A silenced critic at last - almost ;-)

[AustinPowers]

Well, last Wednesday the great day was finally there - my test drive with a Model S here in Frankfurt - and a P85 at that. The weather was superb as well, so after a long day at the office, off we went to the Tesla store.

What were my impressions? As one would expect, the performance was awesome, even though the evening rush hour traffic didn't really leave a lot of room to do the car justice. But for what it's worth, I was more than impressed. At one point I thought the car would lift off into space if I didn't slow down again immediately. My colleague confessed the next day that she almost got sick (we went quite fast around more than a handful of bends and corners...) :biggrin:

Due to the short amount of time we had I didn't really check fit and finish issues or many of the things I thought I would mind about the car. The only thing I really noticed was the awkward positioning of the front armrest/cupholders. Still, until Gen III comes around I am sure Tesla will have come up with a better solution.

(First) final thoughts? Now I can wholeheartedly say that the German automakers really have something to worry about. If a small California startup can build such a formidable car from scratch while the Germans pour billions into EV R&D and only come up with lacklustre things like an i3, something is very wrong.
So, the future of EVs in this country is looking ever more exciting. Either there will be loads of Teslas on the road soon - something I wouldn't mind at all - or the big German automakers take on the challenge and finally release EVs that truly deserve the name. In any case, my next car will certainly be a BEV, and if the Model S is any indication for the coming Gen III, then THAT will be the next big thing to grace my garage in a few years... :smile:

 

[NigelM]

Oh my gosh! Maybe we should make this thread a sticky? ;-)

Just wait till you get back in your iCE and see how that feels.

 

[AustinPowers]

Well, after using two other quite powerful electric vehicles on my trip home (subway and train ;-) ), I did have to get into my BMW at the station and drive the last few miles back to our house. The good thing is I was prepared for the difference in driving between MS and my car. And of course the P85 is a different league altogether, but at least as far as ICEs are concerned, my car is still quite a satisfying one - for now at least...

But any time I think of the performance when I floored the P85 makes me wish 2017 was already here. :crying:

 

[J-Philipp]

Still the question is : How far will a German driver go at Autobahn speeds ?
You definitely need SCs installed in Germany... After France, of course !
:wink:

 

[texex91]

That's a long time to wait--just get one now. Just think you will be the talk of the town, and all of your German friends will be speachless when you take them for a ride. Don't deprive yourself of that for another 3 years...:biggrin:

 

[qwk]

Just wait till you get back in your iCE and see how that feels.

This is definately the worst part. After my Get Amped test drive, getting back in to my ICE hooptie was a nightmare. I really wanted to drive that POS off a cliff.

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

Sehr gut, AustinPowers!

What did you think of the dimensions/size of the car? I think you had some concerns around that. Is that one of the reasons for waiting for Gen III?!

Speaking of driving ICEs again, after driving POS rental cars like a Chrysler 200 and a Nissan Altima while on vacation for a week, I was in heaven once I got back into my S today.

 

[AC1K]

thats the worst thing about the Model S, its on such a whole other level compared to ICE cars that it spoils you rotten, the second you get back into an ICE based car, it will feel like the worst POS ever.

i had to recently drive my old car which is not slow by any means, 3.8L V6 306HP 6spd RWD, but compared to my P85, gutless trash, i was like WTF am i even driving. even reving to 5K RPM in 2nd gear, it still has nothing for engine braking compared to the Tesla's Regen.

not a single ICE that has ever been made can outperform the Model S for speed control, smoothness and precision.

 

[PeterK]

I drove my 3 year old A4 yesterday, in preparation for selling it as it's not getting used. It's a great car and I always enjoyed it, but after six months and 8000 miles on my Model S (vs. 20K on the A4 in 3 years) it didn't feel the same. I didn't like the vibration, the acceleration lag, the automatic shifting gears (my wife can't drive a stick), the lack of regen/one-pedal driving, the cramped feel of the cockpit and less-than-intuitive MMI navigation and music controls, etc. Definitely not a POS, but pales in comparison.

thats the worst thing about the Model S, its on such a whole other level compared to ICE cars that it spoils you rotten, the second you get back into an ICE based car, it will feel like the worst POS ever.

i had to recently drive my old car which is not slow by any means, 3.8L V6 306HP 6spd RWD, but compared to my P85, gutless trash, i was like WTF am i even driving. even reving to 5K RPM in 2nd gear, it still has nothing for engine braking compared to the Tesla's Regen.

not a single ICE that has ever been made can outperform the Model S for speed control, smoothness and precision.

 

[AustinPowers]

Sehr gut, AustinPowers!

What did you think of the dimensions/size of the car? I think you had some concerns around that. Is that one of the reasons for waiting for Gen III?!

From inside, the car did certainly feel smaller, more compact and easier to handle than from outside. I was especially impressed by the turning circle which seemed very good for a car of that size. On the minus side, I tested the back seats as well, and apart from the fact that they didn't feel very comfortable to me, my head kept hitting the rear end of the sloping roofline, even though that particular vehicle had the Pano roof option. Otoh I wouldn't really be sitting in the backseat very often...
Speaking of seats, the ones in the front felt far more comfortable than what I would have imagined. They could certainly use some more side bolstering, especially in the Performance version, but on the whole they were very enjoyable.

The two reasons for me that justify waiting for Gen III are 1) the overall size of Model S, which is really too big for our needs. For vacations and longer family trips we have our VW Touran with extremely economical engine, thus there is no need for another huge cargo/people carrier. And 2) it is too rich for our budget, which is at max around 60-65K Euro (which is way below even the base Model S starting price of 71.5K). I was originally looking at the Model S 40, which as we know didn't make it.

But as I am impressed by Tesla's tech (and way of achieving things) I am really getting my hopes up that Gen III will be the car for me.

 

[Right_Said_Fred]

Lob für Sie, AustinPowers (hats off to you) for starting this topic. I was hoping you would like the car, which you said in the other topic you would be testing on September 4th. I was waiting for your report. I'm so glad you liked the Model S. You were sceptical and then to state in public that it silenced your criticism is an honourable thing to do. I hope we will be seeing you in a Gen III one day.

 

[ElSupreme]

Either there will be loads of Teslas on the road soon - something I wouldn't mind at all - or the big German automakers take on the challenge and finally release EVs that truly deserve the name

And if the big German automakers start making worthy competitors then everyone wins!

Glad you finally saw/felt first hand what many on this forum try to convey in words/text to the uninitiated.

 

[twinklejet]

Just make sure you order this along with your car and you can keep your armrest closed.

 

[AustinPowers]

And if the big German automakers start making worthy competitors then everyone wins!

Glad you finally saw/felt first hand what many on this forum try to convey in words/text to the uninitiated.

Quite true. Competition is good for business and for customers.

And you are right. No amount of words can convey the feeling you get when you experience a Model S firsthand - especially a P85 ;-)
Plus, what I really never would have imagined/thought possible: all the little nits I picked about the car just pale when compared to the sheer joy of driving the thing. Now I know the Tesla grin myself (as does my colleague I took along as passenger) :biggrin:

- - - Updated - - -

Just make sure you order this along with your car and you can keep your armrest closed.
View attachment 30285

Good idea. Either that or soflauthor's CCI. Otoh, perhaps Gen III will have something like that as standard. We'll see.

 

[J1mbo]

AustinPowers ... what did you think of the suspension? Did you have time to make a judgement? Generally cars from the US have softer suspension than European cars, which is great for the interstate but often doesn't translate very well over here.

 

[AustinPowers]

J1mbo ... the P85 I drove had the air suspension. I tried various settings, and while we didn't really drive along routes that test a(ny) suspension's true capabilities, it certainly didn't feel "American" (a.k.a. "soft / wobbly"). When we were in the US, we drove various rental cars of different sizes, and - I don't exaggerate - none had a suspension / ride quality we that are used to European tastes would have called good. The Model S air suspension otoh was really good. The only other air suspension car I had driven before was my father's E-Class Merc. And to be fair, I can't really claim it would be much better.

But as I said, we didn't take a route that was test track material (i.e. no cobblestone roads, no potholes, none of the other adverse road conditions we often get around here - as well as in Britain. Believe me I know what I am talking about, I have been to England more than twenty times, having spent in total almost two years of my life there.)

 

[dsm363]

Come on. The Model S is zu geil für diese welt! Don't wait for gen III:smile:

 

[neroden]

thats the worst thing about the Model S, its on such a whole other level compared to ICE cars that it spoils you rotten, the second you get back into an ICE based car, it will feel like the worst POS ever.

Yep. Happened to me recently when I had my car in to fix a paint chip. At first I thought there was something wrong with the ICE car I was driving -- it was so loud, and it shook constantly, and it had such poor acceleration, with lag time, and it didn't slow down when I took my foot off the pedal... of course the car was operating perfectly.

 

[AustinPowers]

Come on. The Model S it's zu geil für diese welt! Don't wait for gen III:smile:

You are absolutely right of course. Congrats on your German
But as I said, we have to think of our budget for a new car. I'm no investment banker you know. If I were, a fully loaded P85+ would be standing in my garage already, or at least very soon.

 

[dsm363]

You are absolutely right of course. Congrats on your German
But as I said, we have to think of our budget for a new car. I'm no investment banker you know. If I were, a fully loaded P85+ would be standing in my garage already, or at least very soon.

Spent some time in Germany and listening to the Die Fantastichen Vier to thank for that
Gotta do what works within the family finances. Maybe a used Model S will work out before Gen III becomes avaliable.