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Nothing in particular here but sifted through all of them. My decision was based on performance, efficiency, OTA updates and apps for the phone and watch. Bought one then another and a third on the way.
 
We drove a selection before going with a Tesla... Of course I'd always wanted one but felt it was out of my price range/not required for the amount of miles I do.
Back in 2016 I'd actually reserved one in the first few days they were available, but ended up refunding it and getting a Golf R when it became clear I'd be waiting years.
So when it came to looking into a new car, I initially told myself I'd just get a Golf GTE and be done with it, but I fancied driving all the cool new EVs available to see what was what, and even half convinced myself on an ID3 (can you tell I'm a VW fan?) while I was researching.

So I booked in tests for the Audi Q4 etron, Hyundai Ioniq 5, ID3 (had it for an entire weekend), Polestar 2 and Tesla. I also wanted to look at the EV6 but they were about a month or two from becoming available.

Audi Q4 etron... Not bad.. Certainly very Audi. My partner and I both really liked the heads-up display, I just couldn't get over the pointless grille on the front. The flat-bottomed sporty steering wheel felt a little OTT for the car. We had the sales guy in the car for this drive unfortunately, so I couldn't really thrash it and test handling. It was pokey but not quick.

Ioniq 5 - cool design, massive inside, but felt a little cheap, I didn't get on with the interface and climate control and of course it has SUV roll.

ID3 - this was the car we had the longest, and honestly we both really liked it. Good size, (honestly it's like a very big hatchback) Decently quick, handled well and felt so easy to drive. However on the first day I really struggled with a bug in the interface and it kept locking up. Even after hard resetting it a couple of times. In the end, just pressing the voice/bluetooth button on the wheel put it into pairing mode and suddenly it sprang into life. It was fine after that. Great feeling steering wheel. I just couldn't get over the crappy plastics used in the interior. Many steps below a Golf. What are you thinking, VW!?

Polestar 2 - awesome experience testing this one at the pop-up centre in my hometown. The guys/gals they had there were excellent and very friendly. As we turned up in my partner's Porsche they let us test drive at the back of the train of vehicles, so we could hang back and see how it performed. Quick is the answer! One pedal driving in this car is even easier than a Tesla; there's stronger regen. It was funny, after we handed back the car and made to leave, my partner got back into her 350bhp sportscar and said "hmm... I want a Polestar, that was fun". I was tempted, but as others mentioned, I didn't like the cockpit-style interior, it was just too closed-in compared to every other EV we'd driven. It was shortlisted until....

Tesla - Fell in love as soon as I mashed the accelerator. I loved the space-age white seats, the fantastic stereo. I had to talk my girlfriend around to the sparse interior and lack of instrument cluster, but it really spoke to me on a design level. I've been a bit of an Apple fanboy since the 90s.
 
I looked at all the suspects available last April.
I wanted a car, not a crossover or a SUV, which limited options.

The Mini E was wonderful, but expensive and no range.
The ID3 was bland, and not very quick. I was changing from a Mercedes C63.... so speed matters!
Mercedes had/has nothing. The EQA is/was a sad joke.

In the end a couple of test drives in Model 3s and understanding the public charging network joke made a Tesla the only choice.
Regrets?
Yes, should have ordered a M3P....
 
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I’ve been a BMW fan since 1985 although I’ve purchased and used Audi, WV & Volvo as works vehicles. I was hoping to get the i4 but BMW kept delaying the launch almost 12 months beyond my planned purchase date. I read a lot about Tesla ( noting especially the issues) so parked any idea of owning one & decided to look at the Audi & polestar. The local Audi garage were a disgrace & refused to let me look at one because it was only 1 hour to their closing time. The second time I rang ( I know stupid me) they couldn’t give me an appointment for 4 days.
I test drove the polestar & like others it felt very closed in & claustrophobic but i am 6-4 so not surprising.
The Mach E wasn’t out so I arranged a test drive with Tesla & was blown away, such a different car from the polestar & the bmw ice cars. I loved the tech, the smooth driving, roomy cabin & boot bigger than my BMW, so I ordered a M3LR.
In daily use I do find the wipers & auto headlights aren’t quite as good & the build quality is a huge mile from BMWs, but I still love it, so the right choice for me.
The supercharger network was an obvious bonus particularly in light of the out of operation of many public chargers. I won’t be using it often but until now it’s been faultless & always available without queueing.
 
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Had a deposit down on a lightly used and over priced approved Porsche Cayman and then took cold feet and got refunded. Test drove Tesla 4 weeks later and immediately knew I made the right decision.

Went in to the test drive lining myself up to hate it (due to interior as I have always had BMWs) but immediately fell in love. First time I have ever felt giddy and laughed out loud after flooring the accelerator in a car. Like others also am totally into Apple and the Tesla seems to have the same design feel to it, even if Elon and Timmie don’t see eye to eye😂

Not the most obvious of comparators but had been hankering after a Porsche for years and a nagging doubt around price being asked and future proofing gave me pause for thought.
 
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I’ve been a BMW fan since 1985 although I’ve purchased and used Audi, WV & Volvo as works vehicles. I was hoping to get the i4 but BMW kept delaying the launch almost 12 months beyond my planned purchase date. I read a lot about Tesla ( noting especially the issues) so parked any idea of owning one & decided to look at the Audi & polestar. The local Audi garage were a disgrace & refused to let me look at one because it was only 1 hour to their closing time. The second time I rang ( I know stupid me) they couldn’t give me an appointment for 4 days.
I test drove the polestar & like others it felt very closed in & claustrophobic but i am 6-4 so not surprising.
The Mach E wasn’t out so I arranged a test drive with Tesla & was blown away, such a different car from the polestar & the bmw ice cars. I loved the tech, the smooth driving, roomy cabin & boot bigger than my BMW, so I ordered a M3LR.
In daily use I do find the wipers & auto headlights aren’t quite as good & the build quality is a huge mile from BMWs, but I still love it, so the right choice for me.
The supercharger network was an obvious bonus particularly in light of the out of operation of many public chargers. I won’t be using it often but until now it’s been faultless & always available without queueing.
Totally agree about Polestar. Got as far as sitting in it and was instant hate due to claustrophobic feeling in the cabin. And I’m only 5’10”.
 
I looked at all the suspects available last April.
I wanted a car, not a crossover or a SUV, which limited options.

The Mini E was wonderful, but expensive and no range.
The ID3 was bland, and not very quick. I was changing from a Mercedes C63.... so speed matters!
Mercedes had/has nothing. The EQA is/was a sad joke.

In the end a couple of test drives in Model 3s and understanding the public charging network joke made a Tesla the only choice.
Regrets?
Yes, should have ordered a M3P....
Dont be so hard on yourself Peter. Many have "upgraded" from M3p to LR.
 
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This has been an interesting read for me with some surprises. Personally I want the Macan EV but have been told 2 years minimum. My next choice would be Audi or BMW but I am not confident that their EV technology is where it needs to be to make me comfortable to buy now without fear of the tech changing next year.
 
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You've chosen to buy a Tesla, before you made that choice you looked at alternatives, which of those alternatives lost out as your first choice and why?
I test drove ID3, e-Niro, Kona, ZS EV, and also looked at ID4, MG5, Ioniq 5, used iPace, before settling on M3LR (which I also test drove). The reasons for my choice in no particular order are: range for the price, technology available as standard, looks of the car itself, fun, ease and speed of charging, and regular updates.

I'm sure I would have been reasonably happy with an ID3 (my Dad has one) and will likely get one or something similar in a couple of years as a 2nd car. But the lure of Tesla (let's face it, they are cool) was too much in alliance with the above factors.
 
Reading many of these posts confirms what I've always thought - that the supercharger network is almost the prime attraction of Teslas.
I have this feeling that, despite having built it and maintained it, Tesla themselves haven't fully appreciated just how important it is for the brand compared with the mishmash of other networks' plugs, billing structures, cables and serviceability.
I reserve judgement on them opening it up to all comers because other manufacturers are pressing hard on Tesla's tails for the non-fanboy market.
 
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Coming from bmw i3s I wanted an upgrade in range and rear doors that opened normally. I looked at the ev6, supply issues stopped me dead in my tracks, looked at the ioniq5, wasn’t convinced by the Austin Allegro looks, any vws too were just not available. I wanted also not to be having to stress too much on longer trips south therefore the supercharger network sold me on it the M3LR. I did want the Y, but it doesn’t qualify for the est loan in Scotland and was more spendy than I’m personally comfortable with, so all in it was the Tesla for me.

Also prefer not to be arm wrestling with shiny suited sales arseholes in Arnold Clark.
 
Ioniq 5 - on paper a great car, in practise felt a bit cheap and user interface horrendous. So, so to drive. If it was 10k cheaper that would have felt right.

Skoda Enyaq - lovely car but big and v. traditional inside. Hankered after 80x sportline variant. Lead time was a concern.

Ultimately we didn’t want an SUV so once we discovered the 3 has more luggage space than the numbers suggest it was an easy decision. Also weirdly the Tesla is better for non-techy wife due to lack of controls. Both the cars above had a *lot* of controls and pointless regen ones.
 
I had a Kona on order in 2019, while I was waiting I kept doing research and ultimately the Supercharger network and ease of charging by contrast to endless problems with other cars/networks had me convinced over. There are other reasons I prefer the Tesla, like better software, PIN to drive etc. but they're not deal breakers like charging is.

I placed my Model 3 SR+ order start of July, got a delivery date mid August, Hyundai contacted me to let me know my Kona was available a couple of months later 😄 I told them "No thanks, you were too slow and gave me time to do more research".

I will be looking for a mid-sized hatchback, with about 250 miles of range, able to put bikes on the back/top, that can access the supercharger network, that I can straight swap my Model 3 for, so whatever/whenever that exists, Tesla or not Tesla, I'll be changing the Model 3 for it.....
 
I test drove IONIQ 5 as my brother-in-law has one. It felt nippy enough but the UI was laggy at times and the interior felt cheap; oh, and buttons, buttons buttons everywhere. Looked like an old Amstrad stereo. I didn't see the point of the adjustable regen being on the paddles. The boot is not as useful as one might think, because its floor is only an inch or so below the lip. Also rolled and got out of shape giving it the beans off a roundabout. Exterior styling is bold but not to everyone's taste obviously - I liked it, but the car overal felt VAST (and I'd just stepped out of an S-Max). Bit too big for me perhaps. Finally I found the UI had some distracting and pointless graphics on the driver's display (power / regen). I can tell when I am accelerating / decelerating, thank you very much.

I found the voice control to be pretty good. It only took 3 attempts before it understood "Navigate to Hyundai Shoreham". I was a bit concerned when I got a message saying it was waiting for the onn line service to calculate the route... what happens in a cellular blackout zone? Apple CarPlay a bonus for some, but I didn't use that in the S-Max because it disables the in-built sat nav and I wouldn't use it in the IONIQ (for the same reason). I lkike the idea of 800v battery system and its charging speed but I'd read that there are only 15 chargers in the whole country that support it (will grow of course, but horribly expensive IONITY network for now).

Overall I think the IONIQ is pretty good but it feels like a conventional car and I wanted something futuristic with class beating range / performance. The M3 is a bit boring to look at but the interior is ace and it goes like hot snot off a shovel AND has the range (in LR spec). After my IONIQ test drive I felt that I'd been vindicated ordering a M3.

I also considered the EV6 but it, too, looks huge and ugly with a conventional interior and as I'd driven IONIQ5 I was pretty sure I knew how it would drive (it shares the same platform). Cheaper EVs didn't have the range and I couldn't afford more expensive ones. An IONIQ 5 that's commensurate with M3LR in spec costs about the same, and the dealer told me it has a 9 month lead time. Whereas, my M3LR, ordered on 19th Oct, is being collected on the 6th Dec.
 
I'd heard about the auto wipers and self drive but not that the lights were poor. Can you elucidate please
As with the wipers, Tesla use their own proprietary camera based system which appears inferior to that used elsewhere.
  • Auto main beam/sidelights: Previously poor in detecting sunlight & came on, stayed on. Now much improved but not as good as most other makes.
  • Auto High Beam: remains very poor & inconsistent, doesn't always dip for oncoming traffic & often not for tail lights ahead.
  • Tesla did not use curve adaptive headlights unlike other high end manufacturers although allegedly, newer Model 3 & Ys do have them.
 
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You've chosen to buy a Tesla, before you made that choice you looked at alternatives, which of those alternatives lost out as your first choice and why?
Volvo - nice cars, good quality. In the end, too expensive, range not as good and boot size in litres wasn't much more. Didn't have Tesla Network.
Hyundai Ioniq5 - nearly purchased this car. Fantastic car, spacious, good range, bit bigger boot than tesla. Looks gorgeous on outside. Bit more plastic than I liked. When I test drove Tesla after the Ioniq5, I instantly loved the Tesla more.
Renault Zoe - had one before, great little cars for around town, but just didn't even come close to the others. Same as the Nissan Leaf.

In the end, the drive of the Tesla and the Network were the main reasons for buying one. Plus they retain their value really really well, from what I can see. The kids loved it too and it just felt like the right purchase in the end. Plus it was cheaper than Volvo and Hyundai so it as a no brainer.