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I’d argue Consumer Reports is one of the more respected reviewers, especially when it comes to things like safety given unlike most, they actually buy all the cars they test to minimize any conflicts of interest. It’s only “a joke” for people who can’t accept legitimate criticism or understand metrics. Elon has long respected their opinions even when much of the Tesla fan base has not.
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Not to group you in with the Teslasphere, but they don’t have a problem with CR when they recommend their cars, but when a negative report is written it’s all FUD, big oil, conspiracy, etc etc etc. Which is rather silly coming from a non-profit consumer advocacy group like CR. It’s hard for me to take seriously many of these reportedly “green” or “EV” car sites that basically trash every EV sans Tesla or prospect of an evm
I would argue their reports tend to take a more practical and value based in what they determine to be favorable compared to other reviewers. As a PharmD when they review medications it’s rather silly... but that’s largely because they’re trying to attribute a value to things that are very patient specific and usually dictated by insurance as it is.
I’m not sure Tesla’s price and ordering changes over the past several months has done anything to simplify the buying process in the slightest. It looks to me like trial and error and a lack of business plan they can stick to. Moving the price up and down 10 times, closing stores, un-closing stores, etc, doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.
I understand FSD is not intended to be 100% reliable as my previous post I think made very clear. There’s been a long recognized psychological phenomena with automation where people trust it too much and will find other things to distract themselves with. You could have both hands on the wheel but if you’re not attentive, you very well might not make that necessary intervention.
Considering Tesla’s system is not anywhere close to being fully autonomous, I’d argue “
Full self driving” is not an appropriate name. I’d also argue their way of sending driver attentiveness is insufficient. The Model 3 has a camera in the mirror, I’m not sure why they haven’t utilized this for driver attentiveness like numerous other companies from BMW and Cadillac to Subaru. I haven’t used FSD, but I have read a lot of reports of the latest update being very problematic, including allegedly causing accidents.
I completely understand why people love their Tesla’s. Some of my favorite cars would be considered not ideal cars when it comes to things like practicality, cost of ownership, etc. I understand irrational love. Personally Tesla’s not my cup of tea and I don’t trust the company enough to shell out $50-60k+ with them (that’s how much I’d spend on an ICE car) and I do not find Teslas at this point to be practical for my needs.
All that said, affection for a car or company does not necessarily mean the company is immune from financial and economic realities. And there’s plenty of reason to have concern with the fundamentals of Tesla.