle are staggering once you've acclimatized to an EV.
Noise and Vibration - Yeah, there's nothing to like about any of that.
Gas Stations - Expensive, smelly and inconvenient.
AP/EAP - It's was missed greatly.
Gutless, lack of Torque - The rental was certainly not sporty. Less acceleration than Chill mode.

There is quite literally not a single thing I preferred in the Mercedes rental.

Anyway, I am so glad to be back in my S after having it in the shop for 3 weeks for minor cosmetic repairs due to a parking lot mishap.

 

[Greengolfer]

I totally agree! My wife's BMW seems to take an eternity to take off when I stomp on the gas pedal. Even though BMW is one of the better accelerating ICE cars, it doesn't come close to a Tesla!!

 

[JonathanD]

Gas Stations - Expensive, smelly and inconvenient.

This is one thing that I think still is not understood by folks who drive ICE cars. The perceived "convenience" of being able to quickly refill your gas tank during once-in-a-while road trips is so laughably far outweighed by never having to think about range or fuel on a daily basis. It truly is a quality of life improvement in and of itself. That statement would sound absurd to people who have spent their whole lives filling gas tanks, but once you experience it, there's no going back.

 

[croman]

Been EV only household for 5 years this month. Loathing ICE grows with time away. I literally cannot get used to turning off a car too. Tesla has spoiled me.

 

[SSonnentag]

Been EV only household for 5 years this month. Loathing ICE grows with time away. I literally cannot get used to turning off a car too. Tesla has spoiled me.

I forgot to mention the on/off button. I was half out of the car several times before remembering to press the off button.

 

[SSonnentag]

The 2-second delay between D and R, and R and D is annoying too. It doesn't seem like much, but it was enough to make me miss my S even more.

 

[dblankenbaker]

I forgot to mention the on/off button. I was half out of the car several times before remembering to press the off button.

THIS^^^

I was so rarely driving my Jeep (conscious of the diff in fuel cost, plus everything else you mentioned) that I was quite often jumping out of it while it was still running. This was followed by taking a few steps and thinking "Oh yeah, I need to lock the doors w/the remote"... followed by "Did I turn the ignition off?"... DOH!!

I fixed the problem by trading the Jeep for a Model X.

 

[sillydriver]

All these comments are so true, especially the OP's! Because my MS got a flat tire Sunday I drove my wife's late-model Range Rover Autobiography yesterday, which is a very nice ICE car, yet the comments apply. I actually stepped out of the car before I realized the engine was still running. I'll add the comment that when an ICE car has been parked out in the summer sun, you can't leave the AC on to keep it cool, or turn the AC on remotely with a phone app.

 

[DOCAL]

THIS^^^

I was so rarely driving my Jeep (conscious of the diff in fuel cost, plus everything else you mentioned) that I was quite often jumping out of it while it was still running. This was followed by taking a few steps and thinking "Oh yeah, I need to lock the doors w/the remote"... followed by "Did I turn the ignition off?"... DOH!!

Oh absolutely this. Whenever I drive my girlfriends car I forget to lock it, or turn the lights off. It's been a while since I've left the engine running though, but it has happened.

 

[Patrick W]

Agree with it all and then some. But can't understand why the post garnered the "disagree" that I just saw it received. Maybe that person could elaborate?

 

[tranzndance]

I hadn't been at a gas station in so long that when I was a passenger in an ICEV, I made a mistake in opening the door during refueling, which stank up the vehicle. This was outside of California, and I didn't remember it being so bad in California, with all the regulations.

 

[verdee]

While I love my Tesla, there are some things I miss about ICE cars, mainly the manual transmission. I think it gives a more connected feeling to the car. Also the Tesla is easy to drive fast, which is fun, but there is truth in the saying that it is more fun to drive a slow car fast that drive a fast car slow. I just got back from Mexico driving a 150 hp stick shift van loaded with 12 guys, a job I got because I was only one who could drive stick. Hustling that van around was some of the most fun I’ve had driving in a while.

 

[tranzndance]

What would give the connected feeling of the internet would be dial-up modem tones.

 

[dethman]

The perceived "convenience" of being able to quickly refill your gas tank during once-in-a-while road trips is so laughably far outweighed by never having to think about range or fuel on a daily basis.

i read this totally the other way around. as an owner of two 75D cars (S/X), i have to think about range and fuel constantly on a daily basis. my 70 mile round trip commute uses up half the battery and i often still have many places to go on weekdays. on weekends the battery is rarely enough to get us to the grandparents', mountains, beach and back. road trips are a PITA. i never had to think of such in a gas vehicle.

i would gladly trade off smelly gas fumes for 30 seconds for the ability to have a full tank in 5 minutes wherever and whenever i need.

 

[pgkevet]

As well as my MS I have a 26yr old nissan 200sx which I love. The seats are comfortable, no messing about waiting for slow motors to set my position - just lift the seat lever and move it. The radio died a while ago so it's nice and peaceful in there without being blasted by noisy music. If I lift off the throttle it'll coast for a lovely long time. I can refuel anywhere in minutes, don't have to plan journeys - just carry a map. I can park it up for a week or three without worrying about it going again afterwards. I only have to carry a simple key without batteries or remotes the doorlocks wore out a long time ago so no need to think about waiting for handles to pop out to get in it. There's no nagging displays to distract from the road, no worries about airbags hitting you in a ding or the thing bugging you 'cos the heavy shopping on the seat is triggering some sensor. Yeah, brakes and acceleration aren't as hot so I drive sensibly without any urge to push past other traffic and annoy other drivers. Best of all there's no concern about some weird and suddenly unexpected swerving or braking and all round visibility is superb nd if I drop the seats i can shove a 3m worktop in from the back. It has a spare tyre, tow hooks front and back and when i drive it I don't waste electricity on silly daytime lighting.. And I don't have to worry about someone remotely changng the way it drives - it does exactly what it did 26yrs ago.

 

[RichardL]

I am currently driving a diesel Mercedes rental in France - filling with diesel is simply disgusting - smelly and slimy, feels like you need a good shower after doing that!

 

[SO16]

i read this totally the other way around. as an owner of two 75D cars (S/X), i have to think about range and fuel constantly on a daily basis. my 70 mile round trip commute uses up half the battery and i often still have many places to go on weekdays. on weekends the battery is rarely enough to get us to the grandparents', mountains, beach and back. road trips are a PITA. i never had to think of such in a gas vehicle.

i would gladly trade off smelly gas fumes for 30 seconds for the ability to have a full tank in 5 minutes wherever and whenever i need.

Too bad you went with such a small battery size.....twice. Especially since it appears you need a lot of range for the weekend. It seems you put yourself in this situation but then blame the vehicle.

70 miles per day to drop it in half from 100% seems a bit much.

 

[pgkevet]

I am currently driving a diesel Mercedes rental in France - filling with diesel is simply disgusting - smelly and slimy, feels like you need a good shower after doing that!

No, no, no. You put the nozzle directly into the filler hole. you don't use your hands like a funnel

 

[SSonnentag]

While I love my Tesla, there are some things I miss about ICE cars, mainly the manual transmission. I think it gives a more connected feeling to the car. Also the Tesla is easy to drive fast, which is fun, but there is truth in the saying that it is more fun to drive a slow car fast that drive a fast car slow. I just got back from Mexico driving a 150 hp stick shift van loaded with 12 guys, a job I got because I was only one who could drive stick. Hustling that van around was some of the most fun I’ve had driving in a while.

I do enjoy rowing through the gears. That is the only thing I miss from my Camaro, but even that gets old quickly in stop-and-go traffic.

 

[dethman]

Too bad you went with such a small battery size.....twice. Especially since it appears you need a lot of range for the weekend. It seems you put yourself in this situation but then blame the vehicle.

70 miles per day to drop it in half from 100% seems a bit much.

This was a fairly standard battery size and large compared to most EVs before the model 3 came out. It is still middling for most EVs. I would have gone for a 100D on the X but the upgrade was around $16 or 17K I think which at the time seemed a bit much.

A 75d car has only a realistic 140 mile usable range from 90% to 10% despite whatever EPA claims are out there.

The driver of an 'average' EV will still have to think about range and fuel not infrequently.