miken12

Hi All,

Just test drove the S7 and was blown away...the problem is that I was blown away a few weeks ago by the Tesla and MB CL550 as well. I test drove the S7 because a co-worker just got an A6 and loved it so much he went back and bought his wife a new Q7 the next day. I just had a few questions:

1. Any thoughts between the three cars?

2. Reliability? I tend to hold on to my cars for a while (I currently drive a 2003 Acura MDX with 180k miles on it). While I don't expect to hold onto my next car that long, I'd love for it to last 100k miles. Is that too much to expect? If so, would it make more sense to lease?

3. I've read some that say the RS7 was too much car for a daily driver. Because of that I didn't even consider it. But after test driving the S7, I wondered if that was too much car for my daily driver. Has anybody felt that way? I usually drive approx 12-15k miles per year, mixture of hwy and city.

I really appreciate all the help!

Pabla

Being the owner off a 2013 S7 and a 2014 Tesla p85 (both pretty much fully loaded) there's some great things to be said about the cars. Here's a comparison of the cars:

Tesla
•Rides smoother (21" rims + Air suspension)
•Infotainment is far better
•Both are styled really well, the tesla has a more elegant style
•NO LAG
•Performance they're almost both tied I feel like the Audi gets off the line quicker due to Quattro
•At high speeds the car doesn't hunker down and hug the road
•Taking turns the tesla feels like it's on rails due to its low centre of gravity and understeer isn't evident
•Very large interior and can fit 5 people pretty well

Audi
•Interior is leaps and bounds higher quality when compared to the tesla
•Cabin is way more quiet
•Looks wise it's more aggressive
•LOTS OF LAG
•Being that my tesla doesn't have autopilot the Audi does have more driver assistance features
•At high speeds the Audi hugs the road and you feel so glued to the road
•Taking corners the renowned Audi understeer is present in the beginning of the turn but with a little power it's all corrected thanks to the rear diff
•Interior is smaller and only provides seating for four

All in all, where one car's weakness is where the other one shines. Both are great cars, and it's really a matter of gas vs. Electric and all the advantage and disadvantages come with those.

19hole

I have to disagree with the "LOTS OF LAG" comment. Coming from a supercharged S5 into my S7 I find there is virtually no turbo lag. The difference my be your S7 is a 2013 that had known lag issues while mine is a 2016.

elonepb

Were those issues unique to the 2013 or for all models prior to the 2016 facelift?

Pabla

well I wouldn't say lots of lag, but when compared to the tesla a 0 lag car it is a lot. But from my knowledge there is no difference in the transmission from 2013-2016 but I may be wrong

hinckley

Nice comparison. I just bought an S6 and the P90D was my second choice. Like others, my only disagreement is with your "lots of lag" comment. You just can't compare the immediate 100% torque of the Model S to any other car on the market, including Lambos and Bugattis. Also, I'd add one additional difference - Price. Even with tax credits, a 90D or P90D is quite a bit more expensive than a S6 or S7.

shakazulu12

Flooring it in a Tesla will make any other car feel like it has lag. One of those things you just have to experience to understand.

Indemand

I'm self employed where leasing makes the only sense. Sounds like you might not need to do this and recommend avoiding it. But, I'm loving the S7. Mine is not loaded and the power seems serene. I would expect the Tesla to deliver power even less aggressively (serenely). So whatever floats the boat here. I'm also not in an area where I would dare drive electric only due to lack of support. I am also going to guess deals on a Tesla are harder to find. 3 cents added.

19hole

I have been lucky enough to drive what is probably the fastest electric/hybrid car on the road so I fully understand what driving a performance electric car is like. While the Tesla is pretty nice, drive a LaFerrari and it will feel pretty slow!

bmcds4

I test drove the Tesla before buying the S7. Cool gadgets and the infotainment screen and features are neat. But after driving the S7 with the sports exhaust, done deal. Plus the 2016 S7 was about $20K less than comparable Tesla. A gear head like me can't live with a silent car. I can putter around in the wife's Q5 hybrid if need that fix.