From Tesla Model Y to the Toyota Sienna: Why I Switched
Travel · Published 11/18/2023 ·
Up until now I’d been driving a Tesla Model Y. The big selling point of an EV is how cheap it is to run.
The highway self-driving is genuinely good quality. The roomy trunk — and the frunk — are nice perks too.
These days the EV charging infrastructure is so well built out that there’s zero charging stress.
You’ll find KEPCO EV chargers tucked into every corner of the countryside. In about 20 minutes I could charge up enough for around 300km of range.
But… it’s not like the car has no downsides.
The ride is just way too harsh.
Drive around with the recommended 42 PSI (cold) in the tires and your whole body ends up aching. Sure, maybe that’s just because I’m in my 40s.
Either way, for me the Model Y’s ride quality made it a genuinely tough car to live with.
Car camping is technically possible, but…
all you can really do is lie down. When I wanted to eat a packed lunch in the car, or just rest for a bit, I’d have to empty the trunk, fold the seats down, climb in, and… just lie there.
Of course, the EV perks — the idle-off heater and air conditioning — are still a real plus even as I’m writing this. But that’s about as far as it goes.
These days, pricey as they are, you can buy a power bank for around a million won, and there are plenty of engine-off heating devices on the market too, so it’s not an advantage you can’t work around.
So… is that why I switched? Not exactly.
I just wanted a car with a decent ride and plenty of space. The Carnival, for example.
The gasoline Carnival has a perfectly good ride, drives nicely, and boasts plenty of power. Pick the 7-seater option and do a little aftermarket tweaking and it’s more than capable as a camping vehicle. The Carnival has a few weak points, but there’s really no alternative to it.
I hate fixed expenses.
A lot of people ask, why on earth do you care about fuel economy when you’re buying a car that costs tens of millions of won? But honestly, even among the people around me buying cars over 100 million won, there are still folks taking delivery of an S-Class diesel. It’s partly about cost, but having to swing by the gas station so often is also a real hassle.
A hybrid Carnival is coming out soon.
Once I checked the specs, I gave up on the idea. The price jumps quite a bit, and at full spec the gap with the Sienna keeps narrowing.
A car is a tricky piece of convenience equipment to choose — one slip and your life could be on the line. I’d had plenty of time in the Tesla, so I took a more conservative approach this time.
The minivans currently sold in Korea are basically the Carnival, the Sienna, and the Odyssey, and I ruled out anything with a used-car feel.
Of those, I went with the Sienna — the cheapest to fuel and with a ride that’s at least middle-of-the-road — and as luck would have it, the Pyeongtaek PDI had a few in stock.
From contract to delivery took six days.
The Sienna, a minivan with those alluring sliding doors. This is a photo I took of my own car, and I went so dark with the tint that… you can’t see inside at all.
It’s hard to see out from the inside, too. I overdid it a little on purpose so I wouldn’t have to bother with curtains and the like for future car camping, but I do regret it a bit.
The front-end design is a love-it-or-hate-it thing… it’s not exactly a soft look. I like softer designs, but domestic cars are getting more and more aggressive too, so I suspect it’ll blend in over time.
The rear is just a plain box design. The character of the car shows through completely. It’s not an SUV — it’s a 7-seater, and you need to use every bit of that rear space.
So it drops off almost vertically, though they did work in a slight character line. Honestly, on design the Carnival wins hands down. ^^
Well… that’s just how it is. hahaha
The instrument cluster, still showing no real miles driven.
A lot of people complain about it being analog, but — and I’m not just making excuses — analog gauges are genuinely great ^^; I’ve driven a Tesla and several BMWs, and about half of them had digital clusters. For a tachometer, analog is more intuitive and just easier to read, and that’s what matters. It’s like how an analog wall clock catches your eye better than a digital one… This was something I’d quietly worried about, but the visibility is good and I’m happy with it.
The self-driving features I’ve come “back” to, and various other high-tech bits…
Only the alert system that warns you when a car approaches from the side or rear, and the cruise control that recognizes the vehicle ahead and eases off the speed, are actually useful — the rest aren’t great.
So I don’t use them ^^
I bought this car with a clear purpose: I’ll use it for my commute, and I plan to load up workout clothes, a bike, and so on for trips, and even sleep in the car.
The goal isn’t camping so much as using it in place of a hotel — catching a sunrise to photograph, that kind of thing.
Going forward I’ll be uploading info on travel, photography, and more with the Sienna. Thanks for reading.
Contact: bumseok.view [at] gmail [dot] com
