On Twitter I recently compared Tesla to the same standard of luxury as Mercedes.
However, I didn't feel like this was overly agreed on, and possibly stepped out a little
too far, and revealed my level of fanboy, and am delusional when it comes to anything
else.
Well it's quite an extreme when you look at the new Mercedes EQS and compare it to a Model
S even, the opulence is overwhelming in the Mercedes.
But am I actually right?
What if we remove all the glitter from the Mercedes, all those elegant buttons, and air
vents.
When we strip it down, are we actually any better off in the Mercedes when it comes to
luxury?
What is Mercedes offering extra?
A scented cabin?
Massaging seats?
The screen in the EQS despite likely costing about 10x the price of the Tesla screen, actually
ends up with a smaller viewing screen, because its just over the top, for the sake of being
over the top, rather than improving driver experience, as that's all Mercedes has.
The illusion of appearing to be more.
They add in lights and buttons, to add to the effect, more is more.
Except it clearly is not.
The Tesla despite having no buttons on the console, ends up offering more features than
the Mercedes.
In fact if you added most of these features to the Mercedes that come standard on the
Tesla, then your Mercedes would end up costing $20 or 30,000 even more again.
Now wouldn't the more luxurious car, be the one that has all these features standard?
Yes, Teslas come with high specifications, even the standard Model 3, Tesla just don't
need some ostentatious dash to showcase their offerings.
They don't need any more demand, and there are plenty of Tesla owners telling everyone
they know, about every feature the Tesla has, most of which aren't even possible in a Mercedes.
Now in my Twitter comparison, it started by
me saying that the Cybertruck was Ferrari performance, very true, in fact the quad motor
will likely have quicker 0 to 60 times than any production car Ferrari has ever had in
history.
Keep in mind this is a full on pick up truck.
I then said that it has Mercedes luxury at Ford prices.
Check the Ford F-150 Raptor prices if you don't believe me, and they don't come close
to the features you get in a Cybertruck.
But it was mostly the Mercedes luxury people hard the hardest time accepting.
My comparison I use was, well I thought it only fair to compare a Mercedes pick up truck
with the Cybertruck.
Like for like, as best as possible.
Pick up trucks have historically tended to be the worst interiors of all car types.
It is also one of the hardest interiors to make a clean and tidy design.
Look at all the buttons and air vents, and everything else, this is hideous.
If you don't find it it hideous, then perhaps your eyes are not yet ready to adapt, but
I think I can safely say on behalf of all Tesla owners' who's eyes have adapted to minimalism,
it is hideous.
What additional luxury does it have over Tesla?
None, I think absolutely none.
This was the Mercedes X class pick up truck,
which admittedly is using a design from a few years ago, but still, we had the Model
3 then too.
So perhaps this was an interior from Mercedes, when they weren't trying, or didn't need to
try, because everyone had found their place in the market, until there was a disruptor.
So what if we compare Mercedes level of luxury when they actually are trying, trying very
hard.
How about if we examine the EQS, I mean just look at it oozing opulence all over it.
And this is one very expensive car to buy, and cost even more to build.
I mean it's done it's best to reduce the air vent footprint, and the air vents they do
have, they have tried to make them as pretty as possible.
Obviously the main thing they have done is electrify the entire dash.
You see these are electric cars, and when we think of electric, we think of digital
screens, and lights.
So you can bet your bottom dollar, Mercedes will double down on lights and screens, to
give that more electric feeling, the more electricity being used inside the cabin, then
you might think they have ample energy left for range and performance.
Unfortunately you can look and feel as electric as you want, but it won't extend your battery
range.
The buttons are minimal too.
It's like Mercedes understands minimalism is the correct direction for auto design,
and have thus cut back dramatically on the buttons.
But they still can't let go of the last dozen or so.
But are buttons luxury?
Perhaps we should define luxury.
Luxury is comfort and ease.
Well if we start from there, then let's see.
We have ride comfort, a Mercedes with air suspension and a Tesla with air suspension.
They both have very comfortable, electrically adjustable, air cooled and heated seats.
They come with exceptional sound systems, with large entertainment screen.
Individual rear seating.
They also have very quiet cabins due to no motor and double glazing.
But does the Mercedes luxury extend from there, or even other even more luxurious brands.
Ok you can argue with things like shag pile carpeting is obviously more luxurious, but
some of them go beyond actual luxury itself and end up just being expensive for the sake
of it, just for marketing, but actually no actual value to the experience.
Remember everyone else is making cars to sell to you, marketing all these unique features,
making you think they are important.
We need to distinguish between luxury and excessive, that doesn't add value, and actually
goes from being luxurious to just straight out opulence, where as Tesla is a more utilitarian
luxury.
Now Teslas actually lead the way in a lot
of luxury, due to their engineering abilities, for example Teslas have self opening doors.
I mean that's not talked about much, but it's a really cool feature, and the Mercedes does
now too, but I am pretty sure Tesla were there years before.
I don't think they were the first, correct me if I am wrong,
but possibly I recall the Rolls Royce Phantom having self opening doors.
Right, because that's the level of luxury self opening doors are, Rolls Royce, yet Teslas
had them.
Why?
Because Tesla's engineers could produce them that much cheaper, and its such a luxurious
feature, so they did it.
And thats the thing, its one thing making a car luxurious for the sake of it, oh we
can use napa leather here, some nice trim here, an extra monitor here, gold plated buttons.
I mean did you see the Audi, with the wing mirrors and camera.
This looks like the most over-engineered thing I have seen Audi do for a while, when a simple
mirror would have done the same job.
It still has a camera that sticks out almost as much as wing mirror anyway.
So what was it even achieving?
Tesla's side cameras are actually probably good enough not need the wing mirrors, and
the large screen already shows them.
Whereas Audi are adding in 2 extra cameras and screens, that's not luxury, its over the
top engineering.
So they are covering these cars in glitter, with all their cool interior lighting too.
But the thing is, they can't engineer real luxury yet.
Because they don't have good enough engineers.
Teslas engineers are creating new levels of luxury, that people dont even realize.
They are also finding ways of reducing costs of other so-called luxuries to make them more
mainstream and affordable.
Like Rolls Royce level self opening doors.
The technologies that Tesla can create, reach new heights of luxury.
The fact that Tesla have been able to remove all console buttons, and make an intuitive,
clever, easy enough to use interface, that offers an array of features never even fathomable
in a traditional vehicle, is something consumers are yet to realize.
To me luxury is being able to watch Netflix,
when I have to sit in the car, waiting for my wife to come back from shopping.
Or of course watch some Tesla Economist on YouTube.
Even driving a BMW iX I immediately felt lost without my Tesla screen.
I imagine all you Tesla owners know what I mean, when you drive another car without the
control panel.
It makes driving so dull.
The Tesla however, next month, will be even less dull, due to some new features added
on the latest update.
That also seems pretty luxurious to me.
Just an over the air update, no need to ever have to go to a luxurious car dealership to
get a check up.
It may sound like a free Mercedes loan car is luxury whilst you get a service or oil
change, but for me luxury is not even having to go there in the first place.
A Model S also comes with a HEPA filter, giving you have the cleanest air in a Tesla.
All those break dust particles and things you might be breathing in.
To me clean air is the kind of luxury I like, better than a Rolex clock in the dash.
For me luxury is knowing that I am in the safest vehicle on the planet for my family,
in that not only will it absorb an impact the safest way, it will also do the most to
avoid it in the first place.
Luxury is having a car that has a lot of power, and is very quick.
To me luxury is never having to go to a gas station, or even pay for gas.
Luxury is waiting outside a restaurant for your car to be summoned.
For me luxury is having a more energy dense battery, meaning fewer battery cells are required,
thus reducing the weight significantly, and improving handling and performance that much
better.
Whilst also having more range.
For me a larger viewable screen is more luxurious, than 3 smaller screens.
But when it comes to automotive luxury, in my opinion what is the pinnacle of luxury?
Well I would have to say it would be having a chauffeur, your own private driver.
It costs a lot more to keep a full time employee than it does any car, at least in most developed
nations.
Now that is the pinnacle of luxury.
Do Mercedes offer life time chauffeurs available 24 hours 7 days a week, even on Christmas?
Tesla have just about cracked FSD.
But hey, how can we expect everyone else to think that way, if Tesla don't have a marketing
department, like everyone else, trying to convince you luxury is something else.
Something they can actually offer.
And even my Model 3 seats are incredibly comfortable on road trips, more than my E Class Mercedes.
So I can only imagine that Model S is that much better again.
Ok they may not massage you, but that's likely somewhat gimmicky.
To me a company that can make a vehicle this luxurious, would be an outstanding investment,
if they were able to do it at a profit.
When we put it like this, it really just feels
like Mercedes, and the others, simply aren't good enough at engineering and manufacturing
to even make cars close to as luxurious as Tesla.
The don't have the tech or software expertise to make it work.
When you ignore price tags, and things being expensive for the sake of them, rather than
the actual value they add, then it's really about comfort and ease.
As far as I can tell the Tesla definitely wins on both of those measurements.
Now at the risk of being inundated with me being called a Tesla fanboy, I am going to
say it anyway.
As far as I am concerned, as to what is real luxury that actually matters and makes a difference,
the Model S and X are hands down the most luxurious vehicles ever produced on the planet,
yes more than Rolls Royce too, not just Mercedes.
Yes, the Model S is still an expensive car, but all that expense has been invested into
real value, not gimmicks, or expense for the sake of it.