Drove the Tesla Model S

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RichieZ

RichieZ

Diamond Member
Jun 1, 2000
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Drove the non-performance 85kWh (0-60 in 5.6s) model yesterday at the Palo Alto event. Very impressed by how production ready the car is, a nice improvement over the beta model I got a ride in at the Fremont factory event last year.

Initial impressions:
  1. Effortless: it just accelerates anytime you press down on the fun pedal
  2. Composed: lower center of gravity than my midengined Porsche Boxster, handles surprisingly well for such a heavy car (4,600lbs). Reminisicent of the Panamera S I've driven on a track. I felt there was minimal body roll but my guest who sat in the back seat said it was pretty noticeable. Air suspension is really compliant and it floats on the road.
  3. Silent: with the windows up and music off its dead quiet. Its really an odd experience to be doing 80+ and its that silent.

I'd say the car is an interesting blend of luxury and performance. I was very surprised that given the amount of torque the car has I didn't get that push me back into the seat feeling that I've experienced as a passenger in a 911 Turbo, but then the non-perf Model S isn't that fast 0-60 . I almost wish it had more feedback and road feel, but I guess thats a feature not a bug in a car like this.

Net result is that I was delighted with the performance and how the car handles, keeping my reservation for now.

PS: Funny story but when I showed up one of the event people assumed I worked there. Also when I brought the car back after the test drive all the employees clapped, similar to what Apple does for early buyers of new hardware. Fun experience.

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mmntech

mmntech

Lifer
Sep 20, 2007
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I got a chance to see the roadster at the last Toronto auto show. They has it roped off though. Sucks. Would have loved to sit inside. They had a Fiskar Karma on display as well.

I've never drive an electric vehicle beyond a golf cart. It's definitely on my must drive list. Tesla has done a great job of making electric cars sexy.
 
Doppel

Doppel

Lifer
Feb 5, 2011
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This isn't a performance vehicle anymore than a 7-series BMW. It's a luxury cruiser. All things considered it looks like Tesla has done a good job with the car. They have a true luxury vehicle with strong performance that seats 5, or even 7 in a pinch, and has 100-200+ mile ranges depending on how much money you throw at the battery. It does look excellent, too.
 
RichieZ

RichieZ

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Jun 1, 2000
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Doppel said:
This isn't a performance vehicle anymore than a 7-series BMW. It's a luxury cruiser. All things considered it looks like Tesla has done a good job with the car. They have a true luxury vehicle with strong performance that seats 5, or even 7 in a pinch, and has 100-200+ mile ranges depending on how much money you throw at the battery. It does look excellent, too.
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yes and no, I'd say somebody might cross shop this with something like an M5 - exec sedan with some real power behind it. Looking at the guest parking lot it was a real mix of cars, everything from a prius to 911s and a S600. Early adopters are a diverse crowd.

Personally I'm cross shopping it against a 991 911 Carrera S, I'm not sure I'm ready to own a 100% electric car - the best thing going for it IMO is the ability to get into the carpool lane by yourself.
 
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5150Joker

5150Joker

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Feb 6, 2002
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www.techinferno.com
RichieZ said:
yes and no, I'd say somebody might cross shop this with something like an M5 - exec sedan with some real power behind it. Looking at the guest parking lot it was a real mix of cars, everything from a prius to 911s and a S600. Early adopters are a diverse crowd.

Personally I'm cross shopping it against a 991 911 Carrera S, I'm not sure I'm ready to own a 100% electric car - the best thing going for it IMO is the ability to get into the carpool lane by yourself.
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If I had the cash, Tesla would be my first choice.

Sent from my GT-N7000
 
Fenixgoon

Fenixgoon

Lifer
Jun 30, 2003
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FuzzyDunlop said:
ditto. I just doubt it could handle the winters up here.

Also, 4600 #s for an electric car... isnt that light in comparison to other E-cars??
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i don't think anyone else has an electric car similar in size to the Model S.

both the leaf and volt are much lighter (~3300 and 3800 lbs), though not "light" compared to normal compact vehicles which are sub-3000.
 
Don Vito Corleone

Don Vito Corleone

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Feb 10, 2000
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I am sincerely glad for Elon Musk and Tesla because they are advancing the science of developing appealing and competent road cars based principally on electric power.

That being said, based on where we stand in real-world development in 2012, I find the new BMW ActiveHybrid cars to be very impressive as high-performance, energy-efficient cars for customers who are not astronomically wealthy. Obviously BMW is a company with a decades-long track record in road car chassis development (with best-in-class performance for something like 35 years). These are not primarily-electric vehicles, but they are very fast, highly efficient, and reasonably priced, with what will almost certainly be greater reliability and more readily-available service than the Teslas. I think I'd take one over a Tesla unless I were very wealthy and wanting to prove a point. (This is not meant as a criticism of people who check both these boxes - drive your Teslas in good health with my blessing!)
 
RichieZ

RichieZ

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Jun 1, 2000
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Don Vito Corleone said:
I am sincerely glad for Elon Musk and Tesla because they are advancing the science of developing appealing and competent road cars based principally on electric power.

That being said, based on where we stand in real-world development in 2012, I find the new BMW ActiveHybrid cars to be very impressive as high-performance, energy-efficient cars for customers who are not astronomically wealthy. Obviously BMW is a company with a decades-long track record in road car chassis development (with best-in-class performance for something like 35 years). These are not primarily-electric vehicles, but they are very fast, highly efficient, and reasonably priced, with what will almost certainly be greater reliability and more readily-available service than the Teslas. I think I'd take one over a Tesla unless I were very wealthy and wanting to prove a point. (This is not meant as a criticism of people who check both these boxes - drive your Teslas in good health with my blessing!)
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I used to own a Z4 before I had the boxster so I'm a fan of BMW. However I don't really see the point of the active hybrids, they have a tiny battery and don't get much better gas mileage. Its like having a KERS system as an option on your car. I also wonder how it impacts performance, adding extra weight and packaging the batteries under the trunk probably doesn't do much for handling.
 
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LTC8K6

LTC8K6

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Mar 10, 2004
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I think people laughed at GM for making such "light hybrids" back in the day.
 
vi edit

vi edit

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Oct 28, 1999
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Don Vito Corleone said:
I find the new BMW ActiveHybrid cars to be very impressive as high-performance, energy-efficient cars for customers who are not astronomically wealthy. Obviously BMW is a company with a decades-long track record in road car chassis development (with best-in-class performance for something like 35 years). These are not primarily-electric vehicles, but they are very fast, highly efficient, and reasonably priced, with what will almost certainly be greater reliability and more readily-available service than the Teslas.
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I wasn't familiar with the BMW Active Hybrids so I went and looked them up. They are interesting for sure. Over 300HP and 300 ft/lbs in a 3 series sized car with close to 40MPG. That is impressive.

But that's also a $50,000(base price) car with a turbo charged combustion engine + a hybrid assist setup. That's a lot of stuff to break. And no chump change entry price.
 
Don Vito Corleone

Don Vito Corleone

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Feb 10, 2000
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vi edit said:
I wasn't familiar with the BMW Active Hybrids so I went and looked them up. They are interesting for sure. Over 300HP and 300 ft/lbs in a 3 series sized car with close to 40MPG. That is impressive.

But that's also a $50,000(base price) car with a turbo charged combustion engine + a hybrid assist setup. That's a lot of stuff to break. And no chump change entry price.
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Those are absolutely fair points. I will say that although BMWs are mediocre in reliability relative to other mass-production cars, they have a huge dealer network for warranty support, and I'd have to think they are going to be less subject to random electronic gremlins than the Tesla. Some random electronic gremlins in a Tesla might leave you stranded or even brick the car outright (as has happened to some Tesla roadsters which went unused for a couple of months).

As I said I am really happy Tesla exists, but they're not to the point of being viable alternatives for people other than the very wealthy.
 
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