Why does the father who drives Toyota Highlander fall in love with his son's Tes
One of my friends owns two cars in his family: a Toyota Highlander belonging to his father and a Tesla Model Y that is his own. When I asked him about the differences between these two vehicles, his response was:
Almost the same price, completely different experiences.
Let's start by introducing some basic information about the two cars, such as the time of purchase, configuration, price, and mileage:
The Highlander was purchased at the beginning of 2022, a 2023 model with a dual-engine 2.5L four-wheel drive premium edition. He can't quite remember whether the bare car price was 318,000 or 328,000 RMB (the manufacturer's suggested retail price was 329,800 RMB), and it has been driven for nearly 50,000 to 60,000 kilometers.The Tesla Model Y is a dual-motor long-range version purchased at the end of 2023, with a landed price of over 310,000 yuan and a driving mileage of 14,000 kilometers.
Regarding the price, there is a little story behind it.
Unfortunately, right after he made the purchase, Tesla announced a price reduction for the Model Y, with the long-range version seeing a decrease of 6,500 yuan. In fact, prior to this, in August 2023, the Model Y had already undergone a significant price drop, with the long-range version being reduced by 14,000 yuan, and the starting price adjusted from 313,900 yuan to 299,900 yuan. So, when he bought the car, he thought it was already a good deal, but he never expected that Tesla would lower the price again right after he got it. Fortunately, the reduction this time was not too drastic and was still within his acceptable range.
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Moreover, to be honest, the terminal quote for the Highlander, which was bought more than a year earlier, has already dropped by over 50,000 yuan. In comparison, the Model Y is still considered better.
So, just looking at the price reductions of joint venture models in the past two years, it is enough to make many old car owners turn their love into resentment. This is also the case with my friend's father, a loyal fan of the Highlander, who would fall in love with the Model Y for this reason.However, the Highlander has always been the top choice for middle-aged consumers, maintaining an unshakable position in the seven-seater SUV market. It has not only created the phenomenon of "changing rivals, but the Highlander remains steadfast," but even two or three years ago, it was still not possible to immediately take delivery of the car even with an additional payment of 10,000 yuan.
At that time, the Highlander, like many luxury goods, had an emotional value and brand influence that brought actual usage value worth tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, the friend's father chose to switch from the Highlander to the Model Y, not just because of the price factor, but because the Model Y truly conquered him in terms of actual experience.
The friend summarized several reasons why he and his father think the Model Y is better than the Highlander ——
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The Highlander is a good car, but it is not good enough compared to its competitors.In traditional fuel vehicles, the Highlander is actually considered a very good car to drive, and it's a hybrid version, which offers a smooth driving experience. However, the biggest issue is that compared to its competitors, the Highlander is just not good enough.
Firstly, appearance is justice, a statement that never goes out of style.
As a young person born in the 1990s, my friend places a significant emphasis on the appearance of a car. Although the family-style front of the Highlander hybrid version has incorporated modern elements to create an impressive visual effect, it still appears conservative and outdated when compared to the minimalist design of the Model Y. Overall, it lacks the simplicity and modernity of the latter.
Secondly, the Highlander is a bit too large, which is not very friendly for a city like Chengdu with an extremely high number of vehicles, making parking difficult. Additionally, because the Highlander is a hybrid, it cannot obtain a green license plate and, like fuel vehicles, is subject to odd-even traffic restrictions, making it less convenient than electric vehicles in many urban travel scenarios.Finally, let's discuss the fuel consumption/electricity consumption of the two vehicles. Compared to fuel-powered SUVs of the same size and class, the Highlander is actually quite fuel-efficient. However, no matter how fuel-efficient it is, for friends who like to drive everywhere, the monthly fuel cost is basically over a thousand yuan, which is much higher than the monthly electricity cost of the Model Y.
Here's a straightforward comparison of data:
For the Highlander, filling up a tank of fuel costs around 500 yuan, with a range of about 1000 kilometers, which equals 0.5 yuan per kilometer.
Looking at the Model Y, the Long Range version comes with a 78 kWh battery, but it is generally recommended to charge it to 80%, which is around 60 kWh. Under this condition, the real range can be about 300 kilometers. Since my friend doesn't have a home charging pile, they need to charge at public charging piles. During off-peak hours, the electricity cost for 60 kWh is a little over 40 yuan, which translates to just over 0.1 yuan per kilometer. If they could install a home charging pile, a full charge would only cost around 20 yuan, making it even more cost-effective. In fact, the electricity consumption can be considered negligible.
However, these are not the decisive factors. What the Highlander loses to the Model Y is the essence of a car — the driving experience.In the face of the "good driving" experience of the Model Y, all shortcomings can be forgiven.
"Once a Tesla, always a Tesla," many people who have driven a Tesla would say such a thing, and my friend and his father are no exception.
He mentioned that the driving experience of Tesla is something he has never experienced before. "Tesla is completely different from all the cars I've driven before. It's hard to describe this feeling; it's like driving a toy, incredibly smooth. Especially after test driving a pure electric model from a certain Chinese brand, I feel that Tesla is simply too easy to drive."
Especially the column shift design of Tesla, once you've used it, it's hard to go back. Now, when he drives a car without a column shift, he feels a bit uncomfortable, so he has to admit that Tesla has indeed changed the driving habits of many people.Of course, the Model Y is not without its flaws and shortcomings.
For instance, the Tesla's design and its spartan interior were initially hard for him to accept, and the anxiety over electric vehicle range is indeed an inescapable issue, especially during long-distance travel. Although there are many charging stations now, it is still necessary to plan the journey in advance.
However, after his first drive in the Model Y, he felt that these issues were no longer a concern.
"Good to drive" is absolutely the ultimate demand for a car, and in the face of this advantage, all shortcomings can be forgiven.03
In terms of intelligence, the two vehicles are not of the same dimension
In addition, a significant difference in the experience between the two models lies in their level of intelligence. Intelligence has indeed brought about a revolutionary change in the driving experience. In this regard, the Highlander and the Model Y are no longer of the same dimension, with the latter being a dimensional reduction strike against the former.
A friend mentioned that traditional car manufacturers' intelligence is indeed quite average, and it could even be said that there is no intelligence to speak of. In terms of driving assistance, most only offer lane-keeping assistance and adaptive cruise control, which still requires the driver to control the steering wheel at all times. Although this frees the feet, driving is still tiring.
When it comes to human-vehicle interaction, the Highlander has nothing to talk about in this regard. Although it supports voice assistant functions, the voice recognition capability can be said to still be in the "kindergarten" stage. Moreover, the car's system is sluggish and has few features, which are all common complaints. Over time, he has given up using it.In contrast, the Model Y, although not as equipped with numerous function buttons like domestic cars or other competing models, can do everything with just one screen, completely outperforming the Highlander in this regard.
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Conclusion by the Driver
Lastly, let's discuss the thought process behind this friend's car selection journey.In fact, initially, my friend's parents were not very supportive of him buying an electric car, as they felt that there hasn't been a significant technological breakthrough in electric vehicles yet, and buying a gasoline car would be more reassuring.
At that time, they also looked at many cars, including the Model Y, second-tier luxury brands, and C-class cars from Mercedes-Benz, BMW, and Audi, as well as BYD's Seal and Han, AITO M7, and Zhiji LS6, among others.
My friend mentioned that he actually quite liked the Zhiji LS6, but because the brand is too niche, he ultimately chose the "can't go wrong" Tesla.
From this individual case of my friend, we can also identify some reasons why joint venture brands have started to decline in recent years and have lost their foothold in the high-price segment above 300,000 yuan—
1. Due to the inability to keep up with new forces in terms of design and intelligence, many joint venture brands are no longer in the car-purchasing options of the younger generation. Only the parents' generation would consider gasoline cars due to concerns about the reliability and stability of electric vehicles.2. With the advancement of tram technology and the continuous increase in penetration rate, reliability and stability are no longer the primary factors affecting young people's purchase of trams. It seems that under a mentality of trying something new, they do not have a long-term holding mentality. A more important factor has become "disruptive experience." Consumers can also easily be "planted" after actually driving an electric vehicle. Finally, choosing a brand with better sales volume becomes the last step of "seeking stability."
3. The pricing system of many joint venture brands has collapsed. Even "premium cars" like Highlander have stepped down from their pedestals. The latest news indicates that the starting price of the lowest configuration of Highlander has been reduced to 180,000.
On the surface, this process seems to offer consumers greater benefits, which should promote terminal sales. However, after actual interviews, I believe that when Highlander falls from the pedestal in the hearts of middle-aged people, it has lost its most valuable purchasing group and is difficult to regain its former glory.
4. After middle-aged people give up on Highlander, who will be their next target? The interviewees in this article have a "son influencing father" restrictive factor.From the summary, it is not difficult to discern that control and driving experience are the primary factors that impress them, followed by a more convenient user experience (for instance, I know middle-aged individuals who believe that a car's system that cannot voice-activate old songs and Guo Degang's performances, nor accurately voice-activate the exact destination in one go, is subpar. In fact, their demands are not high or flashy; they pursue accuracy).
For those who seek stability at heart, they will ultimately opt for a "herd" choice, that is, a brand with higher sales volumes.
The convenience and accuracy of the smart experience, the mechanical quality of the control experience, coupled with a reputation for "never going wrong," can create the "electric vehicle era Highlander" in the minds of middle-aged people.
Lastly, what strikes me the most is:
When the belief in Highlander in the minds of middle-aged people has already crumbled, or has been demystified, and it has no presence in the minds of young people, it is sufficient to illustrate that the trend of electric vehicles in the current era is irreversible.For participants in market competition, in addition to providing sufficient differentiation and disruptive experiences, there is an increasing emphasis on the stability and reliability of the brand and reputation itself. There must be a compelling reason to fully embrace a completely new brand, and I believe that marginal brands with shaky systems will become increasingly dangerous in the next step.
After all, those who once loved the Highlander cannot accept the idea of buying a brand that might disappear.
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