I was only whelmed by my Tesla test drives

Darkenmage

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Plus ALL the Tesla build quality issues all over YouTube - even on model S's...

Misaligned panels, crappy carpet install by seats, paint quality issues that you find after you take a Tesla home, etc, etc, etc.

Yes the MEs are not perfect BUT build quality is superior to Teslas
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SWO

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Teslas have no soul. That is how I explained it after testing an albeit very fast MYP after test driving a Mach-E overnight, which is something that Ford also does with the MME if you can find a dealer that lets you do it. We just went right back to the Mach-E and still happy.
Agree. I consider Teslas as appliances. For some people, all they want in a vehicle is an appliance and that's fine, but it's not for me.
 

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1. Tesla referral program. Customers bite their lips and praise the car to earn the referral bonus. Tesla was like the Amway of cars. Used to be $1000 per referral IIRC. Free wheels, free superchargers, etc.
2. Hundreds of youtubers promoting Teslas so they can earn varous rewards and invitations to Tesla parties. Like the promised free Roadster that still didn't come out after 4 years of announcement and probably never will.
3. Now it is marketing through Hertz on TV etc.. God only knows at what kind of deal Tesla gave Hertz to buy so many cars.
The multi-level marketing aspect to Tesla is one of the huge turnoffs for me.
 

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Agree. I consider Teslas as appliances. For some people, all they want in a vehicle is an appliance and that's fine, but it's not for me.
That was kinda how they wanted it to be. A model A for everyone. Then the cult started and the profit came flowing and they just kept taking profit. Every time someone asks why isn't tesla doing a or b or c. Same answer, profit profit profit. If you're making $$$ hand over fist, WHY on earth would you pivot?

Expand as fasts as possible with all of the $$$ and when conditions warrant, pivot / diversify. Ask coke how that worked.
 

Hammered

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Sound deadening the entire car is the very first mod I do.. Did this to my Premium two years ago and the GT last year. After doing the doors, you will not get a solid "thunk" when closing them (and sometimes complements on how solid they sound). However, I mainly do the doors for a better sounding audio system. Besides coating the entire inner part of the outer door panel with Dynamat, I then cover that with Dynaliner closed cell foam. Now, instead of a metal echo chamber speaker enclosure, you have a very well damped enclosure that completely changes the your audio system for the better. I've had more than one Mach-E owner ask what I did that improved the audio system which they noticed right away. Besides adding a sub, deadening the doors was the only other thing. Many many years ago I worked as an installer for a high end audio company and every high end system we did started by sound deadening the doors.
Glad to hear it. I've done a few interior guts to put the tar foil everywhere. My 2008 tundra was quieter than my 2022 F150, which is leaps and bounds above most other factory vehicles. 90 is just as quiet as 50, which is quiet. There's just a couple spots that need it in the F150. They inject quite a bit of foam into those typical cavities that form. Plus aluminum is just a quieter material than 'tinky' steel.
 
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The Black Horse

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Tesla hype is all ui, app, and tech. Not the car at all.

That being said, after getting the MME for its looks, style, soul, luxury feel.

I am slowly realizing that I would have preferred the faster more capable ui, app, and tech.

I have never been a car guy, always been into tech. Ford sold this car as if there ui and tech was in the same league as a Tesla...it is not.
 

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Tesla hype is all ui, app, and tech. Not the car at all.

That being said, after getting the MME for its looks, style, soul, luxury feel.

I am slowly realizing that I would have preferred the faster more capable ui, app, and tech.

I have never been a car guy, always been into tech. Ford sold this car as if there ui and tech was in the same league as a Tesla...it is not.
Yeah, OEMs in general have a software problem. Ford moving to an android based OS is promise that they recognize the issue. It won't make the hardware any better. The new processor / GPU combo is significantly faster than our galaxy S7s. (up to 19x faster)

Tesla has made their own components. OEMs use stuff that 3rd parties make. Big difference. Tesla's software talent is some of the best, same for spaceX. The traditional weapon makers like lockheed, northrup, etc... have all had issues in getting new talent as tesla and spaceX are seen as the better options. This is evidenced in the fact that lockheed for instance has been putting commercials out. New topgun movie? Yeah, the skunk was everywhere -- and they've also said as much.

Tesla's system uses a purpose built computer with AMD CPU / GPU, of the same flavor that runs PCs. They can, whenever desired, simply start putting newer versions of the CPU/GPU in very easily during manufacturing. Others have to wait for that 3rd party company to make something else. Ford should have recognized this early on -- that computers are becoming part of vehicles. I don't mean like ECU type stuff, but actual PC components / software were migrating into the space. Cellphone CPUs are cheaper and more mass produced so companies have started to use them. They're not a bad option w/ today's hardware as it's advanced a lot, but the MMEs was ~5 years old at launch, and not particularly powerful to begin with. 2 years later it's now 7 years old and feels every bit of it.

Here's an example of what the right talent can do. At points his optimizations increased speed 6x

 

The Black Horse

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Yeah, OEMs in general have a software problem. Ford moving to an android based OS is promise that they recognize the issue. It won't make the hardware any better. The new processor / GPU combo is significantly faster than our galaxy S7s. (up to 19x faster)

Tesla has made their own components. OEMs use stuff that 3rd parties make. Big difference. Tesla's software talent is some of the best, same for spaceX. The traditional weapon makers like lockheed, northrup, etc... have all had issues in getting new talent as tesla and spaceX are seen as the better options. This is evidenced in the fact that lockheed for instance has been putting commercials out. New topgun movie? Yeah, the skunk was everywhere -- and they've also said as much.

Tesla's system uses a purpose built computer with AMD CPU / GPU, of the same flavor that runs PCs. They can, whenever desired, simply start putting newer versions of the CPU/GPU in very easily during manufacturing. Others have to wait for that 3rd party company to make something else. Ford should have recognized this early on -- that computers are becoming part of vehicles. I don't mean like ECU type stuff, but actual PC components / software were migrating into the space. Cellphone CPUs are cheaper and more mass produced so companies have started to use them. They're not a bad option w/ today's hardware as it's advanced a lot, but the MMEs was ~5 years old at launch, and not particularly powerful to begin with. 2 years later it's now 7 years old and feels every bit of it.

Here's an example of what the right talent can do. At points his optimizations increased speed 6x

Amazing response - learned a lot. Thanks for taking the time to respond and inform. Sucks that what you are saying only confirms my anecdotal suspicions.
 

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even a base model Lexus sound system sounds better than the factory B&O system. Go to a dealer and listen to them back to back. I think you will come out of that experience with a different opinion.
nah. I'm good. I'm happy so I'd rather not know. 😂
 
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locks66

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nah. I'm good. I'm happy so I'd rather not know. 😂
I had a Volkswagen golf with just the base audio system and I was amazed how good that sound. I think truly it was better than the system in this . It's not bad. It just doesn't have the right amount of energy to it. I can't really describe it any other way than that. I'm an audio file. Who knows when something sounds good. Not an audio file that can tell you pay the mids are too high or whatever
 

Ghost Ryder

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Tesla hype is all ui, app, and tech. Not the car at all.

That being said, after getting the MME for its looks, style, soul, luxury feel.

I am slowly realizing that I would have preferred the faster more capable ui, app, and tech.

I have never been a car guy, always been into tech. Ford sold this car as if there ui and tech was in the same league as a Tesla...it is not.
I drive the MMEGT 99% of the time and my wife drives the MYP 99% of the time. The other day, I drove it for the first time in a few months, I forgot how much better Tesla tech was. While we fret bout not getting an OTA update to add a frunk button, Tesla gave the MY track mode where you can adjust the mount of power sent to back or front wheels. Gives you finer control of the traction control settings, and G force map as well as battery and tire temp.

Not to mention that the car just feels more responsive. Its just plain faster after 40mph. The Model Y feels airly, while the MME feels intimate.

If tech is important to you, there's no comparison.

The MME does look better though.
 
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locks66

locks66

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I drive the MMEGT 99% of the time and my wife drives the MYP 99% of the time. The other day, I drove it for the first time in a few months, I forgot how much better Tesla tech was. While we fret bout not getting an OTA update to add a frunk button, Tesla gave the MY track mode where you can adjust the mount of power sent to back or front wheels. Gives you finer control of the traction control settings, and G force map as well as battery and tire temp.

Not to mention that the car just feels more responsive. Its just plain faster after 40mph. The Model Y feels airly, while the MME feels intimate.

If tech is important to you, there's no comparison.

The MME does look better though.
No doubt Tesla has the tech locked down. The benefit of a smaller company that started in an era of tech vs 100 year old companies that have bigger ships to course correct.

The move to Android UIs in cars is a welcome addition
 
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I'm sure the S and the X are different beasts all together, but for a car that advertised as a "luxury brand" I didn't get a luxury vibe.
It’s not advertised as a luxury brand though? This is just a perception created by (historic) prices in my view.

with the new prices Tesla will eventually be seen for what they really are (and probably want to be) - cars for the masses with damn good tech.
 
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nah. I'm good. I'm happy so I'd rather not know. 😂
yep it's better not knowing! We have a Tesla Model 3 (2018) and Ford Mach-E (2022, Premium) and I had high hopes for the B&O system but for me personally, I find the Tesla's sound system to be far more full and enjoyable than our Mach-E's. B&O one isn't necessarily bad and it's fine but not amazing as I've gotten used to the one in Tesla for the past years 🥲
 

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My wife and I test drove a Y before I picked up my Mach-E GT. The only thing she liked better were the door handles, she still doesn't like the button to open (I do like it.) She thought the interior was cheap looking, the seats were not as comfortable as the Mach-E that we test drove (which was a standard one, not a GT). When she drove it, she hated looking over at the screen to see how fast she was going. She likes the interior and seats on the Mach-E and thinks they look like quality materials. Since she was one of the top interior designers in our area before she sold her business, that is a really positive statement. I agree with all the statements about the Tesla outdated design and blah feeling. When I get in my GT in the mornings, I smile and look forward to driving it.
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