So, I washed my Model S (for the first time ever! woot!) over the weekend, and then washed my wife’s Range Rover Sport right after. As I washed each car bit, it occurred to me that the two cars were very similar, and that in many ways, the cheaper Range Rover was technologically superior, more luxurious, and put together much more carefully.
Very similar, you say? Well, they weigh within 100lbs of each other, accelerate to 60 within fractions of a second of each other, have almost identical cargo space, are AWD, have spartan, minimalist interiors, they both have insane door seals, though for different reasons, and they both represent the epitome of (very different) facets of modern car design.
First, my Car Guy Bonafides: the MS is the 15th (16th? I lose track) car, some of which sucked (Hyundai Excel, anyone?) and some which rocked (Lotus Elise, how I miss thee). This is my 3rd EV, after a Fiat 500e and a Roadster, and I'd driven many Model Ss before, sometimes for weeks at a time (which is what happens when a SC takes 6 weeks to change a tail light - long story). I've tracked cars, autocrossed them, offroaded them, taken them apart and put them back together (mostly).
What am I comparing? I’m comparing an AP2.0 90D with premium seats, SAS, PUP, and glass roof with a 2014 Range Rover Sport Supercharged, with the Dynamic Package and a bunch of little premium upgrades (but not the stereo upgrade or the 360 video, which I regret). It would be more natural to compare the MS to my wife's last car, an MB CLS550 - maybe I will, at the end.
Driving Experience
Acceleration: The 90D gives you a bit more oomph from traffic light to traffic light, but gets lazy at highway speeds, though it gives you that instant throttle response EVs are famous for - it feels clinical, almost like moving a cursor around. The RRS is very laggy from a stop (shucks, it usually shuts off the engine), but makes up for it as soon as it gets going. It also pulls hard all the way up to the speed limiter (155mph), which is very different from the MS. And it *roars* all the way. Some folks grow to hate ICE exhaust notes, but not I.
Handling: I’ve driven both the RRS and the DS to their limits in canyons and on cloverleafs. Both vehicles behave very well, doing better than their weight implies. The MS does this by putting the weight near the ground, while the RRS does this via a large variety of technological magic: dynamically adjustable dampers, dynamic hydraulic roll bars, and (3!) differentials with continuously variable electronically controlled torque vectoring make it feel like a very large go cart. They're both great, but the RRS is more versatile and dynamic. It actually wallows less than the MS.
Headlights: The RRS has proper corner-hugging projector headlamps which work very well, and automatic highbeams that actually work. I don’t like the MS LED headlamp spread, nor do I like the fake cornering adjustments. There are actually cleaning jets on the RRS for snow and mud. RRS wins here.
Offroad handling: I haven’t really put the MS through much offroading, nor do I plan to - maybe snow at most. The RRS is a beast offroad, with multiple drive modes that actually make a difference. Being able to drive in 3 feet of water is very cool - not that you can actually do that in CA.
Overall: the MS is clinical, luxurious in its acceleration and very predictable, while the RRS is raucous and a bit laggy. Neither are very fun to drive around twisty canyons, though I give the RRS a slight edge there. On the freeway and in traffic, the MS wins. For a long trip, it really depends on whether I’m in a rush or not. The RRS is very comfortable for road trips, as is the MS, but the MS adds roughly 50% in duration to whatever the RRS would take. Time is luxury too.
Cabin
Both cabins are spartan and minimalist, which I dig. I don’t even mind that there are no door pockets on the MS - they just accumulate cruft.
User Interface: I much prefer the RRS’s small selection of useful hard buttons to the MS’s everything-through-the-touchpanel approach. My rear passengers can control their climate without bugging me, the steering wheel heater is easy to turn on and off, as are the ride height, driving mode, headlight mode, etc etc etc. The MS is very clean but really kind of ridiculous.
Comfort: The seats are very comfortable on both cars. The MS premium seats are softer with a bit more bolster, but the RRS seats are way more adjustable - I haven’t done a proper roadtrip on the premium MS seats, so I’ll reserve judgement, but the RRS seats will be hard to beat. Both offer cooling and heating modes, though the RRS seats cool more and faster. The MS actually has 2 more cupholders than the SUV, but the SUV has a friggin coolbox/fridge, which is very useful on long drives. The RRS has a rear armrest, which is also nice for long drives.
Cabin Noise: both cabins are relatively quiet, but the MS wins here at normal speeds.
Stereo: I understand the premium RRS stereo is very good, but I don’t have that. The UHDS MS stereo is much better than the base RRS stereo, except that it doesn’t support iphone-on-usb (really, tesla?).
Sunroof: Both have big glass roofs, though the RRS offers an properly opening sunroof and a power sunshade. They’re both awesome, but the RRS is more versatile. It also doesn’t preclude a roof rack. I preferred the RRS pano roof to my loaner P85+’s pano sunroof (it doesn’t have as big a bar in the middle). Visually, I prefer the Tesla Glass roof, but really miss the option to draw a shade, and, really, give my poor passengers some 'oh *sugar*' handles.
Technology (Electronics, not drivetrain)
The MS has no competition here, especially once AP2 started working. On the other hand, when I’m driving in the hills and there is no cell signal, the RRS’s primitive navigation still, you know, works, while the tesla falls on its face.
Conclusion
The 90D is a great car, I love it. I bought it knowing exactly what I was buying. In terms of material luxury, it loses out to much cheaper cars, but it just doesn’t get more luxurious than having a chauffeur. I just wish you got a bit more of the ‘car’ bit when paying $115k The RRS offers a very similar driving experience, but is more versatile and useful, and costs about $25k less (plus whatever 18mpg costs, I guess). I'm glad I have both cars in my stable.
Now if I could just convince my wife to let me buy a track toy (again)
Bonus: I loved the CLS550, but my wife hated it (you could hit 140mph with so little drama you wouldn't notice, and occasionally did). The seats had massagers (but were still super-uncomfortable - only germans could pull that off), and it had lane keeping (sucked dangerously, but it was 2013!). There was something about it, though - something to do with the ride dynamics, or the ergonomics, that made everyone except the driver dislike being in it. We didn't keep it for long.
Very similar, you say? Well, they weigh within 100lbs of each other, accelerate to 60 within fractions of a second of each other, have almost identical cargo space, are AWD, have spartan, minimalist interiors, they both have insane door seals, though for different reasons, and they both represent the epitome of (very different) facets of modern car design.
First, my Car Guy Bonafides: the MS is the 15th (16th? I lose track) car, some of which sucked (Hyundai Excel, anyone?) and some which rocked (Lotus Elise, how I miss thee). This is my 3rd EV, after a Fiat 500e and a Roadster, and I'd driven many Model Ss before, sometimes for weeks at a time (which is what happens when a SC takes 6 weeks to change a tail light - long story). I've tracked cars, autocrossed them, offroaded them, taken them apart and put them back together (mostly).
What am I comparing? I’m comparing an AP2.0 90D with premium seats, SAS, PUP, and glass roof with a 2014 Range Rover Sport Supercharged, with the Dynamic Package and a bunch of little premium upgrades (but not the stereo upgrade or the 360 video, which I regret). It would be more natural to compare the MS to my wife's last car, an MB CLS550 - maybe I will, at the end.
Driving Experience
Acceleration: The 90D gives you a bit more oomph from traffic light to traffic light, but gets lazy at highway speeds, though it gives you that instant throttle response EVs are famous for - it feels clinical, almost like moving a cursor around. The RRS is very laggy from a stop (shucks, it usually shuts off the engine), but makes up for it as soon as it gets going. It also pulls hard all the way up to the speed limiter (155mph), which is very different from the MS. And it *roars* all the way. Some folks grow to hate ICE exhaust notes, but not I.
Handling: I’ve driven both the RRS and the DS to their limits in canyons and on cloverleafs. Both vehicles behave very well, doing better than their weight implies. The MS does this by putting the weight near the ground, while the RRS does this via a large variety of technological magic: dynamically adjustable dampers, dynamic hydraulic roll bars, and (3!) differentials with continuously variable electronically controlled torque vectoring make it feel like a very large go cart. They're both great, but the RRS is more versatile and dynamic. It actually wallows less than the MS.
Headlights: The RRS has proper corner-hugging projector headlamps which work very well, and automatic highbeams that actually work. I don’t like the MS LED headlamp spread, nor do I like the fake cornering adjustments. There are actually cleaning jets on the RRS for snow and mud. RRS wins here.
Offroad handling: I haven’t really put the MS through much offroading, nor do I plan to - maybe snow at most. The RRS is a beast offroad, with multiple drive modes that actually make a difference. Being able to drive in 3 feet of water is very cool - not that you can actually do that in CA.
Overall: the MS is clinical, luxurious in its acceleration and very predictable, while the RRS is raucous and a bit laggy. Neither are very fun to drive around twisty canyons, though I give the RRS a slight edge there. On the freeway and in traffic, the MS wins. For a long trip, it really depends on whether I’m in a rush or not. The RRS is very comfortable for road trips, as is the MS, but the MS adds roughly 50% in duration to whatever the RRS would take. Time is luxury too.
Cabin
Both cabins are spartan and minimalist, which I dig. I don’t even mind that there are no door pockets on the MS - they just accumulate cruft.
User Interface: I much prefer the RRS’s small selection of useful hard buttons to the MS’s everything-through-the-touchpanel approach. My rear passengers can control their climate without bugging me, the steering wheel heater is easy to turn on and off, as are the ride height, driving mode, headlight mode, etc etc etc. The MS is very clean but really kind of ridiculous.
Comfort: The seats are very comfortable on both cars. The MS premium seats are softer with a bit more bolster, but the RRS seats are way more adjustable - I haven’t done a proper roadtrip on the premium MS seats, so I’ll reserve judgement, but the RRS seats will be hard to beat. Both offer cooling and heating modes, though the RRS seats cool more and faster. The MS actually has 2 more cupholders than the SUV, but the SUV has a friggin coolbox/fridge, which is very useful on long drives. The RRS has a rear armrest, which is also nice for long drives.
Cabin Noise: both cabins are relatively quiet, but the MS wins here at normal speeds.
Stereo: I understand the premium RRS stereo is very good, but I don’t have that. The UHDS MS stereo is much better than the base RRS stereo, except that it doesn’t support iphone-on-usb (really, tesla?).
Sunroof: Both have big glass roofs, though the RRS offers an properly opening sunroof and a power sunshade. They’re both awesome, but the RRS is more versatile. It also doesn’t preclude a roof rack. I preferred the RRS pano roof to my loaner P85+’s pano sunroof (it doesn’t have as big a bar in the middle). Visually, I prefer the Tesla Glass roof, but really miss the option to draw a shade, and, really, give my poor passengers some 'oh *sugar*' handles.
Technology (Electronics, not drivetrain)
The MS has no competition here, especially once AP2 started working. On the other hand, when I’m driving in the hills and there is no cell signal, the RRS’s primitive navigation still, you know, works, while the tesla falls on its face.
Conclusion
The 90D is a great car, I love it. I bought it knowing exactly what I was buying. In terms of material luxury, it loses out to much cheaper cars, but it just doesn’t get more luxurious than having a chauffeur. I just wish you got a bit more of the ‘car’ bit when paying $115k The RRS offers a very similar driving experience, but is more versatile and useful, and costs about $25k less (plus whatever 18mpg costs, I guess). I'm glad I have both cars in my stable.
Now if I could just convince my wife to let me buy a track toy (again)
Bonus: I loved the CLS550, but my wife hated it (you could hit 140mph with so little drama you wouldn't notice, and occasionally did). The seats had massagers (but were still super-uncomfortable - only germans could pull that off), and it had lane keeping (sucked dangerously, but it was 2013!). There was something about it, though - something to do with the ride dynamics, or the ergonomics, that made everyone except the driver dislike being in it. We didn't keep it for long.
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