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Marques Brownlee Talks Luxury Difference Between Model S Plaid and Taycan

Late last week, YouTube tech-guru Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) gave his review on the all-new Tesla Model S Plaid (embedded below, second video). And since we've already seen quite a few of those focusing on performance and how the electric sedan drives, it was interesting to see the view of somebody who was a little bit more tech-focused. Obviously, he too mentions the acceleration - you just have to.
Marques Brownlee (MKBHD) on the Tesla Model S Plaid 11 photos
Photo: MKBHD / YouTube screenshot
MKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxuryMKBHD's take on Plaid Vs Taycan cabin luxury
The 20+ minute-long clip now has just shy of seven million views (which goes to show how little most of the 14.4 million subscribers care about cars), so you can imagine Brownlee's opinion stirred up a response. Even Elon Musk chipped in by responding to Marques' comments on the performance of the capacitive buttons on the steering wheel, saying the AI would get better at interpreting the driver's intentions and thus ignore any accidental input.

As it happens, that was one of the very few complaints that MKBHD had about the Plaid, confirming what everyone else has said about the new EV. He did touch on the yoke as well and, even though he agrees it requires a muscle memory re-write, he says he would ultimately still take it over a regular steering wheel. Well, at least now we know there's one person.

During a subsequent Waveform podcast, Marques was answering a series of questions about the Plaid when one listener inquired about the difference in luxury between the new Plaid and the Porsche Taycan. The inquiry probably came as a result of him praising the new Model S interior in terms of design, materials, and finish, which obviously begged the question of where it stacks up compared to what is still the EV's biggest rival.

In Marques' opinion, the Taycan still has the better interior, but the two are so different that it's almost impossible to compare. However, he concedes that the updated Model S has the best interior Tesla ever made with the company upping the ante in every possible way compared to the previous generation as well as the rest of the range.

Brownlee's podcast co-host, Andrew, has a different take on the question, though. He feels as though "luxury" should be interpreted as which is the biggest head-turner. He then somehow moves the discussion to the vehicles' exterior design, so his point is mostly missed as far as the interior goes, but in our opinion, the Model S Plaid is by far the bigger head-turner, and that's because it chooses to do things differently.

We wouldn't call that "luxury", though. Thanks to brands such as Bentley, Maybach, and Rolls-Royce, as far as the automotive industry is concerned, that term invokes a pretty clear image of what it stands for: high-end materials, quilted and perforated leather, excellent craftsmanship. In other words, unnecessary things that are just nice to have. Tesla will have to work a little more to disrupt everyone's perception regarding cabin luxury and shift it toward minimalism, but we wouldn't make the mistake of putting it past it.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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