Looking at the Avalon specs on the toyota site, it lists the width as 72.8", length 197.6", and curb weight as 3572 lbs. An extra 4.5" of width and 1100 lbs is a big difference in my opinion. How does your Avalon move around with 4 250 pound occupants and 2 big suitcases. Just a wee bit more mass I'd say.
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Looking at the Avalon specs on the toyota site, it lists the width as 72.8", length 197.6", and curb weight as 3572 lbs. An extra 4.5" of width and 1100 lbs is a big difference in my opinion. How does your Avalon move around with 4 250 pound occupants and 2 big suitcases. Just a wee bit more mass I'd say.
SCW-Greg
Active Member
Yeah, it's not often (if ever), that I've had 4 adults riding in our Avalon. Usually just our two children (7 and 9). Not that I was critiquing the Model S from a parking lot perspective, I just found no surprises in its handling characteristics - other than it felt very solid (not in a heavy way, but in a strong way), and very quiet.
I also have a 2006 Cadillac DTS, that's a full size car, and you know it... plus its turning radius is horrible. It's also about 18" longer (visually). Not to mention wider and taller.
I've also had a 95 S500 - that, that felt like a tank. It was a car meant for the autobahn, a highway cruiser, and not to the grocery store! It had a 26 gallon tank on it too.
smorgasbord
Active Member
You got 1/2 hour with this?? I only got 7 mins here in Chicago - the test "track" was only a touch over 4 miles!
SCW-Greg
Active Member
Yeah, due to a wreck or something on the road, our highway drive segment was more of stop and go segment. Followed by let's find an alternate route out of here - explore mode.
Here's the video of our drive... http://youtu.be/Px2OVJDajMQ
@smorgasboard, thanks. You're right. Dimensions are 207 x 74.8w x 57.6h
We also had a 97 S500 tank. Length-199", width-75", weight-4686 lbs. My wife commented she thought the Model S rode like this car with a vaultlike solid feel on the road at speed although the Tesla dramatically handled better on turns. She just remembered what a pain it was to use for running around town and doing errands/food shopping etc. And the Tesla S is 2" wider. I just hope the Model S 40kW drives lighter so I can think of getting it as a second car for me. Maybe she'd learn to love it then and we can ditch her Lexus.
Do you mean the weight or the width made it a pain to run errands? The electric powertrain and the one pedal driving might actually make it better for errands around town. I'm not sure the 40kWh version will feel any better. Definitely take a longer drive and try the different steering settings. Maybe that was it. The frunk will also be a nice feature for shopping I think.
SCW-Greg
Active Member
The S500 was just a car that felt and acted massive. It had plenty of power, very solid, really quiet, really smooth, and the turning radius not great, but wasn't overly bad - considering the ultra long wheel base. My DTS is worse. With the S500 it was just a matter of getting mass in motion. It wasn't spry and nimble. It wasn't meant to be.
I think the Model S is a perfect balance - for an all-round car. Certainly not a Nissan Leaf, which in my mind is really just a metro car. I don't think the Model S was ever designed to be just a city car. With the big battery packs and all, this car was meant for longer drives.
There should be an "adaptive" setting, where there is full steering boost at low speeds and low boost at high speeds, ramping down gradually with speed.
My guess it will appear in time, in a software update.
My wife sat in the back seat during both the Leaf and Model S drives, and her comment was that the leaf backseat "must not be meant to seat adults".
SCW-Greg
Active Member
Our driving Rep did say it is speed sensitive steering, as well the steering ratios change with the mode settings too.
