Model S First Drive Reviews

[aaron.s]

That's a great comparison. So I had my test drive. I'm sleeping on my decision to put down a deposit. My biggest question after my test drive are first and foremost the comfort long term of the seat vs my Panamera. There is no way to know in a test drive.

My next decision is blue with tan with either matte or glossy obeche or gray with tan interior with matte or glossy...

Clint

Blue, Tan, Matte Obeche gets my vote - amazing combination :wink:

Maybe that's because that is the combination I got!

Aaron

 

[J in MN]

My biggest question after my test drive are first and foremost the comfort long term of the seat vs my Panamera.

I had a bad experience with seat comfort this past weekend driving a Model S for a whole day. Obviously this is very dependent on your body dimensions and previous back injuries, etc. I highly recommend finding a Model S for rent, and just drive it all day long. For me it was $1000 well spent.

 

[Clint Eastwood]

I had a bad experience with seat comfort this past weekend driving a Model S for a whole day. Obviously this is very dependent on your body dimensions and previous back injuries, etc. I highly recommend finding a Model S for rent, and just drive it all day long. For me it was $1000 well spent.

It cost $1000 to drive for one day?

 

[J in MN]

It cost $1000 to drive for one day?

Yup. $757 + $2/mile * 178 miles + taxes = $1150.

http://www.bwrentacar.com/exotic-car-rental/tesla-model-s-rental.html

 

[dbfish]

In San Francisco, you can rent an S for $30/hour.

Rent a Black Tesla Model S in San Francisco - Getaround

85kw non-perf non-tech (!!) but has leather. It's a blast to drive

 

[Oreo]

It cost $1000 to drive for one day?

I'll rent out mine anyday for that amount $$$

 

[JohnQ]

I had a bad experience with seat comfort this past weekend driving a Model S for a whole day. Obviously this is very dependent on your body dimensions and previous back injuries, etc. I highly recommend finding a Model S for rent, and just drive it all day long. For me it was $1000 well spent.

As you say, seats are really personal things. I must say that the seats are what I like least about the S. They're pretty good, just not outstanding. Missing the bolstering I'd expect in a sports sedan. Others will disagree and say that they are perfect for them so grain of salt. In my opinion, Audi and BMW seats are much better than the S. Haven't driven MB or Porsche enough to have an informed opinion.

Having said all that, I still pulled the trigger on the S. All the other benefits of the car more than offset my concerns about the seats. Tradeoffs exist with all car purchases, this was just one of them.

 

[medved]

 

[Mayhemm]

So, are you the owner/evangelist in the video, medved?

 

[medved]

So, are you the owner/evangelist in the video, medved?

I'm not there.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

A first drive review of sorts published yesterday. The outlet is the website for the second (out of 2) daily paper in the capital of Sweden – Svenska Dagbladet (translates into “The Swedish Daily Paper”). This ‘pink part’ – the economy section of their website is also promoted from the website of the biggest tabloid in Sweden – Aftonbladet (translates into The Evening Paper).

Unfortunately the journo somehow misunderstood/misrepresents the charging time. He only mentions two charging alternatives.

Alt. no. 1 (10 Amps) he claims takes 37 hours, and alt. no. 2 (3-phase, 16 Amps) 13 hours…

Tesla S – en bil för framtiden | Motor | SvD


Edit: Forgot to add that I sent the journo an e-mail with a reference telling him that the car can be charged in ~4,5 hours by anyone who parks the car at their own property, or in some other way can get Teslas own charging equipment installed where they park their car.

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

.../ The stunning Tesla Model S gets assessed by a team of What Car? readers. Read more about the new all-electric executive car here: http://bit.ly/1lWEGnF

/.../

What Car? is the UK’s biggest car-buying brand and has been helping Britain’s car buyers make purchasing decisions for over 40 years. Our tests are widely regarded as the most trusted source of new car advice. /...

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

One of quite few YouTube video reviews for the UK market. Mostly positive.

 

[NoMoDinos]

Great reviews, thanks SwedishAdvocate!

 

[SmartElectric]

Because I drive an electric car every day on my commute, and completely love it, I thought it was time to test drive a Model S, but I picked challenging conditions that would test just how much I could live with the Tesla compared to the vehicle we deliberately bought for the 4 days out of 365 we end up driving in snow storms across Ontario.


Smart Electric Drive: Test driving a Tesla Model S in a snow storm

Spent 3 hours today on a journey to put some perspective on my enthusiasm for the Tesla Model S.

Step 1: Booked test drive knowing a snow storm was forecast for this evening.
Step 2: Drove Mercedes GLK350 with family to the Toronto/Lawrence Tesla store.
Step 3: Thoroughly enjoyed my first experience sitting in and reviewing the Model S in person.
Step 4: Test drive a Tesla Model S P85+ with 21" summer performance tires during a snow storm.
Step 5: Marvelled at the quality of the driving experience, even when the conditions did not suit the car. Obviously winter tires would have dramatically changed the driving dynamics, but even with crazy low profile summer tires, the car never felt out of control, and the ride experience was exceptional.
Step 6: Got back in the GLK and realized what a great winter vehicle it is, with all wheel drive and commanding view of the road.

It is clear to me the Model S is an exceptional performance sedan. Even so, I came away with a more realistic appraisal of the overall "utility" of this amazing car.


<snip> More thoughts on my blog

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

In (some sort of) conclusion: The British journo liked this P85+ a lot. :wink:

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

He doesn’t seem to understand that there are more ways than Superchargers and regular wall sockets to charge a Model S…

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

The reviewer – who I believe is also a licensed racing driver – states that he would like to be able to turn the electronic stability control systems completely off.

Other than that, it’s a pretty raving review.

And this channel – DRIVETRIBE – is actually created by the team behind the ’original’ Top Gear, as in Clarkson, May, Hammond and ex executive producer Andy Wilman…

 

[reiv]

They actually have a company where I'm from in Boston (www.teslarents.com) that rents out the P100D. It's not even that expensive either!