She's electric

[pete]

Me"I've booked us a test drive, BMW are going to lend us an i3 for a few days."
Her"A what?"
"An i3. It's an electric car."
"Why!"
"I thought it might be a laugh."

<some days later>

Her "That's a fantastic car. We need an electric car. But not that one, one that goes further, is there anything?"
Me "There's a Tesla but they are very dear."

<some days later>

Her "I've booked us a test drive in a Tesla - I tried to get him to lend us one but he said no, still they are coming to Glasgow next week and we are booked in."

<some days later>

Salesman " Yeah we broke the other one, so it's not as long as we'd hoped, we can go down the motorway and come back through town."
Me "Can we not go up to Newton mearns instead?"
"Ooo we could do the Stewarton road but we've not time."
(Turns out salesman is local)

So the Tesla is VERY nice. We drove the slow one and it is really quick, it's comfy, the inside is lovely. Not as nice as Dom's E class (IMHO) but i think that is just a taste thing. The tech is VERY good, it has autodrive which works about as well as a good cruise control system. So not perfect, but it keeps it in lane and watches out for other cars. you have to watch but you can largely let it steer on the motorway.

It wasn't the best route or the best time of day but the car's really impressive, that is to say you don't really notice any downside to not having a petrol car. The failing was (other than the price) the size, it's a massive car, but we take bikes places and they'd always have to go on top. Ironically the Golf, which is much smaller overall, can take more bikes inside because it is slightly taller .

I should probably have taken him on the offer of coming back for a shot in the fast one, but I think that might have been a temptation too far...

I may have mentioned having an Elise and towards the end the salesman asked if I knew a guy who didn't wear shoes and had i ever heard of Scottish Elises... Turns out he's Andy G's cousin!

[mckeann]

so you're saying an Ex-Mckean golf gti is better than the tesla. Imagine how good an Ex-Mckean Kawasaki ninja and Transporter Sportline would be :O

[robin]

It would certainly be better at transporting bikes! Until it broke down, obvz.

[mckeann]

Transporter has been loving cherish. It's the only vehicle I've never vmaxed.

[woody]

Had a look at the 330e yet? Know that's cheating a bit though.

Did like the i3, but range renders it void.

[pete]

so you're saying an Ex-Mckean golf gti is better than the tesla. Imagine how good an Ex-Mckean Kawasaki ninja and Transporter Sportline would be :O

I'm saying it fitted in my life better.

Or possibly I overthink buying cars, that is to say I overthink the cars I don't buy and MASSIVELY underthink the ones I do buy.

4k for the Transporter.

[pete]

Had a look at the 330e yet? Know that's cheating a bit though.

Did like the i3, but range renders it void.

Mrs Pete wants an all electric car, in fact she wants a Tesla. I dunno, I'm kind of wishing that I'd driven the faster one now.

The way it accommodates the technology is fantastic, it's just seamlessly part of the car whereas you know that even in the most modern of modern cars the tech is grafted on. You almost don't notice it.

[Doc883]

http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/bmw/i3/935 ... 016-update

[Dominic]

Not as nice as Dom's E class (IMHO) but i think that is just a taste thing.

[pjlarge]

I had a drive of the roadster about 4 years ago. Had it not been eye wateringly expensive, I'd have bought one.
As I read somewhere this week, once you've driven one you'll realise how antiquated the internal combustion engine is.
The sooner they get the small saloon to market the better. It'll be a game changer I'm sure.

[jj]

Not as nice as Dom's E class (IMHO) but i think that is just a taste thing.

Do you mean the interior? I've got a new CLS (supposed to be "nicer" than the E inside) and every tesla I've sat in was far better screwed together than the mercs. Tesla interior quality I felt was different ballgame.

[tut]

if you have a spare £55K pete you could buy a used 285HP, but I could just see you in the 761hp if you have £95K.

tut

[tenkfeet]

Not as nice as Dom's E class (IMHO) but i think that is just a taste thing.

If Mercs looked as good on the outside as they do inside I would have one.

[neil]

Surely with low fuel prices you should be looking at V10's rather that this electric guff

[thinfourth]

The i3 does come with a range extender model which as a generator onboard

But i will agree that electric cars make an internal combustion engine seem like a left over from the steam age