Model Y Alternatives?

[snowbunny]

My parents have been in the market for a new SUV, and although they like the Model Y, they are a bit bent out of shape due to lack of tax incentives. They have been looking at the following:

Audi A4 e-Tron
Audi Q5e
Polestar
Rav4 Prime
Lexus NX-450+

I like the PHEV for them since they won't have to worry about range anxiety. Does anyone have thoughts on these sub-par Tesla alternatives?

 

[LoudMusic]

I haven't driven any of those but I really want to test drive a Polestar and an eTron.

I had a hybrid in the past. If you're going to pay all that extra money for the electric propulsion systems why would you still want to deal with fueling and maintaining a petrol engine? Ditch that garbage and go full electric. Especially in California.

 

[roblab]

You get what you pay for. If they will be happier with an Audi, etc., or are afraid of going full EV and want to put gas in a car because their neighbor works at the gas station, that's their choice. I went full EV ten years ago. We do cross country vacations and long road trips, but I have never missed going to a gas station. Personally, I hope they all go out of business, along with the polluting they promulgate. Your parents may not be ready to think full frontal EV yet, but I gotta say, it's a mind set, not an age thing. Personally, I think people need to quit polluting our planet, or we're all gonna die young.

 

[snowbunny]

True - PHEV still have the "added" cost of maintenance.

 

[Avrana_Kern]

I would consider adding an Ioniq 5 and a Mach-E to that list possibly.

The Mach-E is more traditional car and has a lot of the more creature comforts of regular cars (whereas Tesla is just a screen and a steering wheel). The handling/moose test in a Mach-E is not as good as Tesla though and the dealer markups can be 15-30K which is just outrageous.

The Ioniq 5 feels like real competition to Tesla's Model Y, but not everyone is sold on the styling. The range on paper is a bit less than Tesla too, but it seems like a pretty nice vehicle especially if the price sticks.

RAV4 Primes are impossible to get without paying huge markups.

The others I have not driven or have any real knowledge about yet.

 

[snowbunny]

They found one Rav4 Prime in stock, at MSRP and qualifies for tax credit and rebate.

 

[zpaul]

Volvo XC40 Recharge and Volvo XC60 Recharge
BMWi4 and BMWiX(coming soon)

 

[N1L CO2]

They are all very nice alternatives but they still don't have the comparable Tesla charging infrastructure. Even when Tesla opens up their Superchargers, you would be charging at a higher rate than Tesla vehicles. I have zero battery anxiety driving long stints because I know there will be a supercharger near by if I need it.

 

[norazi]

I was looking at the Prime RAV4 PHEV for my parents as well due to the superior range (600+ miles) when camping far from superchargers the problem even with incentives was the dealer markups... we were looking at $15k minimum markup which completely negated any value proposition.

They are all very nice alternatives but they still don't have the comparable Tesla charging infrastructure. Even when Tesla opens up their Superchargers, you would be charging at a higher rate than Tesla vehicles. I have zero battery anxiety driving long stints because I know there will be a supercharger near by if I need it.

For an EV, yes... but if you are considering PHEV (like the RAV4 Prime), then it has its advantages. EV's are still a pain if you go off-grid, camping even with superchargers. PHEV makes sense for a lot of people because you can use EV mode around town (under 50 miles) and you still get the 500+ mile range if you need it for longer trips plus can fill up at gas stations. I do small road trips in my MY but there are places that I cannot go for extended periods of time due to lack of superchargers.

 

[snowbunny]

That was the issue. We went on a road trip to Vegas from Los Angeles and usually it takes 4 hours. It took us 5.5 hours due to charging times. I personally don't mind since I can take a break and get some grub, but my parents were annoyed.

 

[FumelessCamper]

At this moment, I would take whichever I could get first, either a MYLR or a RAV4 Prime.
The RAV4 Prime offers two things that the MYLR lacks: usable ground clearance and a 120V outlet.
Alas, RAV4 Prime looks like unobtainium, and my EDD for the MYLR keeps slipping.

 

[benryan]

That was the issue. We went on a road trip to Vegas from Los Angeles and usually it takes 4 hours. It took us 5.5 hours due to charging times. I personally don't mind since I can take a break and get some grub, but my parents were annoyed.

So they know that long road trips will take longer with a fully electric vehicle than a gas car. They should also consider (assuming they will be charging at home), that over the course of a year the overall amount time spent waiting at electric charging stations will be less than the amount time they currently spend waiting to fill-up at gas stations.

When considering Tesla to other fully electric vehicles, the importance of the Tesla super charger network (which currently is restricted to Teslas in the US) should not be underestimated. Faster charging and less out of order chargers.

 

[MG535]

My parents have been in the market for a new SUV, and although they like the Model Y, they are a bit bent out of shape due to lack of tax incentives. They have been looking at the following:

Audi A4 e-Tron
Audi Q5e
Polestar
Rav4 Prime
Lexus NX-450+

I like the PHEV for them since they won't have to worry about range anxiety. Does anyone have thoughts on these sub-par Tesla alternatives?

Financially speaking the RAV4 PRIME is the clear winner by a mile.

Assuming at or very close to sticker is the entry point for each vehicle, the value retention of the RAV4 Prime will lead to the lowest depreciation of all the candidates here. Which is usually the largest component of your cost of ownership of a new vehicle.

The delta in maintenance costs is chump change compared to the depreciation

 

[Daekwan]

RAV4 Prime is the clear winner on this list. There are no negatives to buying this vehicle if you can locate one at MSRP.

It's hands down the most reliable. Should have the least amount of depreciation over several years. It has more than enough battery-only range for a typical daily commute. And it has a phenomenal range when using gas (600 miles). It's also surprisingly quick. I believe it also gets like 42mpg in hybrid mode.

 

[DanDi58]

I've driven the Polestar 2 and liked it quite a bit. (If you're interested, see - Polestar 2 Test Drive ) It's not an SUV. You sit a bit lower to the ground and the height of the cowl and windows makes you feel lower. But based on the additional info you've provided, specifically the irritation with the extra time to charge on a road trip, I wouldn't recommend a pure EV to them. I personally think plug-in hybrids are dumb (who wants to have to charge AND put gas in a car?!) but would probably have to go one of the hybrids, if you are limited to the list you provided.

 

[avs007]

So they know that long road trips will take longer with a fully electric vehicle than a gas car. They should also consider (assuming they will be charging at home), that over the course of a year the overall amount time spent waiting at electric charging stations will be less than the amount time they currently spend waiting to fill-up at gas stations.

When considering Tesla to other fully electric vehicles, the importance of the Tesla super charger network (which currently is restricted to Teslas in the US) should not be underestimated. Faster charging and less out of order chargers.

What's interesting about this, is that I just got back from LegoLand a little while ago... While there, I noticed that there were like 6 free L2 chargers at the Legoland hotel, and I only ever saw one or two Teslas charging, and that was only on one day, they were empty most of the time... There's also a 20 stall supercharger nearby... Likewise, when I took my rental car to the Costco Gas station nearby, the line was so freakishly long, I had to wait around 30 minutes just to get to the stupid gas pump.

 

[FumelessCamper]

I've driven the Polestar 2 and liked it quite a bit. (If you're interested, see - Polestar 2 Test Drive ) It's not an SUV. You sit a bit lower to the ground and the height of the cowl and windows makes you feel lower. But based on the additional info you've provided, specifically the irritation with the extra time to charge on a road trip, I wouldn't recommend a pure EV to them. I personally think plug-in hybrids are dumb (who wants to have to charge AND put gas in a car?!) but would probably have to go one of the hybrids, if you are limited to the list you provided.

It is not "have to charge AND put gas in a car", the attraction is that it is OR. You can charge it, or you can put gas in it. You don't have to do both, the car is functional either way.

 

[jpy1980]

You get what you pay for. If they will be happier with an Audi, etc., or are afraid of going full EV and want to put gas in a car because their neighbor works at the gas station, that's their choice. I went full EV ten years ago. We do cross country vacations and long road trips, but I have never missed going to a gas station. Personally, I hope they all go out of business, along with the polluting they promulgate. Your parents may not be ready to think full frontal EV yet, but I gotta say, it's a mind set, not an age thing. Personally, I think people need to quit polluting our planet, or we're all gonna die young.

straight to the point! I love it!

 

[MG535]

It is not "have to charge AND put gas in a car", the attraction is that it is OR. You can charge it, or you can put gas in it. You don't have to do both, the car is functional either way.

PHEV are great for people who charge & use mostly electric-only during their daily routines but still want the range and quick fill ups of an ICEV for road trips.

 

[sevusal]

keep in mind charging network support Tesla has compared to other EV. my biggest reason for buying (well waiting for my delivery) is Tesla supercharger network. MYLR will be our primary car (replacing XC90) and we don't have second car right now. so having supercharger when we take road trips is very important for me. I have heard horror stories with Electrify America charging network.