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If you have been following me, you know that I primarily cover the Toyota Prius and other hybrid vehicles. Something that many do not know about me is that I am also following the EV and FCHV market very carefully as well.
I believe that we are heading into a new world of transportation in a speedy way. Staying involved with what is coming allows me to give accurate information to all of my readers and speculate what is going to happen.
My latest adventure took me into the Tesla world with a Model 3 Dual-Motor Performance. I had been in Tesla cars before, but this time it was different. It put me in deep thought of why people could dislike Tesla, and then it dawned on me why.
My Tesla Experience
I had literally just met Kevin that day. All I knew about him is that he owned two Tesla Model 3, one of them being the performance model, and he has a fresh job. Other than that, we shared almost nothing in common, and the last thing I ever expected happened. He let me drive his car to dinner.
I have been in the Model S and other Model 3, but I had never been in his car and had surely never driven a Tesla. Most owners that I have driven with were very protective of their cars and wanted to show them off while they drove. Kevin was the opposite; he wanted me to drive and experience the new ultimate driving machine (Sorry, BMW, you can no longer make that claim).
I hopped in with Kevin in the front passenger seat, and he coached me through the basics of getting settled, then we headed off. The 3 was in hold mode, which allowed me to completely control throttle response and most of the braking from the accelerator pedal. It was strange at first but took very little time to adapt to it.
We wove through the neighborhood and headed towards one of the longer stretches of road. Once we could take on some speed, I was persuaded to floor it, and what came next sent every sense in my body into a full euphoria of complete ecstasy and excitement.
I wholeheartedly believe that in this day and age, driving a Tesla is the equivalent of jumping into hyperspace like on Star Wars. Everything became a blur as I was thrown deep into the plush vegan leather seats. My heart was racing, the first time in years, I was excited to drive, but the adventure did not stop there.
We still had quite a few miles to cover, and Kevin let me know it was okay to drive the 3 as it was intended. I will tell you I had no shame obliterating people in other cars off the line, grinning ear to ear the entire way. Was there anything that could make this car better? Yes, there were several things.
When we came to a cruising road, it was time for cruise control and auto-steer to do their job. Again, never having done this before, I was apprehensive about it, but why? It was a new and unfamiliar experience for me; that is why.
The auto-driving features worked terrifically; I could enjoy a conversation with the others in the car, all while getting to my destination safely. Later on, dove into some of the other features of the vehicle. We toyed around with the voice commands and some of the "easter egg" features of the car.
The overall experience was like a day at the racetrack and spa. I felt excited and refreshed all at the same time. It was the jubilation of the body, mind, and soul. It was the absolute best driving experience I have ever had in a vehicle, and I have driven over 100 different sports cars, pickups, and SUVs.
Why Do People Dislike This Amazing Machine?
Driving and fully experiencing a Tesla in that way got me thinking of how people could dislike these cars. It was then it dawned on me why. Those who do not like Tesla have never driven or owned one. It is that simple.
Are there other reasons for people not liking Tesla, sure. I know there are people out there who do not like having to put tires on it, or there are people who hate to charge it. Others nitpick about all sorts of things, but honestly, anything can.
Maybe you do not like Elon Musk, so what, the car is still phenomenal. Perhaps you think or that technology is aiding to the slow demise of human civilization. Whatever it is, we can agree there will always be opposition.
Conclusion
First off, a huge thank you to my new friend Kevin for letting me drive your Tesla. It was astounding, and I really appreciate it. Second, hate Tesla all you want, but do not be a jealous hater because you have never driven or owned one. Drive one, and then we can talk.
Have a great day, everyone. I hope you are all safe out there. I look forward to seeing you in the next story. What To Do With A Generation 2 Toyota Prius Mysterious Engine Knock.
Watch this Toyota Prius truck with a cute little bed and click to subscribe to Torque News Youtube for daily automotive news analysis.
Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter is also an Instructor of Automotive Technology at Columbia Basin College. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.
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Comments
That is hilarious. My
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In reply to Congratulations on getting a by Jose (not verified)
That is hilarious. My brother's S had far more problems than any car he has owned, and he had an Audi S7.
His Tesla had more problems the first 6 months than my Honda had in 20 years. It was on its 3rd motor by year 2.
If your intention of writing
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If your intention of writing this article is to prove how disgusting a tesla fanboys could be, you have done a terrific job. Lets conckude your first tesla driving experience :
"The overall experience was like a day at the racetrack and spa. I felt excited and refreshed all at the same time. It was the jubilation of the body, mind, and soul. It was the absolute best driving experience I have ever had in a vehicle,"
Woww, feel like porn bet that was your best orgasm in lifetime. You know that tesla is a cult when someone tell you he literally cum so hard driving a tesla.
Finally : Fucck off tesla fanboys, disguting piece of shitt
Tesla. I don’t hate the car.
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Tesla. I don’t hate the car. I just find it impractical for me to use. I work three states away from where my home is. I would love to drive a Tesla to the parking lot, park it, and then drive home. The problem is that it is 250 miles from my house. So I would have 50-150 miles before needing a recharge. Only problem is that I work off shore. So it would sit for 2-6 weeks without being charged. I have yet to be told from a Tesla owner whether or not the car battery can hold up to not being charged for that long. When I do get home, I am using a truck. I am constantly hauling something, either in the bed or a trailer. I am interested in an electric Truck. Heck yeah. Same problems apply. While, I think Tesla makes a good car, I am not sure it is quite the fit for everyone. What car is? Yes, I have ridden in them. My brother in law is a Tesla Fanatic.
You got it all wrong. I don
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You got it all wrong. I don't care about snobby jerky Tesla/Musk fanboys. Weird, non-existant instrumentation cluster is also a big drawback and design/look of Tesla models is bad, but that's not the core reason. The number 1 reason why I don't like Tesla cars is ..... drum roll.... ELON MUSK!!! In fact I would probably very much consider buying a Tesla car if it was still Martin Ebberhard who was in charge at Tesla. The problem with Elon Musk is that he is the ultimate control freak and tyrant. Let me just illustrate that by making few points. There has been numerous Tesla drivers who has been banned from super charging and even fast charging due to the fact that their Tesla car was salvaged - meaning it was repaired without Tesla's blessing. Rich Rebuild, the greatest third party Telsa repairman, had his Tesla cars banned from super charging which makes it much less useful. Second, Musk can remove any of the features in your Tesla car at his whim. Witness Tesla owners who were shocked to find that the feature that was in their car has suddenly disappeared. Why? Befcause Tesla felt that owner somehow did not pay for that feature. Third, Tesla can arbiturarly reduce your Tesla's range any time for any reason. Numerous older Model S owners were shocked to find their range reduced significantly without any notice or explanation. There has been lawsuits against Tesla for this reason. Fourth, Tesla cars depend on Tesla mothership for proper functioning, and mothership can totally control or remotely shut down your Tesla car. Tesla server outage recently caused many Tesla owners from being able to access your car. Finally, and most importantly, Musk doesn't give a hoot about right to repair, even though that is fundamental to making cars more sustainable supposedly a core Tesla mission. Rich Rebuild had to fight Tesla tooth and nail to try to get parts, diagnostic tools and manual.
Recently Rich Rebuild helped a Tesla owner fix a battery nozzle which Tesla was going to charge $22K for entire battery replacment - then he was attacked by Musk fanboys! Bottomline, there is no worse scumbag billionaire leech than Musk, and you would have to be a fool to buy a car which is totally owned and controled by him even after paying large sums for it.
There is only one reason I
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There is only one reason I don't like my brand new 2022 Tesla Model 3. A bad and rude Houston driver (and there are SO many of them!) made a small dent into my 28 day car when parked. The estimate for the dent is $4.7k and insurance companies won't pay the exorbitant labour fees so it the difference comes out of your pocket. I wish someone had told me this before I bought the car.
I could never own a Tesla,
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I could never own a Tesla, every one I know that owns one is a pompous a**hole.
I don't enjoy cars that make
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I don't enjoy cars that make me sick every time I ride in them - who would have thought?! Crazy right? Cars need to actually be comfortable for their human riders and not just a flex for people who like to accelerate fast.
Now, that being said, the model S which my husband owns just make not be for me. Perhaps there is a Tesla out there that will not murder my body and make me never want to get into a vehicle again.
But after reading this article, I think perhaps it's because snobbery and close-mindedness to other people's experiences are turning them off.
I've driven several different
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I've driven several different Tesla models. Don't like the handling of any of them. Despise the way most of them look. Speak for yourself and avoid blanket assertions.
It has nothing to do with
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It has nothing to do with never having driven one or owned one. Some of us just aren't interested in the brand. Why does the EV someone picks have to be a Tesla? These are the same folks that ONLY drink La Croix. Like Bubly or any other brand isn't good-enough. If I were to get an EV it'd either be the Silverado or F-150 simply because, A) They don't look like some kid from 1980 deigned them, and B) They are far more practical for the same price.
The HUGE issue we have with Teslas is what it does to people. It does the very same thing the Prius has done to so many people, it creates people that have nothing else to talk about than their car, how great their car is, how much better it is than gasoline cars, and how everyone around them should join the club. To me it feels like they're compensating for something. Which is why they do things like try to race every clearly-slower car, run red lights and stop signs, cut people off, and park diagonally-across multiple spaces.
I don't want to be part of that club. I don't like the cars, I don't like how they look, their are form over function, which boggles the mind: like if you lock yourself out of a Tesla and both batteries die, your ONLY way in if no tow is around is by breaking the window. How does that make any sense? The dash is boring, you have to park to do things like adjust the temperature because it's all on the LCD instead of physical buttons that are easy to use while driving, nothing about the car engages the driving experience other than it's fast, and it's too expensive. The Model 3 was supposed to be a $30,000 car. Good luck getting a new one for less than $50,000+. And for that price I can get the Silverado or F-150 EV with wy more room, standard AWD, more torque, better towing, a bed behind the cabin for tons of stuff, a huge frunk, and better standard range. The Silverado has 400 miles range. What's the Model 3 got, 200?
And some of us live in areas that when the weather is bad we get flooding and heavy snow. An EV truck will have a much better time dealing with deep water or deep snow than a Model 3.