@@MrUltraworld because not everyone can afford a new model s and may be considering a used car as their first EV. Great review as usual. Easily my fav car reviewer on TH-cam
When will we see what these EVs especially Tesla cars really cost out of warranty to maintained and repair . I live in Canada and had to call Electrify America to find none Tesla charging station in Toronto ,Canada largest city where you hear nothing Climate Change BS . Y up think Canada would be a world leader in EV charging stations, good luck . As for opinionated Tesla owners he's too easy on them . Too many Tesla fanboys come after you if you say anything against Tesla cars or Elon Musk .
They are dull as ditch water styling wise though... Hard to knock things like battery management, drivetrain efficiency, power delivery, and charging network, but it looks like a bog spec Insignia. Unless they come up with some radical styling changes for new models, and employ some actual car interior designers instead of nerds who still think fart noises are funny (move onto some knobs, 'funny' but also useful) then I can see Tesla's future becoming one of Powered by Tesla. Other manufacturers are already showing you can have much more interesting EV's with far better design which will only grow as they all have to pile into them.
@@georgevavoulis4758 Hang on isn't Elon part Canadian? What is going on here? Perhaps a tie-up with Tim Hortons? Always fresh. Charging, always fast... Good strapline.
I think this is the only honest Tesla review I’ve ever seen over the years. You presented the marmite arguments so simply with actual details and research about the company through the years. Very refreshing and shows up the top gear(both new and old) anti-electric push as well as the toxic Tesla fanboys.
What was wrong with Clarkson's review of the Tesla? He simply pointed out that trashing a Tesla around a track drains the batteries at a ridiculous speed and can even cause overheating problems with the high voltage converter. He even said before his "test" that it was in no way comparable to a normal road test. What Clarkson did is just a bit rougher than using it's full potential on the road, which also drains the batteries at a ridiculous speed. This is simply the main drawback of using very powerful electric motors. You can brag about your Tesla being faster than many sportscars or even supercars, but only for a very short time, because then your Tesla will be out of power and the sports/supercars will simply power on. It's something Tesla religiously omits to mention.
@@tjroelsma high powered electric motors connected to battery components with very high rates of discharge also have a key fundamental benefit - very high rates of charging. The architecture needs it. The benefits of high performance and downsides of high rates of discharge also bring other benefits. Im not a tesla owner nor an EV owner yet.
@@user-vk4vd7vr5t Yes, well you need those high rates of charging because the batteries will be empty very quickly as well, basically have you driving from supercharge point to supercharge point if you drive a bit sporty. Look, I have nothing against EV's, but mounting insanely powerful electric motors in EV's with the current battery technology is just silly. If you want more people to buy EV's, then range is way more important than going from 0-60 in 2 seconds, because that's a pretty useless feature on public roads. So considering that Tesla's don't make much sense: you have insane power and acceleration available, but you can't really use it because that will butcher the range.
I'd like to applaud you, James, on the way you're comfortable with your body image and can shrug off the trolls. Oh, and your dedication to supporting the baking industry in these uncertain times. ;)
12:35 I consider myself a tech-savvy person as I've been into computers since the mid 80's. I've also been into cars since about the same time. With that said, I absolutely hate touch controls in cars. I think they are detrimental to road safety and there should be legislation in place to make sure certain things have physical buttons/knobs, ie. windscreen wipers, heating and cooling controls etc.
I only approve touchscreens when it's possible to operate it while resting the wrist or at least an elbow on a firm surface. Otherwise using touchscreen is just a mess and a safety issue, as you said. Was thinking of buying tesla, but touchscreen controls was one of reasons against it.
Mazda seems to be the only company who have decided to use a knob to control all functions. Even before that the touchscreen only worked when the car was stationary.
@@Colby_0-3_IRL_and_title_fights Colbat is used in oil refining as well, additionally Volvo have run the numbers even on a fully fossil fuel energy grid an EV is contributes less carbon by around 30000 miles of driving
@Ivan Jaros I love my petrol cars but also have an EV. A lot of people are guilty, myself included at times, in just believing the popular headlines and then repeat incorrect statements spreading the misinformation. There are a lot of independent studies on true carbon impacts and human rights violations with regards to lifecycle cost of an EV. I suggest you read some to have a more balanced and accurate view on the topic rather than repeating tired old misinformation.
@@Delta_Sierra Unfortunately those studies have used fraudulent consumption numbers for EVs (and some I've seen have also used fraudulent figures for ICE by cherry picking ancient technology for them, picking antiquated naturally aspirated engines to represent ICE!). They do not include the MASSIVE increases to consumption which are totally different to ICE: EV consumption easily doubles in the cold, is much higher in general than reported. They don't include charging losses which have been measured to be 10% at the minimum when the battery is at optimum temp and you're slow charging (German ADAC measureed the electricity draw from the source and found the lowest being BMW getting 10% higher real draw while Tesla Model S actually drew 24% more from the electricity source than the car said it's consuming!!). But when the battery is not at optimum temps it can skyrocket. If you're fast charging it can skyrocket. They don't include any consumption of the EV while plugged in, though it uses lots of energy while plugged in as you're preheating the battery and cabin. They do not include the consumption of preheating the battery for fast charging. Teslas for example consume more than 7kW in battery pre-heating before charging, and Tesla-Bjorn for example showed us that his Tesla kept heating the battery for over 25 minutes despite him having already driven the car for a long time on the motorway!! EV consumption numbers are basically one massive fraud. No-one has compiled an honest report on what all these factors do to the real electricity use.
Shoddy build quality persists: panel fit, paint quality, door handles, tail lights. The biggest issue is the Apple-like aggressive stance against third party repair.
I went with my friend to pick his up, they ask you to inspect the car and point out any issues. Couldn't believe how many we found for a car that expensive.
@@jackcaptain5476 it was a while ago. I am not sure they did anything honestly. I think we had like 5-10 panel gap issues on the outside and maybe around 5 dirt or scuff marks on the leather or door cards. For 70-80k that delivery IMO is unacceptable.
I hate Tesla for being anti right to repair and unless they change their attitude towards it, they'll still be the next Apple and John Deere... I believe Louis Rossman even mentioned this issue in one of his RTR videos.
I agree with that. However, the legacy auto is even worse as they design their cars to require maintenance. Sandy Munro put it correctly in a recent video "why would you want to buy a maintenance nightmare?"
@@rkan2 That doesn't change a thing. You can like a brand or product and still hate the business practices. I'm not a fan of either Apple or Microsoft, but I still have to make a choice. Mac or Windows, because there's nothing else. I like Linux, but it's not an alternative. Distros exist because Linux is terrible as PC OS. Right to repair is a general issue, but Apple and, it seems, Tesla take it to the next level. I can't even understand how you legally should be able to deny somebody repair their own property. That's leasing.
Great review, unbiased summary. Yes, Tesla fanboys can be crazy! A note of caution: not all Teslas with free supercharging have it transferred to new owners.
Tried the model 3. I need a few basic buttons. It felt half finished so I order the Ionic 5. Much nicer inside. Btw, Matt, they may have released all their copyrights, but if you buy a fully ‘loaded’ Tesla second hand, Tesla remove all the extras when you register the car. You never own their software when you buy the car second hand. You have to pay for the upgrades yourself. It’s legal but IMO a horrible tactic. How much money does Musk need? Greed. If you buy an optioned Audi, you keep the options. A bloke from Audi doesn’t come round your house and delete the sat nav and unscrew the reversing camera. And if you try to keep your upgrades against Tesla’s will, they send an over the air update stopping you charging your car. The fact is, even when you buy a Tesla, you don’t really own it. They do.
They're not designed for long-term ownership. Even more so than other EV's, Tesla's are just throwaway toys for rich people. Pre-2015 Model S's are already disappearing from the roads.
What you say is true if you buy a second hand car from Tesla, but not if you buy it second hand privately or from a non Tesla dealer. As was mentioned in this video, the likes of free charging for life was afforded to the original buyer, it is not a part of the car and not implicit in the sale - so buyer beware.
@@ouethojlkjn I know. They also turn off things that were optioned with the car like auto pilot etc. I know why they do it and I know it’s legal. When you buy a second hand Tesla, you get the basic car. They purposely strip it back via software. It’s unnecessary and Tesla already had the upgrade money from the original purchaser. Its pure greed and people will have to pay for the upgrades again if they buy a new Tesla. I don’t like the ideology. It’s a cheap trick that will devalue the car’s second hand value despite the original owner having paid for it. Unacceptable behaviour for me.
My S did the same thing with that door rubber. Sometimes if I got out at the wrong angle and brushed it the wrong way it would dislodge it and prevent the door from closing. Of course my friends found this hilarious. Me not so much on a car which cost £88k.
My Jag XKE would have water under the driver's seat every time it rained. I heard the same thing happened with MG's. The Brits don't understand how rain, water and convertibles are supposed to work. This difference here is that Tesla is worth about the GDP of Great Britain whereas every British car brand ever created is now owned by India, China or Germany or is bankrupt. Congratulations - spend more time doing rather than bitching (or eating).
Fair review in my opinion, having driven quite a few myself the biggest issue I had with Teslas is they just feel like white "domestic" goods to me, no soul or character, serves a purpose like the most basic ikea furniture. Not the only modern cars to suffer with this though.
Driving and owning are two different things with this car. Imo, as a Model Y owner, it's not about driving, heck I bought this car so it could do 95% of my commute for me. It's really about the experience all the things you can do in the car that aren't driving. I was able to focus more on my god daughter when she was in the back seat since I only need to scan the road every few seconds vs needing to do everything. The ability to turn on child locks without having to stop and get out of the car was another game changer, she asked me "what does this button do" (the button to open the door while on a free way) and I was able to quickly disable it before she got too curious. The fact that I just pull up to my house, plug in under 5 seconds, and that's it, I never have to worry about running out while I'm out unless I'm driving 300+ miles. The fart noises, car light show (yes we got a light show from the car on Christmas), Netflix and TH-cam while I'm waiting for my gf to finish something somewhere. That's what it's about, you can't look at it like a car meant for driving, it's really a computer/iPad/phone on wheels. P.s. when I really want to drive, I have a motorcycle for that lol, way more engaging than any car I've ever been in (including Porche 911, Nissan GTR, Mustangs etc).
However, most normal people describe getting in a Tesla as "like being in a spaceship". Just shows the differences in opinion between us car peeps and the general population
@@sandycheeks7865 Exactly, plus you add in no more oil changes or regular maintenance tuning, it's the perfect daily diver. Just add washer fluid and change wipers, tires, and brakes. However, you most likely won't need to change your brakes till close to, if not pass 100k miles lol.
@@Manu-Official Even my 50 year old C10 has better panel gaps,and that's a truck known for misaligned doors/hoods that are hard to get correct. It's shameful really,when an old American pickup has better gaps than a modern "luxury" car.
As the owner of a P85D for the last 4.5 years I have to say this was one of the most fair and accurate reports on the car that I have seen. I am a performance driver with a lot of track experience and a history a very fast cars, the last of which was an E39 supercharged (after market) M5, and, with that in mind, the only thing I take exception to is how you describe the way the car performs on the twisty bits. I have done Targa Tasmania in an E36 M3R (10th outright), which was staggeringly good in the handling department, and, after driving my P85D through some very challenging twisty roads, I was thoroughly impressed and exhilarated with the performance. I am 67 years old and have never owned a new car that I was excited to drive after the first 6 months or so. Sure, I still had some exhilarating times in them, but they eventually just became the daily driver. I can honestly say that I still get a buzz EVERY time I drive the P85D out of the garage and onto the street, it is simply that good. There are many things that Tesla can improve, but keep in mind that the company is still only around 13 years old and they will continue to improve as the years go by. The only other thing you failed to mention was the over the air updates, which have improved the car significantly over the 4.5 years I have owned it, including the way points update you mention at the top of the comments. There have been heaps of incremental improvements, the first of which for me was the introduction of easy entry for improved entry and exiting of the vehicle. I am also a little fond of cake and this was very appreciated as it was not there when I purchased the car. How many other cars actually improve with age? I forgot to mention that I have ordered a new PLAID but it will not be available in Australia until near the end of 2022.
you mean the fragile technology? The ideas are usually very good, but I think the Q&A is generally bad. I wonder just how little testing Tesla actually does before launching a model and the incorporated technology, which is rather sad, considering it is becoming rather obvious that Tesla rather wants to be the first in stead of the best.
Good review, and as a Model 3 owner, I would have had no issue hearing more complaints. Tesla's are faulted, my car struggles to hold corners as well as my friend's '08 C300 when we head out for a weekend drive. Plus, it loses range extremely quickly when being romped on. Still, all Tesla's are quiet, comfortable cars with lots of technology. Another note, if you can afford to go for a new S, the long range variant is nearly identical through the quarter mile as the old P85D and P90D. For most people, saving that 60k over the Plaid and getting that kind of performance is worth it. Especially considering the substantial interior upgrades and fit/finish upgrades over the older ones.
I put about 10k miles on a model 3 RWD. I am surprised you cannot keep up with a C300. I found it to handle very well for what it is. I live about 5 miles from Tesla's old HQ in california, an area which is filled with extremely tight and twisty mountain roads. Even on the narrow 18 inch stock all seasons I have no issue keeping the same pace I do in an F30 3 series. You have to drive it differently to front engined cars. All model 3s have a slight rear weight bias which helps with performance but changes its handling interface. It has two main problems. 1. it has fairly low quality dampers and 2. unless you have a performance the stability control is extremely invasive. Either way even the slowest rwd model 3 should easily out turn an 08 C300. Maybe your friend is just an amazing driver :P.
@@memememine1 just to make sure, have you driven a recent C300? It's tough to make a comparison without actually having references of both. I do agree in most cases it's a bit of an adjustment considering the weightbalance of a tesla is actually closer to a mid to rear engined car.
@@TheChill001 No c300 only driven a w204 c63 sedan. I assumed the c300 would have similar if not lower handling limits to the c63. Maybe the c300 has better handling due to less weight? I didn't find the w204 to be the best handling platform, def worse than an e90. The model 3 should easlly turn corners as fast as an e90.
Great balanced review. As a life long petrol head having owned maybe 80+ cars over the years. 6 in the last 2.5 years. I recently got a Tesla Model 3 Performance. The Long Range the obvious sensible purchase and even the RWD with new LiFE battery has incredible efficiency. Personally I love the performance and would have always wondered if I had bought the other. Either way went full appliance mode. White on white. The car is a marvel, not missing the sound either. Loving the quiet. Has actually taken me back to my youth somewhat. Have enjoyed shopping for accessories, simple things that yes should or could have come with it like the silicon cup insert. Done over 1000 miles in 4 weeks. Cost for electricity has been hardly anything on my house bill. Have used the superchargers twice. £10 on first occasion and £8.50 on the second. Charged fast and flawlessly. No messing about with 6 different apps to find they don’t work. Just grab the cable and plug in. Cannot be simpler. For me was a key reason for a Tesla. That along with Autopilot for Motorways and many A roads. Didn’t upgrade to any Autopilot extras or FSD. Journeys are just so relaxing and never feels like you’ve done the journey. Starting to think FSD when it’s ready in a couple of years could be worth it eventually. Basically loving the car.
@@jimrobcoyle For the cost of a RS4 I bought a Model 3 performance and a solar PV system to charge it. That's a difference with an EV, you have options for how you power them, as the grid clans up so does the car, you don't have that option with petrol.
I hate the thought of going electric, and would shy away from watching anything linked to them. But I decided to give this a whirl. I found it most enjoyable. Still wouldn't want one, but I did enjoy your review. Honest and interesting. Thanks. Happy new year.
And after we’ve given them some of our money for the car, they will get some more from us when they install their subsidised heat pump. But it makes Boris happy so that’s all that matters.
Stop whining about subsidies go and buy an electric car and you too can get it. I traded in a Merc and took money from my pension fund to purchase an MG ZS EV because they are the cheapest EV ATM in the UK, and like you (or maybe not) paid taxes all my working life, so getting a helping hand to buy an EV was great otherwise I would just another second hand Merc
Imagine if the government decided to ban football and insist everyone one watch American football instead - as a football and petrol car fan that’s how I feel about electric cars and Tesla in particular.
Subtracting the 1ft roll out (more like 4-60mph) is one of those frustrating marketing fudges of the numbers so they look better than they really are. Either way, the new plaids doing sub 2.5s 0-62mph is nonetheless still phenomenal! Great review as always. Thanks James!
Im a Tesla model S owner since 6 years and have free supercharger that will follow the car for the rest of its ”life”, even if I sell it. The owner know if the free supercharger follows the car to the new owner or not, so just ask the owner and he will tell you. You are doing a great job, and I agree with you on 99% of all you said in the video :-) Thank you!
Great video James about Model S. The review that would be interesting is there a fellow in the UK who took his model S to a coach builder and had them it modified to an Estate some years ago. As always I love you videos, please continue to drive these fantastic cars we see every week!
I saw that estate at a "Fully charged" event and t was a top class piece of coach building. It just looked like a production car inside and out. Tesla even honoured the warranty. I think it looked slightly better than an original Model S.
I’m glad you pulled all the stops out with my favourite shirt to jazz it up a bit! As let’s be honest the Tesla is just a boring Tupperware on wheels with a large battery and uneccessary iPad. AKA a Dutch taxi 🚕 However .. my mate at RR loved all of it! 🤷🏻
1 foot of rollout results in 0.3 second reduction in the 0 to 60. A lot more than I had realised. However it is the norm in the USA, but not outside of USA. That is why manufacturers quote different 0 to 60 times for the same model on their country specific websites.
Dry weight was also mentioned - like in formula one, hop qualifying laps used to have only just enough fuel in the cars to complete a lap or two. So they were much faster than in race trim (fully fueled).
Shame it doesn't have physical buttons for HVAC. Always enjoyed that you have different shirts for car reviews. Terrible to hear that the company disables things on the car when they sell it again. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Talk to someone about how your smartphone battery life isn't as good as it used to be one or two years later. Everybody will say, yes, that's what old batteries do. Talk to an EV owner about that: No no, it cannot happen, in ten years it will have the same range and do another 10 years. Why don't they realize that both are Li-Ion batteries, of the same chemical kind and same technology.
Simple truth is that it degrades, but not anywhere close to as much as a smartphone battery, for a myriad of reasons. You have encountered zealots if they say it doesnt degrade. Conversly, sometimes its so small as to be almost a non issue even afer 10 years.
The difference is in the battery management system. Typically, a smartphone uses all of the available capacity, all of the time, whereas most EVs have some spare capacity and so 100% isn't 100%, and 0% isn't really 0%. This means that the car can protect the battery in a way that your smartphone simply doesn't need to. Another advantage most EVs have over smartphones is active battery temperature management. That's not to say that they will have 100% battery capacity after 10 years. If you look at most battery warranties, they are something like 70% capacity after 8 years. For a car that has a reasonable range to start with, that's still pretty useable as a daily driver, and that's the worst case scenario after 8 years. Most EVs won't have degraded anywhere near that much (I think my Zoe is down less than 10% after over 4 years).
I have had a 2014 Nissan env200 from new, has 54000 miles on the clock it still has the same range and shows no loss of capacity. Depends how you look after it. It replaced a Toyota Hilux and costs me around £2200 per year less in fuel alone.
@@GoldenCroc Point taken Golden. Nissan batteries have a poor rep and the range was hardly earth shattering in the first place. But it takes me and my tools to work and it's quite nice to drive and it earns its keep. The battery issue is more with the raw materials and eventual recycling than loss of functionality. Hope you have a good New year.
I have owned 2 Model S’s over the last 7 years (this month), just for context. I think this review is pretty spot on. I think rep for Tesla fanboys come from the amount of vitriol pumped at them by Tesla haters, making a vocal minority on both sides, dominating the internet comment threads. I love EV’s and have wanted one since I was 9 (now 56), Tesla was just the first to make in practical and fun. The supercharger network was what sold them to me and is probably still the thing which would make me choose them again, but frankly I am just happy that there are now loads of EV’s to choose from. I think most people who drive Tesla’s are the same - it’s weird defining yourself by what car you drive.
I drove this on release here in Hong Kong. at the time HK Gov were waiving the 110% car tax, which made this thing a complete bargain. anyway, it is a knockout car. loved it. quick, comfy. and so smooth. it was an eye opener in many ways. a classic. great review sir.
Electric makes sense in HK. Short distances and long waits in traffic are extremely bad for an ICE car's gearbox, but great for electric. The only issue is charging infrastructure, and installing chargers in communal carparks (nearly everybody lives in apartments)
The biggest problem the countries that sell the most EVs are having is their energy prices. This trend will have a drastic effect on the global energy supply. And if you have paid any attention to what’s currently happening in the UK, its NOT good!
Thanks, very entertaining. Found this video after buying a nine year-old 2012 Signature and you're spot on. Approaching 2,000 miles this car is dealing growing on me.
Thanks for a very good review (and I'm a Tesla fan due to their safety, clean air mission and groundbreaking vehicles). BTW, if you really want to see rudeness, read one of the diesel car forums.
Fuck the haters James. If they don't like the way you look, they don't have to watch your videos! Please don't take any notice whatsoever and carry on doing what you're doing
Damn, you changed my viewpoint! I won’t rush out and buy one. I had a loan of a Taycan for a few days; impressive! Not even from an EV standpoint; it’s just a great car! It sort of made me want to rush out and try an Audi A8!
@@nealm1814 agreed but I should elaborate on my point better. They talk like they KNOW cars and bash other cars while stating why theirs is the greatest thing ever👈
I own two vintage Porsches, a Frogeye Sprite, and several other interesting old cars. Lots of interesting cars in my past, too. I also own two Teslas. I like automotive technology, both old and new. The truth is that most people are not car people. Even Porsche owners are mostly interested only in cars as jewelry, if we're honest. So, criticizing Tesla owners in this manner - I'm not having it!
Hey Jay, that was quite a tidy review and very fair, despite expectations from your title card. :) I sold a 944t and my wife's Prius to buy a Model 3LR and for family duty here in Canada, it has been pretty perfect. The thing I really miss is being able to turn a corner fast and driving fun, and I regard the car as overpriced, but on the whole, an excellent choice. The reason I'd avoid Tesla is not owners - we're no more or less oblivious or hateful than any other owner out there - but the company's position against right to repair, and the cult of Elon the Sod. Technical service has been very good but the many issues we have had have not been fully addressed by customer service, that kind of thing. If I were in the market now I would wait or got for a major manufacturer e.g. Hyundai or Kia atm.
Regarding Elon: I just watched an extremely nerdy 2.5 hour interview with him, deep into the weeds on all sorts of subjects. If it weren't already clear, he's some kind of alien, not human. Judge him, but not as a human!
@@my1vice I agree, the sale wasn't my choice but unfortunately necessary as the Prius needed replacing...I'm in the market for another in the coming year or two, or a 914 or a Boxster... fun cars are a nice-to-have at the moment unfortunately.
The only problem with all electric cars besides Tesla's are no super charging network. So if it's your only car, your only real choice is still Tesla. Unless you don't need to travel more than 250 miles from you house ever.
My neighbour has one and he absolutely loves it. However he has discovered one potentially massive problem, if he has a crash in it, part prices are huge and parts hard to get, so he could be without his car for months.
Nice review JayEmm. Truly is the bad boy EV. One small remark. In 2019 the Model 3 was the best selling car in The Netherlands. And by a long shot (more than double that of the nr. 2). And also in the Netherlands some of the superchargers are open to third party cars. But perhaps that was not the case when reviewing.
Great review. Nice to see someone giving an honest opinion of a model S Tesla. Without fearing the inevitable fan club backlash over the smallest criticism.. It's an ok, expensive, poor build, not that practicable, fast saloon car... However, it was also a huge wake up call for the OEM's to get their act together.
And finally, the other major manufactures are flocking to this segment - especially the Germans. That new Audi RS EV is pretty stunning. That being said, I will continue to buy ICE performance cars as long as they are made
Bear in mind this is a review of a 6 year old car and an 11 year old design. See how impressive an 11 year old BMW M5 is going to be - but you can certainly pick one up for much less than 40 grand, because it's no longer worth that to anyone. What the OEMs do need to worry about is the impeccably built modern Teslas rolling out of China in 2022 and even more concerning should be the legions of very well screwed together Chinese offerings about to make landfall. I don't see any German cars coming with a 7 year everything warranty like MGs.
Norway gives tax breaks to Tesla buyers, and they are very common over there, they are not a rich man's environmental lifestyle statement/toy as in other countries. I met a grizzled trawler captain with a rusty and battered model S ! Norway has abundant hydo-electric power unlike the UK, so it makes a lot more sense..leccy literally falls out of the sky over there..
I would argue everyone in Norway is richveven if it doesn't seem like it when you are there. Over 100k per person in their national fund and almost free electricity (up till now anyway) And it isn't just Tesla who get tax breaks but all zero emission vehicles which pay no VAT or import tolls.
James, a bit of fact correction: I believe Tesla are trialling use of their charging network by other manufactuer's EVs in the Netherlands, not Norway.
I use Cleevely Mobile for servicing. They come out and do all that is needed ie cabin filter change and they also strip and lubricate the brakes. That still needs to be done regularly. They can sort out door handles when they misbehave too.
the only guy i know gets prompt repairs for his tesla is an uber driver that the company consider a rolling advert. everyone else gets the shaft big time.
I don't know as in 2+ years, I have never had to get the Tesla serviced or repaired. They certainly could not be any worse than the other stealerships I have had to deal with in the past. I remember a Citroen company car where even after 4 visits under warranty, the same problem remained. And none of the others were any better.
Do you remember the faff on gearboxes and nitrogen in tires of GTR or the e90 just chewing pistons/rods/ vamos and how expensive it was to fix them at BMW ? Same thing here: Batteries do Half a million miles with barely any degradation, if some thing actually fails it usually is 1 of 7000 cells and you just nip it off and on you go. If not it will be a plug or something not ridiculous. Then the motor. There is a bit inside that is supposed to be a gateway for the magnetic field created, that wears and spots working as intended, so the next bit in line are the bearings and those fail as does the Seal (some had a triple Seal others had a single Seal). This (Seal) can be diagnosed by pulling the sensor close to it and see if it is wet. To fix there are shafts already available with the triple seal and non magnetic bearings. Put the wearable item and you are sorted for many moons. Fluids, treat them as a ice car. The rest is the same as with any 5 series. Stupid shite getting bad. Good thing with Tesla is that they give you plenty of upgraded parts (screens for example). All in all you can keep a pretty fit Tesla going for the same price as any ice car on the same category, but instead of becoming scrap with 200k miles, it might start to be a nuisance at 1 million miles. But then again a brand new battery pack is 20k a new motor is 5k. Both will do 400k-500k miles, math maths vs a 5 series or a e class keep for the same mileage. Service is some gearbox oil, colant, panel filter, oil filter and oil. Will last for ages. Then you have brakes and arms/bushes and that's all there is. After is just the faff. Door handled, shit falling apart, sensor here and there, same as a 5 series or a xf or a e class, just less bits to break and with Tesla more random ones.
If there is where do I sign??!! I would sign it, copy and paste it to all Tesla fan boys and watch them gloriously have melt downs on Tesla cars and their God Elon Musk
@@minatormyth synthetic fuel will be for rich people toys. The production of synthetic fuel takes a lot of energy and the price for the fuel won't be cheap.
This is the first review of an EV I have ever watched, mainly because we will all have to start thinking about electric cars soon, and far too soon for me. I am a certified petrolhead, with a near mint condition 2002 BMW Z3, a Porsche 987.1, a 1977 Escort Ghia, and a 1969, Landrover SIIA. As such I still found this interesting, but admittedly started thinking what a Porsche Cayman with an electric engine, 0-60 in three seconds might be like. At least it should corner well. Thanks for this it was very interesting.
Hi Clive, it might already be pointless us petrolheads thinking about EVs as well, the Govt have quietly scaled back the charging point rollout and have decided that walking, cycling and sharing a bus with pissheads is the future.
@@oskarskates I dunno, I'm up to 21. I think Petrolhead is a loose term people like to describe themselves as when they really like cars and motorbikes and stuff. What do people who like playing on bicycles call themselves ? 12 ?
Well done on being open and honest, there’s a great bit of kit there but so many flaws can’t be ignored. The cult are a bunch of consumers like anyone else, no matter how many times they try to convince themselves that they’re different.
I have a question ⁉️ how does this channel not have 10x the subs? Great vids, awesome presentation and an honest Impartial viewpoint. I absolutely love it.
Was about to write the same, but read through the comments. 9 of the 10 most sold cars in Norway are full-electric, TM3 on top. Number two is the hybrid RAV4
I have a 2019 US model after having had a 2014 and can say that the build quality is much, much improved in what is sort of known as the second generation model S. The plastics are better and the interior is better executed overall with more storage bins. Why do I have second one? In a crash these cars are about as safe as an iron clad sphere: a semi trailer slid across a road in front of me when I was doing just under 50mph. I suffered a bruised left hand.
@@ioandragulescu6063 having all that weight in the floor allows for a simply massive safety cell around the cabin. I saw it work, the trailer had a bent suspension.
As and American Model 3P owner I have to say great review James! I have a few explanations for you. First, If you want to enjoy your cakes, you do you. With respect to the 1 foot rollout thing, I understand your puzzlement, but there is an explanation. It goes to sanctioned drag racing here in the states. At an official drag race there are sensors which the cars trip to start the actual timing of each car, and they are typically ~1 foot in front of the vehicle. Over time, most manufacturers and car magazines defaulted to using this methodology when it came to listing the 0-60 times of cars because of the popularity of drag racing here. Tesla does it as well with their PERFORMANCE (they do NOT with their non-performance models) models today as a marketing thing. Not defending it, merely explaining it. You are far from the only person to take issue with the practice.
I was going to mention the sensor thing as most people aren't aware of this, the silly thing is how many people take their car to the drag strip, then again how many people take their cars to the drag nurburgring, all pointless benchmarks used for bragging rights...
Thankyou for that explanation as I didn't know that. But would the 1ft roll out really significantly reduce the 0-60 times? Seems like it would make 0.1s difference.
@@vxsr33 I think that is exactly the difference it makes and simply enables them to say its under 2 seconds which is a world first for a production car as far as i know
Great honest and balanced review James - You presented the good and the bad - Still not my cup of tea but they will inject a bit of fun in there hopefully !
If I lived in a super sunny place (Cali) and had an extra.....$20k? To install solar panels and power packs to my house on top of the $40k for the model 3 then yes, this is the only way I would own an electric car.
If I could afford it, I'd get the Tycan GTS Sport Tourismo. It's a sexy and sleek electric wagon that's fast and has Porsche's advanced handling system. Plus its still built like a Porsche inside and out
Own a 2018 Model 3 Performance. About 30k miles on it now and it's been flawless. Like digital cameras these cars are going to get better and better. The next 10 - 20 years will be fun.
Tesla fanboys aren't car-guys, they're tech-guys. To them, Teslas are mobile iPads. If you like cars, you like driving. If you like driving, you'd want to drive your car yourself.
The worst thing about them is that buying one is akin to joining a cult. I’m not a fan of the way they look inside or out, but your average Tesla driver puts me off far more! 😂
Look at that build quality.... how the window gaps arent consistent up and down the whole door B pillar. Or are even flush with the pillar, like theyre supposed to be.
I've got a 2015 Model S. I thought the review was fair. I wish there were more buttons rather than having to go through the touch screen for most functions. Even though I'm in the 6th year of ownership I still have to wait until I'm stopped before I can take my eyes of the road to use that touch screen. Something I love that never seems to get mentioned is the way the cruise control keeps the speed as set even going downhill (probably most EV would do the same, my mates old Japanese spec Leaf does not). I also love the lack of drama i.e. flooring the accelerator pedal does not result in wheel spin i.e. the traction control is amazingly good.
@@dogphlap6749 they started using permanent magnet motors around the time they stopped naming them by the cars battery size. I can't afford a Tesla quite yet but I drive them all the time and it is impressive how different they all are. the model x is definitely not for me but it is a space ship with the most interesting features of any car I've seen.
Hi James. Happy new year to you. I remember commenting on a TH-cam video and someone called me "a Karen." I replied "Thank you, at least you didn't call me a Tesla owner because then, I would have been offended."
@@TheMentalblockrock you guys have been saying stupid stuff like this since inception of the company... It has gone from a startup to the most valuable car company in the world in less than 20 years, what have you achieved in the same time?
@@sultanofswingdrift3021 But they are still BILLIONS in debt so effectively broke, and dependent on investment. One day soo, hopefully the bubble will burst. Just make sure you sell your shares Sultan while they are still worth something.
@@TheMentalblockrock you are wrong here, i don't like Musk nor Tesla owners but the company itself is probably the best managed car company. They have more cash on their balance sheet than debt while opening new manifacturing plants and their revenue is growing over 20% every year. Doesn't matter if there is a bubble or not, the fundamentals of the company are saying that is a great business.
@@TheMentalblockrock You are 100% wrong on this. If you look at Tesla's last published accounts, they had total long term debt of less than $10 billion, and total cash of nearly $20 billion. It's operating cash flow was around $6billion, which was roughly double its capital expenditure. It's nowhere near going bust.
I own a 2020 raven model s, it’s the best daily driver i’ve ever owned. The build quality of the newest models cant be compared to the old ones. Many thanks for this video.
from my experience of Tesla owners, their fandom and obsession with the brand is more simply connected to them lacking any interesting identity and so latch onto a community that only requires financial means of entry
So nothing to do with badge snobbery then, as in the case of BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Aston Martin..... hear any one of these owners drone on about petrol and cogs and gears and limited slip differentials and see how interesting their identity is.
@@Jack-rj1dq “Build Quality”- Code for- “ I have never been within 12 feet of a Tesla, much less driven one, and I am regurgitating some crap I saw online. I would not know quality if it sat in my lap.”
@@davidvicari5139 my boss had a model X, drove brilliantly and was a lot of fun to be in for sure! however the door handles didn’t work the first time he showed us around …
No argument points with you James. A well put together review. I do wish my Y had as nice of a ride as the P85D on the air suspension. Rather enjoy it overall though and suspect you’ll start seeing them soon. Cheers from the other side of the pond.
4:24 actually that's not quite what happened. This was actually a happy accident of timing, in short the price per KWH of batteries was dropping like a half life function at that time. So, Tesla was able to drop the price because the most expensive part of the car dropped by half in a few years, because of the popularity of smart phones. for context, the price per KWH of a batter today, under the best conditions, is around $100-250. But back in 2010 that price was over $1200 it's one of those, industry experts know this, but marketers with their own agenda have a larger microphone, scenarios.
I wonder how these things will hold once they reach the sub 5K second hand market value. I am pretty sure those batteries will be toast at that value. And I can get A LOT of great reliable normal cars for sub 5K. Also, (at least in my country) every single Tesla (or any EV for that matter) Is partially owned by me, even though I can't afford one for myself.
Might be a long time if ever they get to that kind of money. Their battery management is basically proven to be a lot better than most other EVs (ie they don't loose capacity as quickly) and because they tend to use rather big capacity batteries and these can be used for other things (ie not cars, eg energy storage for solar panels so you can have electricity at night....). The supply level of early cars is not so big as Tesla''s production/sales at that time was at a far lower level than now.
@@ArbitraryFilmings if it reduces in efficiency moderately like you are saying then it wouldn't be too bad. But it would have to last something like 20+ years to hold a decent amount of value. Unless battery replacement becomes an affordable and logical option in the near future. Here in Australia a lot of people still drive cars that are 15-20 years old
the reason for the removal of a foot of time is because the light beams across the front of the tyre at teh beginning so when it moves off, the light is blocked by about a foot of tyre before shining again.
Someone parked a tesla next to my car last week. I had time to see the panel gaps stories for myself. Nothing lines up, including the chrome trim bits, shocking build quality for that sort of price. Also just saw the video of that guy who blown up his Tesla, otherwise it would cost the price of a new car to replace the batteries.
there's more to that blowing up story: he originally had a 60D (short range). got someone outside Tesla to replace the battery modules with 90D ones voiding warranty. water then leaked into the refreshed pack so he went to Tesla....
yes on all Teslas, battery failing out of warranty is night mare. Who feels like paying $22-$25K for a replacement battery on 10 year old car? I guess obedient Musk fanboys! LOL
I believe the foot roll out is an historic drag racing thing. The origins of drag racing was measuring speed through the 1/4 mile and the winner crossed the line first. So timing lights were designed for the front wheel to block the light " is staged) and start the clocks when the beam was made again (is your front wheel had cleared it. This gives you a roll out ,were you are moving but the clocks haven't started.
Reliability - Do these things break down, and if so, what goes wrong? As I've gotten a bit older, I've come around from enjoying the ultimate driving machine to valuing the luxury of reliability.
Any EV has far less moving parts and so in general, should be more reliable. Most if not all offer 8 year battery warranty and this is the highest risk part. In my experience the two most important aspects of reliability are frequent and timely servicing and considerate driving. Tesla do not have an actual maintenance or servicing schedule, the car tells you when something is wrong and to seek service. I think other manufacturers are locking buyers into their stealerships by linking honouring warranty with main dealer service. My mate's Zoe went in for it's first service and they wanted £190. They were unable to justify what for. No oils, no filters, no brakes, no adjustments, no lubricants. "That's just what it costs" (to get the dealer stamp in the log?) I am hoping there will be independent garages who service EVs out of warranty as in my experience, no dealership has been any use at all.
@@ouethojlkjn Nonsense. No EV can beat reliability and practicality of simple gasoline cars. I have 30 year old econobox gasoline car which still run like a champ. Total cost of driving my old econobox for all these years is less than ONE YEAR of driving a Tesla! If there is any issue with my old ICE, it's simple to diagnose it. That will never be true with EVs, especially with Tesla with millions of parts and millions of lines of code. Once Rich Rebuild asked electronic whiz Louis Rossmann to fix one of the malfunctioning boards on Tesla and Rossman was stumped. You need to be a whiz or better to have hope of repairing highly complex highly computerized rube goldberg machine like a Tesla car when they get old. Poor Cubans maintained their old gasoline cars for 60 years even with embargo of parts from USA!! What will Cubans have now if they had to drive Teslas instead??? Not a single working car in CUBA by now! LOL
@@springer-qb4dv I congratulate you on running a 30 year old car! That is one of the best ways to support the environmental agenda! Sadly, modern Gasoline and diesel cars are anything but simple. The reason why a global chip shortage has ceased most car production (ironically except Tesla, who build their own) is because each car needs literally hundreds of the things. Ever tried to diagnose an engine warning light on a modern car? Plug the computer in (assuming it isn't proprietary and only possible at stealerships) and see just how "simple" they are. Any EVs has an order of magnitude LESS parts than any Internal combustion car. There is ONE moving part in an EV the spindle through the rotor. How many thousands of cogs, oil, pipes, glands, filters, pumps, bearings, rings, seals, turbos, manifolds, exhausts, injectors, plugs, gears, clutches and all manner of other moving parts wear out in a modern engine? And these days there are all made of plastic. Anything cheap that lasts as long as the warranty. Can't see any ICE, even the premium ones, offering 7 or 8 year warranties. If Porsches and BMWs are so well made then why not back it up? Finally, you are quite right that all modern cars EVs included are over complicated and all becoming more and more electronic. However, an EV is very easy to make without all that stuff. When I was a kid the milk was delivered in electric so called "milk floats" because they were silent, slow moving, had huge torque and didn't churn the milk into butter. Electronics weren't even around then...
“Merc had dips on E?” Not really, it was FORD that threatened legal action against Tesla if they went forward with their plan to name their high volume car “Model E.” Great video though, very easy and fun to watch. Lots of info on the older Model S. As an owner of a 2015 Model S, the info is very complete and accurate in my experience.
The anonymous styling, comparatively low rent interior & poor build quality whilst they have the audacity to charge what they do for them are the major stumbling points for me.
All of this was very accurate. I’ve owned/own 4 Teslas in total. One small point to make however…. The center can have American sized cup holders down below in that open area. It was an option that I’ve had in two of mine which also had other storage. Great video.
They are a good item. Good at what they are meant to do but with no style. A bit like apple. If your iPhone breaks and you get another, within 30 mins it’s your iPhone again. No real soul, just an object. Not a bad thing but the opposite of days gone by where there was an emotional connection with things.
@@voivod6871 the point is your attached to a phone but if it ever dies and you replace, and as soon as it’s restored it’s your phone again. A commodity. No emotional attachment to the actual item.
I respect Tesla for making EV a serious product rather than what the milkman trundles around on at 5am, but I can't replace my current car with a full EV until they achieve 350+ per charge in all weathers at all times of the year. I do about 1,500 miles a week and often find myself with no where to charge (Industrial and commercial construction environments). The closest to being able to do what I need is a Honda Insight or Toyota Prius, which whilst nice, are a bit pricey for a halfway step. I also baulk at such poor quality fit and finish for such a large chuck of cash. I'm not taken in by this odd borderline cultish obsession with the South African fellow, and fail to see why it has a "premium" tag associated with it. Because of that, I suspect i'll find myself either in a Kia e-Niro or a Honda Insight much sooner than I will a tesla.
Current Build quality of Teslas from Shanghai is as good as anything you will find from any manufacturer. They won't have sold 2 million+ cars to date because they are rubbish. But I do agree that it will be at least another maybe five years until EVs can meet your range requirements. EVs are never going to meet everyone's needs and ICE cars will be around in some parts of the world for a long time yet. However, for those who can live with sub 350 mile daily range, it is nice to have the choice.
Yes EVs are vastly inferior to gasoline cars in long distance trips and any role with unpredictable service requirements. Most EV fanboys think 350 miles is the golden range that will match gasoline cars, but that's far from truth. Most gasoline cars have range between 350 - 700 miles because manufacturer decided that was good enough. But in reality, gasoline cars can have range to cross entire US continent in single tank fill up, as gasoline is very light weight compared to lithium battery. Not even taking into account nearly instant fill up time for gas cars, the gap between gasoline car and EV is vast and it's not going to be closed any time soon.
@@springer-qb4dv You are forgetting the difference in doing 350 miles in an EV and 350 miles in an ICE when comparing the cost. Especially somewhere like the UK where Fuel is cripplingly expensive. An EV is plugged in every night and every morning you have 350 miles. Do you go to a Fuel station every morning and fill up? You can't compare them because there is no comparison. It is what works for the individual and what that individual is prepared to pay. I used to drive around in a V12 XJ-S and it was fantastic but it kept jinking toward a gas station every time I passed one....
People complain about fit and finish or panel gaps are parroting misinformation. Or not well informed. Why don't you look up the improvement they made for the Shanghai factory made cars. Or their manufacturing technologies that are always improving, evolving. At the moment, EV is not what you need because the range that you traveled. But in time the charging infrastructure will only get better as EV adoption increases exponentially, so will battery technology. EVs are computers on wheels. Constant improvement can be done over the air updates or new features can be added. You don't need to understand it now if you don't want to but better believe it, it will only get better.
At 17:37 I have always looked at 1/4 mile traps 30-50mph 50-70mph and 5-60mph times anyway. 0-60mph is an over used statistic since it's never really repeated in the real world. That special launch control program isn't going to help you from 20-30mph.
Typically, just after filming - Tesla released an update for the car which finally included waypoints. However, this news came to me a bit too late!
Why bother testing a 6 or 7 yr old car? You couldn't find a new Model S to test?
@@MrUltraworld because not everyone can afford a new model s and may be considering a used car as their first EV.
Great review as usual. Easily my fav car reviewer on TH-cam
Tesla also not at all interested in giving cars to TH-camrs
@@MrUltraworld Proved his point, sang nothing but praise for the car and you still found something to moan about..
I don't understand the title?
“Reasonably unremarkable saloon-hatch cross-type-thing” I think Elon will be in touch to use that phrase in their marketing 😂
When will we see what these EVs especially Tesla cars really cost out of warranty to maintained and repair . I live in Canada and had to call Electrify America to find none Tesla charging station in Toronto ,Canada largest city where you hear nothing Climate Change BS . Y up think Canada would be a world leader in EV charging stations, good luck . As for opinionated Tesla owners he's too easy on them . Too many Tesla fanboys come after you if you say anything against Tesla cars or Elon Musk .
Makes more sense than what he called his kid!
They are dull as ditch water styling wise though... Hard to knock things like battery management, drivetrain efficiency, power delivery, and charging network, but it looks like a bog spec Insignia. Unless they come up with some radical styling changes for new models, and employ some actual car interior designers instead of nerds who still think fart noises are funny (move onto some knobs, 'funny' but also useful) then I can see Tesla's future becoming one of Powered by Tesla. Other manufacturers are already showing you can have much more interesting EV's with far better design which will only grow as they all have to pile into them.
@@georgevavoulis4758 Hang on isn't Elon part Canadian? What is going on here? Perhaps a tie-up with Tim Hortons? Always fresh. Charging, always fast... Good strapline.
@@megapangolin1093 nah he is full on RSA - including owning precious gem mine.
I think this is the only honest Tesla review I’ve ever seen over the years. You presented the marmite arguments so simply with actual details and research about the company through the years. Very refreshing and shows up the top gear(both new and old) anti-electric push as well as the toxic Tesla fanboys.
What was wrong with Clarkson's review of the Tesla?
He simply pointed out that trashing a Tesla around a track drains the batteries at a ridiculous speed and can even cause overheating problems with the high voltage converter. He even said before his "test" that it was in no way comparable to a normal road test. What Clarkson did is just a bit rougher than using it's full potential on the road, which also drains the batteries at a ridiculous speed. This is simply the main drawback of using very powerful electric motors. You can brag about your Tesla being faster than many sportscars or even supercars, but only for a very short time, because then your Tesla will be out of power and the sports/supercars will simply power on. It's something Tesla religiously omits to mention.
@@tjroelsma 100% agree, 1 trick pony. Can out accelerate almost anything up to 100ish then it hits a wall.
@@tjroelsma high powered electric motors connected to battery components with very high rates of discharge also have a key fundamental benefit - very high rates of charging.
The architecture needs it. The benefits of high performance and downsides of high rates of discharge also bring other benefits.
Im not a tesla owner nor an EV owner yet.
@@user-vk4vd7vr5t Yes, well you need those high rates of charging because the batteries will be empty very quickly as well, basically have you driving from supercharge point to supercharge point if you drive a bit sporty.
Look, I have nothing against EV's, but mounting insanely powerful electric motors in EV's with the current battery technology is just silly. If you want more people to buy EV's, then range is way more important than going from 0-60 in 2 seconds, because that's a pretty useless feature on public roads. So considering that Tesla's don't make much sense: you have insane power and acceleration available, but you can't really use it because that will butcher the range.
@@tjroelsma i feel like you have missed my point…
I'd like to applaud you, James, on the way you're comfortable with your body image and can shrug off the trolls. Oh, and your dedication to supporting the baking industry in these uncertain times. ;)
My pleasure
The shirts help. They're exquisite.
@@akhoucharmouta hahaha I was going to say, he always has the best shirts.
@@Manu-Official Noel Edmonds might think otherwise.
@@JayEmmOnCars
If you're ever near Alderley Edge in Cheshire....Weinholtz!!! Best steak pies, pork pies and cakes in the World!!👍🏻😁
12:35 I consider myself a tech-savvy person as I've been into computers since the mid 80's. I've also been into cars since about the same time. With that said, I absolutely hate touch controls in cars. I think they are detrimental to road safety and there should be legislation in place to make sure certain things have physical buttons/knobs, ie. windscreen wipers, heating and cooling controls etc.
Agreed.
💯
I only approve touchscreens when it's possible to operate it while resting the wrist or at least an elbow on a firm surface. Otherwise using touchscreen is just a mess and a safety issue, as you said.
Was thinking of buying tesla, but touchscreen controls was one of reasons against it.
100% agree. This is the biggest reason I won't consider a Tesla, and it's even worse in the model 3.
Mazda seems to be the only company who have decided to use a knob to control all functions. Even before that the touchscreen only worked when the car was stationary.
The emissions you don’t get from the back of the car are generally outweighed by the emissions coming from the front of the owners.
@Ivan Jaros
And the slave labour to obtain the cobalt and make the battery
@Ivan Jaros - the 1970’s wants it’s post back 🙄
@@Colby_0-3_IRL_and_title_fights Colbat is used in oil refining as well, additionally Volvo have run the numbers even on a fully fossil fuel energy grid an EV is contributes less carbon by around 30000 miles of driving
@Ivan Jaros I love my petrol cars but also have an EV. A lot of people are guilty, myself included at times, in just believing the popular headlines and then repeat incorrect statements spreading the misinformation. There are a lot of independent studies on true carbon impacts and human rights violations with regards to lifecycle cost of an EV. I suggest you read some to have a more balanced and accurate view on the topic rather than repeating tired old misinformation.
@@Delta_Sierra Unfortunately those studies have used fraudulent consumption numbers for EVs (and some I've seen have also used fraudulent figures for ICE by cherry picking ancient technology for them, picking antiquated naturally aspirated engines to represent ICE!). They do not include the MASSIVE increases to consumption which are totally different to ICE: EV consumption easily doubles in the cold, is much higher in general than reported. They don't include charging losses which have been measured to be 10% at the minimum when the battery is at optimum temp and you're slow charging (German ADAC measureed the electricity draw from the source and found the lowest being BMW getting 10% higher real draw while Tesla Model S actually drew 24% more from the electricity source than the car said it's consuming!!). But when the battery is not at optimum temps it can skyrocket. If you're fast charging it can skyrocket. They don't include any consumption of the EV while plugged in, though it uses lots of energy while plugged in as you're preheating the battery and cabin. They do not include the consumption of preheating the battery for fast charging. Teslas for example consume more than 7kW in battery pre-heating before charging, and Tesla-Bjorn for example showed us that his Tesla kept heating the battery for over 25 minutes despite him having already driven the car for a long time on the motorway!!
EV consumption numbers are basically one massive fraud. No-one has compiled an honest report on what all these factors do to the real electricity use.
Shoddy build quality persists: panel fit, paint quality, door handles, tail lights. The biggest issue is the Apple-like aggressive stance against third party repair.
the wrinkled up seal on the interior of the drivers window was bugging me through the whole video
I went with my friend to pick his up, they ask you to inspect the car and point out any issues. Couldn't believe how many we found for a car that expensive.
@@joe718gt4 how many-ish, and give us some examples. I really thought the experience would be like that. What do they say when it's all pointed out?
They also have a severe rust issue on a safety critical part, even on some newer cars
@@jackcaptain5476 it was a while ago. I am not sure they did anything honestly. I think we had like 5-10 panel gap issues on the outside and maybe around 5 dirt or scuff marks on the leather or door cards. For 70-80k that delivery IMO is unacceptable.
I hate Tesla for being anti right to repair and unless they change their attitude towards it, they'll still be the next Apple and John Deere... I believe Louis Rossman even mentioned this issue in one of his RTR videos.
I agree with that. However, the legacy auto is even worse as they design their cars to require maintenance. Sandy Munro put it correctly in a recent video "why would you want to buy a maintenance nightmare?"
That goes on top of the shocking build quality.
Believe Louis all you want, but it is not long a go he got his 2nd Tesla Model 3 since the first one got T-boned :D
I agree. And their cutting people off if the supercharger network for going out the official network is just outrageous.
@@rkan2 That doesn't change a thing. You can like a brand or product and still hate the business practices. I'm not a fan of either Apple or Microsoft, but I still have to make a choice. Mac or Windows, because there's nothing else. I like Linux, but it's not an alternative. Distros exist because Linux is terrible as PC OS.
Right to repair is a general issue, but Apple and, it seems, Tesla take it to the next level. I can't even understand how you legally should be able to deny somebody repair their own property. That's leasing.
Great review, unbiased summary. Yes, Tesla fanboys can be crazy! A note of caution: not all Teslas with free supercharging have it transferred to new owners.
Tried the model 3. I need a few basic buttons. It felt half finished so I order the Ionic 5. Much nicer inside.
Btw, Matt, they may have released all their copyrights, but if you buy a fully ‘loaded’ Tesla second hand, Tesla remove all the extras when you register the car. You never own their software when you buy the car second hand. You have to pay for the upgrades yourself. It’s legal but IMO a horrible tactic. How much money does Musk need? Greed. If you buy an optioned Audi, you keep the options. A bloke from Audi doesn’t come round your house and delete the sat nav and unscrew the reversing camera. And if you try to keep your upgrades against Tesla’s will, they send an over the air update stopping you charging your car. The fact is, even when you buy a Tesla, you don’t really own it. They do.
They're not designed for long-term ownership. Even more so than other EV's, Tesla's are just throwaway toys for rich people. Pre-2015 Model S's are already disappearing from the roads.
@@jordanbell4420 Good point for the Ecology-Electric gurus. 🤣
What you say is true if you buy a second hand car from Tesla, but not if you buy it second hand privately or from a non Tesla dealer. As was mentioned in this video, the likes of free charging for life was afforded to the original buyer, it is not a part of the car and not implicit in the sale - so buyer beware.
@@ouethojlkjn I know. They also turn off things that were optioned with the car like auto pilot etc. I know why they do it and I know it’s legal. When you buy a second hand Tesla, you get the basic car. They purposely strip it back via software. It’s unnecessary and Tesla already had the upgrade money from the original purchaser. Its pure greed and people will have to pay for the upgrades again if they buy a new Tesla. I don’t like the ideology. It’s a cheap trick that will devalue the car’s second hand value despite the original owner having paid for it. Unacceptable behaviour for me.
That's the worst thing about Tesla imo, how greedy and anti-consumer they are, scumbags.
I've an 8-year old Renault Twizy (adore it!) and the battery has barely degraded at all... they last really well!
My S did the same thing with that door rubber. Sometimes if I got out at the wrong angle and brushed it the wrong way it would dislodge it and prevent the door from closing. Of course my friends found this hilarious. Me not so much on a car which cost £88k.
My Jag XKE would have water under the driver's seat every time it rained. I heard the same thing happened with MG's. The Brits don't understand how rain, water and convertibles are supposed to work. This difference here is that Tesla is worth about the GDP of Great Britain whereas every British car brand ever created is now owned by India, China or Germany or is bankrupt. Congratulations - spend more time doing rather than bitching (or eating).
Fair review in my opinion, having driven quite a few myself the biggest issue I had with Teslas is they just feel like white "domestic" goods to me, no soul or character, serves a purpose like the most basic ikea furniture. Not the only modern cars to suffer with this though.
Driving and owning are two different things with this car. Imo, as a Model Y owner, it's not about driving, heck I bought this car so it could do 95% of my commute for me. It's really about the experience all the things you can do in the car that aren't driving. I was able to focus more on my god daughter when she was in the back seat since I only need to scan the road every few seconds vs needing to do everything. The ability to turn on child locks without having to stop and get out of the car was another game changer, she asked me "what does this button do" (the button to open the door while on a free way) and I was able to quickly disable it before she got too curious. The fact that I just pull up to my house, plug in under 5 seconds, and that's it, I never have to worry about running out while I'm out unless I'm driving 300+ miles. The fart noises, car light show (yes we got a light show from the car on Christmas), Netflix and TH-cam while I'm waiting for my gf to finish something somewhere. That's what it's about, you can't look at it like a car meant for driving, it's really a computer/iPad/phone on wheels.
P.s. when I really want to drive, I have a motorcycle for that lol, way more engaging than any car I've ever been in (including Porche 911, Nissan GTR, Mustangs etc).
However, most normal people describe getting in a Tesla as "like being in a spaceship". Just shows the differences in opinion between us car peeps and the general population
Still, if you want a Shelby Mustang, or a Rolex, you can still buy one. Most people just want an apple watch that doesn't burn old dinosaur poo.
@@sandycheeks7865 Exactly, plus you add in no more oil changes or regular maintenance tuning, it's the perfect daily diver. Just add washer fluid and change wipers, tires, and brakes. However, you most likely won't need to change your brakes till close to, if not pass 100k miles lol.
@@sandycheeks7865 They're happy to eat food grown in shit though haha
You are so fair James. This is is another one of your bread and butter reviews. TOP QUALITY
4:59 Jay doing his best to tell us about the improved build quality and cuts to a shot of poorly aligned window glass
Had a chance to have a look at one parked next to my car, it's shocking how nothing, and I do mean nothing lines up.
@@Manu-Official Even my 50 year old C10 has better panel gaps,and that's a truck known for misaligned doors/hoods that are hard to get correct. It's shameful really,when an old American pickup has better gaps than a modern "luxury" car.
@Wooly Chewbakker Thus I put "luxury" in quotation marks. Imagine having a $70k or so car with some basic bitch black interior like some econobox.
@@chazzcoolidge2654 idk i like the interior. way more than like Bentley interiors. They're so cluttered.
Say what you like about Tesla, whether they're amazing or leave a lot to desire, we can all agree Tesla fanboys are the worst people in the car world.
@Armnel Angeles And that proves that you are not bigoted?
I haven't read any nasty fanboy comments yet...
@Armnel Angeles as the joke goes about vegans it works for Tesla owners.
Q- How can you tell a Tesla owner?
A- You won’t have to, they’ll tell you.
@Armnel Angeles Noo Turmeric man.
@Armnel Angeles Hi Armnel. I’m a Tesla fanboy but I hope I’m seen as a reasonable person. I think Jay has done an excellent job of this review.
As the owner of a P85D for the last 4.5 years I have to say this was one of the most fair and accurate reports on the car that I have seen.
I am a performance driver with a lot of track experience and a history a very fast cars, the last of which was an E39 supercharged (after market) M5, and, with that in mind, the only thing I take exception to is how you describe the way the car performs on the twisty bits. I have done Targa Tasmania in an E36 M3R (10th outright), which was staggeringly good in the handling department, and, after driving my P85D through some very challenging twisty roads, I was thoroughly impressed and exhilarated with the performance.
I am 67 years old and have never owned a new car that I was excited to drive after the first 6 months or so. Sure, I still had some exhilarating times in them, but they eventually just became the daily driver. I can honestly say that I still get a buzz EVERY time I drive the P85D out of the garage and onto the street, it is simply that good.
There are many things that Tesla can improve, but keep in mind that the company is still only around 13 years old and they will continue to improve as the years go by.
The only other thing you failed to mention was the over the air updates, which have improved the car significantly over the 4.5 years I have owned it, including the way points update you mention at the top of the comments. There have been heaps of incremental improvements, the first of which for me was the introduction of easy entry for improved entry and exiting of the vehicle. I am also a little fond of cake and this was very appreciated as it was not there when I purchased the car. How many other cars actually improve with age?
I forgot to mention that I have ordered a new PLAID but it will not be available in Australia until near the end of 2022.
Todays 4.5 sec is what a mere S75 does. Not even D.
Great review as always. Very objective. I had a Model S for 5 years. When you're buying those cars, you're buying the technology and not the luxury.
you mean the fragile technology? The ideas are usually very good, but I think the Q&A is generally bad. I wonder just how little testing Tesla actually does before launching a model and the incorporated technology, which is rather sad, considering it is becoming rather obvious that Tesla rather wants to be the first in stead of the best.
Good review, and as a Model 3 owner, I would have had no issue hearing more complaints. Tesla's are faulted, my car struggles to hold corners as well as my friend's '08 C300 when we head out for a weekend drive. Plus, it loses range extremely quickly when being romped on. Still, all Tesla's are quiet, comfortable cars with lots of technology. Another note, if you can afford to go for a new S, the long range variant is nearly identical through the quarter mile as the old P85D and P90D. For most people, saving that 60k over the Plaid and getting that kind of performance is worth it. Especially considering the substantial interior upgrades and fit/finish upgrades over the older ones.
I put about 10k miles on a model 3 RWD. I am surprised you cannot keep up with a C300. I found it to handle very well for what it is. I live about 5 miles from Tesla's old HQ in california, an area which is filled with extremely tight and twisty mountain roads. Even on the narrow 18 inch stock all seasons I have no issue keeping the same pace I do in an F30 3 series. You have to drive it differently to front engined cars. All model 3s have a slight rear weight bias which helps with performance but changes its handling interface. It has two main problems. 1. it has fairly low quality dampers and 2. unless you have a performance the stability control is extremely invasive. Either way even the slowest rwd model 3 should easily out turn an 08 C300. Maybe your friend is just an amazing driver :P.
@@memememine1 just to make sure, have you driven a recent C300? It's tough to make a comparison without actually having references of both. I do agree in most cases it's a bit of an adjustment considering the weightbalance of a tesla is actually closer to a mid to rear engined car.
@@TheChill001 No c300 only driven a w204 c63 sedan. I assumed the c300 would have similar if not lower handling limits to the c63. Maybe the c300 has better handling due to less weight? I didn't find the w204 to be the best handling platform, def worse than an e90. The model 3 should easlly turn corners as fast as an e90.
@Jon VB Yep I was talking about handling. Along with pikes peak model 3 performances with sticky tires keep winning scca autocross championships.
@@memememine1 haha, he is pretty good!
Great balanced review. As a life long petrol head having owned maybe 80+ cars over the years. 6 in the last 2.5 years. I recently got a Tesla Model 3 Performance. The Long Range the obvious sensible purchase and even the RWD with new LiFE battery has incredible efficiency. Personally I love the performance and would have always wondered if I had bought the other. Either way went full appliance mode. White on white. The car is a marvel, not missing the sound either. Loving the quiet. Has actually taken me back to my youth somewhat. Have enjoyed shopping for accessories, simple things that yes should or could have come with it like the silicon cup insert. Done over 1000 miles in 4 weeks. Cost for electricity has been hardly anything on my house bill. Have used the superchargers twice. £10 on first occasion and £8.50 on the second. Charged fast and flawlessly. No messing about with 6 different apps to find they don’t work. Just grab the cable and plug in. Cannot be simpler. For me was a key reason for a Tesla. That along with Autopilot for Motorways and many A roads. Didn’t upgrade to any Autopilot extras or FSD. Journeys are just so relaxing and never feels like you’ve done the journey. Starting to think FSD when it’s ready in a couple of years could be worth it eventually. Basically loving the car.
and, it runs on coal!
@@jimrobcoyle the ignorance is strong in you...
@@GamezGuru1 Actually true.
I have the same model, same colors, love it!
@@jimrobcoyle For the cost of a RS4 I bought a Model 3 performance and a solar PV system to charge it. That's a difference with an EV, you have options for how you power them, as the grid clans up so does the car, you don't have that option with petrol.
The reason for not being able to use the "E" was in fact that Ford objected to them using it.
The use of the GTi moniker springs to mind . Everyone has used it. Or quite a few at any rate ..
Correct. Ford registered a trademark on “model e” not Mercedes
I hate the thought of going electric, and would shy away from watching anything linked to them. But I decided to give this a whirl. I found it most enjoyable. Still wouldn't want one, but I did enjoy your review. Honest and interesting. Thanks. Happy new year.
A big problem I have with EVs are the subsidies. They're substantial in the UK yet EVs are only bought by people who frankly don't need the subsidy.
And after we’ve given them some of our money for the car, they will get some more from us when they install their subsidised heat pump.
But it makes Boris happy so that’s all that matters.
The manufacturer ultimately gets the subsidy.
@@bobschumacher9706 You've missed the point entirely.
Stop whining about subsidies go and buy an electric car and you too can get it. I traded in a Merc and took money from my pension fund to purchase an MG ZS EV because they are the cheapest EV ATM in the UK, and like you (or maybe not) paid taxes all my working life, so getting a helping hand to buy an EV was great otherwise I would just another second hand Merc
@@briankavanagh7191 QED 🙄
Imagine if the government decided to ban football and insist everyone one watch American football instead - as a football and petrol car fan that’s how I feel about electric cars and Tesla in particular.
I consider tesla drivers to be the BMW drivers of the electric car world.
Atleast bmw drivers get to enjoy good handling and true build quality
Please don’t paint all BMW drivers with the same brush 😉
I know a Tesla owner, his other car is... a BMW
But Tesla drivers know how to use indicators and don't try to smell the back of your neck.
Ha !
I'm a petrol head and a Tesla owner (P100D) as well. So glad you gave it a fair shake, loved the video!
Subtracting the 1ft roll out (more like 4-60mph) is one of those frustrating marketing fudges of the numbers so they look better than they really are. Either way, the new plaids doing sub 2.5s 0-62mph is nonetheless still phenomenal! Great review as always. Thanks James!
That's the thing, the numbers are incredible without fudge, so you dont need it!
I think James forgot to mention that possibly they also use the skinniest driver on the planet in order to help getting under 2sec
@@ruinunes8251 skinny tires are bad for acceleration, put proper tires on the Plaid and it will do 2sec all day...
@@sultanofswingdrift3021
I said skinny driver, not tyres LOL
@@JayEmmOnCars Indeed!
Im a Tesla model S owner since 6 years and have free supercharger that will follow the car for the rest of its ”life”, even if I sell it. The owner know if the free supercharger follows the car to the new owner or not, so just ask the owner and he will tell you. You are doing a great job, and I agree with you on 99% of all you said in the video :-) Thank you!
Ask yourself who pays your "free" electricity.
@@bogdanbosoi1483 Ask yourself how stupid do you think people are, and is that a reflection of yourself?
@@gustavgron2252Please wait until your main battery fails out of warranty (as all lithium ion batteries die), and then cry on Uncle Musk's lap. LOL
Great video James about Model S. The review that would be interesting is there a fellow in the UK who took his model S to a coach builder and had them it modified to an Estate some years ago. As always I love you videos, please continue to drive these fantastic cars we see every week!
I saw that estate at a "Fully charged" event and t was a top class piece of coach building. It just looked like a production car inside and out. Tesla even honoured the warranty. I think it looked slightly better than an original Model S.
I’m glad you pulled all the stops out with my favourite shirt to jazz it up a bit!
As let’s be honest the Tesla is just a boring Tupperware on wheels with a large battery and uneccessary iPad.
AKA a Dutch taxi 🚕
However .. my mate at RR loved all of it! 🤷🏻
This is a fair and balanced review of this car in my opinion.
You know why there isn't any storage in the front! Because after launching, you would have to stop and retrieve from the boot!
1 foot of rollout results in 0.3 second reduction in the 0 to 60. A lot more than I had realised.
However it is the norm in the USA, but not outside of USA. That is why manufacturers quote different 0 to 60 times for the same model on their country specific websites.
Also, beware the 0-60mph vs the 0-100kmh times. While ordering my boss's P85D in 2015 I discovered the two are different as the latter is 0-62mph.
Dry weight was also mentioned - like in formula one, hop qualifying laps used to have only just enough fuel in the cars to complete a lap or two. So they were much faster than in race trim (fully fueled).
Shame it doesn't have physical buttons for HVAC. Always enjoyed that you have different shirts for car reviews. Terrible to hear that the company disables things on the car when they sell it again. Nice video. Keep up the good work.
Talk to someone about how your smartphone battery life isn't as good as it used to be one or two years later. Everybody will say, yes, that's what old batteries do. Talk to an EV owner about that: No no, it cannot happen, in ten years it will have the same range and do another 10 years. Why don't they realize that both are Li-Ion batteries, of the same chemical kind and same technology.
Simple truth is that it degrades, but not anywhere close to as much as a smartphone battery, for a myriad of reasons. You have encountered zealots if they say it doesnt degrade. Conversly, sometimes its so small as to be almost a non issue even afer 10 years.
The difference is in the battery management system. Typically, a smartphone uses all of the available capacity, all of the time, whereas most EVs have some spare capacity and so 100% isn't 100%, and 0% isn't really 0%. This means that the car can protect the battery in a way that your smartphone simply doesn't need to. Another advantage most EVs have over smartphones is active battery temperature management.
That's not to say that they will have 100% battery capacity after 10 years. If you look at most battery warranties, they are something like 70% capacity after 8 years. For a car that has a reasonable range to start with, that's still pretty useable as a daily driver, and that's the worst case scenario after 8 years. Most EVs won't have degraded anywhere near that much (I think my Zoe is down less than 10% after over 4 years).
I have had a 2014 Nissan env200 from new, has 54000 miles on the clock it still has the same range and shows no loss of capacity. Depends how you look after it. It replaced a Toyota Hilux and costs me around £2200 per year less in fuel alone.
@@chrissaunders1246 It does have a loss, but it might very well be quite small. Small enough to be inconsequential.
@@GoldenCroc Point taken Golden. Nissan batteries have a poor rep and the range was hardly earth shattering in the first place. But it takes me and my tools to work and it's quite nice to drive and it earns its keep. The battery issue is more with the raw materials and eventual recycling than loss of functionality. Hope you have a good New year.
I have owned 2 Model S’s over the last 7 years (this month), just for context. I think this review is pretty spot on. I think rep for Tesla fanboys come from the amount of vitriol pumped at them by Tesla haters, making a vocal minority on both sides, dominating the internet comment threads. I love EV’s and have wanted one since I was 9 (now 56), Tesla was just the first to make in practical and fun. The supercharger network was what sold them to me and is probably still the thing which would make me choose them again, but frankly I am just happy that there are now loads of EV’s to choose from. I think most people who drive Tesla’s are the same - it’s weird defining yourself by what car you drive.
I drove this on release here in Hong Kong. at the time HK Gov were waiving the 110% car tax, which made this thing a complete bargain. anyway, it is a knockout car. loved it. quick, comfy. and so smooth. it was an eye opener in many ways. a classic. great review sir.
Tesla's are really everywhere in hk. Incredible.
Electric makes sense in HK. Short distances and long waits in traffic are extremely bad for an ICE car's gearbox, but great for electric. The only issue is charging infrastructure, and installing chargers in communal carparks (nearly everybody lives in apartments)
The biggest problem the countries that sell the most EVs are having is their energy prices. This trend will have a drastic effect on the global energy supply. And if you have paid any attention to what’s currently happening in the UK, its NOT good!
“E” was actually a name reserved by ford many years before. Hence the reason for MachE
Thanks, very entertaining. Found this video after buying a nine year-old 2012 Signature and you're spot on. Approaching 2,000 miles this car is dealing growing on me.
Are you still enjoying it? Any issues ?
How do you find out someone drives a Tesla? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.
bit like vegans
@@benzinapaul7416 exactly like vegans. Aggressive vegans that won’t shut up until you convert.
@@DivideBYZero69 If you are out to dinner and there is a vegan, always make sure to order two steaks, one for them and one for you.
True. And most Tesla owners also bought stock so we win TWICE. Thank you.
Thanks for a very good review (and I'm a Tesla fan due to their safety, clean air mission and groundbreaking vehicles). BTW, if you really want to see rudeness, read one of the diesel car forums.
Fuck the haters James. If they don't like the way you look, they don't have to watch your videos! Please don't take any notice whatsoever and carry on doing what you're doing
Damn, you changed my viewpoint! I won’t rush out and buy one. I had a loan of a Taycan for a few days; impressive! Not even from an EV standpoint; it’s just a great car! It sort of made me want to rush out and try an Audi A8!
The worst thing about Tesla drivers, collectively, is they aren't car people....and there you have it✅️
At least 90% of drivers aren't car people.
@@nealm1814 agreed but I should elaborate on my point better. They talk like they KNOW cars and bash other cars while stating why theirs is the greatest thing ever👈
I own two vintage Porsches, a Frogeye Sprite, and several other interesting old cars. Lots of interesting cars in my past, too. I also own two Teslas. I like automotive technology, both old and new. The truth is that most people are not car people. Even Porsche owners are mostly interested only in cars as jewelry, if we're honest. So, criticizing Tesla owners in this manner - I'm not having it!
@@curtaustin8119 congrats to you Curt, your in the .00000001%
@@klasseact6663 Is it really a mystery that some Tesla owners are provoked when confronted with hateful misinformation and prejudice like this?
I just discovered the channel and it has quickly become my favorite. I watched 3 videos in a row. Happy new year :D
Happy New Year! You've got about 950 to go ;)
Hey Jay, that was quite a tidy review and very fair, despite expectations from your title card. :) I sold a 944t and my wife's Prius to buy a Model 3LR and for family duty here in Canada, it has been pretty perfect. The thing I really miss is being able to turn a corner fast and driving fun, and I regard the car as overpriced, but on the whole, an excellent choice. The reason I'd avoid Tesla is not owners - we're no more or less oblivious or hateful than any other owner out there - but the company's position against right to repair, and the cult of Elon the Sod. Technical service has been very good but the many issues we have had have not been fully addressed by customer service, that kind of thing. If I were in the market now I would wait or got for a major manufacturer e.g. Hyundai or Kia atm.
Well put. I agree.
Except for trading a 944 for an electric... That's just ludicrous.
Regarding Elon: I just watched an extremely nerdy 2.5 hour interview with him, deep into the weeds on all sorts of subjects. If it weren't already clear, he's some kind of alien, not human. Judge him, but not as a human!
@@my1vice I agree, the sale wasn't my choice but unfortunately necessary as the Prius needed replacing...I'm in the market for another in the coming year or two, or a 914 or a Boxster... fun cars are a nice-to-have at the moment unfortunately.
The only problem with all electric cars besides Tesla's are no super charging network. So if it's your only car, your only real choice is still Tesla. Unless you don't need to travel more than 250 miles from you house ever.
The running 100 yards comment is fruckn hilarious..🤣🤣🤣..Great Review as usual
My neighbour has one and he absolutely loves it. However he has discovered one potentially massive problem, if he has a crash in it, part prices are huge and parts hard to get, so he could be without his car for months.
I THINK you can add car rental to your insurance - is it worth it? or just rent your own IF needed. only the buyer can decide.
Great incentive not to crash; another safety feature if you will.
@@nicholassmith7048 That's not always up to you when driving on public roads.
Or when main battery fails in a Tesla. Just ask Rich Rebuild what Tesla charges for out of warranty battery replacement! LOL
@@springer-qb4dv battery failures are extremely rare
Nice review JayEmm. Truly is the bad boy EV. One small remark. In 2019 the Model 3 was the best selling car in The Netherlands. And by a long shot (more than double that of the nr. 2). And also in the Netherlands some of the superchargers are open to third party cars. But perhaps that was not the case when reviewing.
Great review. Nice to see someone giving an honest opinion of a model S Tesla. Without fearing the inevitable fan club backlash over the smallest criticism..
It's an ok, expensive, poor build, not that practicable, fast saloon car...
However, it was also a huge wake up call for the OEM's to get their act together.
And finally, the other major manufactures are flocking to this segment - especially the Germans. That new Audi RS EV is pretty stunning. That being said, I will continue to buy ICE performance cars as long as they are made
Bear in mind this is a review of a 6 year old car and an 11 year old design. See how impressive an 11 year old BMW M5 is going to be - but you can certainly pick one up for much less than 40 grand, because it's no longer worth that to anyone. What the OEMs do need to worry about is the impeccably built modern Teslas rolling out of China in 2022 and even more concerning should be the legions of very well screwed together Chinese offerings about to make landfall. I don't see any German cars coming with a 7 year everything warranty like MGs.
Norway gives tax breaks to Tesla buyers, and they are very common over there, they are not a rich man's environmental lifestyle statement/toy as in other countries. I met a grizzled trawler captain with a rusty and battered model S !
Norway has abundant hydo-electric power unlike the UK, so it makes a lot more sense..leccy literally falls out of the sky over there..
I would argue everyone in Norway is richveven if it doesn't seem like it when you are there. Over 100k per person in their national fund and almost free electricity (up till now anyway)
And it isn't just Tesla who get tax breaks but all zero emission vehicles which pay no VAT or import tolls.
James, a bit of fact correction: I believe Tesla are trialling use of their charging network by other manufactuer's EVs in the Netherlands, not Norway.
I think it was Ford not Merc that blocked the name ‘Model E’
Netherlands first, but Norway is close behind as Tesla doesn't want to miss out on credits for building charging stations.
I believe they may have to do similar in the UK. Open the network to other cars or lose the grants.
Tesla will be an infrastrture company...not a "car" company.
Thanks James! One thing I didn't hear was issues getting service and repairs which I've heard can be a major problem.
I use Cleevely Mobile for servicing. They come out and do all that is needed ie cabin filter change and they also strip and lubricate the brakes. That still needs to be done regularly. They can sort out door handles when they misbehave too.
the only guy i know gets prompt repairs for his tesla is an uber driver that the company consider a rolling advert. everyone else gets the shaft big time.
I don't know as in 2+ years, I have never had to get the Tesla serviced or repaired. They certainly could not be any worse than the other stealerships I have had to deal with in the past. I remember a Citroen company car where even after 4 visits under warranty, the same problem remained. And none of the others were any better.
Do you remember the faff on gearboxes and nitrogen in tires of GTR or the e90 just chewing pistons/rods/ vamos and how expensive it was to fix them at BMW ? Same thing here:
Batteries do Half a million miles with barely any degradation, if some thing actually fails it usually is 1 of 7000 cells and you just nip it off and on you go. If not it will be a plug or something not ridiculous.
Then the motor. There is a bit inside that is supposed to be a gateway for the magnetic field created, that wears and spots working as intended, so the next bit in line are the bearings and those fail as does the Seal (some had a triple Seal others had a single Seal). This (Seal) can be diagnosed by pulling the sensor close to it and see if it is wet. To fix there are shafts already available with the triple seal and non magnetic bearings. Put the wearable item and you are sorted for many moons. Fluids, treat them as a ice car.
The rest is the same as with any 5 series. Stupid shite getting bad. Good thing with Tesla is that they give you plenty of upgraded parts (screens for example).
All in all you can keep a pretty fit Tesla going for the same price as any ice car on the same category, but instead of becoming scrap with 200k miles, it might start to be a nuisance at 1 million miles. But then again a brand new battery pack is 20k a new motor is 5k. Both will do 400k-500k miles, math maths vs a 5 series or a e class keep for the same mileage. Service is some gearbox oil, colant, panel filter, oil filter and oil. Will last for ages. Then you have brakes and arms/bushes and that's all there is.
After is just the faff. Door handled, shit falling apart, sensor here and there, same as a 5 series or a xf or a e class, just less bits to break and with Tesla more random ones.
Is there a petition anywhere to stop the ban of petrol and diesel cars
If there is where do I sign??!!
I would sign it, copy and paste it to all Tesla fan boys and watch them gloriously have melt downs on Tesla cars and their God Elon Musk
F1 are moving into synthetic fuels. As well as VW investing in it development.
All is not lost.
@@minatormyth synthetic fuel will be for rich people toys. The production of synthetic fuel takes a lot of energy and the price for the fuel won't be cheap.
@@ristekostadinov2820 hydrogen technology is also being played with as well
@@ristekostadinov2820 so do you know this for a fact or just guessing?
Sounds about right. Probably the best review I've ever heard on a Tesla.
This is the first review of an EV I have ever watched, mainly because we will all have to start thinking about electric cars soon, and far too soon for me. I am a certified petrolhead, with a near mint condition 2002 BMW Z3, a Porsche 987.1, a 1977 Escort Ghia, and a 1969, Landrover SIIA. As such I still found this interesting, but admittedly started thinking what a Porsche Cayman with an electric engine, 0-60 in three seconds might be like. At least it should corner well. Thanks for this it was very interesting.
Hi Clive, it might already be pointless us petrolheads thinking about EVs as well, the Govt have quietly scaled back the charging point rollout and have decided that walking, cycling and sharing a bus with pissheads is the future.
@@skinnytinny9023 how many stick shifts and money do I have to spend to be considered a petrolhead? where can I register for this certification?
@@oskarskates I dunno, I'm up to 21. I think Petrolhead is a loose term people like to describe themselves as when they really like cars and motorbikes and stuff. What do people who like playing on bicycles call themselves ? 12 ?
@@skinnytinny9023 road-weanies or acoustic-biker usually is preffered.
Well done on being open and honest, there’s a great bit of kit there but so many flaws can’t be ignored. The cult are a bunch of consumers like anyone else, no matter how many times they try to convince themselves that they’re different.
I’d go for the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo over a Plaid any day, looks stunning and I love the sound.
What sound?....the artificial sound created by a boffin?
@@kevincook7495 🤣 Ofc but compared with other electric cars
yea same. Just cant get with the tesla shape (although the model s looks way better than telsa's other cars)
I have a question ⁉️ how does this channel not have 10x the subs? Great vids, awesome presentation and an honest Impartial viewpoint. I absolutely love it.
It's Ford that have dibs on "E". It's not about the letter it's about the whole name "Model E"
Hi .... the best Tesla review i saw until today ... thx for the video :)
Correction: first country to have a pilot program to allow non Teslas to charge at Tesla superchargers is the Netherlands not Norway
Was about to write the same, but read through the comments.
9 of the 10 most sold cars in Norway are full-electric, TM3 on top. Number two is the hybrid RAV4
I have a 2019 US model after having had a 2014 and can say that the build quality is much, much improved in what is sort of known as the second generation model S. The plastics are better and the interior is better executed overall with more storage bins. Why do I have second one? In a crash these cars are about as safe as an iron clad sphere: a semi trailer slid across a road in front of me when I was doing just under 50mph. I suffered a bruised left hand.
That's absolutely in line with all the reviews I've seen in the last few years.
I remember when NHTSA was doing some crash tests and the model S broke one of the crash test machines ...
@@ioandragulescu6063 having all that weight in the floor allows for a simply massive safety cell around the cabin. I saw it work, the trailer had a bent suspension.
I agree, subtracting the first foot is as honest as dry weights.
These sound soooo good!
Said no one ever.
As and American Model 3P owner I have to say great review James! I have a few explanations for you. First, If you want to enjoy your cakes, you do you. With respect to the 1 foot rollout thing, I understand your puzzlement, but there is an explanation. It goes to sanctioned drag racing here in the states. At an official drag race there are sensors which the cars trip to start the actual timing of each car, and they are typically ~1 foot in front of the vehicle. Over time, most manufacturers and car magazines defaulted to using this methodology when it came to listing the 0-60 times of cars because of the popularity of drag racing here. Tesla does it as well with their PERFORMANCE (they do NOT with their non-performance models) models today as a marketing thing. Not defending it, merely explaining it. You are far from the only person to take issue with the practice.
I was going to mention the sensor thing as most people aren't aware of this, the silly thing is how many people take their car to the drag strip, then again how many people take their cars to the drag nurburgring, all pointless benchmarks used for bragging rights...
Thankyou for that explanation as I didn't know that. But would the 1ft roll out really significantly reduce the 0-60 times? Seems like it would make 0.1s difference.
@@vxsr33 I think that is exactly the difference it makes and simply enables them to say its under 2 seconds which is a world first for a production car as far as i know
@@vxsr33 For street cars .2 to .3 seconds. See the Motor Trend review of the Plaid.
Great honest and balanced review James - You presented the good and the bad - Still not my cup of tea but they will inject a bit of fun in there hopefully !
If I lived in a super sunny place (Cali) and had an extra.....$20k? To install solar panels and power packs to my house on top of the $40k for the model 3 then yes, this is the only way I would own an electric car.
It makes sense in many more places in the world, even in Finland!
And that's what you got to spend on the break kit.
@Matt Pno
This was a good review, really understood the mentality of the person watching the video 👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼
If I could afford it, I'd get the Tycan GTS Sport Tourismo. It's a sexy and sleek electric wagon that's fast and has Porsche's advanced handling system. Plus its still built like a Porsche inside and out
Own a 2018 Model 3 Performance. About 30k miles on it now and it's been flawless. Like digital cameras these cars are going to get better and better. The next 10 - 20 years will be fun.
Tesla fanboys aren't car-guys, they're tech-guys. To them, Teslas are mobile iPads. If you like cars, you like driving. If you like driving, you'd want to drive your car yourself.
perfect way of putting it
I have to admit thought the Tesla does serve a purpose. And lots of people love apple products!
I heard that Apple was considering building and selling Cars!!!
@@stonyrerootkit8922 yeah but you need a subscription service to drive it
@@stonyrerootkit8922 They've been saying that for years.
Ok am going to comment about you. Very funny, the kind of guy I would enjoy as a good friend.
The worst thing about them is that buying one is akin to joining a cult. I’m not a fan of the way they look inside or out, but your average Tesla driver puts me off far more! 😂
Just like Apple users
Look at that build quality.... how the window gaps arent consistent up and down the whole door B pillar. Or are even flush with the pillar, like theyre supposed to be.
I've got a 2015 Model S. I thought the review was fair. I wish there were more buttons rather than having to go through the touch screen for most functions. Even though I'm in the 6th year of ownership I still have to wait until I'm stopped before I can take my eyes of the road to use that touch screen.
Something I love that never seems to get mentioned is the way the cruise control keeps the speed as set even going downhill (probably most EV would do the same, my mates old Japanese spec Leaf does not). I also love the lack of drama i.e. flooring the accelerator pedal does not result in wheel spin i.e. the traction control is amazingly good.
I floored a 2019 performance and it broke traction with ease, it was thrilling.
@@M-PASTA Interesting. I have a 2015 Model S 70 D, it does not break traction, even in the wet.
@@dogphlap6749 they started using permanent magnet motors around the time they stopped naming them by the cars battery size. I can't afford a Tesla quite yet but I drive them all the time and it is impressive how different they all are. the model x is definitely not for me but it is a space ship with the most interesting features of any car I've seen.
Another gripe I have is the microscopic size of the fonts. Why isn't there an option to increase the size for drivers with 50+ year old eyeballs...
@@ouethojlkjn Agreed.
Hi James. Happy new year to you. I remember commenting on a TH-cam video and someone called me "a Karen." I replied "Thank you, at least you didn't call me a Tesla owner because then, I would have been offended."
Haha! Class. Happy New Year!
One of the main reason I hate Tesla as a brand is because of the toxic owners and supporters of the brand, they are just the worst people.
One thing to note : Cold weather. Same situation with some phones too, but basically you leave it in the cold for too long and the batteries die.
Probably the biggest number of manchild i've seen on the internet were Elon's fanboys (idk how many of them are Tesla owners)
Musk is a con -man and The Tesla company are technically bust.
@@TheMentalblockrock you guys have been saying stupid stuff like this since inception of the company... It has gone from a startup to the most valuable car company in the world in less than 20 years, what have you achieved in the same time?
@@sultanofswingdrift3021 But they are still BILLIONS in debt so effectively broke, and dependent on investment. One day soo, hopefully the bubble will burst. Just make sure you sell your shares Sultan while they are still worth something.
@@TheMentalblockrock you are wrong here, i don't like Musk nor Tesla owners but the company itself is probably the best managed car company. They have more cash on their balance sheet than debt while opening new manifacturing plants and their revenue is growing over 20% every year. Doesn't matter if there is a bubble or not, the fundamentals of the company are saying that is a great business.
@@TheMentalblockrock You are 100% wrong on this. If you look at Tesla's last published accounts, they had total long term debt of less than $10 billion, and total cash of nearly $20 billion. It's operating cash flow was around $6billion, which was roughly double its capital expenditure. It's nowhere near going bust.
I love cake and cars, too. Keep up the awesome work.
I own a 2020 raven model s, it’s the best daily driver i’ve ever owned. The build quality of the newest models cant be compared to the old ones. Many thanks for this video.
This is the go to car for YT "INFLUENCERS". Says it all really.
that's cos they're paid to drive them.
@@papalegba6759 through YT not by tesla
@@pollumG nah tesla spends millions on yt influencers.
from my experience of Tesla owners, their fandom and obsession with the brand is more simply connected to them lacking any interesting identity and so latch onto a community that only requires financial means of entry
So nothing to do with badge snobbery then, as in the case of BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, Aston Martin..... hear any one of these owners drone on about petrol and cogs and gears and limited slip differentials and see how interesting their identity is.
It takes mechanical and engineering savvy to appreciate Tesla, something you obviously lack.
@@davidvicari5139 it doesn’t take an appreciation for build quality though does it…
@@Jack-rj1dq “Build Quality”- Code for- “ I have never been within 12 feet of a Tesla, much less driven one, and I am regurgitating some crap I saw online. I would not know quality if it sat in my lap.”
@@davidvicari5139 my boss had a model X, drove brilliantly and was a lot of fun to be in for sure! however the door handles didn’t work the first time he showed us around …
No argument points with you James. A well put together review. I do wish my Y had as nice of a ride as the P85D on the air suspension. Rather enjoy it overall though and suspect you’ll start seeing them soon. Cheers from the other side of the pond.
Thanks for watching! Appreciate it
Tesla owners are worse than Macintosh users in the 1990s
they are still bad today lol
@@demogaming8895 yes but nothing like they used to be. Back then they were a small very hard core group of crazies
Great!
4:24 actually that's not quite what happened. This was actually a happy accident of timing, in short the price per KWH of batteries was dropping like a half life function at that time. So, Tesla was able to drop the price because the most expensive part of the car dropped by half in a few years, because of the popularity of smart phones.
for context, the price per KWH of a batter today, under the best conditions, is around $100-250. But back in 2010 that price was over $1200
it's one of those, industry experts know this, but marketers with their own agenda have a larger microphone, scenarios.
I wonder how these things will hold once they reach the sub 5K second hand market value.
I am pretty sure those batteries will be toast at that value.
And I can get A LOT of great reliable normal cars for sub 5K.
Also, (at least in my country) every single Tesla (or any EV for that matter) Is partially owned by me, even though I can't afford one for myself.
Might be a long time if ever they get to that kind of money. Their battery management is basically proven to be a lot better than most other EVs (ie they don't loose capacity as quickly) and because they tend to use rather big capacity batteries and these can be used for other things (ie not cars, eg energy storage for solar panels so you can have electricity at night....). The supply level of early cars is not so big as Tesla''s production/sales at that time was at a far lower level than now.
I call it 'Non-Friends, Without Benefits'. 😂
They will fare extremely pooly but a 5k Aston Martin is a protentiall money pit
@@ArbitraryFilmings if it reduces in efficiency moderately like you are saying then it wouldn't be too bad. But it would have to last something like 20+ years to hold a decent amount of value. Unless battery replacement becomes an affordable and logical option in the near future.
Here in Australia a lot of people still drive cars that are 15-20 years old
@@ArbitraryFilmings i drive Toyota's...
the reason for the removal of a foot of time is because the light beams across the front of the tyre at teh beginning so when it moves off, the light is blocked by about a foot of tyre before shining again.
Someone parked a tesla next to my car last week. I had time to see the panel gaps stories for myself. Nothing lines up, including the chrome trim bits, shocking build quality for that sort of price.
Also just saw the video of that guy who blown up his Tesla, otherwise it would cost the price of a new car to replace the batteries.
there's more to that blowing up story:
he originally had a 60D (short range). got someone outside Tesla to replace the battery modules with 90D ones voiding warranty. water then leaked into the refreshed pack so he went to Tesla....
yes on all Teslas, battery failing out of warranty is night mare. Who feels like paying $22-$25K for a replacement battery on 10 year old car? I guess obedient Musk fanboys! LOL
I believe the foot roll out is an historic drag racing thing.
The origins of drag racing was measuring speed through the 1/4 mile and the winner crossed the line first.
So timing lights were designed for the front wheel to block the light " is staged) and start the clocks when the beam was made again (is your front wheel had cleared it.
This gives you a roll out ,were you are moving but the clocks haven't started.
Reliability - Do these things break down, and if so, what goes wrong? As I've gotten a bit older, I've come around from enjoying the ultimate driving machine to valuing the luxury of reliability.
Any EV has far less moving parts and so in general, should be more reliable. Most if not all offer 8 year battery warranty and this is the highest risk part. In my experience the two most important aspects of reliability are frequent and timely servicing and considerate driving. Tesla do not have an actual maintenance or servicing schedule, the car tells you when something is wrong and to seek service. I think other manufacturers are locking buyers into their stealerships by linking honouring warranty with main dealer service. My mate's Zoe went in for it's first service and they wanted £190. They were unable to justify what for. No oils, no filters, no brakes, no adjustments, no lubricants. "That's just what it costs" (to get the dealer stamp in the log?) I am hoping there will be independent garages who service EVs out of warranty as in my experience, no dealership has been any use at all.
@@ouethojlkjn Nonsense. No EV can beat reliability and practicality of simple gasoline cars. I have 30 year old econobox gasoline car which still run like a champ. Total cost of driving my old econobox for all these years is less than ONE YEAR of driving a Tesla! If there is any issue with my old ICE, it's simple to diagnose it. That will never be true with EVs, especially with Tesla with millions of parts and millions of lines of code. Once Rich Rebuild asked electronic whiz Louis Rossmann to fix one of the malfunctioning boards on Tesla and Rossman was stumped. You need to be a whiz or better to have hope of repairing highly complex highly computerized rube goldberg machine like a Tesla car when they get old. Poor Cubans maintained their old gasoline cars for 60 years even with embargo of parts from USA!! What will Cubans have now if they had to drive Teslas instead??? Not a single working car in CUBA by now! LOL
@@springer-qb4dv I congratulate you on running a 30 year old car! That is one of the best ways to support the environmental agenda! Sadly, modern Gasoline and diesel cars are anything but simple. The reason why a global chip shortage has ceased most car production (ironically except Tesla, who build their own) is because each car needs literally hundreds of the things. Ever tried to diagnose an engine warning light on a modern car? Plug the computer in (assuming it isn't proprietary and only possible at stealerships) and see just how "simple" they are. Any EVs has an order of magnitude LESS parts than any Internal combustion car. There is ONE moving part in an EV the spindle through the rotor. How many thousands of cogs, oil, pipes, glands, filters, pumps, bearings, rings, seals, turbos, manifolds, exhausts, injectors, plugs, gears, clutches and all manner of other moving parts wear out in a modern engine? And these days there are all made of plastic. Anything cheap that lasts as long as the warranty. Can't see any ICE, even the premium ones, offering 7 or 8 year warranties. If Porsches and BMWs are so well made then why not back it up? Finally, you are quite right that all modern cars EVs included are over complicated and all becoming more and more electronic. However, an EV is very easy to make without all that stuff. When I was a kid the milk was delivered in electric so called "milk floats" because they were silent, slow moving, had huge torque and didn't churn the milk into butter. Electronics weren't even around then...
“Merc had dips on E?” Not really, it was FORD that threatened legal action against Tesla if they went forward with their plan to name their high volume car “Model E.” Great video though, very easy and fun to watch. Lots of info on the older Model S. As an owner of a 2015 Model S, the info is very complete and accurate in my experience.
The anonymous styling, comparatively low rent interior & poor build quality whilst they have the audacity to charge what they do for them are the major stumbling points for me.
All of this was very accurate. I’ve owned/own 4 Teslas in total. One small point to make however…. The center can have American sized cup holders down below in that open area. It was an option that I’ve had in two of mine which also had other storage. Great video.
They are a good item. Good at what they are meant to do but with no style. A bit like apple. If your iPhone breaks and you get another, within 30 mins it’s your iPhone again. No real soul, just an object. Not a bad thing but the opposite of days gone by where there was an emotional connection with things.
Most people say the opposite about Apple as in all style and poor functionality.
@@voivod6871 the point is your attached to a phone but if it ever dies and you replace, and as soon as it’s restored it’s your phone again. A commodity. No emotional attachment to the actual item.
I enjoyed this thanks. The rant about 0-60 in 2 seconds hasn’t aged well at all 🖐🏼
I respect Tesla for making EV a serious product rather than what the milkman trundles around on at 5am, but I can't replace my current car with a full EV until they achieve 350+ per charge in all weathers at all times of the year. I do about 1,500 miles a week and often find myself with no where to charge (Industrial and commercial construction environments). The closest to being able to do what I need is a Honda Insight or Toyota Prius, which whilst nice, are a bit pricey for a halfway step. I also baulk at such poor quality fit and finish for such a large chuck of cash. I'm not taken in by this odd borderline cultish obsession with the South African fellow, and fail to see why it has a "premium" tag associated with it. Because of that, I suspect i'll find myself either in a Kia e-Niro or a Honda Insight much sooner than I will a tesla.
Current Build quality of Teslas from Shanghai is as good as anything you will find from any manufacturer. They won't have sold 2 million+ cars to date because they are rubbish. But I do agree that it will be at least another maybe five years until EVs can meet your range requirements. EVs are never going to meet everyone's needs and ICE cars will be around in some parts of the world for a long time yet. However, for those who can live with sub 350 mile daily range, it is nice to have the choice.
Yes EVs are vastly inferior to gasoline cars in long distance trips and any role with unpredictable service requirements. Most EV fanboys think 350 miles is the golden range that will match gasoline cars, but that's far from truth. Most gasoline cars have range between 350 - 700 miles because manufacturer decided that was good enough. But in reality, gasoline cars can have range to cross entire US continent in single tank fill up, as gasoline is very light weight compared to lithium battery. Not even taking into account nearly instant fill up time for gas cars, the gap between gasoline car and EV is vast and it's not going to be closed any time soon.
@@springer-qb4dv You are forgetting the difference in doing 350 miles in an EV and 350 miles in an ICE when comparing the cost. Especially somewhere like the UK where Fuel is cripplingly expensive. An EV is plugged in every night and every morning you have 350 miles. Do you go to a Fuel station every morning and fill up? You can't compare them because there is no comparison. It is what works for the individual and what that individual is prepared to pay. I used to drive around in a V12 XJ-S and it was fantastic but it kept jinking toward a gas station every time I passed one....
People complain about fit and finish or panel gaps are parroting misinformation. Or not well informed. Why don't you look up the improvement they made for the Shanghai factory made cars. Or their manufacturing technologies that are always improving, evolving. At the moment, EV is not what you need because the range that you traveled. But in time the charging infrastructure will only get better as EV adoption increases exponentially, so will battery technology. EVs are computers on wheels. Constant improvement can be done over the air updates or new features can be added. You don't need to understand it now if you don't want to but better believe it, it will only get better.
At 17:37 I have always looked at 1/4 mile traps 30-50mph 50-70mph and 5-60mph times anyway. 0-60mph is an over used statistic since it's never really repeated in the real world. That special launch control program isn't going to help you from 20-30mph.