MS Plaid vs Taycan vs EQS

[iggy33]

This is a good thread for me too. I have been looking for a couple of months. I have driven all three and an I7 and Lucid. Here are my thoughts.



1) Taycan drives fantastic. Its not just a great EV driving car, but just a great driving car. But, range and limited autonomous driving are deal killers for me.

2) EQS is the most luxurious for sure. But, I really don't like the look. Tech's great. Extremly comfortable to me. It's an electric S class for sure. Not for me though.

3) I7-loved it. Drove great. Not as sporty as Taycan, but much better than the EQS. Obviously, not as fast as some of the other options, but I didn’t miss it. Tech is awesome. It has everything you could need except for FSD. Range is an issue for me, plus its more than I want to spend. This could be my first choice if I could get one for 100k and get past the third party charging.

4) Lucid-I would test drive one for sure. Their deals are fantastic right now, and it it maybe the winner for me. It doesn’t win in any area (except range) but it probably is second in every one of the key categories. Only thing is I did not get a chance to test the auto driving. I hear is ok but should get better with updates. But, the drive is great (feels almost like the cars above) and its more comfortable and refined than Tesla. I am slightly concerned about the future of the company (although I guess worst case it gets acquired) plus I don't the primary investor. Again, its probably a contender for me.

5) MS-It probably the best daily driver here. As you see over and over, its sort of the iPhone of cars. It's got great tech, but missing a few things (HUD, Massage seats, good parking assist), but its now the standard. The supercharger network is a huge factor.


Notes (if it helps)

I'm not so focused on range but more the overal experience for long drives. If you are taking long drives, be careful for sure. The stories on DC fast chargers are legit (IMO)...Meaning they suck. So, range and charging speed is somewhat important but not the end all be all. Personally, I would100% rule out the Taycan, I7, and probably the EQS because of this. I don't want a car that relies on the third party networks. This is a HUGE selling point for Tesla. I really don't care about their "real world" range or charge speeds. The supercharging network is now so far advanced that its going to be a huge advantage. The Lucid's range and charge speed is big enough for it to stay in contention. I think this is really important to consider!

As for the self driving features. Personally, I don't care about full self driving. I care about the semi automous tech. I don't think I would fully trust a FSD and i think its still think its a long time before we see the FSD come into reality. I definitely wouldn't buy it up front on a Tesla. I would do the montly options. I don't think it really helps resale either. Overall, other than the Taycan, all of the other cars have good automous driving. They are as good or if not better than Tesla. Again, not sure about Lucid but I believe if its not there yet, it will be there soon.

Another key note. If you care about build quality and refinement, than that's an issue with Tesla. It's clearly last. For me, it drives good and feels solid and smooth. It certainly meets my floor for a car in this category. But the others (including Lucid) feel special. All those cars drive like true luxury cars and have a solid build quality and feel.

I am hoping to decide soon. I think I am down to a Lucid or Plaid.

Hope this helps and would love other opinions. I tried to summarize everything, but I actually have a lot more thoughts if folks want to discuss more details!

 

[iggy33]

The EQS sedan has strange back seats. I can’t imagine they are that comfortable for passengers, especially on longer trips. What is the actual range of a 450 EQS? EPA is really annoying how they have to different range tests and Lucid/Tesla take the overly optimistic one and Mercedes/BMW take the conservative one. Confuses the marketplace that way. Refresh Model S and Lucid look much better than EQS on exterior.

Would be nice if the EQS had a frunk and I also think there infotainment system is clumsy, but at least they have CarPlay.

Curious to try the BMW i5, but advertised range is not great unless it way over performs.

If you travel, purchasing any EV other than Tesla makes me nervous trying to find EV chargers that are reliable. That is the last thing I want to do on a trip. With Tesla you just pull in charge and then go. So impressive.

I5 would be my first choice for sure. But, that range is a deal killer for me. With the current state of DC fast chargers (both volume and quality of stations), it would be a huge issue for me. Even if it out peformes to the low 300's. But, given the current BMW tech, I would expect it to outpeform for sure.

 

[David29]

That was my experience as well, they told me I had 15 minutes and the cars nav already had a route programmed. Nice little 10 minute drive. But at least they let me do it on my own, without any sales pressure

Interesting about the constrained time and suggested route for the demo drives. I guess I have been luckier. I had two demo drives of Model Y and one of a Model X. In each case, I was told I had 30 minutes and was free to go where I wished. (I live in the area so I would have, anyway.) When I drove the Model X, the sales person even told me there was no appointment for it after mine, so I could take up to an hour.
In contrast, when I test drove the new Mercedes EQE as well as two (low mileage) used Audi eTrons, one at the Mercedes dealer and one at an Audi dealer, the sales guys accompanied me in each case and told me what route to drive. So I appreciated the unaccompanied flexibility of the Tesla drives.
Years ago, in the glorious "old" days (summer 2015) when only Model S was for sale, one of the Tesla sales guys and I took a Model S 70D demonstrator for an hour-long drive, all over my area. Not only that, but since I had wanted to test a 70D and the local store did not have one, they arranged to borrow one from another Tesla store a considerable distance away, and fetched it for me to drive! (I suppose there might have been someone else who wanted a similar drive.) The sales guy said he had enjoyed the trip down to get it and bring it back. The sales people had a lot more time to spend with customers back then, I suppose.

 

[Vzxyz]

Don’t think the external battery is to reboot the computer. New 12v battery and you’ll likely be on your way.

Car died in garage when charging overnight. Got an update from SC that HV battery is dead (after 5 years). They’re replacing and will take 3 weeks to get the car back.

Apparently factory did not hook up some drainage hose from the frunk properly and it had been dripping water over the battery over the last 5 years with eventual corrosion of some components.

I can’t even fathom the level of incompetence. It so sad that it getting funny.

 

[verdee]

I'm on my 3rd Model S (85D, 100D, Plaid). While I was stuck in delivery limbo in summer 21, I test drove a Taycan, and I still regret not getting it. The Plaid is a good car, it's amazing fast but the usable difference between it and a Taycan 4s is minimal in day to day driving. The Taycan handled like a Porsche, was much more agile than the plaid. Fit and finish was much better too. In terms of UI, that's subjective. The Tesla UI isn't bad but smartphone integration is lacking, and I do really like using CarPlay on my wife's Volvo. The Tesla service has notably degraded since my first car too. When my lease is up next summer, I will most likely not be getting another Tesla. Leaning toward a Taycan wagon, but also waiting to see what the Macan EV will be like as well as the Ioniq 5N.

 

[SpeedLimitsSuk]

The EQS, like most MBs, is a lady's car, more specifically a grandma's car. It's luxurious but really goofy looking, and not sporty at all. I wouldn't be caught dead in one, but I guess everyone is different. To the OP - Not mentioned here, but have you considered the new BMW i5? It's also a bit odd looking, but in a butch kind of way, and the interior is very nice, plus you know the driving dynamics will be good.

I’m surprised more people didn’t mention this.

EQS is 100% goofy car from outside.

It seems like Mercedes sacrificed looks for drag coefficient.

Also - 100% OP is being dramatic about range but a lot of new EV drivers are.

The amount of times in a year that the extra 30 miles or whatever in range will make a diff is irrelevant.

More important is charging network and speed.

Mercedes has a slower max charging speed and has a 12-15% bigger battery which means longer charging times.

These metrics are far more important than 30 miles.

 

[WilliamG]

I'm on my 3rd Model S (85D, 100D, Plaid). While I was stuck in delivery limbo in summer 21, I test drove a Taycan, and I still regret not getting it. The Plaid is a good car, it's amazing fast but the usable difference between it and a Taycan 4s is minimal in day to day driving. The Taycan handled like a Porsche, was much more agile than the plaid. Fit and finish was much better too. In terms of UI, that's subjective. The Tesla UI isn't bad but smartphone integration is lacking, and I do really like using CarPlay on my wife's Volvo. The Tesla service has notably degraded since my first car too. When my lease is up next summer, I will most likely not be getting another Tesla. Leaning toward a Taycan wagon, but also waiting to see what the Macan EV will be like as well as the Ioniq 5N.

Interesting. I've driven the Taycan a bunch of times, and the day-to-day usability of the S is far, far better. Interior space, trunk space, legroom etc. As a 6'5" driver I can't even get the Taycan driver's seat back quite far enough to be truly comfortable. With the S? No issue. The Taycan is more akin to the Model 3 in terms of interior space (though the Model 3 has more legroom), and you can't beat a hatchback like the S for daily use. Software-wise, the new S is leagues ahead of the Porsche suite, - it's not even close. CarPlay is a child's toy by comparison. But the drive feel? Taycan has the S whipped.

 

[maximizese]

Also - 100% OP is being dramatic about range but a lot of new EV drivers are.

The amount of times in a year that the extra 30 miles or whatever in range will make a diff is irrelevant.

More important is charging network and speed.

Mercedes has a slower max charging speed and has a 12-15% bigger battery which means longer charging times.

These metrics are far more important than 30 miles.

Not necessarily, peak charging speed is negated if you're at a V2 or Urban Supercharger, but more broadly speaking the charging curve is what more important if you're talking about charging times. Stumbled up a site that has information on various model's efficiency, range, and charging speeds:

Tesla Model Y Long Range charging curve & performance :: evkx.net

Here you find the charging curve for Tesla Model Y Long Range.

evkx.net

It's interesting to note how quickly the Model 3/Y peak out compared to the newer Model S, and I'm surprised at the high energy consumption of the MB EVs. At any rate, it's kind interesting to see the various models charging curves and can give you an idea of how to best optimize your charging sessions...like how charging speeds on a 3/Y is significantly slower between 0-5% SOC compared to 6-45%. Similarly newer Model S folks ought not arrive at a Supercharger below 5% SOC and should aim at arriving with no lower than 10% SOC. All this is making the 057tech battery upgrade all the more enticing for this nerfed 85 owner.

 

[CTruck_BMW]

Not necessarily, peak charging speed is negated if you're at a V2 or Urban Supercharger, but more broadly speaking the charging curve is what more important if you're talking about charging times. Stumbled up a site that has information on various model's efficiency, range, and charging speeds:

Tesla Model Y Long Range charging curve & performance :: evkx.net

Here you find the charging curve for Tesla Model Y Long Range.

evkx.net

It's interesting to note how quickly the Model 3/Y peak out compared to the newer Model S, and I'm surprised at the high energy consumption of the MB EVs. At any rate, it's kind interesting to see the various models charging curves and can give you an idea of how to best optimize your charging sessions...like how charging speeds on a 3/Y is significantly slower between 0-5% SOC compared to 6-45%. Similarly newer Model S folks ought not arrive at a Supercharger below 5% SOC and should aim at arriving with no lower than 10% SOC. All this is making the 057tech battery upgrade all the more enticing for this nerfed 85 owner.

This is VERY useful for someone coming from the outside to see this.
I agree with previous comments that me (the OP) is a bit dramatic about the range and that I should rather focus on the charging speed than 30-40 miles difference in range......

 

[CTruck_BMW]

This is a good thread for me too. I have been looking for a couple of months. I have driven all three and an I7 and Lucid. Here are my thoughts.



1) Taycan drives fantastic. Its not just a great EV driving car, but just a great driving car. But, range and limited autonomous driving are deal killers for me.

2) EQS is the most luxurious for sure. But, I really don't like the look. Tech's great. Extremly comfortable to me. It's an electric S class for sure. Not for me though.

3) I7-loved it. Drove great. Not as sporty as Taycan, but much better than the EQS. Obviously, not as fast as some of the other options, but I didn’t miss it. Tech is awesome. It has everything you could need except for FSD. Range is an issue for me, plus its more than I want to spend. This could be my first choice if I could get one for 100k and get past the third party charging.

4) Lucid-I would test drive one for sure. Their deals are fantastic right now, and it it maybe the winner for me. It doesn’t win in any area (except range) but it probably is second in every one of the key categories. Only thing is I did not get a chance to test the auto driving. I hear is ok but should get better with updates. But, the drive is great (feels almost like the cars above) and its more comfortable and refined than Tesla. I am slightly concerned about the future of the company (although I guess worst case it gets acquired) plus I don't the primary investor. Again, its probably a contender for me.

5) MS-It probably the best daily driver here. As you see over and over, its sort of the iPhone of cars. It's got great tech, but missing a few things (HUD, Massage seats, good parking assist), but its now the standard. The supercharger network is a huge factor.


Notes (if it helps)

I'm not so focused on range but more the overal experience for long drives. If you are taking long drives, be careful for sure. The stories on DC fast chargers are legit (IMO)...Meaning they suck. So, range and charging speed is somewhat important but not the end all be all. Personally, I would100% rule out the Taycan, I7, and probably the EQS because of this. I don't want a car that relies on the third party networks. This is a HUGE selling point for Tesla. I really don't care about their "real world" range or charge speeds. The supercharging network is now so far advanced that its going to be a huge advantage. The Lucid's range and charge speed is big enough for it to stay in contention. I think this is really important to consider!

As for the self driving features. Personally, I don't care about full self driving. I care about the semi automous tech. I don't think I would fully trust a FSD and i think its still think its a long time before we see the FSD come into reality. I definitely wouldn't buy it up front on a Tesla. I would do the montly options. I don't think it really helps resale either. Overall, other than the Taycan, all of the other cars have good automous driving. They are as good or if not better than Tesla. Again, not sure about Lucid but I believe if its not there yet, it will be there soon.

Another key note. If you care about build quality and refinement, than that's an issue with Tesla. It's clearly last. For me, it drives good and feels solid and smooth. It certainly meets my floor for a car in this category. But the others (including Lucid) feel special. All those cars drive like true luxury cars and have a solid build quality and feel.

I am hoping to decide soon. I think I am down to a Lucid or Plaid.

Hope this helps and would love other opinions. I tried to summarize everything, but I actually have a lot more thoughts if folks want to discuss more details!

Actually this is super helpful. I appreciate the feedback. ...

 

[CTruck_BMW]

...//... Also - 100% OP is being dramatic about range but a lot of new EV drivers are.
The amount of times in a year that the extra 30 miles or whatever in range will make a diff is irrelevant.
Mercedes has a slower max charging speed and has a 12-15% bigger battery which means longer charging times.
These metrics are far more important than 30 miles.

Like I mentioned above, I agree you that I have been a bit dramatic about the range and that I should rather focus on the charging speed than 30-40 miles difference in range...

 

[SpeedLimitsSuk]

Like I mentioned above, I agree you that I have been a bit dramatic about the range and that I should rather focus on the charging speed than 30-40 miles difference in range...

This article may help you. Published today.

1,600-Mile Trip Crowns the Tesla Model S Plaid As the King of Long-Distance EV Travel

Here's how a Tesla Model S fares against a Porsche Taycan and a Lucid Air. These three sedans are ready to take you far, but only one will do it the fastest

www.autoevolution.com

 

[DBV1]

This article may help you. Published today.

1,600-Mile Trip Crowns the Tesla Model S Plaid As the King of Long-Distance EV Travel

Here's how a Tesla Model S fares against a Porsche Taycan and a Lucid Air. These three sedans are ready to take you far, but only one will do it the fastest

www.autoevolution.com

Thanks for posting. I wish instead of the Plaid they would do these tests with Model S LR, after all it is all about range with these tests. Choose the highest range car by each mfg. Model S would have been even more competitive and is still plenty fast enough.

 

[CTruck_BMW]

This article may help you. Published today.

1,600-Mile Trip Crowns the Tesla Model S Plaid As the King of Long-Distance EV Travel

Here's how a Tesla Model S fares against a Porsche Taycan and a Lucid Air. These three sedans are ready to take you far, but only one will do it the fastest

www.autoevolution.com

Thanks for sharing. It's actually interesting.

Based on the test, despite the title, the MS loses hands down to Lucid. I get the 1 second thing, but 100% the Lucid driver had much less range anxiety down the road and still arrived around same time with much more battery left. This is not to mention that the test allows the MS to go down to 3% on some steps, which I guess 90% of owners would never ever risk when driving with family. I get the charging infrastructure, but I really would have hopped if by now Tesla would have already come up with a 500 miles range car (a true 500 miles range). As it stands right now, even the 405 MS LR fails to get to the 400 miles in real life. I agree with everyone though the that the charging infrastructure is far more important than having 30-50 more miles in range. My point is, if the Tesla MS had 500 miles range, it would have been truly the ideal EV vehicle for small families (i.e.: a family of 4) road trips. More range means more charging time though, so one could argue that 400 miles is still the optimum range based on current charging speed. I wonder if it's ever possible based on current projections by expect in the field to get charging speed 2X or 3X where they are now.

 

[Yelobird]

Thanks for sharing. It's actually interesting.

Based on the test, despite the title, the MS loses hands down to Lucid. I get the 1 second thing, but 100% the Lucid driver had much less range anxiety down the road and still arrived around same time with much more battery left. This is not to mention that the test allows the MS to go down to 3% on some steps, which I guess 90% of owners would never ever risk when driving with family. I get the charging infrastructure, but I really would have hopped if by now Tesla would have already come up with a 500 miles range car (a true 500 miles range). As it stands right now, even the 405 MS LR fails to get to the 400 miles in real life. I agree with everyone though the that the charging infrastructure is far more important than having 30-50 more miles in range. My point is, if the Tesla MS had 500 miles range, it would have been truly the ideal EV vehicle for small families (i.e.: a family of 4) road trips. More range means more charging time though, so one could argue that 400 miles is still the optimum range based on current charging speed. I wonder if it's ever possible based on current projections by expect in the field to get charging speed 2X or 3X where they are now.

Opinion. If this article was based on the MS LR it would have compounded the validation of the MS by a lot. As you seem (opinion) hell bent on a bigger number (range) or MB etc it seems no report or feedback is going to convince you especially when you keep looping in the Plaid model which is no way a comparable when looking at practically. Buy what you want there’s little anyone is going to do to sway you.

 

[Plaidness]

Like I mentioned above, I agree you that I have been a bit dramatic about the range and that I should rather focus on the charging speed than 30-40 miles difference in range...

Also keep in mind that batteries are heavy, and larger batteries weigh more. The EQS weighs a whopping 1000 lbs more than the Plaid, and even the Taycan Turbo S weighs over 400 lbs more than the Plaid. That's going to make a big difference in handling dynamics. Obviously the Porsche is a Porsche, but my point is that there's a balance, and when you focus too much on one thing, you may miss the tradeoffs it brings with it.

 

[SpeedLimitsSuk]

Thanks for sharing. It's actually interesting.

Based on the test, despite the title, the MS loses hands down to Lucid. I get the 1 second thing, but 100% the Lucid driver had much less range anxiety down the road and still arrived around same time with much more battery left. This is not to mention that the test allows the MS to go down to 3% on some steps, which I guess 90% of owners would never ever risk when driving with family. I get the charging infrastructure, but I really would have hopped if by now Tesla would have already come up with a 500 miles range car (a true 500 miles range). As it stands right now, even the 405 MS LR fails to get to the 400 miles in real life. I agree with everyone though the that the charging infrastructure is far more important than having 30-50 more miles in range. My point is, if the Tesla MS had 500 miles range, it would have been truly the ideal EV vehicle for small families (i.e.: a family of 4) road trips. More range means more charging time though, so one could argue that 400 miles is still the optimum range based on current charging speed. I wonder if it's ever possible based on current projections by expect in the field to get charging speed 2X or 3X where they are now.

With all your concerns about every d

Also keep in mind that batteries are heavy, and larger batteries weigh more. The EQS weighs a whopping 1000 lbs more than the Plaid, and even the Taycan Turbo S weighs over 400 lbs more than the Plaid. That's going to make a big difference in handling dynamics. Obviously the Porsche is a Porsche, but my point is that there's a balance, and when you focus too much on one thing, you may miss the tradeoffs it brings with it.

also the added cost of materials for company + customers.

Side note - the taycan is currently one of the worst depreciating EVs on the market.

 

[David29]

The article was a bit vague about the results, giving few details. All you would need is for one driver to take a longer bathroom break or another driver to take a shorter coffee break, and the results would shift (unless those break times were controlled to be the same, which the article does not discuss). But as I read it, the three cars finished the route only minutes apart, which is practically a round-off error when you are talking about 1600 miles of driving. Seems as if the real-world differences among these three are small, so long as the drivers are knowledgeable about their cars and the charging infrastructure, and smart enough to plan well. Or to put it another way, long trips are perfectly feasible using any of the three cars.

 

[epicshooter]

Like I mentioned above, I agree you that I have been a bit dramatic about the range and that I should rather focus on the charging speed than 30-40 miles difference in range...

I also encourage you to look at the deal MB has with Tesla for charging. If you buy an EQS today it will have a CCS connector, Tesla does not have a NACs to CCS adapter option outside of the magic dock which has only rolled out to a few superchargers. If they continue to roll that out, great but it will be a LONG time for the same level of availability to exist. And unless you wait 12-18 months for a new EQs with a NACs connector onboard then you should pay more attention to charging.

 

[EXOTIC1]

Plaid…. Best dd overall, I’ve had in last 7 years
Which included
Panamera turbo
Bentley FS
I’ve driven a number of the other ev’s mentioned and I’d take the plaid
Good luck