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Was just told that the course is designed to be 13 minutes. No mention of distance.
dflye
S Sig Perf 414, VIN 814
Cool, after arranging passenger swap with the time slot just after mine, that adds up to almost 30 minutes of combined drive/ride time! :biggrin:
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Could someone at the test drive please take a picture of the open glove box of a production car and post it? We are trying to determine whether there is a gap between the glove box door and compartment like on the betas that stuff could fall to the floor through when the door is open. Have fun at the test drive!
tdelta1000
Active Member
I went out for a drive this morning. Drove the white performance model. Very sweet. Fit and finish were better than I expected. Acceleration was impressive although at higher speeds less so due to lack of engine/exhaust noise. Definitely felt faster off the line than my M3. The route was ok - I wish it were longer and I'm surprised other sites have been shorter still. Not much in the way of broken pavement other than crossing some train tracks. But the car felt very solid.
I hit onramps and off ramps as fast as I could and the car felt big and heavy but also had very little body roll and excellent grip. It bounced off it's 75 mph speed limiter rather quickly! (car showed an indicated 80 mph)
I loved the regen feel, which was a big concern of mine. It felt remarkably natural and easy to predict. I tired the regen on standard and also the less aggressive setting. Ride quality felt similar to my M3 - solid, somewhat firm, but not at all uncomfortable. Long wheelbase and solid construction definitely helped. The overall feel was very much one of excellent quality. Brakes were reasonably light, not too sensitive, progressive. Steering feel was a little plastic for my preference, but acceptable. Good steering weighting.
Personal opinion on colors, etc.: the pearlescent white looked nice and popped in the sun, but I find white cars a little boring. Brown was ok, for brown. I wanted to like the green, but it was really dark, not much metal flake to it. The silver looked good, actually, and I'm not a fan of silver cars. I'm still not sure what color I want. They didn't have grey, blue, or black. The tan interior was nice. The alcantara inserts are also nice, but the seats, while comfortable enough, lacked enough bolstering for my taste. Not sure how comfortable they will be for longer trips either, of course.
No photos, sorry!
I hit onramps and off ramps as fast as I could and the car felt big and heavy but also had very little body roll and excellent grip. It bounced off it's 75 mph speed limiter rather quickly! (car showed an indicated 80 mph)
I loved the regen feel, which was a big concern of mine. It felt remarkably natural and easy to predict. I tired the regen on standard and also the less aggressive setting. Ride quality felt similar to my M3 - solid, somewhat firm, but not at all uncomfortable. Long wheelbase and solid construction definitely helped. The overall feel was very much one of excellent quality. Brakes were reasonably light, not too sensitive, progressive. Steering feel was a little plastic for my preference, but acceptable. Good steering weighting.
Personal opinion on colors, etc.: the pearlescent white looked nice and popped in the sun, but I find white cars a little boring. Brown was ok, for brown. I wanted to like the green, but it was really dark, not much metal flake to it. The silver looked good, actually, and I'm not a fan of silver cars. I'm still not sure what color I want. They didn't have grey, blue, or black. The tan interior was nice. The alcantara inserts are also nice, but the seats, while comfortable enough, lacked enough bolstering for my taste. Not sure how comfortable they will be for longer trips either, of course.
No photos, sorry!
Thanks for sharing!
I don't know what a "roughly the same equipped" M3 prices out to be, but for simplicity sake I'll try to narrow the question...
For the same price and essentially the same options and ignoring the fuel cost & environment-impact differences of EV vs. ICE, would your prefer the M3 or the Model S?
Note: Include the 1-gear acceleration (+ responsiveness) and "impressive...at higher speeds less so due to lack of ... noise" (- as you've described it as I think less visceral) in your preference decision.
Not 100% sure what your question is. A new M3 prices out to be comparable to a 65kWh Model S. The 65 would be noticeable slower than the performance model I drove. What I would prefer depends on a lot of things. In my case, I have another car that is my fun/weekend/track car. The M3 can serve that purpose but also carry 2 kids and be a daily driver. I would definitely take the M3 over the model S if I did not have a fun car on the side. Why? I am a car guy, I like to hear the motor and exhaust and I would miss that if the Model S was my only car.
The thing that impresses, acceleration-wise, about the model S is how effortless it is (and how torque rich). All it takes is a little weight to your right foot and you are flying. To accelerate comparably in the M3 would be a much more violent experience - slipping some clutch off the line, running through the gears - and be a lot more attention grabbing (of passersby, other drivers, passengers, etc.). Both are fun!
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
Sorry being vague. I was trying not to be.
I guess what I was trying to get at is this:
Ignoring fuel cost savings and green aspects of the Model S, how do you think Tesla fared in providing a compelling alternative to M3 buyers?
It is a compelling alternative. Ultimately, for me, if I did not have another "regular" car to enjoy, I would probably take the M3 (or some future hybrid performance car). I get too much satisfaction from shifting gears and the sound of, e.g., a naturally aspirated v8 revving past 8,000 rpm to ever want to give that, or it's equivalent, up completely. But that's me
Todd Burch
14-Year Member
It is a compelling alternative. Ultimately, for me, if I did not have another "regular" car to enjoy, I would probably take the M3 (or some future hybrid performance car). I get too much satisfaction from shifting gears and the sound of, e.g., a naturally aspirated v8 revving past 8,000 rpm to ever want to give that, or it's equivalent, up completely. But that's me
Oh, you're one of THOSE. :biggrin:
ChadS
Last tank of gas: March 2009
I get too much satisfaction from shifting gears and the sound of, e.g., a naturally aspirated v8 revving past 8,000 rpm to ever want to give that, or it's equivalent, up completely. But that's me
I think that's pretty much everybody (at least it was me)--until they drive an EV for a while. After a few weeks, you come to realize that your love of noise is simply because your brain associates it with power; and that association will change after you drive an EV. Your love of shifting is for the "flow" feeling you get of having control over the powerband--but with an EV, you have the same control, it's just under your foot.
In short, I acknowledge what you like; but if you drive an EV for a few weeks, I think you will change your mind.
I went for my ride today (Friday) at Noon.
I'm really torn on the color I want.
Down to Black, Blue or Pearl White.
However, they didn't have Black or Blue here today, so really bummed over that.
Surprisingly, of the colors they did have today, I found the Green car to be a knockout!
From all the pics I've seen and from the design studio I would never have dreamed that the Green would be so nice.
My standard for paint colors is still the Jaguars. To me they are so incredibly rich, classy, deep and creamy that they just exude elegance.
They are pretty much the only cars that seem to consistently make me stop and go "wow".
The Green today struck me that way.
I REALLY want to see the Blue. Before going to the drive I was told that they would have color sample 'boxes' that were dead on representations of the real colors and interior samples that we could place on the boxes to see the various combos.
I felt that the Green sample was fairly representative of the car at the event.
However, the Blue was very bright and shiny Blue. Tesla reps at the event that have actually seen the Blue told me that the sample did not do justice to the actual color.
They told me that the Blue is just like the way the Green looks, except Blue.
They say it has the same dark (almost Black) look in the shade, and deep, rich, creamy Blue look in the sun like the Green does.
If this is true I'm sure I would go for the Blue in a heartbeat!
This is really frustrating as I'm pretty sure that I will now have to configure my car before ever getting to see the Blue for real (P1117).
I'm really torn on the color I want.
Down to Black, Blue or Pearl White.
However, they didn't have Black or Blue here today, so really bummed over that.
Surprisingly, of the colors they did have today, I found the Green car to be a knockout!
From all the pics I've seen and from the design studio I would never have dreamed that the Green would be so nice.
My standard for paint colors is still the Jaguars. To me they are so incredibly rich, classy, deep and creamy that they just exude elegance.
They are pretty much the only cars that seem to consistently make me stop and go "wow".
The Green today struck me that way.
I REALLY want to see the Blue. Before going to the drive I was told that they would have color sample 'boxes' that were dead on representations of the real colors and interior samples that we could place on the boxes to see the various combos.
I felt that the Green sample was fairly representative of the car at the event.
However, the Blue was very bright and shiny Blue. Tesla reps at the event that have actually seen the Blue told me that the sample did not do justice to the actual color.
They told me that the Blue is just like the way the Green looks, except Blue.
They say it has the same dark (almost Black) look in the shade, and deep, rich, creamy Blue look in the sun like the Green does.
If this is true I'm sure I would go for the Blue in a heartbeat!
This is really frustrating as I'm pretty sure that I will now have to configure my car before ever getting to see the Blue for real (P1117).
Today I drove the Pearl White Performance car.
The handling, acceleration and overall performance was everything I expected after reading nearly every review to date.
I'm a retired autocrosser that loves speed and handling. Used to drive a Corvette Z06, Porsche Boxster S, Mitsu Evo, etc.
Now I'm just too darn old to bend over to climb in a Vette and drive stick all day.
But I still love the thrill, and this car is perfectly made for my demographic.
They say the boomers have the money and majority population today, and we still like the thrill without all the ICE 'overhead'.
Ok, so what to complain about? Well.... this thing hit 80 so darn fast (in dreamily quiet fashion) that I kept feeling like, "why won't this thing go over 50??"
Yikes, I look down at the dash and see 80mph staring at me!!
Yes, and then the great big Tesla grin took over!
But wait...that wasn't the coolest part. Throw this thing into a sharp sweeper and it really does feel like it just squatted down and glued itself to the pavement.
No diving and rolling! What???
Remember, I'm an old Autocrosser and this is the kind of thing we live for! Fly into a tight turn, hit the apex just right and then get on it coming out.
Timing is everything. Oh yeah, another thing to whine about. These mean guys wouldn't let me turn off the traction control and drift though the turns! ;-)
As far as the ride and comfort goes, it had all the bad ass performance guys like me live for, but really was dreamy quiet and soaked up the bumps like they were nothing!
The car just seemed to be constantly saying 'come on, is that the best you can throw at me?'
As far as the interior features go (cup holders, storage space, etc) plenty has been said about this already.
I'm no Romney fan, but on this count I really would like to fire somebody. Big miss (or mess?).
Final verdict? For me the day was a great experience and a big hats off to all the people at Tesla for actually producing such a phenomenal car in such a short period.
I'm well aware that I'm an early adopter and for me at least, I'm quite happy for the tradeoffs required for being one for the new Tesla S!
The handling, acceleration and overall performance was everything I expected after reading nearly every review to date.
I'm a retired autocrosser that loves speed and handling. Used to drive a Corvette Z06, Porsche Boxster S, Mitsu Evo, etc.
Now I'm just too darn old to bend over to climb in a Vette and drive stick all day.
But I still love the thrill, and this car is perfectly made for my demographic.
They say the boomers have the money and majority population today, and we still like the thrill without all the ICE 'overhead'.
Ok, so what to complain about? Well.... this thing hit 80 so darn fast (in dreamily quiet fashion) that I kept feeling like, "why won't this thing go over 50??"
Yikes, I look down at the dash and see 80mph staring at me!!
Yes, and then the great big Tesla grin took over!
But wait...that wasn't the coolest part. Throw this thing into a sharp sweeper and it really does feel like it just squatted down and glued itself to the pavement.
No diving and rolling! What???
Remember, I'm an old Autocrosser and this is the kind of thing we live for! Fly into a tight turn, hit the apex just right and then get on it coming out.
Timing is everything. Oh yeah, another thing to whine about. These mean guys wouldn't let me turn off the traction control and drift though the turns! ;-)
As far as the ride and comfort goes, it had all the bad ass performance guys like me live for, but really was dreamy quiet and soaked up the bumps like they were nothing!
The car just seemed to be constantly saying 'come on, is that the best you can throw at me?'
As far as the interior features go (cup holders, storage space, etc) plenty has been said about this already.
I'm no Romney fan, but on this count I really would like to fire somebody. Big miss (or mess?).
Final verdict? For me the day was a great experience and a big hats off to all the people at Tesla for actually producing such a phenomenal car in such a short period.
I'm well aware that I'm an early adopter and for me at least, I'm quite happy for the tradeoffs required for being one for the new Tesla S!
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