Porsche 911 Fanatics, Volvo Fanatics, Lexus & Ford Mustang Fanatics Become Tesla Model 3 & Model S Fanatics

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There are a lot of anonymous and a few non-anonymous anti-Tesla trolls on the internet. Whether they are connected to the oil industry, work for traditional auto companies, or simply picked up an odd prejudice against clean electric cars, they seem to be obsessed with Tesla articles, to the point that they have to comment on hundreds of those articles despite not liking the company. One of the favorite tools of the Tesla smear is calling people who recognize the benefits of Tesla vehicles “fanboys” (often with the implication that they’re idiots and have no good reason to be “fanboys”).

As it turns out, many of the biggest Tesla fans I’ve heard from were previously Porsche owners. You’d think Porsche lovers would know enough about high-performance cars to know if a Tesla Model 3 was genuinely a wicked amazing vehicle or just hype. They can’t be simple, inexperienced fanboys, right?

Frankly, the coming comment is not all that unique. I’ve seen plenty of comments like this. But it caught my eye and I thought it deserved a wider share to try to help the uninformed better understand that it’s not just greenies and tech fans giving Tesla vehicles the highest praise a car can get. Here’s the comment:

“For me, Model 3 best car ever. Okay, I’ve owned several 240z, an RX7, the 300ZX, Porsche 951, several 911s now that you’ll not pry from me because they are air cooled and NOTHING will touch them.”

The gearheads at Motor Trend have repeatedly said the same in their own words. For more on that, see these pieces:

  1. “Pure Jungle Cat” — Tesla Model 3 Performance Review From Motor Trend
  2. 4 Highlights From Motor Trend’s Tesla Model 3 Test Drive
  3. Tesla Model 3 Rewrites The Rules Of What A Sport Sedan Can Be, Motor Trend Reflects
  4. Tesla Model S One Of Motor Trend’s Top 10 American Cars Of All Time, + Makes Cover Of Oil Industry Magazine
  5. Tesla Model S Is 2013 Motor Trend Car Of The Year
  6. New Tesla Model 3 Video & Pictures, via Motor Trend
  7. Tesla Model 3’s First Reviewers Are In Love

Then there’s Top Gear:

  1. Tesla Model 3 Performance Crushes Fossil BMW M3 Around Race Track
  2. Watch Top Gear’s Video of Tesla Model 3 Performance Crushing Fossil BMW M3 Around Race Track
  3. Top Gear’s “Interesting” History With Tesla & New View Thanks To Tesla Model 3 vs. BMW M3 Track Tests

Also see “10 Reviews Of Tesla Model 3 Performance” for plenty of other gearhead reviews.

Aside from those kinds of motorheads, you can read and watch the awe of industry experts like Sandy Munro:

  1. Auto Industry Expert In Lean Design, Sandy Munro, Gushes Over Tesla In New Video
  2. Industry Expert On Tesla’s Motors: “They’ve Got Magic!”
  3. Diving Into The Tesla Model 3, BMW i3, & Chevy Bolt (Video)

A German writer of ours who has ditched his Porsche for a Model 3 Performance wrote a long love letter trying to explain the difference.

A former Mustang and Lexus gearhead explains the same thing in his own words — one of the best attempts I’ve read of someone trying to explain what can’t be explained in words alone.

The list goes on and on.

But there’s something else about the Tesla Model 3. It pulls people of all stripes and tastes. People trade in pickup trucks, sports cars, Honda Civics, Toyota Camrys, Nissan LEAFs, Toyota Priuses, and much more.

Another comment from the Tesla Motors Club forum caught my eye this week. This one referred to some Volvo fanatics. Well, I’ll just let you read the comment:

“My brother, who has been a fanatic Volvo driver for decades and his wife who drives a big SUV today test-drove the Model 3. They will be ordering a 3 and a pre-raven S. They are blown away. I think this is happening all around the country (and the globe).”

There’s no denying the far superior driving quality — acceleration, handling, everything. However, I wonder if safety was also a big factor for these former Volvo buyers. Volvo vehicles have long been known for their safety, but Tesla now crushes Volvo (no pun intended) and the Silicon Valley company’s three production vehicles received the three best scores in NHTSA history (when it comes to probability of injury in an accident). Additionally, Tesla’s Autopilot suite makes it less likely you will get into an accident in the first place!

Taking a step back and looking at the broader auto market, our friend “EVNow” superbly summarizes the story of the automotive decade and perhaps the story of the century:

— There is an industry growing 70%+ year over year
— One company is the clear market leader

Indeed. And it’s not about being an illogical fan, like being a fan of a sports team just because it’s from the city where you live. No — objectively, Tesla vehicles just win in practically every relevant category. Safest. Quickest. Highest tech. Most advanced driving-assist features. Funnest. Funniest. Best operational costs and convenience. Best expected longevity and resale value. What’s left?

The Tesla Model 3 is already the most competitive, compelling car on the market. By many standards, the Model S and Model X are even better but are simply more expensive. But go out on the street and ask 30 people what they know about the Tesla Model 3. Even assuming they can identify what kind of product you are talking about, if you don’t live in California or a few other places, most of them can probably tell you close to nothing about the car. It was only the 13th best selling car in the USA in Q1 2019 and the 11th best selling car in the USA in 2018 for this reason — most people know little to nothing about the car. But as more people have experiences like the former Porsche lovers, former BMW lovers, former Lexus and Mustang lover, and former Volvo lovers referenced above, that will change.

As Tesla CEO Elon Musk is fond of saying or implying, he’d rather put money into making Tesla products better than spending that money on advertising, and good products should sell themselves. I personally think Tesla could put some money into advertising (or at least more marketing) right now, but the bottom-line point is what’s most critical in the long run — the best products sell themselves, and Tesla vehicles are clearly the best vehicles you can buy.


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Zachary Shahan

Zach is tryin' to help society help itself one word at a time. He spends most of his time here on CleanTechnica as its director, chief editor, and CEO. Zach is recognized globally as an electric vehicle, solar energy, and energy storage expert. He has presented about cleantech at conferences in India, the UAE, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the USA, Canada, and Curaçao. Zach has long-term investments in Tesla [TSLA], NIO [NIO], Xpeng [XPEV], Ford [F], ChargePoint [CHPT], Amazon [AMZN], Piedmont Lithium [PLL], Lithium Americas [LAC], Albemarle Corporation [ALB], Nouveau Monde Graphite [NMGRF], Talon Metals [TLOFF], Arclight Clean Transition Corp [ACTC], and Starbucks [SBUX]. But he does not offer (explicitly or implicitly) investment advice of any sort.

Zachary Shahan has 7317 posts and counting. See all posts by Zachary Shahan