I've just spent three weeks driving a standard 72 plate Tesla Model 3 while my MG ZS was in for repairs for damage after being rear-ended. It made for an interesting comparison between the two cars which others might find interesting, so here's my personal experience:
Range:
My MG ZS is the Trophy Long range, so this particular Tesla didn't offer much more in range (or battery efficiency) than the MG, so no clear winner there. As the Tesla didn't come with an adapter, I was restricted to Tesla's public chargers in the one long journey I made. The only effect this had was where I stopped... although it was a simpler affair.
Performance:
The Tesla was a clear winner here. It was much faster. Having said that, this has little impact on my real world driving experience, so is a bit of a hollow victory. Where it did shine, however, was its grip on the road, which was far superior to the ZS. This may be partly due to it being RWD rather than FWD. There was none of that ridiculous wheel spin you get with the ZS. To clarify, I don't drive like a boy racer, but as my driveway emerges onto a relatively blind bend, with drivers regularly speeding down the road, and visibility obstructed by parked cars, I often have to make a rather quick exit, and find the ridiculous wheel spinning of the ZS infuriating. Imho, I think all EVs - given the immediate power to the wheels - should ideally be RWD, or better still, AWD.
Driving experience:
This is a mixed bag with no clear winner. Unlike the ZS, the regenerative breaking on the Tesla meant that it was true one pedal driving. It took a little getting used to, but I think it made for a more enjoyable driving experience. Point to Tesla.
As far as seating comfort is concerned, the ZS, for me, came out on top. In the Tesla, the driver's seat seems infinitely more adjustable, and the steering wheel has rake/reach capability (I was shocked MG didn't include this as standard), nevertheless, I could never quite find a comfortable seating position in the Tesla, but his may be because I prefer the higher up position you get from an SUV anyway. The seats in the Tesla, however, felt hard and uncomfortable compared to the ZS; having said that, the MG's lack of lumber support is a negative. A positive, though, is that the MG has shelf space to rest both feet either side of the pedals when using cruise control. The Tesla has no space next to the accelerator pedal, and this negatively impacted my comfort on a long journey. Overall, the MG comes out on top for seating comfort.
The Tesla's sleek, minimalist cabin interior is attractive, but not a game changer. Call me old fashioned, but I like the alternatives of the physical toggles in the MG. Having said that, the larger and more responsive touchscreen of Tesla was superior to the MG's. There's a bit of personal bias here, though. As I only need glasses for reading, I can't use them while driving, and am often frustrated that I can't read information on my touchscreen. The size of Tesla's screen eliminated this problem completely and it was delightful to feel I could see properly again, so a point to Tesla there.
Tech:
Unsurprisingly, Tesla was generally superior on this front. Not only was the screen larger and more responsive, it has more features, such as built in dash cam and sentry mode. The sensors and cameras were superior, and increased the enjoyment and ease of the driving experience.
A little plus for the ZS, though, is that I think the music sounded better in it.
Autopilot is, of course, a major feature for Tesla. Maybe I needed to try it more, but the one time I did, it felt like it took more concentration (and tension) to supervise than to just do it myself, so concluded it wasn't worth bothering.
There are lots of other little things that demonstrate the price difference between the two cars, but for me, not enough to justify a 10k difference. Over all, whilst the Tesla was enjoyable, I'm by no means sad to be back in my MG, and haven't yet fallen to the dark side.
Range:
My MG ZS is the Trophy Long range, so this particular Tesla didn't offer much more in range (or battery efficiency) than the MG, so no clear winner there. As the Tesla didn't come with an adapter, I was restricted to Tesla's public chargers in the one long journey I made. The only effect this had was where I stopped... although it was a simpler affair.
Performance:
The Tesla was a clear winner here. It was much faster. Having said that, this has little impact on my real world driving experience, so is a bit of a hollow victory. Where it did shine, however, was its grip on the road, which was far superior to the ZS. This may be partly due to it being RWD rather than FWD. There was none of that ridiculous wheel spin you get with the ZS. To clarify, I don't drive like a boy racer, but as my driveway emerges onto a relatively blind bend, with drivers regularly speeding down the road, and visibility obstructed by parked cars, I often have to make a rather quick exit, and find the ridiculous wheel spinning of the ZS infuriating. Imho, I think all EVs - given the immediate power to the wheels - should ideally be RWD, or better still, AWD.
Driving experience:
This is a mixed bag with no clear winner. Unlike the ZS, the regenerative breaking on the Tesla meant that it was true one pedal driving. It took a little getting used to, but I think it made for a more enjoyable driving experience. Point to Tesla.
As far as seating comfort is concerned, the ZS, for me, came out on top. In the Tesla, the driver's seat seems infinitely more adjustable, and the steering wheel has rake/reach capability (I was shocked MG didn't include this as standard), nevertheless, I could never quite find a comfortable seating position in the Tesla, but his may be because I prefer the higher up position you get from an SUV anyway. The seats in the Tesla, however, felt hard and uncomfortable compared to the ZS; having said that, the MG's lack of lumber support is a negative. A positive, though, is that the MG has shelf space to rest both feet either side of the pedals when using cruise control. The Tesla has no space next to the accelerator pedal, and this negatively impacted my comfort on a long journey. Overall, the MG comes out on top for seating comfort.
The Tesla's sleek, minimalist cabin interior is attractive, but not a game changer. Call me old fashioned, but I like the alternatives of the physical toggles in the MG. Having said that, the larger and more responsive touchscreen of Tesla was superior to the MG's. There's a bit of personal bias here, though. As I only need glasses for reading, I can't use them while driving, and am often frustrated that I can't read information on my touchscreen. The size of Tesla's screen eliminated this problem completely and it was delightful to feel I could see properly again, so a point to Tesla there.
Tech:
Unsurprisingly, Tesla was generally superior on this front. Not only was the screen larger and more responsive, it has more features, such as built in dash cam and sentry mode. The sensors and cameras were superior, and increased the enjoyment and ease of the driving experience.
A little plus for the ZS, though, is that I think the music sounded better in it.
Autopilot is, of course, a major feature for Tesla. Maybe I needed to try it more, but the one time I did, it felt like it took more concentration (and tension) to supervise than to just do it myself, so concluded it wasn't worth bothering.
There are lots of other little things that demonstrate the price difference between the two cars, but for me, not enough to justify a 10k difference. Over all, whilst the Tesla was enjoyable, I'm by no means sad to be back in my MG, and haven't yet fallen to the dark side.
