The most revolutionary new car I've driven in years
Discussion
RDMcG said:
h0b0 said:
In an un-PH way I want to love these. 0-60 in 4.2 seconds sounds fantastic. But, I hate the screen as it doesn't look like it belongs and the interior of the one I sat in was falling apart.
Price depends on battery and goes from $62,400 to $87,400
The one I drove seemed to have no quality problems at all, but obviously I cannot generalize. What was most unexpected was just how much fun it is to drive hard.Price depends on battery and goes from $62,400 to $87,400
h0b0 said:
I have not driven one yet and I must admit the one I sat in was in their showroom in my local mall but I was surprised to see the seats showing such bad signs of wear. I see quite a few on the roads where I live so they have started to blend in with the rest of the cars. I am sure though that everyone I have seen is owned by someone with access to another car. This is the issue for me because it doesn't work yet as a main car for the average person in the US. People int he UK complain about range as if it is deal breaker but then only do short journeys. In the US (as you know better than most) 300 miles is just the start of their trips.
True, though a lot of people have multiple cars. This would be perfect for a daily 50 mile commute for instance...Edited by RDMcG on Thursday 25th July 21:22
I love everything about this car bar that screen. I've said it before and said it the moment they changed it a couple of years ago.
It's a killer, pure and simple.
The sole purpose of tactile controls is so that you don't have to take your eyes off the road. Remove this essential functionality and you have a device which ever time you wish to make a small change requires you to take your eys off the road and faff about trying to steady your hand.
Touch screens have no place as driver tools in motor vehicles. I think this one glaring error will doom this car to failure until they get their LA high tech digits out of their video game playing anuses and wake up and step out into the real world and interact with it.
It's a killer, pure and simple.
The sole purpose of tactile controls is so that you don't have to take your eyes off the road. Remove this essential functionality and you have a device which ever time you wish to make a small change requires you to take your eys off the road and faff about trying to steady your hand.
Touch screens have no place as driver tools in motor vehicles. I think this one glaring error will doom this car to failure until they get their LA high tech digits out of their video game playing anuses and wake up and step out into the real world and interact with it.
Lovely things, but I suspect they'll end up rather expensive when they finally make their way to the UK in RHD form.
I agree that the idea of a touch-screen in a car for controls you'll want to use while driving is a bit stupid though; it's even worse than menu-based systems like iDrive and I don't like them.
I agree that the idea of a touch-screen in a car for controls you'll want to use while driving is a bit stupid though; it's even worse than menu-based systems like iDrive and I don't like them.
I have been told that UK cars will be roughly equivalent to Europe pricing with a £/€ conversion - configure a car here http://www.teslamotors.com/en_EU/models/design
RDMcG said:
Pistom said:
Looks a bit like an Insignia. I like it. How much will they be?
Not sure of the UK price.My take on the Tesla - is that at least it is a start - and a move in the right direction.
Would prefer it if it had being a range extender like the GM Volt/Ampera - and i don't think the screen needs to be an issue with this car - as it is a flaw that could be fixed i think.
Its good to see a manufacturer trying to move the game along - and as such Tesla could yet be the modern equivalent of game changing cars - right up there and even ahead of the original Range Rover, Lexus LS 400, Peugeot 205, Citroen 2CV/Morris Minor/VW Beetle - and other such game changers.
If you can get a genuine 300 miles out of this - then that is a significant step forward and while the cars are expensive initially - i would expect as technology develops and the Tesla technology becomes more common - price will drop.
Respect this car for what it and its manufacturers tries to do
Would prefer it if it had being a range extender like the GM Volt/Ampera - and i don't think the screen needs to be an issue with this car - as it is a flaw that could be fixed i think.
Its good to see a manufacturer trying to move the game along - and as such Tesla could yet be the modern equivalent of game changing cars - right up there and even ahead of the original Range Rover, Lexus LS 400, Peugeot 205, Citroen 2CV/Morris Minor/VW Beetle - and other such game changers.
If you can get a genuine 300 miles out of this - then that is a significant step forward and while the cars are expensive initially - i would expect as technology develops and the Tesla technology becomes more common - price will drop.
Respect this car for what it and its manufacturers tries to do
loose cannon said:
Is it even possible to drive it at night with that huge tablet ? Looks bloody ridiculous lol
Id say if there was a way of having a darker colour - then I can't see why not.My brothers LS 430 has a big screen for the factory satnav (not as big as that one to be fair - and its not an issue having the screen on at night - because Lexus didn't go for ultra bright colours on screen.
Its definitely something Telsa should look at - but its not a fatal design flaw - just something they should and could fix - imo
I really like what Tesla are doing, but why oh why did they have to give it the generic shouty face?
It doesn't need a fraction of the cooling of a combustion engined car, why could it not have a nice sleek nose (think Nissan 240z or similar).
The gaping maw is an uneccesary and ugly feature of so many modern cars, it saddens me to see it on a car that really doesn't need it.
Otherwise, great choice
It doesn't need a fraction of the cooling of a combustion engined car, why could it not have a nice sleek nose (think Nissan 240z or similar).
The gaping maw is an uneccesary and ugly feature of so many modern cars, it saddens me to see it on a car that really doesn't need it.
Otherwise, great choice
Might just be me, but I can't help but wonder why, when the biggest flaw of electric cars currently is the lack of range and charging time, does everything in the car have to be electric?
I know they're trying to break into the premium market but surely this would be an excuse to go back to manual seats, windows and sunroofs. Any spare power that can be saved by the driver doing the work would increase the range surely? Or have they decided the power consumption by interior conveniences is so marginal it's not worth saving?
I know they're trying to break into the premium market but surely this would be an excuse to go back to manual seats, windows and sunroofs. Any spare power that can be saved by the driver doing the work would increase the range surely? Or have they decided the power consumption by interior conveniences is so marginal it's not worth saving?
Electrical consumption of screens, windows and roof is a rounding error - it wouldn't be 1 percent of drive battery capacity.
Darkslider said:
Might just be me, but I can't help but wonder why, when the biggest flaw of electric cars currently is the lack of range and charging time, does everything in the car have to be electric?
I know they're trying to break into the premium market but surely this would be an excuse to go back to manual seats, windows and sunroofs. Any spare power that can be saved by the driver doing the work would increase the range surely? Or have they decided the power consumption by interior conveniences is so marginal it's not worth saving?
I know they're trying to break into the premium market but surely this would be an excuse to go back to manual seats, windows and sunroofs. Any spare power that can be saved by the driver doing the work would increase the range surely? Or have they decided the power consumption by interior conveniences is so marginal it's not worth saving?
I've only driven an electric car from the opposite end of the spectrum - a Smart. But commuting through bunged up London traffic it would have made absolutely any combustion engined car seem silly and pointless. I love sporty sounding engines but an electric car in traffic just seems so right. Silence when you are stationary, and near silence when you move off.
Somehow, it's the biggest selling car in Norway: http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/10/tesla-model-s...
otolith said:
The future of the massive touchscreen interface probably depends on whether it gets adopted by Audi/BMW/Mercedes - if so, anything without one will suddenly be "dated" and "not premium" - ergonomics won't come into it.
The Tesla is outselling all of those brands in the US (in the large car market). Just owning an Audi/BMW/Mercedes is now outdated I suspect Audi/BMW/Mercedes will have to play catch up with Tesla.
EskimoArapaho said:
Somehow, it's the biggest selling car in Norway: http://green.autoblog.com/2013/10/10/tesla-model-s...
Its also outselling Audi/BMW etc in that class. Pistonheaders who live in area's where they are available are saying that they are everywhere.I really really want a Model S, and will buy one as soon as they drop into my price bracket. I suspect they will depreciate at a very slow rate though.
Bad for me, but great if you're currently buying one.
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