I had been planning on swapping in my Mercedes A 200 4matic for a Tesla 3 in 2020, but had come around to the idea of a new petrol plug-in hybrid A 250e. Why ? The main attractions of the Tesla for me were decent range for an EV, 4WD and zero company car tax. The A class has a claimed range on electric power alone of 44 miles; more than enough for my regular day-to day running around, sufficient to get in and out of Paris, and then for longer journeys the 1.3 litre turbo engine would provide adequate performance with no range anxiety. The company car tax isn't zero; it's a massive €30 a year; with my use I reckon I could count on about 250 mpg from one.
TBH, on the Tesla, I wasn't sold on the massive touch screen for controlling everything, and IMHO the quality of the fixtures and fittings, interior materials and textures, are not up to those of a well specced Benz.
As to the 4WD, it's no longer such a big deal for me. I wanted it because we had a ski flat in the alps, but we sold that during the course of 2020, so will not be going skiing as often; FWD and snow tyres/chains are more than adequate for infrequent trips to the mountains.
Anyhooo, 2020 and the Covid crisis put paid to new cars being anywhere near the top of the agenda. Indeed, I've got rid of the A class, replacing it with an electrically assisted bicycle. We are now a one-car family, with the SLC as our only car.
Last edited by pandy; 04/01/21 02:28 PM.
