Euro road trip car advice

[AF11]

Planning a road trip in the summer. Rough itinerary is driving down the French/swiss alps and all the beautiful mountain places (Grindelwald etc).

Go east through the alps towards Austria/Slovenia then back to UK. Roughly 4000 miles. Dilemna is which car to take, first world problem I know:

New RRS petrol
New Tesla M3

Don’t have any concerns about charging, RRS will be comfier but the Tesla is comfortable enough. Clearly RRS will cost more in fuel. Aside from that I can’t decide. Reasons to take the RRS is that I really want to make use of the off road capabilities and drive on some challenging terrain, but I guess the mountain roads are all nicely tarmac’d.

If fuel saving isn’t an issue what would you take and why? Is the RRS going to be awkward and too big for alpine roads? I took my last SUV through the Pyrenees and Andorra which was fine.

[NDA]

I use my Tesla for daily dull driving and a petrol car for fun stuff. On that basis I'd take the RRS without a second's thought.

Whilst a Tesla can map out what charging you need and where, it's a consideration you won't have to think about on a 4000 mile trip.

[omniflow]

Take whichever car YOU like driving the most.

If you're concerned about costs, then personally I'd stay at home. It's not worth being on a road trip in a car you don't like as much as your other car just because it's cheaper.

[Maxym]

RR for peace of mind, but forget the off-road stuff.

[ChocolateFrog]

I've done plenty of off road trails in rented hatchbacks to know you don't need a RRS. There's also the potential to break your car 2000 miles from home, which would be a PITA.

If you do go anywhere with decent offroad it would probably be more fun to rent a Jeep Wrangler for the day.

I've done enough blats to the Alps to know that I wouldn't fancy taking an EV if you're travelling on the Autoroutes at any busy times.

Ultimately though you'll have fun in either car. I've just done a couple of hundred miles of Scottish Highland roads in a Duster and it was great and I didnt even need to get to license losing speeds to enjoy it.

[AF11]

ChocolateFrog said:

I've done plenty of off road trails in rented hatchbacks to know you don't need a RRS. There's also the potential to break your car 2000 miles from home, which would be a PITA.

If you do go anywhere with decent offroad it would probably be more fun to rent a Jeep Wrangler for the day.

I've done enough blats to the Alps to know that I wouldn't fancy taking an EV if you're travelling on the Autoroutes at any busy times.

Ultimately though you'll have fun in either car. I've just done a couple of hundred miles of Scottish Highland roads in a Duster and it was great and I didnt even need to get to license losing speeds to enjoy it.

Thanks. Either car could break down which would be a PITA but I suppose the Tesla is less likely to.

Can you elaborate on why you wouldn t take an EV to the alps? Lack of chargers? I have the LR which does about 350 miles, should be more than enough to get up and down and to a charger.

Also probably didn t make very clear, this trip isn t about driving fast through mountain passes as neither car is made for that. More about whether the capabilities of the RRS is actually worth the downsides of driving a big SUV through alpine roads, if not then I think I’d rather take the Tesla just because it’s smaller and more agile. As I said in OP I’m not bothered about the difference in fuel cost, it’s purely about which car will be more suitable.

Edited by AF11 on Friday 20th February 07:01

Edited by AF11 on Friday 20th February 07:03

[Guyr]

Mountain passes are slow-driving in summer unless you get up early, so the times you'll actually get more pleasure from driving the Tesla could be quite limited, plus it's still only a Tesla (with respect) if it was a traditional sports car it might be more favourable.

I say this having done the passes in recent years (and we stayed in Grindelwald) in a Z4 M40i in summer and just last month in a Merc E-Class (only some open all year-round passes though).

I would also not choose to take an EV (and I do have one so am not anti-EV) on such a long trip, as it adds a complexity that is avoidable. I would not be wanting to find chargers on main routes in summer as they get very busy and the charging network is much reduced in Eastern Europe.

[loudlashadjuster]

I've done trips through France, Germany, and Switzerland in the Tesla and it's not a problem. Plenty of superchargers and other 200+ kW charging in all but the remoter parts so was no stress.

Edit: There is a perverse pleasure to be derived from zipping down a mountain pass and ending up at the bottom with more charge than at the top!

[AF11]

Yea I think I’d be more concerned if it was a non Tesla EV as I’ve done that in the past and it was a nightmare. But with a Tesla it’s a non issue and I don’t even have to search for chargers.

[gotoPzero]

As a Model 3 owner and previously had a Range Rover I would probably swing towards the Range Rover.

More space, better visibility, more comfort, less time wasted charging/driving to charging, easier to bring stuff back, more flexibility to divert to see something interesting as range not an issue and a real engine for those empty road moments which the Tesla just makes kind of pointless with its silent progress.

Cons, costs more, bigger to park, costs more....

YMMV

[gangzoom]

ChocolateFrog said:

I've done enough blats to the Alps to know that I wouldn't fancy taking an EV if you're travelling on the Autoroutes at any busy times.

Why? Our Tesla has been to Europe pretty much every summer since we got it. Usually there is also 5-6 people in the car. I don't think I noticed any difference in getting to Stelvio in it compared to the time I took my old 335i. It certainly got to Norway with no issues.

However I don't pay for charging using Tesla Superchargers so it's a no brainer for us to use the Tesla in Europe, otherwise it's probably around £300ish in recharging costs.

[gangzoom]

AF11 said:

Is the RRS going to be awkward and too big for alpine roads?

We stayed in an AirB&B half way up the mountain over looking lake Como a couple of summers ago. The Italians aren't know for their road manners and the roads were built for Fiat 500s, but in a week of daily going up/down the back road had zero issues.

The comfort of the car does make a difference over long trips. Personally I find narrow roads easier to navigate in our X than in a saloon because the higher driving position give you better awareness of the width/over hangs.

The actual mountain passes are massive, your have no issues in either car. Just be prepared to swallow your pride when the local overtake you in a 20 year old Fiat and dont seem to ever need to brake.....If going down hill, also make sure you let the nutter cyclists pass, some of them are absolutely mad and will squeeze between you and a passing bus if you don't take the chicanes fast enough!!

Edited by gangzoom on Friday 20th February 17:51