jandkw

This is my story… After 20+ years of mini-van and 7 passenger SUVs and now my kids are grown, I decided to search for a sedan that’s a little more sporty, good looks and performance with high quality. I have been waiting for the ES300h with ULP since September. My local sales rep., told me it is now due mid-December. ES300h attracted me because of the good mpg and Lexus’s reputation of good reliability. I never owned a Lexus before but willing to give it a try. I started to follow Club Lexus and learned a great deal about the ES along with many informative comments from the members, very appreciated. When I test drove the 300h, it was OK, stable, comfortable, quiet and good mpg. The CVT is not what I like but I can live with it. Drivability and performance is average but nothing standout. My sales rep. who refused to negotiate the price and insisted they could easily find other customers. This is the first time in my 30 years of new car purchase/order with no negotiation, very proud dealership.

Before I got interested in ES300h, I’ve been following the Tesla Model S development for sometime. Though the car has quite a lot of publicity lately, Motor Trend Car of the Year, Automobile Car of the Year and awash in many awards, I only sat in the Model S prototype once but test drive was not allowed at the time so I didn’t expect a lot based on my initial viewpoints: a little too wide, little too heavy, little too expensive (about 20K+ than the 300h with ULP). In the back of my mind something continues to push me. That is a company with American design and manufacturing. An innovative and good engineering company that strives for the future EV revolution. I am no environmentalist but an EV with good range makes a lot of sense to me now since I don’t travel much by car anymore. In addition, we can alleviate the dependence of foreign oil along with the notion that we may pay $5 or more per gallon of gasoline someday. If this movement can be a game changer, why not consider supporting the American product and company.

Yesterday I decided to travel 277 miles to the nearest showroom (Tesla has their own showrooms and service centers, no dealer involved), Washington DC to test drive the car. I arrived around 1pm and Beau was there to welcome me but I was very eager to test drive the car. Traffic in the city prevented me to fully test the car but once I was on the freeway and then the country road, I immediately noticed the pull. The car was ridiculously fast. The instant torque from standstill was like Usian Bolt running the 100m dash. The air suspension and chassis made the car very stable, comfortable and absorbed even heavy bumps. The pancake battery on the floor made the center of gravity so low which made turning sharp corners easy and quick. I learned that as soon as I took my foot off the “gas” paddle, the car slowed down quite a bit and I no longer need to step on the brake even for a sharp turn, a new and good experience. The 30 minute ride reminded me of my college days driving habit, GO FAST and ENJOY THE THRILL. This car is nicely sculpted in German flavor which I like. Interior quality is very good but I have a few complaints (cup holder position, lack of center console and window pockets) but it doesn’t prevent me to fall in love with the car.

In the end, the beauty of Model S, the driving excitement and thrill, a well-built and true sport sedan along with the joy of guilty pleasure convinced me to join the EV revolution and willingness the discover the new journey.

Thank you for reading my story.

LexBob2

Interesting reading. Congrats on the new car. I was just reading a review of the Tesla Model S in the new C&D. Enjoy your new ride.

UTAS

@jandkw -

Good story - enjoyed the read. The electric-only vehicles do require a source that probably emits CO2, i.e., fossil-fired power remains a very large percentage of our electric grid, and will for some time to come. The ES300h is a super-ultra-low emission vehicle - designed to produce minimal emissions of certain categories of air pollution at their exhaust, typically 90% less than that of an equivalent ordinary full gasoline vehicle for the controlled pollution categories; Google "super ultra low emission vehicle".

Regarding the buy American product part, Toyota is a Japan / North American company with plants in the south central US as well as Canada - with parts makers / distributers everywhere. Granted, the new Lexus hybrids are designed and manufactured in Japan, but other Toyota products (new hybrids also of the Toyota brand) are designed / made in North America - the new Toyota Avalon hybrid is supposedly a fantastic value. The world economy shifts from one country to another dependent on the bottom line.

My thoughts on the Tesla are: Very new manufacturer with a few or more reliability issues - Google "Tesla reliability". There are some reviews that indicate a few bugs being present, as is the case with any new offering.

As for the Lexus dealership / salesperson you first met: If you have not decided yet, go somewhere else, and there are other more accommodating people. We as humans are very complicated and varied.

I have to admit, though, the Tesla is very intriguing, and if there was a dealership nearby, I might even have visited it - too late for me. Another thought: How well would the Tesla S and other EV's perform in a colder weather climate?

Best of luck on your purchase and choice.

ElliotB

Just curious, how do you handle service issues with the dealer being so far away?


I really like the Tesla Roadster although it is a bit on the small size. You can't tell from online photos but in person, it is small overall. The Tesla Model S appears from the photos to be about the size of the 300h. Is it?

jandkw

Sorry, I haven't been back to this forum until now...To respond to UTAS's comments, I agree with you on reliability to a certain extent. Believe me, I owned many Japanese cars for 20+ years and know how good they are, but the more I follow Tesla the more I realize Tesla is a die-hard engineering company, not a flashy design company like Fisker. Being an engineering trained myself, this is the kind of company and risk I am willing to take. I look at Model S design and engineering and see the simplicity of their design is amazing, flatbed battery, AC motor, inverter, computerized control of the car functions, etc. It makes me wonder why other manufacturers cannot do the same. Since there is no engine in the car, the maintenance is limited. There are a lot of early adopters who are now driving the car and willing to assume the risk and ventures. They provide tremendous amount of feedback for improvements and stuff. Interesting enough, Tesla can improve the car functions by updating their software via wireless, just like Microsoft or Apple update their OS versions.

During winter season the battery cell in Model S should warm up to the operating temperature and depending on the weather condition, it may be a little sluggish at first. It also affects the range a bit.

One of the reasons (say 2) I ordered the Model S is Tesla will have a Service Center closed to where I live (I live in Cary, NC). In addition they are building the east coast corridor and one corridor between Boston and Washington DC is complete. One can charge at Tesla's supercharging station for free. This is a 90amp DC supercharger which equate to 150miles in 30 minutes of charging. For others who do not have the Service Center close-by, the Ranger can come to your house or office for service call ($100/call). My understanding is the rangers will travel many miles to some "remote locations" as well. Based on the early adopters and Roadsters' user report, they are really good.

ElliotB, Model S is a little bigger than 5-series or E-class which they compete. It is a full size sedan like the 7-series or S-class. Although it weighs over 4600 lbs, you really don't feel you are driving a heavy car due to great 0-60 and the handling. Trust me, all the Motor Trend car journalists talked about is performance. For me, performance is secondary, I like the comfort with the active air suspension and you feel you are riding a very solid sedan. Go test drive the car and you'll understand what I'm talking about. One more news is that Tesla is planning to develop a mass product, a little smaller and affordable than Model S (30+K and up). Target production is 2015.

jandkw

I want to close my “In Search of a Sport Sedan” story since I last posted on this forum on 12/26/12. My Tesla Model S (MS) was delivered on Super Bowl night via home delivery from CA. I can write many pages about how great this car is but I let the pros do that, see below:

Road and Track Review:
http://www.roadandtrack.com/car-revi...-tesla-model-s
Mortor Trend: “2013 Motor Trend Car of the Year”
http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/...tesla_model_s/
Automobile Magazine: "2013 Automobile of the Year"
http://www.automobilemag.com/feature...tesla_model_s/

I do want to write about my driving experience and observations.

Driving: I have the 60KW version which rated 187 miles on standard charge (205 rated miles on full range). I owned and drove several premium cars before so I can compare my Model S against these cars. This is a ridiculous fast car due to the torque of the electric motor which provides an instant acceleration as opposed to ICE car which can only reach peak performance at high gears. More important to me is that it accelerates quickly from standstill without feeling the car sway from left to right and therefore it is extremely smooth driving straightline and feel very comfortable. The batteries occupy the entire chassis so the center of gravity is very low and it sticks to the ground really good. The sharp turn is great and precise. MS uses the regeneration brake and I can adjust the severity of regen. When I use the standard mode (high regen) when decelerate, the car slows down quite a bit so I don’t need to use the brake on quick turn. This is like driving my old stick shift, really like it. I am an avid golfer and always look forward to play the next game. This is my first new car that I look forward to drive every morning, weird.

Charging/Fuel/Cost: I haven’t used the gas station for a month now. My car is fully charged every morning using my 14-50 outlet which provides 31 miles/hr charge, plenty enough for my daily use. On average, I spent about $50/week to drive my Acura. With the MS, I spend about $6/week using the Time-of-Use meter my local Electric Utility provides and costs $.05/KW off peak (as opposed to $.11/KW using residential meter). Cost savings in long term is quite substantial. I cannot wait to use the DC to Boston corridor supercharging stations.

Quality/Service: My MS is a well-built car. I can neat pick here and there against my Acura and BMW which I owned for several years. For a starter company which can design and manufacture a car like the MS, I simply cannot explain how. Talent, hard work and dedication did it. I visited my local Service Center once which they opened just last week and turns out it was “operator error”, me. I realize there is no way to know how reliable the car will be but based on how little parts they use and no ICE in front, I am willing to take the risk. Is Tesla going to survive? I bet they will based on the number of reservations this year and their product plan in the next 3-4 years.

Computer Interface/Fun Stuffs: The 17” touch screen is the center to control all the car activities, “Computer on Wheel” may be the better words. This touch screen provides instant responses to the functions and features of the car although the web page can use faster response (3G for now and can be upgraded to 4G later). My iphone has the Tesla app. specific to my MS which I can turn on/off and control the charging, climate control, car location and other functions. A real fun app.

Final Thought: I like competitive products and market place so customers can buy better products. My first new car was Buick Regal and she gave me all kinds of quality and reliability problems I don’t want to mention here. I “swore” I never buy another American again. I started buying Japanese, and German cars which provided stable and reliable products for many years. Now I bought a fuel saving, performer and revolutionary car with high quality and hope it is a reliable one. But it is an American, WOW. I cannot believe myself. This is a movement and a game changer, so why not support American car company again.

Fly4u

Great story, thanks for sharing your sentiments and discovery!

Early adopters reap the benefits of technological freshness and perform an altruistic (if not intended) trailblazing for the rest of us. Whether Tesla becomes a mainstream success is unknown, but I am sure you will enjoy your Model S and not likely suffer buyers remorse.

amphipri0n

Great to hear you are having a good experience with your Model S. I'm considering it as a future purchase mostly for the same reasons you described: American-made, help kickstart the growing EV revolution (without sacrificing power), great form and function.

The only major downside I see is that It is new technology, but I think that is balanced by the fact that the current resale value of Model S is pretty amazing. In some cases, I've read that used sales end up matching or going over the original cost of the car because of the wait time for brand new.

jandkw

I am not surprised to hear the sales is going over the original cost due to long wait time. I know some people waited for over 3 years although Tesla is now in full production and the wait is within 3 months, was told, depending on which version we are talking. I am a little less concerned about the new technology, software-wise since I worked in the technology sector for too many years so I understand and now use it. They have very good development team writing code, correcting bugs and upgrading the features on-going (already have one upgrade since I own the car for a month). Hardware, mainly the battery is a little uncertain, we'll see. The key criteria here is to test drive the car and you will be convinced. I know I did. I am also following the development of the next 30+K and up Gen3 and who knows, I may purchase another one for my other member of my family in 3-4 years.