Anybody go from an S-Class to Model X?

[Bijli123]

Out of curiosity, were you paid to do the commercial?

No I did it for free.

Guys, Vic is a legend in the tech community. His statement about Tesla is a big testament in their favor.

I have a Mercedes C class and VW GTI (which worked great before we had a baby). But once I drove a Tesla, I can't drive an ICE again.

This Monday I am getting a Model X and need to decide which car to replace among the two that I have. Next car is getting replaced by a Model 3. In all possible way, Tesla is a better car. It's is missing a few things but they are working hard on those things.

I have built and sold a few startups. My philosophy there is go in the following order: Functional -> Fast -> Pretty.

Functional means the core functionality is there (e.g. sending a message on FB Messenger). Fast means, you can do the things you need to do in an easier manner (e.g type head of contacts selection in FB messenger vs scrolling through the whole list). Pretty means final polish (e.g. colors and animation).

Tesla seems to be following the same philosophy. Clearly they have nailed the functional with the electric drive train. Right now they are in the fast phase, when they are trying to get usability parity with other luxury cars. In a couple of years they will start focus on pretty. Hang on tight!

Only thing that I wish Tesla had is Automatic Emergency Braking and Cross Traffic alert. I know they have these to some extend, but not as good as Mercedes. I hope that they get better at it by the end of this year. If they don't, I will probably come out of my sabbatical to help them build it.

 

[ilovemycoffee]

Guys, Vic is a legend in the tech community. His statement about Tesla is a big testament in their favor.

Cool!

(Hey VicG, can you talk to Elon about getting the Waze app working in our Teslas? Thanks in advance!)

 

[P100DHG.]

In my quest for my dream car I bought a Model S P100D. I sold my 2015 BMW M3 which was incredible but just had too many mechanical issues. I test drove an S Class which was high on my list and always admired, I walked away super disappointed. Mercedes was a let down. The interior quality of the Mercedes felt comparable to the Tesla frankly. Though the appearance was different I felt like the fit and finish was equal. But the Model S is closer to an A7, or 6 series or CLS. I drove the Audi S7 and later looked at an RS7. I considered an M6 Grande Coupe. The RS7 was just ridiculously nice but I didn't care for the exterior styling as much as my Model S which is what I bought and I have zero regrets.

In June my wife said she wanted an SUV and so we looked at everything out there and decided to double down and bought a Model X 100D 6 seater. She was driving and Audi Allroad. She just went on a vacation for a week and left me to be Mr. Mom and I drove it exclusively. You want to talk about the pinnacle of comfort the Model X is the car. The windshield is amazing, it handles incredibly, it's fast and they made them even faster now. At first I thought the door handles were stupid. Who pushes a door handle. Well with a toddler in one arm, a dog on a leash and my other arm full of stuff I had one finger and guess what you can push a door handle with one finger just as easily as with your whole hand. It's freakin brilliant. The falcon wing doors are brilliant, super functional (I had the opposite view a week ago, I was convinced they were a gimmick) they are just brilliant. Loading is so easy! My only complaint is with the 6 seat configuration with the third row up the trunk is small and with the third row down or golden retriever has no where to go.

Now should I choose between the two and order today and I was only able to get one I'd buy a Model X P100D 7 seater.

I just want to add I own a 2016 GMC Sierra 2500 Denali and it has 6.6 liter V8 diesel engine and is my favorite of all the cars. So I'm not partial to EVs I'm partial to the best available at the time I'm shopping and currently Tesla just has the best out there. I bought both my S and X so I'm in it for the long haul.

 

[Reciprocity]

2 words, auto pilot. Nuff said. Did I mention it's the only EV you mentioned. My understanding is EVs are awesome and ICE are stinky, loud, sluggish and make you look like you hate planet Earth. Easy choice imho.

 

[larmor]

For the OP: I have a similar experience except first we had a mercedes gl450 then a GL550-- the latter was much better in handling and passing speed compared to a 450, but then we got an X... Wow, driving the car, merging, and passing happen at the speed of thought- and i did not get the performance X nor the 22 inch wheels. Compared to a GL550 i feel a similar ride to our X with 20" wheels.

Downsides: the X does not have the brand recognition like a mercedes, so the SO is not as thrilled driving it. The space in the back is smaller but...

Upside: front trunk- used to keep food, as i can't stand getting food and then having it smell up the car. Rear trunk has a compartment below the main level, which suffices for almost all my carrying needs. FWDs for ingress and egress are superior, and love being able to park the X in smaller parking spaces and not worry kiddos open doors too fast and ding other cars. Also, by size comparison, at least for a 2012 gl550 vs. model x, the MX fits into a smaller space vs. the GL. I have used AP1 extensively, and it works in heavy stop and go traffic and reduces the 'gripping' feeling that comes with heavy traffic. I have driven over 22k miles in about 11 months, at least 80% are on AP.

While others have commented on interior luxury comparisons, for me, the MX really represents driving at the speed of thought.

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Guys, Vic is a legend in the tech community. His statement about Tesla is a big testament in their favor.

I have built and sold a few startups. My philosophy there is go in the following order: Functional -> Fast -> Pretty.

All very well and good, but one thing to remember: not all share the same interests as technology legends, enthusiasts and investors.

Certainly Tesla attracts a lot from those groups of people (California car, after all), but they are not automatically answers to OPs question. It depends on what the OP values, whether or not the answer is the same...

 

[AnxietyRanger]

Downsides: the X does not have the brand recognition like a mercedes, so the SO is not as thrilled driving it. The space in the back is smaller but...

Your small mention of the SO is interesting and telling of how different people have different backgrounds and views.

I bet TMC has a lot of people (and the tech sector as well as people with environmental thinking in particular) where Tesla has exactly the right kind of brand recognition and Mercedes has the wrong kind.

Just goes to show how different priorities and opinions can be based on where you are coming from.

On TMC - and in the wider Tesla and EV driving community - we are a bit in a bubble, IMO.

 

[tescroft]

Don't buy an ICE legacy car any more. You will regret it.

I switched from Lexus Hybrid SUV to Tesla SUV. Lexus had four cool interior features Tesla has not (steering weel automatically pulling away when getting out, coat hoak, grab handle for passenger, cup holder in outlet nozzle). That's it. I would not change again for just a second.

 

[skilly]

2 words, auto pilot. Nuff said. Did I mention it's the only EV you mentioned. My understanding is EVs are awesome and ICE are stinky, loud, sluggish and make you look like you hate planet Earth. Easy choice imho.

I would agree with you in the future tense. Today, not so much....trying it might talk someone right out of a sale today.

I was a user of AP1 in my P85D. I just picked up my new P100DLX yesterday and played around with AP2. Of course there are tons of threads on this subject, but my god, its a nightmare in comparison. Ive resigned to turning it off until the next release...the way it jerks all over the road and then tries to correct itself and ends up making it worse.

They have a way to go before it becomes a selling feature in the present tense. That said, incredible machine that I don't hesitate for a moment picking over the S63.

 

[Reciprocity]

I would agree with you in the future tense. Today, not so much....trying it might talk someone right out of a sale today.

I was a user of AP1 in my P85D. I just picked up my new P100DLX yesterday and played around with AP2. Of course there are tons of threads on this subject, but my god, its a nightmare in comparison. Ive resigned to turning it off until the next release...the way it jerks all over the road and then tries to correct itself and ends up making it worse.

They have a way to go before it becomes a selling feature in the present tense. That said, incredible machine that I don't hesitate for a moment picking over the S63.

You might have a calibration issue, 2 AP2 vehicles and AP is nearly flawless.

 

[Maximilien]

If Tesla Model S and X weren't born, I would have chosen the Mercedes S class, the epitome of the luxury cars.

Between S and X, it is a tough choice but I like X better for its spaciousness and utility.

 

[rainforest]

Like I said, I have both, and the S class is definitely a more comfortable and luxurious car. But Tesla's offer many things that ICE cars cannot. At the end of the day, I would still choose a Tesla.

After driving an EV, just the act of starting a fossil fuel motor feel terribly archaic.

 

[SDRick]

rainforest

Since you have both the Tesla and S class, on a percentage basis, which do you use more?

 

[lux_cars]

rainforest

Since you have both the Tesla and S class, on a percentage basis, which do you use more?

Controlling for autopilot convenience (assuming your Tesla didn't have autopilot or your S-Class had Drive Pilot), what would you say is your percentage usage of each?

Is it current gen S-Class?

 

[Spidy]

Controlling for autopilot convenience (assuming your Tesla didn't have autopilot or your S-Class had Drive Pilot), what would you say is your percentage usage of each?

Is it current gen S-Class?

Not sure if you or everyone is aware, but the facelift S-Class was just presented a few weeks ago and should be available later this year. One of the big updates is that it gets a improved version of the E-Class Drive Pilot, which now for example takes map data into account.

You can get a quick look of it in action around 1:05:05.

 

[rainforest]

Controlling for autopilot convenience (assuming your Tesla didn't have autopilot or your S-Class had Drive Pilot), what would you say is your percentage usage of each?

Is it current gen S-Class?

Mine is the current generation S class. It is 4 years old.

Technically, the S class is my dad's, but I have driven it very regularly and know it well. But after getting my X, I have no desire to drive the Mercedes, but only because it's an ICE car.

Like I said, the S class is superior in many ways, but the Tesla is superior in many other ways. The benefits actually don't overlap much.

The S class is superior in moniker, ride, quietness (esp on the highway), interior design, fit and finish. One point I want to emphasize is that in terms of a luxury interior and ride, the S class is FAR superior. There can be no argument here.

The Tesla, meanwhile, benefits in terms of cool factor (those FWD get stares everywhere I go, whereas nobody even notices my S class), software updates, autopilot, home charging (every morning your "tank" is full), storage, acceleration, real time traffic maps, no need to idle if your HVAC is on, and almost no regular servicing requirements (S class needed to change the brakes already for CD$2000 or so, along with all those silly fluid changes).

As you can see, they are superior in different ways. But like I said, after driving an EV, driving an ICE car is like going back to Kitty Hawk for your next flight. And today, I drove 360km with my family for a pointless day trip in my X because there's no guilt about wasting gas!

 

[tescroft]

Not sure if you or everyone is aware, but the facelift S-Class was just presented a few weeks ago and should be available later this year. One of the big updates is that it gets a improved version of the E-Class Drive Pilot, which now for example takes map data into account.

You can get a quick look of it in action around 1:05:05.

Mercedes is catching up and offers now some features in the new S-Class, which Tesla does not, neither in Autopilot V1 nor V2.

- hands-free lane changing without touching the wheel to initiate the lane change (unlike Autopilot, just setting the indicator is sufficient in the Merc)
- automatic speed adjustments to traffic signs
- the S-class also has a back facing radar with a wide-angle range of 40 m and a narrow angle range of 250 m. It detects overtaking cars from 80 m according to the manufacturer.

Here is a link to a test (german): Mercedes S-Klasse im Test: Das selbstfahrende Auto ist schon sehr nahe - Golem.de

Hands-free is limited to 15 sec max in the new S-class though. This makes the feature mostly useless IMO. I would still go with the Tesla Autopilot which offers longer hands-free intervals on highways. The Mercs drive pilot cross acceleration is also very limited.

 

[kort677]

If Tesla Model S and X weren't born, I would have chosen the Mercedes S class, the epitome of the luxury cars.

Between S and X, it is a tough choice but I like X better for its spaciousness and utility.

if the tesla didn't come along I'd still be in my awesome looking, great riding, great interior MB SL, however because I bought a model S there is no going back. My wife still drives her MB and other than a short ride to the stores I never drive her car anywhere.

 

[JeffreyY]

Mercedes is catching up and offers now some features in the new S-Class, which Tesla does not, neither in Autopilot V1 nor V2.

- hands-free lane changing without touching the wheel to initiate the lane change (unlike Autopilot, just setting the indicator is sufficient in the Merc)
- automatic speed adjustments to traffic signs
- the S-class also has a back facing radar with a wide-angle range of 40 m and a narrow angle range of 250 m. It detects overtaking cars from 80 m according to the manufacturer.

Here is a link to a test (german): Mercedes S-Klasse im Test: Das selbstfahrende Auto ist schon sehr nahe - Golem.de

Hands-free is limited to 15 sec max in the new S-class though. This makes the feature mostly useless IMO. I would still go with the Tesla Autopilot which offers longer hands-free intervals on highways. The Mercs drive pilot cross acceleration is also very limited.

Watched the video. Agreed they are catching up but you do realize that Tesla does have hands free lane changing with just the indicator and does have automatic speed adjustment to traffic signs.

J

 

[tescroft]

Watched the video. Agreed they are catching up but you do realize that Tesla does have hands free lane changing with just the indicator and does have automatic speed adjustment to traffic signs.

J

With my car, both does not work. You've to give the steering wheel a little push first for lane change. And while it detects the speed, it does not adjust to it (autopilot V1).