Would you have bought your Model S if it wasn't electric?

[Al Sherman]

100% hands down, NO chance. Ever.

And, not to start the opinion debate on whether or not MPGe is a useful number but my MPGe is much closer to 120 than 90.

 

[No Tailpipe]

Short answer. No.

 

[DavidM]

Are you kidding? $90K for an oil burner? Heck No!

 

[nspollution]

The only reason I was willing to pay this amount of money for a car was because it was electric. I was not considering comparably priced gas cars.

 

[Panacea]

Heck no. I would have bought an Audi A7 instead.

 

[Merrill]

No wanted a 100% electric, no hybrid for me. If the Tesla had not come around would have waited for something or bought a Jaguar XJ sedan.

 

[JohnQ]

A7 would be in my garage now rather than the S.

 

[npiwovar]

Not a chance.

 

[jerry33]

I would have kept driving the Prius.

 

[inkynote]

No way! We've always driven old cars that my husband could maintain, converting to propane to improve emissions and reliability. Our thought was that, until there was an alternative to a fossil fueled vehicle, it was better environmentally to keep something going than to buy something new. As hybrids started to emerge we still thought they weren't trying very hard to get off of oil. We wanted to see an electric vehicle designed from scratch to take advantage of all that being electric meant. Enter, Tesla Model S!

 

[ToddRLockwood]

This is a tough crowd! Obviously, anyone who now owns a Model S would be hard pressed to see this as a possibility. In reality, such a car would probably cost less than the Model S, due to the lack of a $10K battery pack.

As we all know, the combination of efficiency and performance in the Model S is simply not possible in a gas powered car due to the laws of physics. But if BMW figured out a way to do it, I think many car buyers would flock to it because of the familiarity of gasoline.

I almost bought a Prius a couple of years ago, the primary incentive being fuel economy. But when I compared it to a non-hybrid car of the same quality, the premium recovery on the Prius was about 7 years. Of course, the Model S offers so many more advantages, buyers are willing to spend beyond what they'd normally pay for a car.

My original thought at the top of this thread was that people are not buying the Model S simply because it's electric. In many cases, they're buying it in spite of it being electric. The Model S is that good.

 

[ggr]

I voted No, but really it should have been "Maybe". :smile: My reasoning is that if it hadn't been electric, I'd probably never have done the test drive, and wouldn't have been hooked. Once I had the Roadster, our AMG Mercedes was almost never driven... and from then on the Model S was never in doubt.

 

[gregincal]

Yep, that's the idea. The fabulous unicorn super-car is identical in every way, except you put gas in it instead of electricity, and it gets 90 MPG. Still want one?

Why don't you throw in what if gasoline is produced by buttercups. I bought the car because the electric drivetrain is superior. You are asking would I have bought it if the electric drivetrain wasn't superior, but that's a ridiculous question.

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Unlikely. Take out the ev advantages and you're left with the 17" screen and decent styling. At that point, I'd just go with an Audi and call it a day.

But that's silly. The Audi isn't a magic unicorn car that gets 90mpg and has incredible power without gears. Why would anybody choose that over a unicorn car with all the advantages of an EV?

 

[barbja]

No. The front is ugly, seat comfort is questionable, at least 80% less organized driver storage than almost any other vehicle, and the cup holders were apparently designed by someone who doesn't use cups. The first: hey, you don't see that when you're inside the car, but the other three are really high up on the list of driver ergonomics for me.

There are only two things that make up for those things: extended range EV and the ginormous 17" touch screen. Take away either one of those two things and I wouldn't even pay $20k for the car, much less $100k.

I actually haven't purchased yet. I'm right on the the precipice. I'm deciding if the EV and 17" touch screen do actually override the negatives. The decision would be a whole lot easier if the car spec'd out closer to $70k.

 

[AC1K]

NO,

ICE cannot possibly have the responsiveness, RPM Range, broad power band, and maintenance-less operation that an electric motor provides.

also im locked in at 8¢/kWh you think gas will stay at $1.12/L?

it sure as hell wont, its $1.62/L in BC right now for premium, which is what im assuming the Model S would take if it was Gas powered

 

[jerry33]

I actually haven't purchased yet. I'm right on the the precipice. I'm deciding if the EV and 17" touch screen do actually override the negatives. The decision would be a whole lot easier if the car spec'd out closer to $70k.

The driving experience negates everything else. Cupholders and storage (which you can add to with the CCI) don't hold a candle to it. Cars designed by Europeans never have decent cupholders anyway. And yes, it's not as nice looking as a Prius, but you get used to it.

 

[efusco]

I would have kept driving the Prius.

Ditto

 

[Rodolfo Paiz]

Too high a "unicorn factor" to make the poll even remotely realistic, so I can't bring myself to vote.

There is simply no way to make an ICE car that does everything the Tesla Model S does, period... never mind the price. The electric drivetrain is the primary reason why you can get some of the benefits it provides; hence, theorizing about a car that is identical, but not an EV, is absurd.

If Tesla did not exist, I'd have bought a BMW M5. Similar price, similar performance. The BMW has some advantages (better organized interior and more storage), some disadvantages (iDrive is a worthless pile of garbage, and already obsolete, plus there's less room and less trunk space, plus no third row), and some differences which are a function of taste. Make of that what you will... but a poll, with all due respect, is meaningless if one choice is too fantastical.

 

[Puyallup Bill]

No. The front is ugly, seat comfort is questionable, at least 80% less organized driver storage than almost any other vehicle, and the cup holders were apparently designed by someone who doesn't use cups. The first: hey, you don't see that when you're inside the car, but the other three are really high up on the list of driver ergonomics for me.

Don't forget my pet peeves - no hook for a hanger, no assist grab handles that are really necessary for the rear seats.

 

[Gynob001]

Was considering a Porsche Cayman. Choose Tesla purely based on electrical technology and range.