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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I saw a model S in person for the first time about a month ago and was struck by just how bland the car looked. It had a
by Amadou 13y ago
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
I saw a model S in person for the first time about a month ago and was struck by just how bland the car looked. It had a vibe that made me think of mazda and not miata or rx7 but whatever their sedans are called. The kind of styling that wouldn't turn a single head.
Not that there is anything wrong with that, I am a big believer that flashing ones wealth is a bad idea - it's gaudy as well as attracts unwanted, potentially dangerous, attention.
- tokipin 13y agothis is probably more deliberate than you might think. one of the problems electric cars have had is that they have a reputation for being dorky. there is a limit to how "interesting" Tesla can make one of its cars look at the moment that said, i've heard people compliment the car profusely on its beautifulness, so you might be surprised by how pretty it looks to the general public
- ams6110 13y agoone of the problems electric cars have had is that they have a reputation for being dorky Why the gullwing doors then? That's about as dorky as you can get.
- simik 13y agoIndeed, gull wings doors are dorky, that's why Tesla X has FALCON wings doors!
- jack-r-abbit 13y agoJust Falcon Wings. Calling them doors would be an understatement. :)
- nrivadeneira 13y agoI don't think I'd consider the Mercedes SLS dorky.
- csmatt 13y agoYeah, the bird_name doors aren't jiving with me. They do appear to be more practical given the constraints of the vehicle, though. With a conventional door, the swing would be quite wide for the rear doors. The rear of the vehicle isn't long enough to use the minivan-style sliding doors. Would this be any less dorky http://www.disappearing-car-door.com http://www.disappearing-car-door.com ?
- thomaslangston 13y agoFirst of all, thanks for sharing the link. I love idea of doors that fold/slide into the floor. That said I wonder 1) if Tesla's floor mounted batteries would take up the space this tech could conceivable use and 2) if Tesla's extremely high safety rating (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6240862 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6240862) would be impacted by this design (not to a degree that would lower safety beyond an average car, but not up to their high goals).
- filvdg 13y agoThe bmw z1 is the only production car with sliding doors btw http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z1 http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_Z1 it did not meet US safety regulations ...
- pilom 13y agoNot to mention you can't put a roof rack on a car with gullwing doors. This is an SUV that can't have a roof rack and is therefore not useful to a large portion of the people who buy SUV's.
- briffle 13y agoYou think a large portion of the people that buy SUV's use them for anything besides driving to work and the grocery store and home?
- sukuriant 13y agoA large? maybe. The majority? Most likely not.
- Amadou 13y agoOnly 15% of SUV owners ever go off-roading. http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/offroad4x4atv4wd/a/offroadstats.htm http://4wheeldrive.about.com/od/offroad4x4atv4wd/a/offroadst... If you think about it, any 2-wheel drive SUV isn't even suitable for off-roading.
- jack-r-abbit 13y agoBut going off road is not even what we're talking about. We're talking about putting a lot more stuff in or on top of the vehicle. More than you would with a sedan. I have no problems with people who buy a Sport Utility Vehicle and never go off road. Having the Falcon Wings reduce the options for a roof rack is a valid concern that has nothing to do with going off road.
- sukuriant 13y agoIn the states, especially in places that aren't Colorado or Washington, I didn't often see SUVs with racks on the top. Maybe it's just a northern thing...
- 13y ago
- kmfrk 13y agoI felt the same way watching it in a Tesla store for the first time. Between a Tesla and the softer shapes of other cars, I didn't really see the allure. It didn't exactly look like the online promos I had seen.
- NoPiece 13y agoThe Model S designer, Franz von Holzhausen, worked for Mazda between 2005 and 2008! He also did the Pontiac Solstice. The Model S reminds me more of a Maserati than a Mazda though. I think it looks amazing.
- sfjailbird 13y agoLooks to me like a whole lot of Audi A8, some Maserati Quattroporte, and a touch of Jaguar on the rear end. Not a bad lot to take inspiration from.
- pbreit 13y agoAlso, Aston Martin Rapide (not sure which came first). Elon is an avowed Jaguar lover so that makes sense. I don't see as much Audi. I would agree with some previous comments that the design is not extreme which may disappoint some but I think more supports being the best-selling vehicle in its class (gas or electric)(a pretty amazing accomplishment).
- csmatt 13y agoMaserati is what I think of when I see it. It's a beautiful blend between sport/luxury. I think 'normal' is a better description than 'bland'. It's about time we stopped making things look like space pods just because they're unconventional (the original Honda Insight comes to mind.)
- stcredzero 13y agoThe CRX with the transparent rear hatch panel was cool. It lost something when the design was adapted to the original Insight.
- markkanof 13y agoI agree. I've always thought the Model S looks very much like a Maserati, but unfortunately I personally find Maserati's to be the ugliest of all luxury cars so for me that styling is not a positive aspect of the Model S.
- 13y ago
- loceng 13y agoBeing 'bland' / non-triggering will make it more appealing to a general audience, larger audience.
- c2prods 13y agoI agree with you: I don't like flashy design. Yet what troubles me with this car is its doors. It's impossible to get in or out with such doors and such a tall vehicule if you're in a parking lot with a low roof.
- stcredzero 13y ago[citation needed] The Tesla designers have been thinking about that.
- dhughes 13y agoI think the Tesla Model S looks similar to an old Dodge Intrepid. I actually saw a Tesla Model S in person just yesterday as one drove by me going the other direction and it looks like the 2013 Intrepid, but it's nice. It's amazing the car could even be here since it was a tourist and 400 km/h away from home driving around the country-side.
- verelo 13y agoFlashing ones wealth? The car is cheap compared to most BMW's and Audi's on the market...
- JPKab 13y agoThe point he is making is that the Model S has an "old-money" vibe to it. A lot of expensive cars have a "bling bling" style designed to grab attention and promote themselves as status symbols. The Model S doesn't have to stand out from competitors on its ability to be a status symbol through superior/unique styling. It instead stands out through performance, reliability, refinement, and energy source.
- mzs 13y agoI don't know about the old money thinking: http://www.teslamotors.com/true-cost-of-ownership http://www.teslamotors.com/true-cost-of-ownership Old money was buying a new Mercedes, Lincoln, or Cadillac and keeping it 10-20 years. Tesla is promoting the keep it three years mentality. Old money hated the new luxury car depreciation hit and would amortize it over many years in a car with classic styling that would not look dated years later.
- pbreit 13y agoOf BMW's 12 models, the Model S is maybe less expensive than 2 of them (6 and 7). And it is twice as expensive as BMW & Audi's best-selling models.
- verelo 13y agoThe model S starts at $62,400 USD [2] (64814.88 CAD right now) [3] I can count 18 BWM models more expensive than the model S and 14 that are less expensive [1]. 1. http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/newvehicles/configurator/configurator.html http://www.bmw.ca/ca/en/newvehicles/configurator/configurato... 2. https://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/own#/model-x https://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/own#/model-x 3. https://www.google.ca/search?q=62,400+USD+to+CAD https://www.google.ca/search?q=62,400+USD+to+CAD
- 13y ago
- namlem 13y agoI agree about the Model S. I think it looks decent, but not really any better than other luxury cars. I think Audis are significantly more attractive. It's other features that make it awesome IMO. It's quiet, has tons of trunk space, a sweet touch screen interface, and is apparently the safest car money can buy.