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Tesla Cars on Sale for Half the Price

Written by: Anton Wahlman, Contributor 08/03/12 - 7:00 AM EDT
Tickers in this article: TSLA TM

4. Handling: The Model S has an even lower center of gravity, and the tires are meant for aggressive cornering. Simply put, the Model S translates the awesome electric motor's massive power to the ground dramatically better than the Toyota.

5. Luxury factor: The Model S has unique styling, inside and out. On the inside, leather and other materials vastly outperform the budget look of the Toyota. On top of that, the centerpiece of the Model S's interior is the industry-first high-resolution 17-inch display.

6. Practicality: It's easier to get in and out of the Toyota, and the inherent SUV design means it's less fragile to a lot of real-world events, inside and out. Also, if you are planning on charging at public stations, the Toyota version wins out because of its standard port.

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What's the bottom line? Given the net worth and income of a typical Tesla buyer, this gets tricky. Why? Well, just buy both of them. You probably already have a couple of cars, and if you're writing one $100,000 check, just write another $50,000 check. Compromise is for losers!

For those of you closer to reality, the Toyota version of the Tesla gives you a unique car in the market, essentially right now as opposed to many months into the future. The SUV body is "just right" in size and practicality, and the standard charger means it will be easier for you to fill up that battery when you are out and about.

California may be teetering on bankruptcy and drowning in red tape, but despite these calamities, the good weather and this Tesla-based Toyota prove that some things remain unique benefits for those who still haven't fled California's record-high unemployment in favor of Texas prosperity. I give the Toyota RAV4 Electric, made by Tesla, a superb 9 out of 10 rating. Nab one quickly before the 2,600 units are sold out.

At the time of submitting this article, the author was long TSLA and AAPL. Additional disclosure: Toyota provided airfare, lodging and meals to attend the engineering presentations and test drive of this car.