The most revolutionary new car I've driven in years
Discussion
Sometimes, something comes along that is genuinely surprising. I recall being amazed at how rough and aggressive a 300SL Gullwing engine was, how tiny the pedals were in a Caterham,how much headspace there was in a Smart. However, when it comes to electric vehicles I am a born doubter unless they are for milk floats. I drove a prototype Mitsubishi Mi-EV a few years ago and it left me cold.
Then, I had a chance to test the Tesla S. I always think of electric cars as heavily compromised. Yeah, right.
This car is just stupendous. First of all, its beautifully finished, far superior to the Jag I had a couple of weeks ago. Quality chrome, lovely leather, CF dash, heavy clunk to the doors. The giant screen than makes up most of the dash is a bit strange at first..(menu to open sunroof anyone?), but it covers every possible function very easily. Only issue is that scrolling through the menu when driving is not a great idea.
Approach car, pull door handle which pops smoothly out from the bodywork, open door, into comfortable driver 's seat hit drive and go. Know those movies where the hero jumps into the car which magically has the key already in?.well..this car knows who you are so no key required. You take off silently and very smoothly, very limo-like,
Then ,out on the open road....hit the loud pedal, ( which is silent)...WhoaAAAAH.........the thing is freaking quick for a four door car. 5 seconds 0-60 and it keeps going..flat torque band,,amazing feeling to be whacking into the corners in silence. Heavy insulation means that everything outside is silent also. Steering is well weighted and all just about everything if driver adjustable. God, its quick. Feels light too..lots of aluminium.
Brakes are also powerful and on hard cornering the car is absolutely stable.
Interior appointments are very nicely designed. Huge rear deck opens up and a childrens' jump seat can be pulled up to form a third row . Otherwise you have a vast luggage area.
Ah yes, range..range.
Well, about 300 miles. After that, needs and eight -hour charge of you can have a high-voltage charger installed at home that'll do it in a hour.
I thought I would be very unimpressed by the car. Wrong. Very wrong. I could easily see this car as a wonderful daily commuter.
Then, I had a chance to test the Tesla S. I always think of electric cars as heavily compromised. Yeah, right.
This car is just stupendous. First of all, its beautifully finished, far superior to the Jag I had a couple of weeks ago. Quality chrome, lovely leather, CF dash, heavy clunk to the doors. The giant screen than makes up most of the dash is a bit strange at first..(menu to open sunroof anyone?), but it covers every possible function very easily. Only issue is that scrolling through the menu when driving is not a great idea.
Approach car, pull door handle which pops smoothly out from the bodywork, open door, into comfortable driver 's seat hit drive and go. Know those movies where the hero jumps into the car which magically has the key already in?.well..this car knows who you are so no key required. You take off silently and very smoothly, very limo-like,
Then ,out on the open road....hit the loud pedal, ( which is silent)...WhoaAAAAH.........the thing is freaking quick for a four door car. 5 seconds 0-60 and it keeps going..flat torque band,,amazing feeling to be whacking into the corners in silence. Heavy insulation means that everything outside is silent also. Steering is well weighted and all just about everything if driver adjustable. God, its quick. Feels light too..lots of aluminium.
Brakes are also powerful and on hard cornering the car is absolutely stable.
Interior appointments are very nicely designed. Huge rear deck opens up and a childrens' jump seat can be pulled up to form a third row . Otherwise you have a vast luggage area.
Ah yes, range..range.
Well, about 300 miles. After that, needs and eight -hour charge of you can have a high-voltage charger installed at home that'll do it in a hour.
I thought I would be very unimpressed by the car. Wrong. Very wrong. I could easily see this car as a wonderful daily commuter.
Edited by RDMcG on Thursday 25th July 17:57
Edited by RDMcG on Thursday 25th July 18:41
Max_Torque said:
Sorry, but i find the interior, with that massive oversized touch screen frankly terrible to look at!
(and, have you ever tried to use a touch screen whilst the car goes over bumps? ok, UK roads are in a terrible condition, but it's incredibly hard to accurately control something without any feelback!
My photo is not good...makes the screen look more glaring than reality but big screen means big controls so not too difficult to use. Of course, the appearance is pretty subjective. I got used to it quickly.(and, have you ever tried to use a touch screen whilst the car goes over bumps? ok, UK roads are in a terrible condition, but it's incredibly hard to accurately control something without any feelback!
Stu R said:
I love them. Really do think they're a huge leap forward.
Unfortunately I don't really have a use for it or I'd have one in a heartbeat - I don't really commute anywhere.
There's a reason they're so popular on the west coast now - barely an S class or 7 series to be seen in Cali, which was littered with them before. Teslas are everywhere.
Have you tried a Volt yet Ronan? I was very surprised to find myself liking those too. Suppose I'm condemned to a life of hemp and lentils
Not yetUnfortunately I don't really have a use for it or I'd have one in a heartbeat - I don't really commute anywhere.
There's a reason they're so popular on the west coast now - barely an S class or 7 series to be seen in Cali, which was littered with them before. Teslas are everywhere.
Have you tried a Volt yet Ronan? I was very surprised to find myself liking those too. Suppose I'm condemned to a life of hemp and lentils
...next two cars are an Audi S8 and a V8 F-type Jag in September I think. WIll try one if I get a chance.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
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