Tesla

Our dearly beloved Captiva is about to die. It's been in it's last breathe the past few weeks and already crying for relief. So the past few weeks, Lani and I have been looking around for a replacement.

With a perfect timing, our employer announced that they are now extending Novated Car Leases to the staff. Because of the government subsidies and tax benefits of electric vehicles (EV), it was a no brainer to buy and EV through this. It would have cost us just a few hundred dollars more a month buying say a Tesla compared to buying a second-hand petrol car at half the price. And now the question is, which car to buy?

We've been using a 7-seater since 2013 so it was hard not to look at that option first. However, the only ones available as EVs and subject to the tax benefits are the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and the Kia Sorrento GT-Line PHEV. I went and checked the Outlander in the showroom and wasn't impressed with the seat config. It was a 5+2 as they rightfully advertise. You have an option to use the 2 last row seats but they could only fit small kids. The other features were great though - good EV range (80km) before petrol kicks in, decent ride, full sunroof, massage chairs in front, etc. But it comes at a high price point of 72k before GST.

The Kia Sorrento GT Line AWD PHEV on the other hand was a true 7-seater SUV. The last row was comfortable even for adults - decent legroom, shoulder room, good seat height, and plenty of headroom as well. Though it was expensive at 81k before GST, it was something I'd go for. Unfortunately, there's no stock available and the wait is 12-18months.

So Lani and I decided with look at the 5-seat full-EV options.

Tesla Model Y was what our Novated Lease provider was recommending. It was decently priced at 65k before GST, and has all the features you'd want from an EV. But I didn't like how it looked. It looked like a pretend-SUV. So I looked away from it.

The next one in sight was the Kia EV6. This is a performance car with an electric engine. It has great handling, comfortable ride, big and long, and looked really really cool. However, at its price of 72K before GST, and the length of the vehicle (it's classified as a large SUV), I thought it should have 7 seats. We went to the showroom to see the car and was impressed with how it looks, especially the console. However, you can't help but notice that there's way too much plastic all around. After a few minutes inside, it felt like you're seating in a cheap variant of a good car.

Then we saw BYD Atto 3. This is fairly new in Australia but is an established EV maker in China. The car is very stylish, in fact too stylish inside. It had all the bells and whistles like full sunroof, 360 camera, sentry recording, and a big touch screen up from. The car was smooth and quiet, while feeling like a proper SUV. The only thing I didn't like was the limited boot space in the back. But then again, the price was tempting - $51k after tax.

Then we headed to Testla to finally take a look at the Model Y. And boy was I wrong. Just approaching the car I can already see that it's an actual SUV. It was larger than it looked from afar. I loved the red color that they had in the room. The interior was minimalistic but storage was aplenty. There's your usual boot at the back, but also another big space underneath, and another huge space under the front hood. It was the ultimate utility car.

And so after much debate, we finally decided on the Tesla. I just sent the order for a red Model Y which will be delivered between Nov 16 and Dec 7.