5 ms·

I think these comparisons are useful. You are comparing cars that don't really compete, yet the Tesla matches or outperforms them. I personally like to know th

by umsm 13y ago

I think these comparisons are useful. You are comparing cars that don't really compete, yet the Tesla matches or outperforms them. I personally like to know that it's faster than X or better equipped than Y or drives better than Z.

sliverstorm 13y ago
So you would also be very interested in a shootout between a Tesla and a dirt bike? They don't compete, but if the Tesla can go round a *pavement track better, I guess that's useful?
- umsm 13y ago
  Please re-read my original comment. I did say cars. I wouldn't buy an AM because I need a 4 door sedan for my lifestyle. Yet, isn't it useful to know that it is as refined as a high-end sports car?
  - sliverstorm 13y ago
    I did say cars. Fine. So you'd be interested to see the Tesla compared to a WRC car, and you would find it useful to hear that the Tesla can pull higher g's on an asphalt skidpad and has a nicer interior? isn't it useful to know that it is as refined as a high-end sports car You got that out of this video? They barely even mention fit-and-finish. The main focus between the two is the acceleration comparison, which says zilch about refinement.
    - jlgreco 13y ago
      "So you'd be interested to see the Tesla compared to a WRC car, and you would find it useful to hear that the Tesla can pull higher g's on an asphalt skidpad and has a nicer interior?" Sure, I'd read that article. Throw the Tesla onto a dirt track too, I'd read that as well. Hell, I want to know if it can go upside-down in a sewer tunnel. I don't see the problem here.
      - sliverstorm 13y ago
        It might be interesting out of sheer bemusement- especially if they take the Tesla around a WRC track- but it's ultimately a meaningless comparison. Oh, the Tesla has a nicer interior than the stripped Subaru racing shell? Count me impressed! (said no one)
        jlgreco 13y ago
        Admittedly I am more in the market for being entertained than impressed. Unfortunately I would be very surprised if Top Gear touches a Tesla car again with a 10-foot pole (and I can't say I blame them).
        kbenson 13y ago
        Same here. I would also be very surprised if Tesla touches Top Gear again with a 10-foot pole (and I can't say I blame them, either). I think they both had wildly different expectations of what was appropriate in that situation. Neither came out looking very good, IMHO.
        sliverstorm 13y ago
        It was a clash of TV cultures. In America, there's an implicit expectation that your "sponsorship" will elicit positive things, tit for tat. In the UK, they get away with all sorts of blasphemy- they are free to bash the cars that get provided for reviews. If you watch Top Gear UK much, you'll notice they criticize plenty of cars, even ones that were on loan from the manufacturer. (This is part of why Top Gear America is but a shadow of Top Gear UK)
        nknighthb 13y ago
        What the hell? Top Gear lied. Tesla wasn't expecting special treatment for sponsorship, they were expecting a modicum of honesty. You don't get to put this down to "culture clash" unless you're defining "ethical" and "unethical" as cultures.
- plorkyeran 13y ago
  If a Tesla managed to do a better job at being a dirt bike than an actual dirt bike I'd sure like to read an article about that.
lambdasquirrel 13y ago
It's also not just another drag race. Notice they did the race from a moving 30mph, while the Aston Martin was in second gear. The Tesla only accelerates after the Aston Martin starts spooling up. This is not a from-0-mph which would throw the advantage into the lap of the Tesla. Maybe putting the Aston into 1st would be more fair, but that's not a realistic real-world test. You don't mill around town in 1st gear. It's a surprising result because having full-torque at all times still helps when you are milling around at local-town speeds. It's not just an electric-car pony trick.
- DanEdge 13y ago
  It's true that you don't tend to mill around town in first gear but the title of the post is 'Tesla Model S outperforms Aston' which implies to me that both cars were performing optimally. I bet most people hadn't picked up on the fact the Aston was in the wrong gear for a race. I hadn't until I read your comment.

by umsm 13y ago

sliverstorm 13y ago

So you would also be very interested in a shootout between a Tesla and a dirt bike? They don't compete, but if the Tesla can go round a *pavement track better, I guess that's useful?

umsm 13y ago
Please re-read my original comment. I did say cars. I wouldn't buy an AM because I need a 4 door sedan for my lifestyle. Yet, isn't it useful to know that it is as refined as a high-end sports car?
- sliverstorm 13y ago
  I did say cars. Fine. So you'd be interested to see the Tesla compared to a WRC car, and you would find it useful to hear that the Tesla can pull higher g's on an asphalt skidpad and has a nicer interior? isn't it useful to know that it is as refined as a high-end sports car You got that out of this video? They barely even mention fit-and-finish. The main focus between the two is the acceleration comparison, which says zilch about refinement.
  - jlgreco 13y ago
    "So you'd be interested to see the Tesla compared to a WRC car, and you would find it useful to hear that the Tesla can pull higher g's on an asphalt skidpad and has a nicer interior?" Sure, I'd read that article. Throw the Tesla onto a dirt track too, I'd read that as well. Hell, I want to know if it can go upside-down in a sewer tunnel. I don't see the problem here.
    - sliverstorm 13y ago
      It might be interesting out of sheer bemusement- especially if they take the Tesla around a WRC track- but it's ultimately a meaningless comparison. Oh, the Tesla has a nicer interior than the stripped Subaru racing shell? Count me impressed! (said no one)
      - jlgreco 13y ago
        Admittedly I am more in the market for being entertained than impressed. Unfortunately I would be very surprised if Top Gear touches a Tesla car again with a 10-foot pole (and I can't say I blame them).
        kbenson 13y ago
        Same here. I would also be very surprised if Tesla touches Top Gear again with a 10-foot pole (and I can't say I blame them, either). I think they both had wildly different expectations of what was appropriate in that situation. Neither came out looking very good, IMHO.
        sliverstorm 13y ago
        It was a clash of TV cultures. In America, there's an implicit expectation that your "sponsorship" will elicit positive things, tit for tat. In the UK, they get away with all sorts of blasphemy- they are free to bash the cars that get provided for reviews. If you watch Top Gear UK much, you'll notice they criticize plenty of cars, even ones that were on loan from the manufacturer. (This is part of why Top Gear America is but a shadow of Top Gear UK)
        nknighthb 13y ago
        What the hell? Top Gear lied. Tesla wasn't expecting special treatment for sponsorship, they were expecting a modicum of honesty. You don't get to put this down to "culture clash" unless you're defining "ethical" and "unethical" as cultures.
plorkyeran 13y ago
If a Tesla managed to do a better job at being a dirt bike than an actual dirt bike I'd sure like to read an article about that.

lambdasquirrel 13y ago

It's also not just another drag race. Notice they did the race from a moving 30mph, while the Aston Martin was in second gear. The Tesla only accelerates after the Aston Martin starts spooling up. This is not a from-0-mph which would throw the advantage into the lap of the Tesla. Maybe putting the Aston into 1st would be more fair, but that's not a realistic real-world test. You don't mill around town in 1st gear. It's a surprising result because having full-torque at all times still helps when you are milling around at local-town speeds. It's not just an electric-car pony trick.

DanEdge 13y ago
It's true that you don't tend to mill around town in first gear but the title of the post is 'Tesla Model S outperforms Aston' which implies to me that both cars were performing optimally. I bet most people hadn't picked up on the fact the Aston was in the wrong gear for a race. I hadn't until I read your comment.