I know Tesla gets a lot of flak on social media. Some by me. But I still remember the plucky firm in the 2000s, Martin Eberhard and his stated commitment to transparency, and Lucire’s recognition of the firm by calling the Tesla Roadster its Car to Be Seen in. And while the Roadster didn’t have the range in real terms, and looked too much like a Lotus Elise for one to charge 911 money, it kicked things all off for Tesla.
When I see a Model 3 on the street, and there are an awful lot of them, I think, ‘At least it isn’t another SUV.’ It may be the car to move the trend on, away from the behemoths. Bring on small frontal areas and slippery shapes, which is where we should have been heading anyway. Unlike most people, especially those who bought SUVs, trucks, UVs and crossovers and actually didn’t need them—thereby becoming the second biggest contributor to carbon emissions in the last decade—I’ve thought petrol was expensive for a long, long time. Even if you have an electrified SUV, you’re still using more energy because of basic science about how air travels over an object.
In 1974, the Volkswagen Golf represented a new era, looking bold and sensible during the fuel crisis. The Tesla Model 3, especially the better-made Chinese imports, feels, trend-wise, like a modern, far more expensive equivalent.
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You’re a breath of fresh air, Jack. The sheer number of Utes and SUVs on the road is disappointing. The flow on affect of rich folk steering the car market by which vehicles they buy, is that the pool of vehicles available for the rest of us (ie most of us!) is limited.
My wife and I need a sedan with a sealed boot separate to the cabin (so no hatch, wagon etc) – the move away from this type of vehicle is going to pose a problem for us in the future.
Thank you, and I know exactly how you feel. Also these people seem to be playing a game of Mutually Assured Destruction: in order to protect one’s own family, the best bet (when thinking conventionally) is to buy something bigger.
You may have to do what I did and import your car from a country where the type you seek is more commonplace. In my case, merely wanting a manual transmission ruled out 90 per cent of cars on the NZ used market. Would you consider a Kia K5 or Hyundai Sonata? These days it seems the Chinese are keeping the three-box saloon alive, a place where you can still get a new Chevrolet Impala, and the Mk VI Ford Mondeo will be unique to that market.
I had heard about the new Mondeo being a China-only model. I’ll look into the K5 and the Sonata too – anything is a possibility.
At this point, I’m hoping to get something like a C350e for our next car. I just have to make sure our current car lasts long enough for the price of the 350e models to come down into our price range!
A Merc could be very nice! I do have a Kiwi mate Stateside who sells Kias if you need a contact.
Here’s a bit on the new Mondeo in Autocade.