Insane Acceleration

[Glyn Jennings]

I know this is a bit off topic butI was with a guy today who was admiring my SC. He happened to have a Tesla model 3 performance and I was saying how I am not sold on electric cars. Anyway he was really enthusiastic about his car and offered me a ride in it. Wow, what insane acceleration 0-60 mph in 3 seconds l have never experienced anything like it I was thrown back in the seat so much it almost hurt my back and he went round a roundabout twice really quick and it held the road like glue. It is no looker and there are things I don’t like about it but where can you get that sort of performance for the £25,000 you would pay for a used one. It is one mental car that you have to experience to see how good it is performance wise that will out gun all but the top super cars. Obviously the built quality is not there compared to a Lexus but for bang for buck it is way out there. Just felt I had to share  this in that if ever you get offered a ride in one you will be up for a big surprise.

[steve2006]

I took on a Tesla model S once from traffic lights ….I thought I was in neutral as it disappeared in front of me.

 

[RONNIE W HODGEKINSON]

5 hours ago, Glyn Jennings said:

I know this is a bit off topic butI was with a guy today who was admiring my SC. He happened to have a Tesla model 3 performance and I was saying how I am not sold on electric cars. Anyway he was really enthusiastic about his car and offered me a ride in it. Wow, what insane acceleration 0-60 mph in 3 seconds l have never experienced anything like it I was thrown back in the seat so much it almost hurt my back and he went round a roundabout twice really quick and it held the road like glue. It is no looker and there are things I don’t like about it but where can you get that sort of performance for the £25,000 you would pay for a used one. It is one mental car that you have to experience to see how good it is performance wise that will out gun all but the top super cars. Obviously the built quality is not there compared to a Lexus but for bang for buck it is way out there. Just felt I had to share  this in that if ever you get offered a ride in one you will be up for a big surprise.

I,ve Seen The day where I would be have been Impressed with The speed and Acceleration of the Tesla,, But Not Now.. It Reminds me of the phrase " Never Mind The Quality Feel the Width " But good luck to the guy with the Tesla Would much Rather have  a Slower More refined Piece of kit Like the Lexus.. Just my opinion of course.!!!

[Localhero]

I have had the same experience in my brothers electric BMW, frightening and actually hurt my back, but I went to visit him recently, on the way there stopped at services at Telford where there are 8 tesla charge points, all full and 6 cars waiting,  my sc430  did the round trip just under 400 miles without filling so which is quicker???

[Spock66]

58 minutes ago, Localhero said:

my sc430  did the round trip just under 400 miles without filling so which is quicker???

The hare and the tortoise 🙂

I do wonder if we will see increased accidents with the roll out of electric cars, as many drivers may not be sufficiently experienced with this level of acceleration or accidents from people just pressing the throttle too hard or inadvertently.

[eightk]

I had a Model S P100D. 0-60 in 2.3 to 2.5 seconds depending on who tested it. Nippy.

It literally is organ-rearranging doing a launch from standstill. I never tried Ludicrous mode where it preheats the Battery for better acceleration - there was no point. Any slip road access into any traffic, any overtake, it'd do it. Stop reading here if you enjoy Lexus's Relax concept.

Had it two years from two years old, covered 20,000 miles and it had (from memory) new front CV joints (grinding noises on power), new headlight (sidelight failed - £1200 part!), air con/battery cooling pump (mine was always the noisiest car at the superchargers - new one was the same), drivers door handle, another set of front CV joints plus driveshafts plus bearings (still didn't fix the noise on full power), UV treatment for yellowing screen edges (party fixed), clips for the undertrays kept breaking, and many many software updates which are very clever and done over the air... but when you jump into your car and find they've moved the heating controls overnight it can be a little disconcerting. Every time it was in at Tesla I asked how much it'd be if it was out of warranty for the work they did - it was north of £11,000-worth of repairs when I sold it a few months before the 4 year warranty ran out.

I like my Lexus. And my Kia.

[Spacewagon52]

On 8/30/2023 at 3:49 AM, RONNIE W HODGEKINSON said:

I,ve Seen The day where I would be have been Impressed with The speed and Acceleration of the Tesla,, But Not Now.. It Reminds me of the phrase " Never Mind The Quality Feel the Width " But good luck to the guy with the Tesla Would much Rather have  a Slower More refined Piece of kit Like the Lexus.. Just my opinion of course.!!!

I could not agree more Ron. The poor reliabilty and finish would put me off. I do not need to race about, and to be frank it is very difficult on our busy roads. Wafting along at legal speeds in a 4 litre V8 is an experience you should have before they become extinct!

 

I have nothing against electric cars - just any car that is poorly made and unreliable. hence my choice of Lexus/Toyota/Mitsubishi (in the past)

[javadude]

2 hours ago, Localhero said:

I have had the same experience in my brothers electric BMW, frightening and actually hurt my back, but I went to visit him recently, on the way there stopped at services at Telford where there are 8 tesla charge points, all full and 6 cars waiting,  my sc430  did the round trip just under 400 miles without filling so which is quicker???

Having to queue to charge is rare in my experience. I've only had to wait once and that was at the small/busy gatwick SC site and only for a couple of mins. Next time I did charge near there I charged while going to the toilet at Peas Pottage services where they have a row of new ultra rapids. This autumn there's a new charging forecort going in near the airport with 36 chargers so I'll give that a try if I need a charge.

Also if you're stopping anyway then you just charge while you do whatever you're doing. It just takes the time it takes to plug in and start the charge, no standing around at a smelly petrol pump and queuing while someone pays for their latte and chooses their lottery numbers.

23 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I could not agree more Ron. The poor reliabilty and finish would put me off. I do not need to race about, and to be frank it is very difficult on our busy roads. Wafting along at legal speeds in a 4 litre V8 is an experience you should have before they become extinct!

I have nothing against electric cars - just any car that is poorly made and unreliable. hence my choice of Lexus/Toyota/Mitsubishi (in the past)

Wafting along in near silence is pretty awesome though.

I'm looking forward to Lexus producing a fast/efficient EV saloon or medium sized SUV that has all the comforts and build quality we've come to expect. 

[RONNIE W HODGEKINSON]

32 minutes ago, Spacewagon52 said:

I could not agree more Ron. The poor reliabilty and finish would put me off. I do not need to race about, and to be frank it is very difficult on our busy roads. Wafting along at legal speeds in a 4 litre V8 is an experience you should have before they become extinct!

 

I have nothing against electric cars - just any car that is poorly made and unreliable. hence my choice of Lexus/Toyota/Mitsubishi (in the past)

Profound Agreement David !! Personally i am Impressed by People Who Don,t Impress..!!

[Boomer54]

Look, we are not all wired up the same way, indeed some us are wired up differently on different days. Hence, the one size fits all hardly ever works for anything never mind our choice of cars.

There are certainly days I would like to feel the seat smack my back like a 3ltr Ford Capri could do back in the 70/80's .Thing is 40 years older and had a lot of 'exciting miles along the way (some I would happily have foregone) and today the feel of soft power cruising along with some great Northern Soul filling the air around me is more often my bag for being at peace with the world. Although after watching English Rugby right now I could definitely put the pedal through the floor to blow off steam.

It's all good, because it really is 'different strokes for different folks'.

[Localhero]

26 minutes ago, javadude said:

Having to queue to charge is rare in my experience. I've only had to wait once and that was at the small/busy gatwick SC site and only for a couple of mins. Next time I did charge near there I charged while going to the toilet at Peas Pottage services where they have a row of new ultra rapids. This autumn there's a new charging forecort going in near the airport with 36 chargers so I'll give that a try if I need a charge.

Also if you're stopping anyway then you just charge while you do whatever you're doing. It just takes the time it takes to plug in and start the charge, no standing around at a smelly petrol pump and queuing while someone pays for their latte and chooses their lottery numbers.

Wafting along in near silence is pretty awesome though.

I'm looking forward to Lexus producing a fast/efficient EV saloon or medium sized SUV that has all the comforts and build quality we've come to expect. 

The Lexus NX and latest toyota rav4 phev might just fit the bill if you want a medium sized EV they would be my choice especially the Rav BX ???? But are well over £60k think I will have to get the misses on the game again😇

[Localhero]

On 29/08/2023 at 10:28 PM, Glyn Jennings said:

I know this is a bit off topic butI was with a guy today who was admiring my SC. He happened to have a Tesla model 3 performance and I was saying how I am not sold on electric cars. Anyway he was really enthusiastic about his car and offered me a ride in it. Wow, what insane acceleration 0-60 mph in 3 seconds l have never experienced anything like it I was thrown back in the seat so much it almost hurt my back and he went round a roundabout twice really quick and it held the road like glue. It is no looker and there are things I don’t like about it but where can you get that sort of performance for the £25,000 you would pay for a used one. It is one mental car that you have to experience to see how good it is performance wise that will out gun all but the top super cars. Obviously the built quality is not there compared to a Lexus but for bang for buck it is way out there. Just felt I had to share  this in that if ever you get offered a ride in one you will be up for a big surprise.

Where can you get that performance for £25k? HERE... 2litre astra gte engine 260bhp but weighs less than 10cwt 530 bhp per ton more than a veyron and on any track with the right driver (not me) reckon you could give that Tesla a lap start😆

[Glyn Jennings]

4 hours ago, Localhero said:

Where can you get that performance for £25k? HERE... 2litre astra gte engine 260bhp but weighs less than 10cwt 530 bhp per ton more than a veyron and on any track with the right driver (not me) reckon you could give that Tesla a lap start😆

I not saying the Tesla is great but it is an everyday car that seats five and has an enormous boot. Build quality varies but the model 3 is the most reliable model according to owners. No road tax, no annual servicing and a serene comfortable ride. Even after 50,000 miles the batteries have only lost 5%. So thats the good parts. The negative is long distance driving.Although Tesla have there own chargers which are many more than the competition. Everything is via the touch screen. You can’t even open the glovebox by a button. The insurance for the performance model is sky high. I have 9 years NCB and the cheapest quote is £1300. Where can use that amount of acceleration? It’s not very stylish especially from the front. The juries out for me. I will always keep my SC but changing the RX is tempting apart from the insurance difference Although my RX has suffered very little depreciation in the two years I have owned it. Interestingly most people seem to be firmly for or against electric vehicles unless it is a Lexus of course.

[Littorio]

Well for me a pure EV is currently out of the question, living in a second floor flat with parking but no dedicated parking space and being in a village with no public charging where/how do I charge an EV when at home?

I also travel at least once a month 120 mile where I then have to park on street this would be followed by a 6:30hrs start 200 mile trip the next day and then return the same day at approx 18:00 generally parking in some rural car park. so when an EV can do that on one charge then sign me up. Except, yes I know I have those same type of batteries in my hybrid, but have you seen the damage the mining for Lithium is doing to the planet? 

Coming up this December I have a trip - 120 miles on the Thursday on street overnight, 280 mile on the Friday, local mileage on the Saturday currently no idea where I'm staying the Saturday night as this is being arranged by others, then the complete return on the Sunday, I will currently get home around midnight Sunday/Monday. Could I do this in an EV?

You also have the concern that is being raised over the increased weight of EV's when involved in an accident, a lot are at least twice the weight of a conventionally internal combustion engined version.

[Paul Mingay]

Only the new phev 450h uses lithium ,,the pre 2023 uses nickel hydride I believe 

[Spacewagon52]

23 hours ago, javadude said:

 

I'm looking forward to Lexus producing a fast/efficient EV saloon or medium sized SUV that has all the comforts and build quality we've come to expect. 

That will be the Holy Grail!

[RONNIE W HODGEKINSON]

On 9/2/2023 at 1:17 PM, Spacewagon52 said:

I could not agree more Ron. The poor reliabilty and finish would put me off. I do not need to race about, and to be frank it is very difficult on our busy roads. Wafting along at legal speeds in a 4 litre V8 is an experience you should have before they become extinct!

 

I have nothing against electric cars - just any car that is poorly made and unreliable. hence my choice of Lexus/Toyota/Mitsubishi (in the past)

Totally agree David

[First_Lexus]

On 9/2/2023 at 1:43 PM, javadude said:

Also if you're stopping anyway then you just charge while you do whatever you're doing. It just takes the time it takes to plug in and start the charge, no standing around at a smelly petrol pump and queuing while someone pays for their latte and chooses their lottery numbers.

https://www.spectator.co.uk/article/get-ready-for-the-petrol-station-renaissance/

^^ This is slightly tongue in cheek, but makes an interesting point. Service station stops - whether on the motorway or elsewhere - are generally for convenience only. Nobody in their right mind would want to spend longer than they have to in the current options, perhaps with a couple of exceptions such as the ‘farm shop’ services on the M6 motorway.

That begs the question…as more and more people transition to EVs, and thus have to spend 30-60 minutes charging (assuming no queue to wait to do so) instead of perhaps 5-10 minutes filling up with petrol or diesel, the services must have to adapt to offer a better experience. Or perhaps they won’t bother if it costs money and they have a captive audience anyway!

[Spock66]

8 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

That begs the question…as more and more people transition to EVs, and thus have to spend 30-60 minutes charging (assuming no queue to wait to do so) instead of perhaps 5-10 minutes filling up with petrol or diesel, the services must have to adapt to offer a better experience. Or perhaps they won’t bother if it costs money and they have a captive audience anyway!

It's a good point, plus will need to accommodate 2-3 times the volumes of cars, which at peak times can be pretty congested already.

I would only ever fill up with £10 max at a motorway service station anyway given their extortionate fuel prices.

[First_Lexus]

7 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

It's a good point, plus will need to accommodate 2-3 times the volumes of cars, which at peak times can be pretty congested already.

I would only ever fill up with £10 max at a motorway service station anyway given their extortionate fuel prices.

I’d like to think - perhaps naively - that market towns, villages and suchlike near to major routes would prioritise getting fast chargers and use it as a way of regenerating high streets. I’m thinking less grim motorway service stations and more small coffee shops in a pleasant urban location with plenty of options for shopping and leisure. The journey may become as important as the destination, much as it was in the post-war period when cars were less reliable and there were fewer motorways and major trunk roads. As a child, no trip to the coast was complete without a picnic stop in the New Forest or a trip to a restaurant for lunch or dinner (depending on whether on the way or the return) in Winchester or similar.

Obviously what will actually happen is more chargers in out of town settings with us all condemned to faceless retail parks with nothing but Costa Coffee, KFC, Tesco etc. Perhaps we get what we deserve?! 

[Spacewagon52]

53 minutes ago, Spock66 said:

 

 

46 minutes ago, First_Lexus said:

I’d like to think - perhaps naively - that market towns, villages and suchlike near to major routes would prioritise getting fast chargers and use it as a way of regenerating high streets........  more small coffee shops in a pleasant urban location with plenty of options for shopping and leisure.

Ed this is EXACTLY what is happening in Ambridge!

[Spacewagon52]

20 hours ago, Spacewagon52 said:

 

Ed this is EXACTLY what is happening in Ambridge!

You have been caught Ken! A closet Archers fan like me!

[Ken Timbers]

2 hours ago, Spacewagon52 said:

You have been caught Ken! A closet Archers fan like me!

No, but I did think your comment very funny. You were spot on with the comment about the changes needed in order to make electric motoring fully acceptable. I couldn't put up with all that queueing in service stations!

[Spacewagon52]

2 minutes ago, Ken Timbers said:

No, but I did think your comment very funny. You were spot on with the comment about the changes needed in order to make electric motoring fully acceptable. I couldn't put up with all that queueing in service stations!

There has been a storyline in the radio series about a charging station application with cafe on the edge of the village.