Makes me sad to hear many reviews of the New S complain about build quality!

[GoBlue88]

I just like that instant "traffic insertion" aspect of the car's acceleration ==> Point and Shoot, as they say! Makes merging, passing or rapid insertion into higher speed left/HOA lanes a dream.

This. I'm able to get into spots on the Freeway with this car that I wouldn't attempt with a gas car, and that's with my 2014 S85. It's also saved me from being rear-ended on at least 1 occasion that I can remember.

 

[theslimshadyist]

The only problem I have with my Plaid is that for some reason I can only see the front of Taycans, have yet to see the back of one

I can relate! The same thing happens to me when I'm gunning my Taycan through "Tail of the Dragon". The Plaid just keeps getting smaller and smaller in my rearview mirror for some reason!

 

[manitou820]

I can relate! The same thing happens to me when I'm gunning my Taycan through "Tail of the Dragon". The Plaid just keeps getting smaller and smaller in my rearview mirror for some reason!

I took my Taycan on a 1200 mile road rally through Colorado last year with a bunch of Ferraris. I could crush them in a straight line, but they would destroy me on a road course. None of this really mattered in the mountains. It's not like you push the car at 9/10s with a 1000 foot drop off around the corner. Brakes were probably the most important thing, which luckily my Taycan has 10-piston carbon ceramic fronts.

One morning it was about 35 degrees outside. We all jumped in our cars and they were all complaining on the radio how cold it was. They had no heated seats or steering wheel, no cup holder for coffee, and it took a while for their cars to heat up. I was able to pre-condition my car, so I told them on the radio I was enjoying my coffee, with my heated seats and steering wheel, while getting a back massage (massaging seats). Needless to say there were some jealous Ferrari owners in the group. To be fair, listening to their cars scream through the tunnels made me jealous.

 

[kizamybute']

For perspective, there are very, very, very few production cars on the road that can accelerate from 0-60 in under 4.0 seconds. My 2014 Corvette, I think was marketed as having a 0-60 time of 3.9 seconds. Yet, on the street, I'll never come remotely close to that. With just rear wheel drive, the tire just light up any time you try. On a highly prepped race track where the launch areas are sticky as heck, can you possibly meet what most manufacturers claim their cars are capable of. With EV's, that instant torque, combined with All Wheel Drive make it easy to duplicate over and over in almost any situation. The Plaid is the exception if you want the 1.99 as you do have to go through the prep process that takes 15 minutes and is not practical on the street. But, even without the prep for launch mode, it still does 2.2 to 2.3. My point is, on the street, there's not very many ICE cars at all that could challenge even just the Long Range version of the Model S. Most ICE cars, on street tires on a typical road that has not been prepped specifically for drag racing, will struggle so badly just to get off the line. Watch any of the videos. The Tesla is 20 car lengths ahead before the other car gets into 2nd gear. The Dodge Hellcat, which I believe is capable of 0-60 in under 3 seconds (in perfect conditions), can only manage 0-60 times in the 4 second range on street tires on a typical street that is not prepped for racing.

The instant torque of an EV has spoiled driving any other car for me. Even my Corvette feels like a slug in comparison. I absolutely love the instant acceleration of an EV and could never go back to an ICE car as my every day driver. Not that long ago, there were very few cars that could get into the 3 second bracket for 0-60. For someone that doesn't floor the car all the time, I'm still blown away daily by how incredible even my 3.8 second LR MS is. Between that and loving never having to stop at a gas station are the two reasons why I will always be locked into EV's for the rest of my life. Or at least until "beam me up Scotty" is a reality!!

 

[FlatSix911]

There is an S class EV coming to the USA this year (already available in Europe), the EQS. Very similar to the Model S, but instead of Plaid level performance they go for luxury features, including high tech stuff. If an EQS shows up in the US before my Taycan order locks in, I might consider it despite its 4s 0-60, but will have test drive it see in in person to decide.

I had an opportunity to look over the EQS recently, but no test drive was permitted. I'm an old MB fan, but was not impressed with the interior in the EQS... a huge 5-foot wide screen dominates the dash that I found very distracting along with the wormhole vents. Not to mention the screen replacement cost when it inevitably fails and needs replacement... sound familiar? The exterior styling reminds me of the late VW Phaeton... not my cup of tea, but it might be yours.

 

[WilliamG]

I can relate! The same thing happens to me when I'm gunning my Taycan through "Tail of the Dragon". The Plaid just keeps getting smaller and smaller in my rearview mirror for some reason!

Uh huh. Do you have any videos of racing a Plaid at all? Right. Didn't think so. By the way... why are you still on the Tesla boards if you don't have one? Asking for a friend.

 

[SO16]

Uh huh. Do you have any videos of racing a Plaid at all? Right. Didn't think so. By the way... why are you still on the Tesla boards if you don't have one? Asking for a friend.

Well…. He does have “shady” in his name.

Also, I’m surprised people drive that wrecklessly on that two way road with other traffic.

 

[jebinc]

I had an opportunity to look over the EQS recently, but no test drive was permitted. I'm an old MB fan, but was not impressed with the interior in the EQS... a huge 5-foot wide screen dominates the dash that I found very distracting along with the wormhole vents. Not to mention the screen replacement cost when it inevitably fails and needs replacement... sound familiar? The exterior styling reminds me of the late VW Phaeton... not my cup of tea, but it might be yours.

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The vents ARE Fugly!

 

[kizamybute']

I had an opportunity to look over the EQS recently, but no test drive was permitted. I'm an old MB fan, but was not impressed with the interior in the EQS... a huge 5-foot wide screen dominates the dash that I found very distracting along with the wormhole vents. Not to mention the screen replacement cost when it inevitably fails and needs replacement... sound familiar? The exterior styling reminds me of the late VW Phaeton... not my cup of tea, but it might be yours.

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But wait, doesn't that mean.......like all the Tesla people say........"You'll get used to it"!!!!! LOL.

All about preference for each individual's person needs and use of a car. The Tesla is not a bad looking car by any means. I've always preferred something sportier and more aggressive for my tastes. It is a very elegant looking car. The Mercedes falls into the same category. It certainly, absolutely, without any doubt, is more "luxurious" than a Tesla. Build quality is certainly superior. But no, it's not a Tesla. If you prefer the minimalist approach, then the Tesla is a great option. If you want luxury, the MB is a great option. That's the thing now, we actually have OPTIONS!! Yeah!!!

And about the screen cost, as I said in another thread, be it a Tesla, Mercedes or any other EV, due to tech changing on these things on an almost daily basis, I always Lease these cars. First off, the cost, from start to finish over a 3 year period, is less than if I purchased. Second, I'm one that goes through cars every 2-3 years anyway. With Tesla commonly making changes that make prior models obsolete as they're not hardware capable, it allows you to upgrade to the latest and greatest. Also, when Tesla drops their pricing by $20,000 overnight, the used car values take a hit too. Leases protect you from sudden value drops. Also, with the astronomical costs to repair any EV out of warranty, being in a lease ensures I'll never have to worry about replacement costs. But, that's just me. I drive 12-15,000 miles per year. Get a better deduction on a lease. I use my car for work, not just to go to and from work. And, I always have the option to purchase the car at the end of the lease if I so choose (never have) (not possible on a Model 3). Because of the shortages right now, used car values are up quite a bit. If they remain that way through the middle of next year, when my lease ends, I'll buy the car and turn around and sell it for more than the buyout / residual price is and make a nice little profit on it. Hopefully by next year, production levels will be back to normal for everyone! I just love the options a lease provides and the no risk factor of it. If values plummet, I couldn't care less. But, primarily, because of how quickly they change, I want to upgrade and with the astronomical repair costs of EV's, I'll never own one that's not under warranty. I look at the Audi E-Tron SUV, the current one has a 220 mile range or something. Fine for most people's daily needs. But, they just announced that next year's model will have a whopping 400 mile range! How valuable are those 220 mile cars going to be then? If I had one, I'd be very happy that I leased it instead of bought it. All my other cars, I've bought and paid for. EV's, not a chance I'll "own" one. The Cadillac ELR comes to mind as well $75,000 when new. 2 years later, they couldn't give them away for $20,000. I feel bad for anyone that paid $75,000. Just like I feel bad for anyone that paid over $170,000 for a loaded Model S a couple years ago, only to have Tesla drop the price of the same exact car to around $110,000 a few months later.

 

[whitex]

I had an opportunity to look over the EQS recently, but no test drive was permitted. I'm an old MB fan, but was not impressed with the interior in the EQS... a huge 5-foot wide screen dominates the dash that I found very distracting along with the wormhole vents. Not to mention the screen replacement cost when it inevitably fails and needs replacement... sound familiar? The exterior styling reminds me of the late VW Phaeton... not my cup of tea, but it might be yours.

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I was never a big fan of Mercedes, never owned one. That said, EQS might change my mind. With the passenger screen dimmed the screen space is similar to the new Model S Plaid. I hope Mercedes didn't follow Tesla in declaring the screen a consumable to exclude it from warranty coverage, did they? I agree with you that the exterior style is a little dull, but it's not repulsive, and when driving it you don't have to look at it I've always prioritized function over form in my automotive choices, and never cared about flashy - Model S used to be a great combination, great driving experience, elegant but not flashy (heck, I even explicitly removed the free red calipers from one of my Model S build because I didn't want it to stand out more). I'm still planning to consider the EQS if it's available to test drive before I get a Taycan build allocation.

 

[TessP100D]

I had an opportunity to look over the EQS recently, but no test drive was permitted. I'm an old MB fan, but was not impressed with the interior in the EQS... a huge 5-foot wide screen dominates the dash that I found very distracting along with the wormhole vents. Not to mention the screen replacement cost when it inevitably fails and needs replacement... sound familiar? The exterior styling reminds me of the late VW Phaeton... not my cup of tea, but it might be yours.

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Real steering wheel. Perfect.

 

[lowtek]

I can relate! The same thing happens to me when I'm gunning my Taycan through "Tail of the Dragon". The Plaid just keeps getting smaller and smaller in my rearview mirror for some reason!

Oh, I'm just teasing (of course). It's a heavy sedan. Remarkable, but still a heavy sedan.

 

[AMN]

Our 2021 Plaid S is made very well. Perfect paint and all interior panels are tight. The construction quality is on par with anything from Germany. I am wondering if the original poster wrote about the same car...

I am sure half of Germany is mortified at the moment especially taking into consideration the fact that it only took 10 years for Tesla to get to this point. The scariest part of all is what's invisible to the human eye: EV-centric manufacturing at scale and the software/hardware expertise. If people cannot see past "panel gaps" they are missing an elephant in the room.

 

[CapeOne]

I am sure half of Germany is mortified at the moment especially taking into consideration the fact that it only took 10 years for Tesla to get to this point. The scariest part of all is what's invisible to the human eye: EV-centric manufacturing at scale and the software/hardware expertise. If people cannot see past "panel gaps" they are missing an elephant in the room.

I don't think Germany is moritied or that worried yet e.g., Mercedes-Benz sold around 2.5 million vehicles in 2020, BMW Group sold around 2.3 million, and these sales were with lots of ICE competition. Compare that to Tesla’s 500k with little BEV competition.

An advantage Mercedes, BMW and other automakers have are large, established customer bases and sales networks used to selling in high volumes. BEVs are still a very small piece of the sales pie right now but as the market shifts from ICE to BEV, these established companies/brands may be a lot more ready than some think. It's also a mistake for people to think buyers don't or won't care much about things like quality, customer service, etc.

Competition will be good for all BEV consumers and competition is on the way!

 

[wdolson]

Ultimately I am more concerned with what's inside than the exterior trim, but misaligned panels, big panel gaps, and paint irregularities do look sloppy.

The rest of the car market dismissed Tesla as basically the best car in the EV ghetto for the last 10 years. The Chinese and European car makers have had to move towards BEVs because of home market edicts and incentives. This would have happened whether Tesla existed or not. The rest of the legacy car makers, including the Americans are having to catch up because they see the squeeze coming. All divisions of Stelatlantis has gotten their marching orders from HQ in Europe to start making BEVs so Chrysler announced a number of BEV products a few months ago. It sounded about as believable as a Nikola pitch.

Tesla can't be completely dismissed anymore. Volume is small compared to the other legacy automakers, but their production numbers are growing and it's pretty obvious to anyone paying attention that they have the best BEV tech on the market. The supercharger network is better than the third party networks out there, they are the undisputed leader in range (especially mi/KWH of battery), and their electronic designs are at least a generation ahead of the rest of the industry.

Tesla may not be the biggest automaker in 2030, but it will almost certainly still be around and be one of the dominant players in the car market. As the rest of the industry tries to switch to BEVs they face many obstacles. The third party charging networks everyone is relying on may improve, the US government is going to put money into it and other governments have, but it's still poorer than Tesla's. There are a few BEVs that finally cracked 300 miles of range, but Tesla has cracked 400 and they do it with bigger battery packs and/or much smaller cars than Tesla did. Tesla is much better with efficiency and nobody has cracked that problem. Lots of battery production capacity is being built now, but Tesla has a head start and is showing no signs of slowing down. Existing manufacturers also have to deal with dealers who are resistant (though that is changing) and some customers who are vocally anti-EV.

On top of all that a significant recall could really hurt a company. GM is dealing with the most expensive recall in history with the Bolt and that's been a low production car. Imagine if a similar recall comes along for an EV produced in the kind of numbers for the Model 3 or Y? That would be staggeringly expensive. If the public decides the EV from a car maker are too dangerous, that could sink the company.

I expect Chrysler division will end up getting shut down because it won't be viable anymore. I'm also wondering about Toyota. On the one hand they are one of the largest car makers in the world with both a lot of assets and potentially government backing if they need it, but they are close to dead last in the EV development game. They wasted too much on fuel cells and dismissed BEVs until it was almost too late.

The European car makers have had to move towards BEVs because of their home governments pushing them. Same with the Chinese who will be breaking out of China as soon as the home market begins to saturate. The Chinese are learning how to make cars with a market that is very forgiving. When they start selling large numbers in the rest of the world, their cars will be pretty good quality.

This decade will make or break most companies in the car industry.