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nice car (new Merc GLC 300d AMG) and could afford to spend more but I just couldn’t personally justify quite that amount of money (which is more than double what I pay a month).
depends on your use though. If you do 20,000 miles a year, I bet your car would cost a chunk more on lease, plus ~£200 a month on fuel, maybe a further £100 on tyres, tax, insurance and so on. Total monthly spend could easily add up to more than £700 pcm. I wouldn't personally throw £25k at borrowing a car over 3 years, but I also don't spend a huge amount of time in one, so the niceties are somewhat wasted
One things for sure I have never had a car where so many people approach and ask to look at it, school kids love it and the odd shout of cool car mate from teenagers!
Genuinely exactly the same experience I've had especially the school kids (youtube generation I assume) and yet the grandad's on here say it looks dated, go figure?
That’s very much an electric thing, people here the humm or spaceship noise and are intrigued. Kids love them, the neighbours grandkids use to run out to see mine when I got home.
My Tesla was completely silent mate, you're doing your Tesla hater thing again. I honestly think it's a YouTube thing.
My Tesla was completely silent mate, you’re doing your Tesla hater thing again.
Sigh! I’m not I had this with my GTE and now with Audi, the GTE was silent but E-tron makes spaceship noice that young kids love. Both have got people attention as they are electric/hybrid and it’s still a novelty.
Genuinely exactly the same experience I’ve had especially the school kids (youtube generation I assume) and yet the grandad’s on here say it looks dated, go figure?
It's because we were around in the 80s and 90s looking at cars!
Re the noise - some EVs make it some appear not to. Mine does, it whines slightly especially at motorway speeds. There's an additional optional noise you can add, but it's just the same whine but louder. And it doesn't change pitch either, which makes it really rather annoying. My Prius whined a bit too, I could recognise it coming down the hill before I could see it. The Amazon delivery vans however are silent and a bit deadly.
Ok Drac, My VW has a spaceship sound and I can guarantee you with reasonable confidence that the local school kids will not be the slightest bit interested other than a passing glance. In the Tesla I had school kids waving in that "Hi Dad" joke thing you used to do with your mates as a kid when a special car pulled up. Obviously they were getting a bit mixed up between my basic 3 and the model S and X, but the fact remains that Tesla is making an impact with the younger generation and I think it's probably YouTube based
It may well do but it’s certainly something I’ve experienced too.
What VW had the spaceship sound?
@molgrips all new EVs from October last year have to produce a sound when below 30 mph.
It's a good idea but the sound doesn't need to be so grating for the occupants of the vehicle..!
(700 net all inclusive salary sacrifice deduction for a Tesla Model 3 Performance)
I could have 2 E-trons for that and still have over £100 leftover. My pension is still final salary based for a couple of years, even then it’s not that big of difference.
Out of interest I had a look at my company car list to see what an E-tron was, as a few colleagues have them.
Anywhere between £600 and £700 per month all inclusive depending on spec level.
Jaguar i-Pace between £500 and £700.
The Model 3 is £450 to £700 depending on model.
And repeat for clarity, those lease prices are net salary sacrifice all inclusive of
* unlimited mileage
* no deposit
* 36 months
* fully comp business insurance for driver and spouse/partner
* any tyres
* any maintenance
* recovery
* zero effect on any pension or other company benefits
@molgrips all new EVs from October last year have to produce a sound when below 30 mph.
My A250e makes a kind of grumbling noise when travelling forwards at anything less than 17mph . It can be heard in the cabin but isn’t particularly irritating. The pitch does change as the car accelerates/decelerates.
When the car is reversing, it makes a low level beeping sound (like parking sensors but constant and coming from an external speaker) to warn people the car is, or is just about to reverse.
Makes more sense Ben. - I assume only about half to 2 thirds of what you are paying actually goes to covering the car cost.
Out of interest I had a look at my company car list to see what an E-tron was, as a few colleagues have them.
Yeah it’s a huge discount that Audi offer, there was a Tesla deal but I can’t recall how much it was, it was more though. Everything is covered too but as you say it has an effect on my pension, but it’s not huge.
All that matters is if you’re happy to pay that for the car you want and like. It staggers me how much people pay for other things that I’d not.
I'm on a contributory scheme through my employer. It blows my mind that I have access to such a vehicle. I grew up without much cash for posh cars, (we had a rusty austin maestro then an elderly Astra. 😬)
I pay £200 a month for a car that cost more than my annual wage, I can live with the looks!
It has universal insurance for any driver I approve, I'm happy to pay my good fortune forward and let my friends use it where possible. 👍
Re. how the prices of current EV's will hold up... how do you think the price of a diesal SUV will hold up. Friend has the choice of repairing or replacing his 2012 A4 allroad.. he'æs decided to repair as there are only 3 new VAG group diesal SUV's available to buy in this part of Norway. Noone is stocking them as noone wants to buy them. Dead technology
It's going to be a tough life for legacy manufacturers who've fallen behind.
how do you think the price of a diesal SUV will hold up. Friend has the choice of repairing or replacing his 2012 A4 allroad.. he’æs decided to repair as there are only 3 new VAG group diesal SUV’s available to buy in this part of Norway
depends over what time frame you look etc, but right now (cos of covid etc), the wifes diesel ford kuga is worth approx 500 quid less (using a webuyanycar value) than we paid for it 3 years ago - we bought it at about 1 year old from ford dealer.
How long values will stay strong for - I dont know, and when we bought it, this certainly wasnt what I expected to happen.
The plan with the kuga was to buy it and keep for at least 10 years, to the point that it became uneconomical to run then we'd scrap it - and thats still the plan...
/blockquote>
Something doesn’t ring true about that story. When a phone is set up as a key, it’s the phone’s Bluetooth identifier that is registered with that car. And it only uses Bluetooth to determine if the phone is close to unlock and start.
I’ve just exited the Tesla app, rebooted my iPhone, turned off Wi-Fi and mobile data, and gone out to my car. It unlocked and started fine.
Absolutely the app won’t connect to the car if there’s no internet connectivity or the servers at Tesla are down, but if someone is using that mechanism to start their car (you can remote start through the app to let others drive when you’re not there), then they’re using it wrong and it’s their own fault.
It’s wise to carry one of the key cards with you as well, just in case.
Something doesn’t ring true about that story. When a phone is set up as a key, it’s the phone’s Bluetooth identifier that is registered with that car.
dunno, I dont have a tesla so have no idea - but the article says that musk said he will make changes to ensure it doesnt happen again - so must be something in it.
Yeah, I looked at the tweet. Someone moaned the app wouldn’t connect and Musk admitted they’d bugger something up and would fix it.
Nothing about not being able to drive their car. I wonder if the BBC assumed that the app was necessary to drive and 1+1=4.
Yeah that’s a none story, it would be like me not being able to lock/unlock my car through the app when I could just use the key.
Possibly related news is that the beeb have a documentary looking at the ethics of teslas production lines this week - not that they'd ever report a story to act as a proxy trailer for a TV show.
Regularly do 500 mile round trips in a day and honestly now glad I got it for the ease of the charger network.
@sidders34, and other Tesla owners - what is the real life range like going at a decent speed on the motorway.
Tesla quote 360 miles for the M3 long range, but how far would it go at 90mph? Furthest I have to drive with work is 280miles (one way) - I’d ideally want to be able to bash that out in one go, then have a bit of range left over to get to a charger on the way back.
You may well sit in the 1% for whom an EV doesn't have enough range. Other thoughts are that the speed limit is 70, and you need to reorganise your job. I also hope you take adequate breaks in that journey as it's a long way, and autopilot would be a big benefit to you
BMW iX is a beauty by the way. 🙂 Take an MG and make it worse
how far would it go at 90mph?
Straight to the police station hopefully.. 🙄
Straight to the police station hopefully..
Not really a big deal doing 85-90mph in a modern car in good condition on a fairly clear motorway. The point being whenever I see Teslas on the motorway they are often slip streaming lorries at 55mph.
Tesla quote 360 miles for the M3 long range, but how far would it go at 90mph?
About 35-40% less than at 70 mph, might be even greater impact if raining, so I'd say less than 200 miles at those sort of speeds.
You get about 300 miles range out of a tank of electricity at 70mph, but given that most people start at about 90% charge, you're looking at 270 to empty, and realistically 200 between charging stops.
Yeah reorganise your day. I dunno who you work for but we're only allowed to drive so far for work without taking breaks. And we certainly aren't asked to be somewhere at a certain time that demands we speed.
There are longer range cars available, but really, don't drive that fast and certainly don't plan your day around needing to drive that fast. It's antisocial for the rest of us along with all the safety and environmental issues.
You may claim it's not a big deal but it is, in ways you're apparently unaware of.
You may claim it’s not a big deal but it is, in ways you’re apparently unaware of.
For the record my preference is to leave a bit earlier and have a more relaxed drive, but sometimes unexpected hold ups mean you have to go a bit faster to avoid missing a meeting. Yes, I know it uses more fuel but you should still be able to get 40mpg+ in a diesel at those speeds, but I think the efficiency drops off a lot faster in an EV with increasing speed.
Took my model 3 to Germany. It goes fast and happily. You get a bit less range at 130-150kph but it calculates where you’ve got to charge and German speeds hasn’t meant extra stops.
I think of all the EVs it has the truest range for motorway driving - others will be accurate for stop start city stuff but it’s still the only one that does distance. Weather can make a difference. Range reduces in hefty winds and cold. Looks are based on being aero I think but even design doesn’t save you much when it’s lashing down and filthy.
On UK motorways I usually put it on 70mph and it keeps its distance from the car in front but if traffic in your lane slows significantly you sometimes end up slowing with it. Less of a problem in Germany where lane discipline is tight so regularly pull out, overtake and back in. Here you can be wondering what the rest of the traffic is thinking because it seems really difficult to do (hatchbacks in the middle lane, I'm looking at you). I then just accept it’s all going to take rather longer.
@mudmuncher I have done 170 mile round trip and arrived back with 30% battery. Guess that would equate to around 240 miles on an sr+. That wa driving normal with cruise set around 76. Was some 50s on the M6 though.
Recently did a 500 mile round trip. Similar driving and charged for 10mins and 20 mins near destination allowing for just a 15 min charge on way home. Would have stopped any way so no longer than petrol really. Also showed ease of supercharger network. Really does take all stress out of long journeys
Out of interest what happens if the super chargers are fully occupied, is there a queuing etiquette or can the app handle that for you?
The great British ability to queue kicks in.
Mudmuncher, my Mercedes GLC would get about 35mpg doing a long journey at the speeds you mention. Since I’ve had it I average 40.6mpg (23,000 miles) But once I get foot heavy it eats diesel. Mine is the GLC 250 coupe.
If I was just sat at a constant speed it may be ok, but the accelerations to fast speeds is what eats the diesel in mine.
I don’t drive at those speeds, but have done occasionally by accident.
Completely off topic but I took my T6 camper up to North Wales this weekend. Driving back this morning I just stuck it into Cruise Control and ACC (front vehicle detection) - sat at about 55mph on the M6 sitting behind trucks and managed to save close to 10mpg and had the most relaxing trip ever! (First fine I’ve ever used CC or ACC in over a year of owning the van)
And on topic, I think the Model S looks good still, the 3 series less so. But would still get one.
Not really a big deal doing 85-90mph in a modern car in good condition on a fairly clear motorway.
Hopefully a troll, rather than a wilful criminal.
🙄 😂
I think of all the EVs it has the truest range for motorway driving – others will be accurate for stop start city stuff but it’s still the only one that does distance.
All cars?
Inside EV got 306 miles from a Model 3 long range at 70mph, whereas the WTLP range is 360 miles. That's 85% of the WTLP range on the motorway. My Hyundai does about 4.5m/kWh on the motorway in my experience vs the WTLP range which I think equates to about 4.8m/kWh so if my maths is right that's 94% of its WTLP in the real world.
They did a test of many cars vs their EPA ranges, the Hyundai Ioniq was right on the money, Ford got a bit better than EPA, Tesla got a bit worse, but for some reason Porsches scored way more than their EPA..?
https://insideevs.com/reviews/443791/ev-range-test-results/
Hopefully a troll, rather than a wilful criminal.
Have you ever driven on a motorway? Not unusual for a third to half of the cars to be doing that kind speed in good conditions and a small amount doing 3 figures, though it does seem to vary between motorways.
As I said I usually try and leave extra time so I can relax but if you are trying to get a colleague back to the airport to catch a flight sometimes you need to put your foot down.
That range testing demonstrates that despite it's age the Tesla is still the reference in terms of range and efficiency. OK the Hyundai does a tiny bit better on efficiency but whilst hauling around much less battery and with less accomodation.
but if you are trying to get a colleague back to the airport to catch a flight sometimes you need to put your foot down
Or leave earlier.
And yes I've driven on motorways, autobahnen, Autoroutes, Autopistas etc.. The ones I've seen the most Beamers, Mercs, Audis etc burried under the back of trucks or being cut into by firemen is on the unlimited sections. I've spent so much time stationary waiting for victims/hooligan drivers to be helicoptered away and the wreckage removed I've come to the conclusion that people would on average get to their destinations reliably faster if they had more speed limits. Think yourselves lucky you have a 70 limit.
That range testing demonstrates that
It demonstrates that the difference between the quoted and the real world motorway range figures are surprising and not what you might expect.
It is largely as I would have expected - that the more aero the car the better it performs on motorways. The official tests out too much weight on low speed driving IMO. After all, no-one is concerned about urban range except maybe taxi drivers, because most people don't do 300 miles of urban driving in one go, I don't think range anxiety applies in that situation. It applies on long trips where you're going to be driving faster.
Not unusual for a third to half of the cars to be doing that kind speed in good conditions and a small amount doing 3 figures
Yes and this is a bad thing IMO because of the 30-40mpg speed differential between different vehicles.
Ever driven on a French motorway? It's easier because the speed differential is less. And vice versa an Autobahn.
unexpected hold ups mean you have to go a bit faster to avoid missing a meeting.
There are these things called phones; "Hi there, sorry there's been a hold up on the motorway, satnav thinks I'll be 20 minutes later, apologies"
After last nights top gear I was having a look at the polestar website, they have a range calculator
Where you can play with variables and it will estimate the range.
A standard range polestar 2 single motor is estimated to do 186 miles at 70mph at 5 deg celcius.
That sounds pretty low , when you take into account a safety margin of 30 or 40 miles.