CivicX Type-R vs Tesla Model S P90D

[Phosky]

Ok, first off I must concede that this is a really oddball cross-shopping situation. On one hand I'm a long time Honda/Acura fan, having grown up during the heyday of the SoCal import street racing scene before it spread to other parts of the country, and still continue to own various Hondas to this day. On the other hand I've grown up since those days and technology has progressed beyond where I could have imagined 25 years ago. That brings me to my particular cross shopping conflict, so here's how I broke down the pros and cons of each. Keep in mind that I have room for only one more car in my garage.

Price:
Seriously?

Advantage: CTR

Style:
This one is going to be highly subjective, but Honda has a history of producing rather pedestrian looking cars that look really good (at least to me) when properly dialed in. The latest 10th gen body style looks to continue that trend, at least based upon the renderings posted here for the next CTR. I'd probably delete the wing though, since it's a little too boy-racer'ish for me.

The Tesla is a really good looking car right out the box, but the styling is getting a little dated. It's due for a mid-model refresh at the very least. However it doesn't require any tweaking to look good.

Advantage: Model S

Reliability:
Honda reliability is legendary, but an electric motor has 1 moving part, and Tesla's has a million mile warranty.

Advantage: Model S

Quality:
Though the Tesla benefits from a perceived level of quality due to price alone, I've read about way too many complaints about the car that I feel is unacceptable in something that costs over $100K. Granted, a lot of the complaints I've seen were from early-production cars, I'm going to give the nod to Honda on this one based on quality-to-cost ratio.

Advantage: CTR

Standard Equipment:
Well, the CTR is basically a track car that will also be street legal. I wouldn't expect very many amenities beyond optional AC and a radio. With the Tesla, it'd be easier to list what features it doesn't have.

Advantage: Model S

Performance:
This one is a wash. On one hand the Model S is (supposedly) a 10-sec car. On the other hand it's barely quicker than a Range Rover SUV around the Nurbergring. Sure, the CTR won't be able to explode off the line like the Tesla, but it's really not meant to. It's meant to take corners better than any other FWD car on the market, and it does (or will at any rate).

Advantage: Tie.

MPGs:
Duh.

Advantage: Model S

Value:
With the CTR I can just buy it like any other car. With the Tesla Model S P90D, I'd have to exercise some stock options.

Advantage: CTR

So yeah, that's my situation and I'm leaning toward the CTR.

Sponsored

 

[Bolo]

The Tesla costs around $120k. You can get almost 4 CTR's for the price of 1 P90D, lol.

 

[C Note]

What about their intended use? If you'll be commuting daily with the Tesla, you'll have to deal with planning out your charging locations and times throughout the week. Same goes for any other use besides commuting actually.

 

[kfmfe04]

Yeah, this is a bizarro comparison.

That being said, I intend to get a Civic Touring (may lease instead of buy) to tide me over until Tesla's Model 3's are released in big numbers in a few years - now that comparison may be a bit more interesting.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

if i have money to buy a Tesla p90D i will not even look at civic!

 

[Phosky]

if i have money to buy a Tesla p90D i will not even look at civic!

Why not? They're both awesome cars. I compromised and just put down my pre-order for the new Model 3 this morning, so that means I'll have a little wiggle room to get the CTR too, if I can figure out my garage space arrangement.

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

Why not? They're both awesome cars. I compromised and just put down my pre-order for the new Model 3 this morning, so that means I'll have a little wiggle room to get the CTR too, if I can figure out my garage space arrangement.

They both are awesome cars but there are different leagues. You can't just compare a p90d with a civic. Come on.

 

[Phosky]

They both are awesome cars but there are different leagues. You can't just compare a p90d with a civic. Come on.

The CTR is to the driving purist as a piano is to the pianist, or even as vinyl records are to the audiophile. It's for those who the driving experience goes beyond applying pressure to a single pedal and letting the car do the work from there. The feedback from the chassis, and the sound of the engine; even some subtle olfactory feedbacks will certainly be present in the CTR and are part of the experience, and are indispensable sensory for those who driving becomes as much a part of them as they become of the car. The CTR is for those who enjoy picking up a Fender and playing for the enjoyment and reward of playing. The Tesla is for those who simply want to press "Play" on their MP3 player.

So you're absolutely right -- you just can't compare a P90D to a CTR

 

[MuGeN PoWeR]

The CTR is to the driving purist as a piano is to the pianist, or even as vinyl records are to the audiophile. It's for those who the driving experience goes beyond applying pressure to a single pedal and letting the car do the work from there. The feedback from the chassis, and the sound of the engine; even some subtle olfactory feedbacks will certainly be present in the CTR and are part of the experience, and are indispensable sensory for those who driving becomes as much a part of them as they become of the car. The CTR is for those who enjoy picking up a Fender and playing for the enjoyment and reward of playing. The Tesla is for those who simply want to press "Play" on their MP3 player.

So you're absolutely right -- you just can't compare a P90D to a CTR

what about ludicrous mode on tesla and then the CTR cant even come close. even faster cars out there cant come close

 

[Phosky]

what about ludicrous mode on tesla and then the CTR cant even come close. even faster cars out there cant come close

Even Ludicrous mode can't make the S beat the CTR around the 'Ring. In fact a P90D can barely beat a Range Rover SUV at that venue. Stoplight race is an entirely different story though, where the CTR would have problems with a UPS truck off the line

 

[max]

the new tesla model 3 will be around 25k after incentives. i for 1 would take a model 3 over the ctr. the only problem right now is the wait.

 

[Phosky]

the new tesla model 3 will be around 25k after incentives. i for 1 would take a model 3 over the ctr. the only problem right now is the wait.

Already got my reservation in (I actually camped out in line for it). I decided to forego the P90D option and just wait for both the Model 3 and CTR.

 

[tacthecat]

the new tesla model 3 will be around 25k after incentives. i for 1 would take a model 3 over the ctr. the only problem right now is the wait.

Elon Musk said average price with options is expected to be $35,500 after the (maybe) $7,500 credit which is due to expire (200,000 total production limit 2008-, 100,000 already sold - the S and SUV version). Expect to pay $43,000 USD and wait 3 - 4 years to get it.

 

[Johan31]

I'm new in this forum but i can't let this tread without an answer.
You simply cannot compare the two cars because there are drasticly different in many way.

i don't have a Civic Type R, but I had a Megane RS so i can understand the feeling.
What i have now for 1 year is the P85D and i can say it: it's awesome.
Handling is brillant thanks to the low center of gravity, acceleration is completly insane, even if this car can be so smooth.

But the Tesla is not made to go on track, especially the ring. Its a 2.2 ton vehicule !

So if you plan to go on track every week, go for the CTR (or a 911 GT3 rs ?), but if you want a daily use car with massive torque which can destroy any car in a red light, go for the Tesla. You won't regret

 

[corbygray528]

Really, if you aren't intending to take this to a track frequently, what does it matter how fast either of them can go around the ring? You aren't driving it there. The reason the Tesla is slower is because the batteries reach a point where they get too hot, and the car limits performance to save the batteries. You likely won't hit that limit driving around city streets, and the acceleration of a P90D isn't even touchable by the CTR, which will be far more useful in a city. AWD makes the handling pretty great too, especially with the super low center of gravity it has.

The CTR is a great car, but if I wasn't ever intending to go to track days and I had the option of buying a P90D instead, I wouldn't think twice. And to the other poster who said you would have to plan out your charging location and times throughout the week if you used it for commuting...you charge at home, every night. You never need to stop in public to charge unless you drive farther than the almost 300 mile range, which I seriously doubt anyone does on a daily basis in a personal vehicle (and they have free superchargers for that, if you do take a trip).

Sponsored