Tesla Model S
Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2013 6:49 pm
I am sure most of you have heard of the Tesla Model S. As a car nut, I've been following the press on this car from early on. Last year, it won just about every Car of the Year award in the United States.
I work in Washington, DC where the Model S is not a rare sighting. I see one on the road about every day. Tesla also has a store in the city and DC was one of the cities in the controversial DC to Boston run (which after the claims of the NY Times writer, every publication seemed to try out for themselves).
However, yesterday, I finally got to see, sit in, and thoroughly check out the car in person for myself. I went to a mall in Virginia and Tesla had a showroom there. They had a black Model S Performance (P85) for show and they had a red base model which people could crawl all over. I sure did.
Must must say that the car is beautiful on the outside. I pretty much like every angle of the exterior. The front, side, and rear are all impressive. The car flows despite that fact that it's not a small car. The door handles that pop out work nicely and are well crafted. I simply love the car's design.
The interior was a different story. I didn't know what to expect (other than the hyped giant iPad-like center console). Yes, yes, that's all cool and all, but man... For an $75,000 car, the interior is quite cheap. The buttons on the chairs and dash feel cheaper than the Kizashi's. The plastics used aren't the kind you'd expect in a car of this price range. I have sat in Audi A7s which cost about the same and the quality of the interior is a HUGE difference. If you ignore the huge instrument and console displays, the interior actually feels something like 25k car. The design, however, is impressive and the doors even have embedded LEDs, but the quality of the materials was a disappointment. Honestly, Acura makes more impressive interiors.
The seats were very comfortable and leg space was decent, but again, did not feel like the leather seats of a luxury car. I have sat in a Kizashi SLS which I thought had nicer seats. The lack of a drive shaft, traditional transmission, or exhaust system allows for the car to have a completely flat floor. This gives the rear seats even more leg room and there is an awkward flat, unused space between the driver seat and front passenger seat where normally a car would have the shifter, etc.
I was also shocked to see the weight of this car. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating was around 5,900 pounds. The curb weight is about 1000 less, weighing in at around 4,700 pounds. That's quite a heavy car, considering the motor and the inverter are the size of a full standard pillow each and mounted all the way at the back. The chassis is also aluminum (same with the roof) with some high-tensile steel in the front and back for collision reinforcement. As you can see in the photo, under the hood is a storage compartment.
The battery is the heavy part and I was told it weighs about 1,400 pounds. Despite all this, I just seem to think the car is overweight. Maybe it's just me.
The one thing the showroom could not (and these young people working there failed to) do was really express how much of a performance car the Model S is. The car does 0 to 60 in about 6 seconds for the base and 4 for the Performance. I have recently read that these figures are even understated and the car is actually faster. These figures are like Porsche Cayman and 911 numbers, respectively.
Because it's electric, there's 100% torque on tap from 0. I have talked to people who have driven the Model S (who are not at all affiliated with Tesla) and they said the car takes off like nothing else.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this car, but at the end of the day, I can say I am a fan. The car is very impressive in terms of technology, performance, and its role in the future of the auto market. I also highly respect Elon Musk and his commitment to work on solutions to problems instead of merely complaining like everyone else. I think he is perfect for running a groundbreaking, independent auto company like Tesla.
Is the car worth the 60 to 90k? Hard to say. I think it really depends on one's driving conditions and needs. Most people should wait until they release the cheaper model they are promising.
That being said, if I won the lottery, you can bet I will have a Model S Performance in my driveway. To me, it's the most desirable American-made car.
I work in Washington, DC where the Model S is not a rare sighting. I see one on the road about every day. Tesla also has a store in the city and DC was one of the cities in the controversial DC to Boston run (which after the claims of the NY Times writer, every publication seemed to try out for themselves).
However, yesterday, I finally got to see, sit in, and thoroughly check out the car in person for myself. I went to a mall in Virginia and Tesla had a showroom there. They had a black Model S Performance (P85) for show and they had a red base model which people could crawl all over. I sure did.
Must must say that the car is beautiful on the outside. I pretty much like every angle of the exterior. The front, side, and rear are all impressive. The car flows despite that fact that it's not a small car. The door handles that pop out work nicely and are well crafted. I simply love the car's design.
The interior was a different story. I didn't know what to expect (other than the hyped giant iPad-like center console). Yes, yes, that's all cool and all, but man... For an $75,000 car, the interior is quite cheap. The buttons on the chairs and dash feel cheaper than the Kizashi's. The plastics used aren't the kind you'd expect in a car of this price range. I have sat in Audi A7s which cost about the same and the quality of the interior is a HUGE difference. If you ignore the huge instrument and console displays, the interior actually feels something like 25k car. The design, however, is impressive and the doors even have embedded LEDs, but the quality of the materials was a disappointment. Honestly, Acura makes more impressive interiors.
The seats were very comfortable and leg space was decent, but again, did not feel like the leather seats of a luxury car. I have sat in a Kizashi SLS which I thought had nicer seats. The lack of a drive shaft, traditional transmission, or exhaust system allows for the car to have a completely flat floor. This gives the rear seats even more leg room and there is an awkward flat, unused space between the driver seat and front passenger seat where normally a car would have the shifter, etc.
I was also shocked to see the weight of this car. The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating was around 5,900 pounds. The curb weight is about 1000 less, weighing in at around 4,700 pounds. That's quite a heavy car, considering the motor and the inverter are the size of a full standard pillow each and mounted all the way at the back. The chassis is also aluminum (same with the roof) with some high-tensile steel in the front and back for collision reinforcement. As you can see in the photo, under the hood is a storage compartment.
The battery is the heavy part and I was told it weighs about 1,400 pounds. Despite all this, I just seem to think the car is overweight. Maybe it's just me.
The one thing the showroom could not (and these young people working there failed to) do was really express how much of a performance car the Model S is. The car does 0 to 60 in about 6 seconds for the base and 4 for the Performance. I have recently read that these figures are even understated and the car is actually faster. These figures are like Porsche Cayman and 911 numbers, respectively.
Because it's electric, there's 100% torque on tap from 0. I have talked to people who have driven the Model S (who are not at all affiliated with Tesla) and they said the car takes off like nothing else.
Overall, I have mixed feelings about this car, but at the end of the day, I can say I am a fan. The car is very impressive in terms of technology, performance, and its role in the future of the auto market. I also highly respect Elon Musk and his commitment to work on solutions to problems instead of merely complaining like everyone else. I think he is perfect for running a groundbreaking, independent auto company like Tesla.
Is the car worth the 60 to 90k? Hard to say. I think it really depends on one's driving conditions and needs. Most people should wait until they release the cheaper model they are promising.
That being said, if I won the lottery, you can bet I will have a Model S Performance in my driveway. To me, it's the most desirable American-made car.