Just Went For A Spin In A Tesla Model S

[nick_7g]

Fun fact

Mercedes Benz S Class 500 is the same price as a fully loaded Tesla Model S in the USA.

In Australia the fully loaded Model S is $140k cheaper than the S500!!!

You could buy two Model S's in Australia for the price of an S Class. Thats the definition of gouging.

That said, for the same money, its a no brainer for me to go for an S Class. Much nicer and more refined car inside (and an awesome V8 twin turbo).

[luke gtr]

Looks good, but the massive screen is a little gaudy.

[Aegats]

Yeah but apart from home where can you charge them?

[PranK]

Looks good, but the massive screen is a little gaudy.

I thought the same thing. Not sure if it was the sheer size of it, or simply that it looks like it's just been placed there and isn't really a part of the car.

Yeah but apart from home where can you charge them?

Apparently anywhere with an outlet. I asked if it needed 3 phase and the guy said no. So, I guess you just pack your phone and laptop charger next to the car charger and hope you have the ground-floor motel room.

[Humbla]

So, going into The Star today and noticed what initially looked like a new Jag - the front and back were obscured by posts, so don't get upset at that mistake!

A new Tesla Model S!

Amazing looking car, had some serious presence just sitting out the front. After a minute or two a young bloke comes over to chat to me about it, he was the Tesla rep.

It is one of 4 in the country and they are doing test drives out of The Star at the moment because they dont have a Sydney office. He asked if we wanted to go for a spin around the block.

He didn't have to ask twice.

How cool you lucky bugger. :-)

Two things grabbed my attention when I got in, the first was the massive screen in the middle. I'm writing this on a 22" monitor and if it was flipped on its side I reckon it'd be similar in size. All controls in the car are performed through this screen and it has user profiles to set the car up just the way you like it (screen display, climate control, seat position etc.)

The second thing was that this felt very much like a German car. The doors 'thud' when they close, the interior finish was impeccable, the leather was gorgeous - I had expected something of a luxury Jeep kind of interior and I was very pleasantly surprised.

Silence! Absolute silence! Seriously eery to have such little noise - especially from a car with some serious poke.

As with any decent rep, he gave it a bit of a squirt and jeezuzz .. I didn't know what to say! 0-100 in 4-point-something seconds he said, but it felt so much quicker because of the immense torque! 310kw and 600+ nm of torque! And the bloody thing still isn't making any noise!

Anyway, some pics from me and my mates phones. Bummed I didn't have a proper camera.

$185k as it sits but he said the base model will start from $100k which I reckon is pretty good.

[luke gtr]

I thought the same thing. Not sure if it was the sheer size of it, or simply that it looks like it's just been placed there and isn't really a part of the car.

Apparently anywhere with an outlet. I asked if it needed 3 phase and the guy said no. So, I guess you just pack your phone and laptop charger next to the car charger and hope you have the ground-floor motel room.

I think if they went with an 11" screen, it could have been integrated alot smoother.

And as for the charging, it may be like the nissan leaf.

Has a decent power station at home, but can be charged from any 240v source.

[Aegats]

I thought the same thing. Not sure if it was the sheer size of it, or simply that it looks like it's just been placed there and isn't really a part of the car.

Apparently anywhere with an outlet. I asked if it needed 3 phase and the guy said no. So, I guess you just pack your phone and laptop charger next to the car charger and hope you have the ground-floor motel room.

In the states they have those super charger stations so works for them.. So lets say you want to drive to Melb it'll take you a few days based on charging times from a standard wall outlet. Normal 240 will take 1hr to get a range of 46km

I'd like to drive one just to see what its like. Every review I seen says they are a great car.

[luke gtr]

Definitely for local driving only.