Don’t be fooled by the official rating. You will never achieve that unless your 350 mile road-trip involves driving 100% on backroads at 45 MPH average speed in perfect weather.
And the suspension cannot handle any ruts
There is a reason that you see so many Teslas in California. Hands down, they are the best all-around EVs; and they make really good use of space with their weird shape. But they don’t lease well (more than $500/mo for Y), and a lot of people in California don’t qualify for the $7500 on purchases due to their higher income living in a higher cost-of-living area. If you do qualify for the credit, pay cash or loan; I read that Tesla is now offering a 84 month loan.
Just wanted to share an update on my end:
Though it was not the most financially-sensible choice nor the most “hackr’y” one, I ended up going with a Tesla Model Y, and I don’t regret the decision for an instant. Here’s what it came down to:
The ioniq5 was a close second choice. Easily the best non-Tesla all-around EV. Were Tesla not an option, this would have been it. Good lease deal, great car. Felt like the natural upgrade/next step from the i3 for all the reasons everyone on this forum loves the car. BUT…
Tesla’s software and ecosystem is just impossible to match at this point (from my now-biased perspective). The top example that comes to mind: I didn’t realize how much of an quality-of-driving-life improvement it is the software auto-route you to a Supercharger, give you an exact amount of time needed to recharge and the exact % you’ll be at when you arrive at your destination. I drove from SF to Sacramento the other night and it seamlessly routed me to a Supercharger where I needed 5-6 minutes of charging and I was on my way to arrive with 10% at my destination (where I then recharged overnight). And I really was in and out within 10 minutes - no broken Electrify America chargers, no swiping CC and waiting for authorization to charge. Just plugged in, charged, then left.
I guess I’m part of the Cult of Tesla now. Sighhh.
Anyway, thanks for the advice and wisdom everyone. Until the next one…