Before I begin, all BMW & Porsche bigots (like myself) should schedule a test-drive with Tesla and actually drive one before you make a fool of yourself by saying things which are not true. Go with an open-mind.
Here are the things I liked:- Acceleration: This feature where the electric motor dumps a ton of usable torque (independent of car speed or RPM) is not a myth. I thought the fat-ladden car magazine reviewers are paid to tell us lies but I was wrong. During the test-drive, I tried to coax the torque out at low speed and freeway speed. It's almost instant. Even at freeway speed, a small tap took the car from 50MPH to 85MPH in under 2 secs.
- Suspensions: I was pretty leary about a 4750 lb car being able to skip the hoops like a 3-series. I cannot encourage the car to lean or squat in the tight curves we tested. But, the suspension wasn't harsh either. At high freeway speeds 85MPH, the car felt like a BMW. There was no floatiness at all.
- Sales-person: the company has a non-pushy policy and the entire test-drive developed a relationship almost like an adoption agency. They care about their cars and do not push the car to you. They answer questions intelligently when you asked and there was not a single drop of bad attitude or sales tactic that I can detect. When they don't know the answer, they admit it and followed up with emails about what they have found. I appreciate the low-stress experience: it felt ... nice. I certainly did not get that at a BMW dealership.
- Sales tax: $zero for my State
- Fed incentive: $7,500 tax write-off
- Service: Year 1-4 $600 per visit (usually once per year) and all parts and labor are inclusive; whether it is regular service item or repairs. You can extend this type of service for an additional 4 years.
What I do not like:- $500 fog light !!!
- door slam : sounds a little hollow. They need to find out how to build a door that sounds like a Mercedes.
- $2700 sun-roof: way too much!
- Noise barriers: either they are not experienced enough with noise-barrier technologies or they are trying to reduce the weight of the car, I can clearly hear the tire noise penetrating the cabin. But, minus the fact that there is zero engine noise, it's OK but can be improved.
- No track record of what the car is like after 5-6 years. Do the smaller number of moving parts mean anything over the long haul? How would the electric motor fair when the car is used for interstate traveling?
Summary:
In short, the performance features (torque, nimbleness) are not myths. Accessories are too overpriced.
Yanking your chain:
Now, the hard part ... 85kWh would exceed the performance of a 335i but a P85 would most certainly feel even better.
If they can bring the price line down, there will be a massive adoption.
One has to also take into consideration that we spend around $16,000 or more in gasoline every five years for a BMW 335i, YMMV.