So you haven't driven one yet?? That might explain why your unsure. Cannot wait to see the inevitable 'Ordered Raven X' post from you after the test drive
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MX or ICE - so hard to decide
- Thread starter LA88
- Start date
So you haven't driven one yet?? That might explain why your unsure. Cannot wait to see the inevitable 'Ordered Raven X' post from you after the test drive
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BLKMDL3
Supporting Member
Volvo ain't so reliable. Best friend lemoned his blue XC90 R Design a few months back and bought a new LR discovery even though I convinced him to get an X and he now regrets it. XC90 is a great looking car, for sure. But once you get past the one month point of getting over the new car excitement you will regret the Volvo. No autopilot, unreliable, seats hurt my back after 30 minutes in them (R design suede ones) and the car drove like crap ( was a T6, have not driven T8). My old Model X saved me from serious injury, and I bought a new one right away.
Also, with ICE cars I would get bored after a year and couldn't wait to give it up for a new one when the lease ended. Now I am dreading giving back my X in a year. Has been to the SvC once for something I caused. No problems. Just trust me. Get an X.
Obviously these are your genuine personal preferences, but quite a lot of it is subjective. For example you say that the Volvo has a more "luxurious" interior, but I actually prefer the interior ambience in the Model X. To me it just feels more modern and airy with its unique panoramic windscreen and ultra-white seats. I also thought the Volvo had some quite cheap looking hard plastic trim back in the 3rd row seating area (and this was a top end Inscription T8). Even the steering wheel centre had a cheap looking trim. The soft touch plastics in the MX all feel very nice throughout the car IMO. I also hate massaging seats, but again that's just a personal preference. But I would say overall build quality is better on the Volvo i.e. fit of bodywork and trims. Not that the MX is terrible (at least not on more recent builds). The 360 surround camera is very nice on the Volvo too. Tesla seriously need one of those on the MX, but it's not a show-stopper.
Anyway, a big differentiator for me was still the Tesla BEV drivetrain vs the Volvo hybrid, which came a VERY poor second. The MX handles much better too (far more like a car than SUV), although the Volvo does have better ride quality.
In many ways they are quite different cars, so only a test drive of both would help the OP decide which was the better fit for their personal preferences. When I took my family out for a test drive in the Volvo XC90 T8 they were pretty impressed, but it was nothing compared to watching all their jaws drop after a drive in the Model X! 18 months later the novelty still hasn't worn off either.
My Aug 2018 X has yellowing display, the FWD aren't perfectly aligned - but they are minor cosmetic issues, none of them affect how the car functions. I would rather they aren't there but the pro's of owning the X (light years ahead of other brands in tech and driver aids) far outweigh those small cons.
Price does not equal build quality. I picked up a brand new McLaren in May this year (sorry guys, not willing to give up ICE for my fun weekend car just yet....). It costs over $200k. My X looks like it has been put together by Mercedes in comparison. The McLaren had door alignment issues, there are various rattles and clunks from the interior, the comfort access feature decides to work some of the time, not always. I could have bought a Porsche, but for the segment it is in the McLaren blows away all competition including Ferrari and Lambo. Similar to comparing the X to pretty much any brand in its segment - including Range Rover and other high end luxury models.
The thing I love best about Tesla? Over the air software updates. The infotainment system on my McLaren kept crashing every few days. To get it fixed I had to drop it into the service center to do a software update. They ended up keeping it for 4 days. This is on a brand new car. Knowing that you are going to always be up to date with features and updates in the Tesla is amazing - and that the updates happen over the air. With traditional manufacturers you are frozen in time - as software is updated and bugs fixed on newer models you don't get the benefit of those updates. A huge disadvantage in my books given pretty much all cars are driven by their software systems these days.
dlsspy
Member
I took a road trip in my MX about six months after getting it. I did end up in a place I knew wouldn't have a lot of chargers, and managed to get out with single-digit SoC. But even that wasn't particularly stressful. This is the second time we'd done this particular trip of about 5,500 miles. We kept pretty good accounting of the two trips.
We spent almost exactly the same dollar amount both times. However, on the second trip, we redirected our car/gas money into hotels, food, and a couple days in Moab.
It's not very intuitive, but charging stops don't seem so really slow anything down. We just plan the stops we'd normally make around chargers. The plan would have us stopping about every three hours, which, in practice, wasn't always enough. We'd often stop at a charger we didn't originally plan to take care of the humans.
Looking forward to doing this again someday.
We spent almost exactly the same dollar amount both times. However, on the second trip, we redirected our car/gas money into hotels, food, and a couple days in Moab.
It's not very intuitive, but charging stops don't seem so really slow anything down. We just plan the stops we'd normally make around chargers. The plan would have us stopping about every three hours, which, in practice, wasn't always enough. We'd often stop at a charger we didn't originally plan to take care of the humans.
Looking forward to doing this again someday.
Big Earl
bnkwupt
Modern high complexity engines with turbochargers, fancy emissions controls and unique hybrid drive systems aren't reliable. Toyota's Hybrid Synergy Drive is very reliable, but it's a standard port injected gasoline engine coupled to a brilliant transmission and a small, but sturdy battery pack. Volvo, on the other hand, uses a small, direct injected, turbocharged 4 cylinder with a high power output and a hybrid drive system that's low volume production and very complex.
Model X has a very straight forward propulsion system, but has other complex features (falcon wing doors, air suspension, motorized middle row seats, etc. that will likely impact long-term reliability.
For me, the choice is clear. Electric drive is the only way to go!
Silicon Desert
Active Member
Both are nice cars. For us, the clear choice is the X. Having made 5 cross-country trips in 3 years from California/Nevada to the East coast (North Carolina / Florida) and LOTs of stops in between on various interstates, there is no way I will ever want to go back to an ICE car (though we have a fabulous Maserati now). The ability to use AP on some of the major roads for some period of time, along with the enjoyment of the car, no other ICE compares for us.
There is a sacrifice for us that our trips are a little longer due to charging, yet we find that we arrive more relaxed by taking slightly longer breaks during charging. We don't just sit in the car while it does that. It's not that much of a difference to me. Also we typing will stay at a hotel where they have a destination charger so that our last trip of the day doesn't have us taking time at a supercharger. It charges while we sleep.
And to say for whatever reason that we are lucky or just have a reliable car; NEVER any problems with our MX during this time and roughly 45K miles now.
There is a sacrifice for us that our trips are a little longer due to charging, yet we find that we arrive more relaxed by taking slightly longer breaks during charging. We don't just sit in the car while it does that. It's not that much of a difference to me. Also we typing will stay at a hotel where they have a destination charger so that our last trip of the day doesn't have us taking time at a supercharger. It charges while we sleep.
And to say for whatever reason that we are lucky or just have a reliable car; NEVER any problems with our MX during this time and roughly 45K miles now.
Watts_Up
Active Member
Whoa! I really don't understand the added complexity, reliability issues, and cost to have to different technologies inside the same car.
It's just because of some CO2 regulations that cars manufacturer started developing hybrids car, such as the Prius.
But at that time there was not too much electric drivetrain components available. An hybrid car in fact is an electric vehicle with a very short range.
So a new technology of electric components, such as air conditioning, steering assistance, power brake..., and batteries had to be developed.
Hybrids are like amphibians, they can adapt to "both kinds of life" but don't really excel in any of them.
May be ten years ago, hybrid was a good compromise, but with today advance in batteries and charging network, hybrids are outdated.
Manufacturers still make hybrids because of profit, conflict of interest with their car dealers selling parts and service,
and even gouvernements facing unemployment for a large amount of current manufacturing jobs.
However would you buy a flip phone or a smartphone?
Watts_Up
Active Member
The most important feature is the battery and overall drive train efficiency and range.
You have to consider winter driving and raining days affecting the range when considering an EV.
Does the Model X will be practical about range is certainly the main contributing factor to look at.
yerEVan
Member
I bought the 3 and really enjoy it. So I searched for months for a great deal on a Model X and found it, to replace our ICE minivan. When I went with the model 3 I realized I didn’t want to have a gas car anymore. If you have it in your budget to get a MX and you already have an EV, wouldn’t it make sense from strictly a, make the world a better place, point of view logic to get the X? I would recommend the $2,400 extended warranty. And if you have a service center near by, then for me it’s a not brained for the X
Some one posted on these forums that dissatisfied people are more likely to post if they have a complaint than those that are entirely satisfied. We traded a Jag XJ8 for an S. Both good looking cars but did not miss the Jag dash board which was full of buttons etc while the S was has two, one for the glove box door and the other for emergency blinkers. Absolutely clean interior in the S. But after 18 months, we decided to take an X out for an afternoon. Wow, Nothing like it. 20k miles in under 2 years with trips to the SW and the coast. In fact we left for a trip the morning after we took delivery of the X. About 80 miles in, the systems were calibrated and AP became active. Car performed great.
From the interior looking out, there is no better vehicle to appreciate either city or countryside. The visibility is fantastic. Evan from the middle row. Your college kids will appreciate getting in and out via the FWDs and you have grandchildren, you will be glad of those wide high opening FWDs.
By the way, we were just notified by Tesla that the battery coolant need not be changed for the life of the battery and the battery has an 8 year warranty. Tesla monitors their fleet and adjusts on the fly, does Volvo or anyone else do that? Brakes life is much longer than an in an ICE because of regenerative braking. About all you have to pay attention to is tire wear and pressure and the windshield wipers. No radiator flushes, oil and oil filter changes, spark plugs, transmission checks.
As for safety, the Tesla is always looking out for you. It watches not only the car in front of you but the one in front of it. It now picks up bicyclers, motorcycles, jay walkers and people making left hand turns across your lane. And just for good measure, it can supply you with a movie clip of what happened. The dynamic headlights track your steering too. Over the years we have seen great improvements in lane keeping and collision avoidance response capabilities through OTA updates. The next OTA update due in the coming month has red light and stop sign recognition included. No other car improves its capabilities with time. Who would give up these present and coming capabilities for a car frozen in place upon delivery?
Tam
Well-Known Member
The statistic is scary if you go to the hospital and wonder why there are so many illnesses, to jail and wonder why there are so many crimes...
That's the same with a forum.
Everyone has a different standard on reliability.
My HVAC can be as loud as a helicopter when charging and Consumer Reports may take a point off on that but I don't.
My screen may be frozen, and Consumer Reports may take a point off on that too but I know how to reboot the screens so I am not freaked out at all...
What more important is: I've never been stranded on the road ever since I've switched to Tesla since 2012.
On the other hand, I was stranded on the road multiple times when I had ICE due to various reasons: out of gas, carburetor flooded, transmission failure...
If your 12V needs replacement, your Tesla would give you a message so you can have time to preemptively replace it...
Lhshockey24
Member
I recently had a friend come visit. His family car is the Volvo XC90. We drove a grand total of maybe 40 minutes in our Model X. He's confirmed he is going to be trading the Volvo for a MX very soon. It's just a no-brainer. Soft leather in a Volvo won't (almost) drive itself on a freeway.
The A/C noise level 3 feet from right side headlight is 58 dBA. A helicopter might produce a sound level that low but it would have to be a mile or so distant. The noise level from an idling Lexus SUV at the same point w/o the A/C is 12 dB above that. So I say stuff and nonsense!
By all means test drive the X.
You can argue all day (as has been done here) about the relative value of refueling differences, high tech, environmental benefit, cool factor, fueling convenience, quiet ride, falcon wind doors etc and come up with arguments pro or con either car. What you can't really argue away is the extra cost of an X. It's insane for a person in my position to pay $120K for a car! So I had to decide, and you will too, whether the other factors "justify" the extra money. As many of the features of the X (e.g. neck snapping acceleration and the fart generator) can't be assigned a dollar amount it comes down to deciding whether the enjoyment factor is worth it. Now that's hard to do. I can only recommend the following which has been a very valuable tool in helping make decisions like this. Take a coin in hand and assign the Volvo to heads and the Tesla to tails. Flip the coin and plan to buy the car corresponding to the way it falls. Now immediately ask yourself whether you are pleased with or disappointed with the outcome. If you are pleased with the outcome, stick with the plan. If you find you feel disappointed by the outcome, buy the other car. You might want to first try this on something less momentous in order to get familiar with the method e.g. whether to have Chinese or Italian for dinner.
Beyond that I will point out that one informal study showed that in response to questions about range anxiety people who owned BEVs were statistically significantly less concerned about it than people who had never owned an BEV.
You can argue all day (as has been done here) about the relative value of refueling differences, high tech, environmental benefit, cool factor, fueling convenience, quiet ride, falcon wind doors etc and come up with arguments pro or con either car. What you can't really argue away is the extra cost of an X. It's insane for a person in my position to pay $120K for a car! So I had to decide, and you will too, whether the other factors "justify" the extra money. As many of the features of the X (e.g. neck snapping acceleration and the fart generator) can't be assigned a dollar amount it comes down to deciding whether the enjoyment factor is worth it. Now that's hard to do. I can only recommend the following which has been a very valuable tool in helping make decisions like this. Take a coin in hand and assign the Volvo to heads and the Tesla to tails. Flip the coin and plan to buy the car corresponding to the way it falls. Now immediately ask yourself whether you are pleased with or disappointed with the outcome. If you are pleased with the outcome, stick with the plan. If you find you feel disappointed by the outcome, buy the other car. You might want to first try this on something less momentous in order to get familiar with the method e.g. whether to have Chinese or Italian for dinner.
Beyond that I will point out that one informal study showed that in response to questions about range anxiety people who owned BEVs were statistically significantly less concerned about it than people who had never owned an BEV.
Popstpone buying. If you cannot put it off, buy the Volvo.
The problem is customer disservice from Tesla. You want to be able to contact service, right? Then, as of today, you have to buy the Volvo.
I REALLY REALLY wish this was not the case. Maybe Tesla will fix this. Maybe in a month, customer service will be reachable. Or maybe it will be even worse. Wait. Find out.
The Model X is in every way a massively superior car and you will love it. But life is too short for service nightmares.
Tam
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the correction.
It was an indeed an obvious exaggeration comparison on Tesla HVAC noise during a Supercharging session.
But the point is, many owners were used to with noisy ICE but when they got a Tesla, the quietness seems to bring out noise anxiety and they would worry about any kind of soft or loud noise from a Tesla.
jeffro01
Active Member
Oh yes. Definitely a Roger on that. When I first drove my own X, delivered to me at home, I immediately slammed on the brakes after moving a foot or 2 because of a loud "noise" from under the car, that being the tires crunching the gravel. I was sure something was broken.
