SW17LS

Its not free, its included. Theres a difference

I would disagree, based on what I value. The Tesla is fun to sit in at the mall and play with, but I honestly have no desire to own one. Even for $60k, I'd still buy the GS. Its all about the interior for me...the tech displays are the only part of it that is remotely appealing to me.

My point is that what is important to you is not automatically important to everybody else, so don't fall in the trap of crying that the Lexus is so far behind and blah blah blah because for dare I say most consumers, thats not the case. Lexus is building a car, not a piece of technology...and they're building it for the biggest subset of buyers. Technology from companies that build just technology will ALWAYS be better...and the Tesla is built more as a piece of technology than it is a car.

blacksun

LOL, good one! Here is my counter argument:

- Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CarPlay...ers_and_brands

So basically ONE manufacturer has exactly one model currently being sold with in-car tech you find acceptable and its base price is over $275,000.

I clearly said in-car tech isn't great, but I also understand why it is behind.

blacksun

I tip my hat to Tesla, I haven't used their system myself but I've heard very good things. Tesla had a clean sheet to start with and they got it right. With that said, the company has only one product to focus all their engineering efforts towards and that one product basically consists of powerful electric motors and a bunch of batteries.

CleanStock

I have to admit, I sometimes feel underwhelmed by the technology in the GS, but I'm a technology freak. I can admit that. I would kill for apple car play in the 13' or at least better integration. My family is 100% apple integrated and that's not going to change any time soon. I wonder why nobody is trying to make an open source OS for different car navigation systems..could be a big market if done right.

blacksun

I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that Google is working on an open-source in-car system based on Andriod. I don't know how far along they are in its development.

AL13NV8D3R

Actually a Tesla was up there in the list of vehicles I was looking at to purchase. But I picked the GS not because of the Tech. I bought it because i need a posh, smooth and great drivers car that will spoil you while going from point a to point b. The Tesla is amazing with its tech and speed and handling and what it lacks is what made me choose a GS. Interior quality is not up to Lexus standards. The Tesla seats were just ok but not as good as the GS. Everything in the car was hard plastic. The only thing its got going for it was the incredible electric motor and TV sized infotainment screen dab smack on its dash. But those were not enough for me to switch to Tesla.

Now if I can have everything Tesla currently has to offer and combine that with a Lexus/Mercedes interior and comfort at less than $120,000 then i would be the first person to preorder one.

Im2bz2p345

Totally agree that the Tesla Model S isn't as luxurious on the inside as a Lexus! The leather is definitely not as "plush" and there is plenty of use of plastic (as you mentioned). For their very FIRST sedan though, they've done one hell of a job overall.

Would love a combination of both as well. That would be amazing! They are definitely a company that I have my eye on though because I believe they will continue to push/drive the car industry (which had been long overdue).

~ Im2bz2p345

AL13NV8D3R

You are right and I too want them to succeed. If only someone with some business experiance and massive amounts of money would go into business and create a competing brand to compete against Tesla, only until then will we see a giant pust in technology. And if there was another company like testa exist these cars will be more affordable to the general public and by the time I am retiring from work all cars would be electric or hybrids. We can only dream....

PirelliRC

If comfort, speed, and luxury are what you are looking for in a vehicle under even 100K, i would highly recommend getting the new Mercedez Benz S 550. My father has one and i drive it from time to time. Holy Heck. We all know how luxurious and comfortable the S Class is, but the new one does 0-60 in 4.7 secs. Its a rocket ship. Yes the +85 Tesla is a few tenths of a second quicker but who cares. Man im telling you, if you took the Mercedes badges off the vehicle and you drove it, you would think you were driving a Bentley Mulsanne without dishing out 250K.

Now i dont want any global warming fanatics to get all worked up about this whole Go Green movement. *cough* BS *cough*. In actuality, and ive done my research so please do yours before you disagree, if the electric current being supplied to the outlet happens to come from a coal power plant, well in order to harness that power, the process pollutes almost as much as a gasoline engine. Not the same but its really close, you will not be saving any Polar Bears or Penguins by driving a Tesla or Prius. I can assure you that my friends. UNLESS you charge your car with solar power or wind turbines. How many of you have a wind mill in your back yard ?

And before my Lexus buddies un friend me, i would suggest the Lexus LS 460, however the new Mercedez S Class is much faster and luxurious. I mean with the Intelligent Drive, the darn car could pretty much drive itself (almost) while you are calling your employees

bigblack06

iTrader: (20)

+1 on that I really dislike the interior on the Tesla my only issue with that car.

coach1

We defiantly have a generation gap going on in this regard. I remember when a radio was a luxury option. I get that some, these days, have turned their cars into an offices, which there in, may be the safety problem on our roads. I get technology. I was apart of the advancements having been an engineering manager at a GPS company.....but as SW13GS stated, simple, user interface, user friendly, is extremely important when you put this technology in a car. Some technology doesn't belong in a car for the safety of others.
We have become a self indulgent society. People drive these days like no one else is more important than they. Information overload, time management, and packing so much into a day. Until our cars can take over driving on their own we need to control how much multitasking we do behind the wheel. Just my Opinion.

99alta

http://goautoo.com/2015-acura-mdx-ch...apple-carplay/

2015 Acura MDX has CarPlay.

Don't know how well it's working for Acura. But the point is the technology is coming and being implemented in vehicles I can afford!

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

I disagree with you. The primary reason of enormous success of Tesla model S is that the company successfully managed to bring the two together, Technology and Automobile. Many tried and while many showed some success in one way or another, they never could accomplish what Tesla have done with Model S.

Model S is an electric automobile with about 300 miles range. It is a full size car, can accommodate five people comfortably, and has pretty good utility. As an automobile first and foremost it is incredibly fun to drive with great balance and precision. Its acceleration level is on par with that found on M, RS and AMG cars. Model S is the first of its kind to offer those great characteristics and for that reason it has become the most successful electric car in the history.

As you said it has tons of tech (not counting powertrain tech only), which is far more advanced than those found in Lexus (that perhaps you did not say, now how can you lol). As far as its interior shortcomings I have to agree with you on that. But in the light of other accomplishments I have to give Tesla a huge credit for bringing Model S that no other giant auto manufacturers could. And this is just a first step. Tesla will upgrade its cars and will introduce other models as well. I am pretty sure they will get better and better.

All in all great automobile and tons of tech that what made Model S super successful. Model S represents a future in its current incarnation.

SW17LS

I give Tesla a ton of credit, theres no question they have built a great car and its very successful when viewed through the scope of what it is (a limited run niche vehicle). I also appreciate what they are trying to do in terms of pushing the industry forward.

BUT, *I* would not buy the current Tesla Model S...I wouldn't be a buyer at $60k, let alone $100k-120k. There are MANY cars at that price range I would rather have, gas or not. I don't have a strong desire for an electric car, and the technology while cool doesn't really appeal to me in the scope of what I want out of a car. My main issue with the Tesla is the interior. I love a luxurious luxury car interior, I would not want to sit in a Tesla every day. Cool TFT screens and nav systems, etc doesn't outweigh a plasticy, cheaply carpeted and upholstered, flat and uninteresting cabin IMHO.

I'd certainly rather have an S550...an LS460, an A8, a 7 Series, a Jag XJ...the list goes on and on. Some of those cars I can buy AND save $20,000+ over the cost of a comparable Tesla...which buys a lot of gas.

salvadorik

iTrader: (1)

Fair enough SW13GS. It is a personal preference and many consumers still prefer to choose Lexus, BMW, Benz etc over Tesla. Other than worse interior, which looks everybody agrees upon, there are other factors that play role in consumer preferences. One major reason is a range anxiety. Batteries take a lot longer time to charge, significantly fewer electric stations, fewer miles per charge compared to a full tank of gas. On top of that the technology is still new and consumers are skeptical about its long term reliability. In today's market I would not buy Model S as well. Primarily for the reasons stated above (not just because of interior quality).

But compare the tech Tesla to that in Lexus, it is clear that Tesla is way ahead of Lexus. Honestly, Lexus's Enform is in the middle of the pack, nothing innovative here. My 2012 Audi A6's infotainment system was more advanced than the current system that Lexus uses. Clearly Lexus needs to work on it a lot. User interface (UI) in Lexus is pretty boring. Navigation maps layout and the way it looks is also pretty bland. It is obvious that Lexus needs to take a lesson from its German counterparts when designing UI.

Look at what Audi has done. They recognized that technology advances a lot faster than the cars get refreshed (normally 6 years per cycle and mid facelifts every 3 years) so they developed upgradable infotainment system. To upgrade the technology now owners don't have to wait until the new generation cars be introduced. They can simply swap the hardware box while keeping the same car.