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this post was submitted on 10 Jul 2023
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Unpopular Opinion
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I've driven probably close to a hundred different Teslas and nearly every electric car currently on the market over my career working with cars, and I completely agree with this take even when you remove Elongated Muskrat and the semi-functional, utterly misrepresented Autopilot entirely from the equation. Sure, a Tesla (in proper working order) feels really good to drive, but practically every other electric car on the market (outliers being the Leaf and the Bolt) are working as hard as they can to capture that same experience and most are doing a really good job if not exceeding that standard. The only differences are that most other manufacturers have what I have to assume is a massively more robust design and engineering team, better quality control, and generally decades upon decades more experience in designing cars in general, and not taking advantage of that as a buyer is a pretty dumb move, especially when you start researching the myriad issues with Teslas. Sure, Tesla may have kickstarted the electric car market, but with all the current, similarly priced options on the market, buying a Tesla is purely for the status-symbol optics or because you actually buy into Elon's BS, which is its own can of worms.
If you were to recommend an EV today based on your experience, which one would you suggest and why?
Well, it depends pretty heavily on price point. Assuming you're looking at the middle-to-slightly-upper end EV market and have a Tesla Model 3 on your list, I'd suggest the Mustang Mach-E. Of the upper scale EVs I've driven, it's honestly surprising how good this thing feels despite all the mental gymnastics involved in it being called a "Mustang." Ford has honestly been killing it with their line of EV offerings, especially the interiors and controls. It's so far one of the only ones I've driven where I've said I'd own one (if I could afford it.)
On the less expensive side of things, the Chevrolet Bolt kind of surprised me with how solid it felt as well. They're way cheap even in comparison to even the Nissan Leaf (I have not driven a current gen Leaf but the older generation were AWFUL) and from what I've seen from the now dead Volt (I know, not an EV but the same general idea) Chevy seems to skew towards well-thought out, overengineered products in this category, unlike some of their traditional offerings. Side note: I think the issue with them catching fire is overblown and not unique to Chevy - it's more a limitation of current battery tech and Ford, Tesla, and practically everyone else has had issues here too.
Kia's EV6 and Hyundai's Ioniq 5 also seem surprisingly nice, although they're not exactly what I'd consider cheap. I can't comment much more on them though because while I've been around them, I haven't had the chance to really drive one yet, but I have driven a slightly older Kia Soul EV (not currently sold new in the States) and was blown away at how nicely appointed they were and how solid they felt for a subcompact, so I have to assume it's an even better experience than that.
If you can afford it, the Mercedes EQE is awesome, but it's a sedan so cargo space is limited. I don't know about the SUV version. I prefer wagons to SUVs because they're more practical. More space and better comfort for same money usually, as SUVs have bigger profit margins. There's also a Shooting Brake version coming possibly, but it looks a bit weird and it's still 2 years out.
The Ioniq 5 wasn't very nice compared to the '03 Mercedes I owned while I test drove it, I was disappointed with its' ride quality, but as a vehicle for someone who's not very demanding in that department, it seemed great.
Avoid the hell out of the Skoda Enyaq. Not comfortable, not cheap, not fast. Idk if it does anything well. I suppose there was decent legroom in both front and back seats.
The upcoming Volvo EX30 will be super fast for its price if you're into that sorta thing, but also super minimalistic, and touch-screen based (newer Mercedes sadly have the same problem). Let me adjust the climate settings with physical switches!
Recommend an EV today in NA? It depends on your use-case. Do you ever want to drive cross country in any meaningful amount of time? Your answer is unfortunately Tesla because of their vast charging infrastructure.
Do you want a city driving and will reserve your cross country driving to a gas powered vehicle? Just about any other EV would be better.
I'm probably not as experienced with electric cars as OP sounds to be, but I really enjoy driving the VW ID3 whenever I get to rent one. It's compact, drives sporty and has a good interior IMO.
If the Bolt/EUV fits your use case it is an unmatched value. I love mine so much. I hope they make an Ultium version by the time I'm ready for a new car.
Also work with cars and absolutely agree. Tesla may have kick-started the market but as a rule in general you're usually better off going with the engineers that have more experience under their belt. The exceptions being if the company is cutting corners to save money which Tesla is supposedly doing anyway so yeah, I'd go with the other guys.