Cross Shopping the Tesla
 

Has anyone else considered Tesla? I took a test drive in a Model 3 recently and came away impressed with what they've accomplished. It's a much smaller car than the e-Tron (Model X would be a better comparison), but for the money the performance, range and tech are compelling and the supercharger network is up and running today. Still not a fan of the tablet controlling just about everything with no gauges visible otherwise and the fact that their service center is 3 hours away from where I live. Still haven't pulled my deposit yet and hope that we can get a test drive before committing in full. Would love to hear from others about your thoughts.

My mother owns a Model 3 and brother-in-law, a Tesla X. I've driven and ridden in both.

My thoughts are this, unless you plan to only do short trip driving, forget about all electric cars.

That said, both are nice enough. The X is definitely high end and luxury. It better be for the price, and is.

The Model 3, on the other hand, seems cheaply made and over priced. Very stark, boring interior; which as you know, is where you spend ALL your time. iPad for everything reeks of cost cutting. I feel and see no passion or character at all in the Model 3. It is feature rich but zzzzzzzzzzz. It's like dating a smoking hot women but she just yawns and reads her phone while having sex.

I think that Audi can build a better car but Tesla makes a better electric car. Aside from the charge rate, most aspects of Tesla's EVs are better (range, efficiency, power/torque, solid charging infrastructure). You're right, the supercharger network really does cover almost anywhere you want to go and its proven to be reliable unlike most other providers. You also get a lot of good features like autopilot and EV-unique features like camping mode.

The e-tron fits my needs better but I'm an EV enthusiast in general and Tesla has made a compelling product that has taken significant market share from other luxury brands.

No Thanks on the Tesla, too many reliability problems is all models, especially Model X, and too pricey. Superchargers are great, but Electrify America will be faster charging, and fully available where I live.

BonedaleA4, if you are considering the Model 3, the recent $1100 price reduction should be a welcome change. That makes the performance model about $57,000 after incentives. I saw in your signature that you currently have a 2010 A4. The model 3 would be a heck of an upgrade with it's 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. Of course, I still think the e-tron and model 3 are apples and oranges so it really comes down to what your needs are.

Before i bought my C7 i look at model S, here in canada we did not have many if any superchargers so i decided to look elsewhere. Once i am ready for a new car i will only do electric and i am hoping the germans will bring some competition for the tesla range as model S is not only decent but free charging with all the superchargers! Quality wise, i am not 100% but sure are less things to go wrong mechanically but more electronically.

Only time will tell how does the Audi e-Tron fares with the american made tesla.

For me i would avoid model 3 as it does not have extra features that i am accustomed to.

I agree with the fact that we'll just have to see how reliable the e-tron turns out to be. Although I'm still a fan, my S5 had many interior fit/finish problems as well as rattles. It also required a $4000 clutch replacement at 30,000 miles. My A8L needed an $8500 transmission replacement after 50,000 miles (thankfully under warranty) and several other engine related issues. So Audi is far from perfect. I'm not upset about those items, it just makes me understand that every car company/product can have problems. Ironically, my Chevy Volt has needed nothing over the last 8 years so I'm all in for an EV future.

I think it'll come down to charging infrastructure ultimately. If Electrify America can deliver as they've promised I'll probably choose the e-Tron. Range remains a factor for me but having an Audi dealer 20 minutes away is a definite plus. As much as I love the acceleration of the Teslas the practicality of the e-Tron will probably win out.

which practicality are you referring to?