I was able to test drive a Tesla S tonight. 40kw version. In regular mode, it feels like a larger Lexus sedan. Setting the car to ‘sport’ and the air ride to ‘low’, it felt on par with a BMW. On first impression, the car is BIG! The details are all there for the luxury segment.
The interior is fantastic; the stitching, the material quality, panel gaps, the textures and shapes.
The power is intoxicating and the cabin is eerily silent, sans the tire and wind noise. The touch screen that replaces the center stack is gorgeous and the interface is easy to navigate. Just my 20-30 minute drive on the curvy back roads of Raleigh, it is a very stable, interesting car to drive, for such a young auto manufacturer, it is very well put together.
The regenerative braking system is odd at first. It is like leaving a manual transmission in a lower gear winding it out and lifting off the accelerator, though not jerky at all. It feels hard to modulate the accelerator and regenerative systems, but after a couple of tries, I got the hang of it and started using each as an advantage when entering corners.
The seats are fantastic and feel sporty without being confining. It is a beautifully styled car. After a little study, the lines make sense for functional use (aero, wind resistance, etc. The bottom is flat, trailing into a functional diffuser in the rear) and the shape is elegant, not at all gaudy. I was also surprised how much cargo room there is with the rear seat folded down, about as much as a large hatchback.
Hawaian living in North Carolina, what can you do?
Trick door entry:
Short acceleration burst:
Interesting comment from the owner…he says he didn’t necessarily buy the car for the ecological/environmental perspective, rather the technology of the car was the primary draw. He was #510 on the list, having put down the required deposit on 04/2009 (!!).
I forgot to add, during my test drive, I came around a left sweeper to find a pickup in my lane while trying to move around a cyclist. For a car this size, it’s very nimble in emergency maneuvers, regenerative braking FTW! I think the owner, as a passenger, may have left a little stain on the seat.
I’ve always considered the TT one of the greatest modern automotive designs. Then it (almost immediately) grew a small rear spoiler - I think it was a mandated thing due to high-speed-becoming-airborn incidents (one of you Core-ites will know, I’m sure, please add . . . ).
Regardless: that spoiler, as little as it was, utterly destroyed its purity. It was so dissapointing! Because I rarely see a first-gen without the mandated recall item, I’ve gotten used to seeing that little wing’s abusive presence. But I saw this TT yesterday in its pure form, for the first time in ages, and had to take a couple of shots.
P.S. strange case of curb rash considering the crap parking job . . .
Found this hanging out at the greatest import mechanic in the world’s shop the other day. I just now remembered I have a bunch of shots from Petit LeMans that I need to post too. Soon.
Sorry Lew it wasn’t even based on the Miata. That would have been sensible. No it was based on the 323 and had transverse fwd.
Do you know japanese for “WTF?”?