Last month I was fortunate enough to arrange a last minute test drive when I visited the Menlo Park store on the spur of the moment. That drive was in a Performance version, but I only had about 20 minutes behind the wheel.
Today I visited the DC Store for a pre-arranged test drive. This time, guided by store Assistant Manager Kadira Mitchell, I had 40 minutes in the car and covered city streets as well as a good stretch on I-395 across the Potomac and back. I drove a silver 85 kWh non-performance version Here are some photos of me and the car.
I was overwhelmed by the car's performance, handling, comfort, and ride, and I base this judgment on driving many BMWs and even a Ferrari. This car is a game-changer for sure. I had any number of opportunities to test the car's acceleration in all kinds of conditions and frankly, the nonperformance version is damned impressive. I was leaping ahead of, jumping around, and accelerating away from traffic in all kinds of conditions. A few times a BMW and a number of other hot-rodders pulled along side on I-695 as if to test the S's mettle. They were toast. I also use the HD back camera as a rear-view mirror for most of the drive. It's fantastic, as it covers all of the blind spots and then some. When I was on the pedal things were receding into the distance very quickly.
Based on this drive, I'm not sure now whether I'll spring for the performance version of the 85 kWh model. If I do, it will be largely to provide further support for my aggressive driving tendencies and to satisfy my ego. But I'll have to think long and hard about that decision, as the non-performance 85 kWh version actually has quite extraordinary performance.
Today I visited the DC Store for a pre-arranged test drive. This time, guided by store Assistant Manager Kadira Mitchell, I had 40 minutes in the car and covered city streets as well as a good stretch on I-395 across the Potomac and back. I drove a silver 85 kWh non-performance version Here are some photos of me and the car.
I was overwhelmed by the car's performance, handling, comfort, and ride, and I base this judgment on driving many BMWs and even a Ferrari. This car is a game-changer for sure. I had any number of opportunities to test the car's acceleration in all kinds of conditions and frankly, the nonperformance version is damned impressive. I was leaping ahead of, jumping around, and accelerating away from traffic in all kinds of conditions. A few times a BMW and a number of other hot-rodders pulled along side on I-695 as if to test the S's mettle. They were toast. I also use the HD back camera as a rear-view mirror for most of the drive. It's fantastic, as it covers all of the blind spots and then some. When I was on the pedal things were receding into the distance very quickly.
Based on this drive, I'm not sure now whether I'll spring for the performance version of the 85 kWh model. If I do, it will be largely to provide further support for my aggressive driving tendencies and to satisfy my ego. But I'll have to think long and hard about that decision, as the non-performance 85 kWh version actually has quite extraordinary performance.
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