Drove (Z-ET's!) Perf Grey at Santana Row today (booked a 3 pm slot just a couple of days ago by contacting Alex, the store manager, by email. Thanks, Alex!).
As expected, it was fantastic! My parents were in the back and were blown away! Blasting past a stinkin' Merc E-class on the onramp from Winchester onto I-280 was blissful!
Some observations:
- I drove the non-perf car (85 kWh, of course) back in June in Fremont. The difference in performance (on onramps and such) was somewhat noticeable but, I wouldn't call it night and day by any means. I couldn't tell a difference at highway speeds nor in short acceleration bursts on city streets. Anyone getting the 85 non-perf would not be missing much, in my subjective opinion.
- Larry Chanin and maybe others felt a difference in ride comfort between a perf and a non-perf. I definitely couldn't. The non-perf that I drove in Fremont was on 21" wheels as well. If anything, the road conditions near Santana Row and on I-280 were better than the private and public roads near the Fremont factory. The Air Suspension was fabulous as expected; my elderly parents can vouch for that!
- The driver's door's locking mechanism is showing signs of fatigue from all the abuse thus far. It didn't fully engage - the display in front of the driver was showing that it was still unlocked - despite a few attempts. It took a pretty brutal yank to get it to close and for us to get underway.
- I found the view through the rear quite good actually - not much of a distorted view; I didn't pay much attention to it back in Fremont and there was a passenger in the middle seat as well on that occasion.
It lasted all of 20 minutes, but, it left me smiling and satiated till I get my car in November
If you have a reservation, are local to the Bay Area and are going to be able to find some time away from work on a week day, do try to book a test drive slot at Santana Row or Menlo Park. I'd guarantee that you'll forget all the handwringing and angst over the slow delivery ramp-up