Tesla drivers…

Ironops

Ironops

Well-known member
Had a model 3 long range for nearly a year, initially loved it, stupid acceleration, lots of silly toys and really enjoyed the semi self drive on the motorway - I do 15k miles a year.

Once I’d gotten used to it I just felt a bit meh, the charging is a pain if you want to do a long journey quickly.

Then someone ran into the side of me in a car park and while it was in the body shop I got given a C class Merc to drive by the insurance company. It felt like stepping back in time, it was awful, noisy, too many fiddly controls and I quickly wanted the Tesla bavk

Now I love it again and I’m not sure I could go back to driving an ICE. It’s currently costing me the same as a ICE to run or maybe only slightly cheaper but the driving experience is just soooo much better

And no I don’t get range anxiety but I only really do motorway journeys from London to Wales and the superchargers at membury and Sarn are fine, plus there is a electric rapid charger near where I with
 
Laughing

Laughing

Well-known member
BoroMart said:
interesting take. Personally I find driving a tesla good fun, I mean it's got great acceleration, not sure what it lacks other than engine noise to lose the 'soul' of driving. What exactly is it missing that loses the soul?
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I have driven a tesla s and it was quick of the mark, but it was awful to drive when compared with a drivers car. It wasn't because it was electric, it was all the driver aids interferring with the experience.

Much prefer my RX8, other than the engine rebuilds, the 20 mpg and the occasional flooding, oh and the tiny boot, oh and the 200 quid spark plugs and the 6 monthly servicing. Other than that, its brill!
 
Randy

Randy

Well-known member
1finny said:
I couldn’t bear to give money to Musk so went for the Enyaq 80.
Took forever to arrive but its a nice car - it goes backwards, forwards and round corners all at the right time so far.….but I am paying attention at the moment.

Best feature - small brolly in the side of the door as you open it.
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The model I drove was lime green, really impressed with how it drove and handled for a big heavy car but right now I couldn't justify the monthly repayments, especially in this current climate the world finds itself in.
Think my superb had brollies in the front doors too mind 😎
 
xxlshirts_fit_all

xxlshirts_fit_all

Well-known member
Some good replies, cheers…

I’ve had range anxiety but only due to my own anxiety issues..

I was hoping Tesco would still be free to charge but they now charge… only free charging station I’ve found is at Dalton park but it’s very busy obviously..

When I used the Tesla charger in Cumbernauld the experience was good, in and out in 20 mins…

It’s def not the best car I’ve had snd there are a few silly things, like speedo on the massive touch screen but awkward to look at, or auto wipers need to be on then using cruise control..
 
BaronSmoggie

BaronSmoggie

Well-known member
The_Lizards_Jumpers said:
I'm probably not the best person to speak to, as I know next to nothing about cars.

The test drive involved me checking how big the boot was (the problem with my current car) and asking if it had Apple Play. I took it on a 5 minute test drive as my wife had to get to a eyebrow appointment and was balancing the demands of an active 1 year old back at the dealership, and I had absolutely no idea what I should be looking for, and so decided it'll do me and signed on the line.

I think the sales lady was shocked and it was probably the quickest sale she's ever made.
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Ha ha fair enough. I'm the other way, I'll spend hours asking awkward questions. The salesperson knows its been a hard sale with me :)
 
Glover_elbow

Glover_elbow

Well-known member
Andy_W said:
I think type one is chademo, mainly for asian cars, but all european cars run on type 2/ CCS, Tesla's run on this too. I can see chademo getting wiped out by CCS, and asian manufacturers switching to CCS, or their exports will need to be CCS. It's like the VHS v Beetamax thing, there's no point in having two options, one will win.

This link below might work, but to be honest, I wouldn't risk it. https://evcables.co.uk/products/typ...HPfGDl0K1RJ6_Kc5M9_gjbaZQYLHE0SsaAszbEALw_wcB

If I was you I would order a type 2 charger box, and sell the type 1 on ebay or something. Maybe see if you can find someone with an asian EV who can test it, and maybe video that or take some pics of it working, so you have some evidence before selling etc. Or maybe sell it with it connected to the house, and your buyer can test it, then get it removed later? The electric supply cable to the box won't need changin, so you're already most of the way there. To be honest I'd probably switch it over myself, but would advise anyone else to use an electrician.

I had a charger box on my last house, but on this one I just fitted a commando socket, and the cable thing which came from the car does the middle bit, and I get 7kW charging, which is the best you can get from a single phase supply (which most houses have). Don't really see much point in using the wall boxes, and the extra cost, as the features are largely pointless now (unless you have solar/ battery storage etc), as most cars can do their own charging schedules etc.

Here's some info on commando sockets:
topcharger.co.uk

Commando Sockets For EV charging - A Complete Guide

Commando socket or charge point? This guide reveals everything you need to know about Commando sockets for EV charging, so you can make an informed choice.
topcharger.co.uk topcharger.co.uk
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Thanks andy that's very helpful
 
Johnnyweetabix

Johnnyweetabix

Well-known member
I’ve got a long range polestar 2 and I think it’s easily the best option of all so far for the price . Looks great inside and out and also really fast
 
MolteniArcore

MolteniArcore

Well-known member
Randy said:
Drove a Skoda Enyaq today. Loved it. Spacious as hell. Kitted up nicely.

Bought a Skoda Superb 1.4 TSI instead. It was £33,000 cheaper. Picking it up next week. Straight swap with my current Octavia and only an extra tenner a month to finance than I'm currently paying with 8,000 less miles on it.
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That's what I drive. The thinking mans car! :D
 
MolteniArcore

MolteniArcore

Well-known member
BoroMart said:
Took me a few weeks to trust hands free, really comes into it's own on long motorway journeys. I find that a 200mile journey is much less effort.....I still don't entirely trust it late at night on dark country roads though.

Best little feature....use your frunk when picking up a takeaway and your interior won't smell of chinese for a week and any greasy spillage will just wipe away

Yeah, I've noticed the cost of charging hit me this last 2 months. I've got solar panels which helps but the weather has been terrible so I've not gleaned much....was great in the summer though, cost me about £2 to fully charge the car during day time hours.
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Is the handsfree feature you talk of the 'autopilot'? Isn't autopilot illegal to use in the UK? Or do Teslas in the UK just have an advanced cruise control kinda feature?
 
BoroMart

BoroMart

Well-known member
Laughing said:
I have driven a tesla s and it was quick of the mark, but it was awful to drive when compared with a drivers car. It wasn't because it was electric, it was all the driver aids interferring with the experience.
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turn them off, easy. What defines a 'drivers car' though? I think there is some resistance to change and snobbery from some petrolheads.
 
Laughing

Laughing

Well-known member
BoroMart said:
turn them off, easy. What defines a 'drivers car' though? I think there is some resistance to change and snobbery from some petrolheads.
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That may be true to an extent, however if you hav ever driven a drivers car, you would know the difference. Even the good old mondeo was a great drivers car.

With something like an rx8 you get feedback through the stearing wheel, you can feel when the grip is starting to fail. Even with the stability control on it only gets involved at the last minute. It just feels mechanical, even though it is controlled by the ecu.

I think it's something you appreciate or don't. Nothing wrong with either viewpoint.
 
Ironops

Ironops

Well-known member
MolteniArcore said:
Is the handsfree feature you talk of the 'autopilot'? Isn't autopilot illegal to use in the UK? Or do Teslas in the UK just have an advanced cruise control kinda feature?
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It keeps you at a constant speed and brakes if the car in front slows and it also keeps you in lane and if the road bends it’s steers with it.

You can take your hands off the wheel but it will ask you for a small input every 90 seconds or so if it thinks you’re not resting hands on the wheel.

On a long journey it just allows you to relax a little

I got a Tesla mostly due to the charging network, there just doesn’t seem to be that much if your doing a lot of motorway driving other than the Supercharger network
 
Jonny Ingbar

Jonny Ingbar

Well-known member
Laughing said:
That may be true to an extent, however if you hav ever driven a drivers car, you would know the difference. Even the good old mondeo was a great drivers car.

With something like an rx8 you get feedback through the stearing wheel, you can feel when the grip is starting to fail. Even with the stability control on it only gets involved at the last minute. It just feels mechanical, even though it is controlled by the ecu.

I think it's something you appreciate or don't. Nothing wrong with either viewpoint.
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I'll admit that I'll resist moving to an electric car as long a I am able (assuming of course that electric will be the dominant power train), simply because I'll miss the infinitely more emotive feel and sound of a petrol engine.

Many people don't care and I get that, but for me it's a red line of you pardon the pun.
 
Randy

Randy

Well-known member
BoroMart said:
turn them off, easy. What defines a 'drivers car' though? I think there is some resistance to change and snobbery from some petrolheads.
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Sound, smell, connection to the road, how the car drives with and without driver's side.

For example one of the best cars I've ever driven was a Vauxhall Nova SRi. No power steering, no ABS, no traction control, weighed the same as a tin of beans and was rapid. Another of my favourite cars I've driven was a Nissan Skyline R35 GTR. Did a few laps with the driver aids on and once I was comfortable driving it turned them off.
 
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