It’s been 4 weeks and 1000 miles since I’ve gotten my Model S P85 and I wanted to give my impressions so far. To sum it up in one sentence – this is the best car I’ve ever driven or owned and I’ve been fortunate to have owned some nice cars. My last 2 cars were a Porsche 911 Carrera and a Mercedes SL 55 AMG. Even those these were both great cars, the Model S is at an entirely different level. It is a paradigm shift in what is possible in transportation. I don’t feel that I can ever go back to an ICE car again.
So what makes Model S so good? This is a difficult question to answer and something that I struggle to explain because the answer is not just one thing, it is a combination of things that each in their own right would be revolutionary but taken in combination are a seed change. Reflecting on this I can come up with three separate things that I love.
1) Electric power and its side effects. The model S is the fastest car I’ve ever driven. Not that I’ve gotten it over 100, but the acceleration is breathtaking. It is like being on one of those roller coasters that have magnetic induction instead of a hill. I do have the performance version, but I think that I would have still been happy with the regular. The instant response you get when you press the accelerator is addicting. In fact, anytime I drive an ICE car now, the delay I experience in acceleration as the engine revs up and the transmission downshifts is annoying to say the least. The regen braking is also a fun driving experience. There is elegance in simplicity and the removal of the engine, transmission, and all the extraneous mechanical parts associated with an ICE and replacement with a simple motor that performs even better is revolutionary. I’ve had absolutely no range anxiety. In fact I have the opposite – wishing the battery would occasionally be below 50% charge. This may seem strange, but here is the reason. I got the 85Kw battery mainly because I wanted to not have any anxiety about range and wanted to drive without worrying about how fast I drive or what accessories are being used (AC – heating, etc.). I drive on average about 50 miles per day and over this first 3 weeks, I’ve only had the battery less than 50% charge once. The only time I had it less than 50% is when I purposefully didn’t charge it over night for 3 days straight in order to get it to this level. Now I’m feeling I would have been OK with the 60Kw battery in that at least I would have been using more of the range of the battery. It is strange to always start the day with a full charge (90% anyway) and never have to stop for gas. As almost as an afterthought – there is the whole less CO2 emission thing.
2) User Interface. The touch screen and the way you interact with the car are revolutionary. It is like going from a flip-phone to an iPhone for the first time. I’m very tech savvy and I have written 10 apps in the Apple app store, and I appreciate a great user experience. The more powerful and well-thought-out a UI is, the easier and more intuitive it is for non tech-savvy people. I used to think that the touch screen in our Toyota Sienna was good until the Model S. There is no doubt about it – the large touch screen with over the wire updates without all the plastic buttons is the future of automotive interfaces. Even if the Model S was an ICE car, people would love it for the interface itself. The last car I purchased was a Ford Focus with the SYNC interface. This thing was horrible to use. Its not that I couldn’t eventually understand how to use it, but that It took so much time to figure it out and that the nuances are forgotten with time since they are not intuitive so why bother learning them in the first place? The UI is not just the touch screen, but the other elements such as the charge port with different color lights depending on status and the retractable door handles. The thing that really amazes me is that this is the worst that the Model S interface will ever be in that it will continue to be updated and improved in the future.
3) Styling and design. Many people, when I’m driving or parked in a parking lot, will ask me what kind of car this is just based on looks alone. They have no idea that it is an electric car or that it has an incredible UI or has as much space as an SUV. When I drove to the car wash to get it washed, everyone immediately had to gather round just because of the striking looks. The quietness of the car combined with its amazing acceleration is an amazing combination.
As far as any negatives, I have some of the usual suspects – sunroof requiring two swipes to open, the occasional need to restart the center console, and occasional condensation of water in the rear reverse light after a car wash but these are entirely minor and most will be fixed with a future update. The delivery process was somewhat random and needs to be more standardized. The fit of the panels on the car can be improved but is acceptable.
When I put my deposit down over 3 years ago, it was really just for an idea. I knew that there was a good chance it may fail or the product that was released would have major flaws. It is a tribute to the entire Tesla team as to how little problems in general there are. Even at this early point there are no glaring design flaws. The only question left to answer is longevity. I truly feel that we are on the cusp of a transport revolution. If Elon and company can make the business side of the project work, the number of electric cars and charging options will continue to expand. Glad to see that innovation and entrepreneurship is still going strong in the US and I’m extremely happy with my purchase and to be a part of this revolution.
So what makes Model S so good? This is a difficult question to answer and something that I struggle to explain because the answer is not just one thing, it is a combination of things that each in their own right would be revolutionary but taken in combination are a seed change. Reflecting on this I can come up with three separate things that I love.
1) Electric power and its side effects. The model S is the fastest car I’ve ever driven. Not that I’ve gotten it over 100, but the acceleration is breathtaking. It is like being on one of those roller coasters that have magnetic induction instead of a hill. I do have the performance version, but I think that I would have still been happy with the regular. The instant response you get when you press the accelerator is addicting. In fact, anytime I drive an ICE car now, the delay I experience in acceleration as the engine revs up and the transmission downshifts is annoying to say the least. The regen braking is also a fun driving experience. There is elegance in simplicity and the removal of the engine, transmission, and all the extraneous mechanical parts associated with an ICE and replacement with a simple motor that performs even better is revolutionary. I’ve had absolutely no range anxiety. In fact I have the opposite – wishing the battery would occasionally be below 50% charge. This may seem strange, but here is the reason. I got the 85Kw battery mainly because I wanted to not have any anxiety about range and wanted to drive without worrying about how fast I drive or what accessories are being used (AC – heating, etc.). I drive on average about 50 miles per day and over this first 3 weeks, I’ve only had the battery less than 50% charge once. The only time I had it less than 50% is when I purposefully didn’t charge it over night for 3 days straight in order to get it to this level. Now I’m feeling I would have been OK with the 60Kw battery in that at least I would have been using more of the range of the battery. It is strange to always start the day with a full charge (90% anyway) and never have to stop for gas. As almost as an afterthought – there is the whole less CO2 emission thing.
2) User Interface. The touch screen and the way you interact with the car are revolutionary. It is like going from a flip-phone to an iPhone for the first time. I’m very tech savvy and I have written 10 apps in the Apple app store, and I appreciate a great user experience. The more powerful and well-thought-out a UI is, the easier and more intuitive it is for non tech-savvy people. I used to think that the touch screen in our Toyota Sienna was good until the Model S. There is no doubt about it – the large touch screen with over the wire updates without all the plastic buttons is the future of automotive interfaces. Even if the Model S was an ICE car, people would love it for the interface itself. The last car I purchased was a Ford Focus with the SYNC interface. This thing was horrible to use. Its not that I couldn’t eventually understand how to use it, but that It took so much time to figure it out and that the nuances are forgotten with time since they are not intuitive so why bother learning them in the first place? The UI is not just the touch screen, but the other elements such as the charge port with different color lights depending on status and the retractable door handles. The thing that really amazes me is that this is the worst that the Model S interface will ever be in that it will continue to be updated and improved in the future.
3) Styling and design. Many people, when I’m driving or parked in a parking lot, will ask me what kind of car this is just based on looks alone. They have no idea that it is an electric car or that it has an incredible UI or has as much space as an SUV. When I drove to the car wash to get it washed, everyone immediately had to gather round just because of the striking looks. The quietness of the car combined with its amazing acceleration is an amazing combination.
As far as any negatives, I have some of the usual suspects – sunroof requiring two swipes to open, the occasional need to restart the center console, and occasional condensation of water in the rear reverse light after a car wash but these are entirely minor and most will be fixed with a future update. The delivery process was somewhat random and needs to be more standardized. The fit of the panels on the car can be improved but is acceptable.
When I put my deposit down over 3 years ago, it was really just for an idea. I knew that there was a good chance it may fail or the product that was released would have major flaws. It is a tribute to the entire Tesla team as to how little problems in general there are. Even at this early point there are no glaring design flaws. The only question left to answer is longevity. I truly feel that we are on the cusp of a transport revolution. If Elon and company can make the business side of the project work, the number of electric cars and charging options will continue to expand. Glad to see that innovation and entrepreneurship is still going strong in the US and I’m extremely happy with my purchase and to be a part of this revolution.
