Model S First Drive Reviews

[kishdude]

autoblog review of model S

Here is the link:

2012 Tesla Model S [w/video]

Great review with even greater pictures.

 

[Michael Harley]

What gives?! This was working in all the test drive event cars thus far - they all had the tech package and the power rear liftgate.

Has Jason C skimped on the $3,750 option?! He apparently "went click-happy on the options and purchased just about every accessory"...

I revised the story, and eliminated the comment about the rear hatch (I didn't realize it was power when I closed it).

Nice

- - - Updated - - -

Added it to the Wiki.

- - - Updated - - -

The test drive was done September 4th according to the display on the car. Wonder why the delay on posting it? It's not like the video has the kind of production values that might require a week delay. Maybe the fact that the author kept repeating himself in the review explains why it took so long

Still, a nice review and I totally agree that Model S belongs in future museums.. and my driveway ASAP!

There is a queue of reviews backlogged on Autoblog — meaning I have articles done that are just waiting to be published.

- Mike

 

[Discoducky]

Nicely done!

 

[Zythryn]

That sunset shot on the beach brought tears to my eyes!

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I revised the story, and eliminated the comment about the rear hatch (I didn't realize it was power when I closed it).

Thanks, Mike, for a great review! And, welcome to the forums!

 

[Michael Harley]

Thanks, Mike, for a great review! And, welcome to the forums!

Thanks for the warm welcome. It was a fun car to drive.

- Mike

 

[contaygious]

Great review and amazing pictures!

 

[brianman]

@Michael Harley - Any extra goodies you can share that didn't make it into the review (for whatever reason)?

 

[Michael Harley]

@Michael Harley - Any extra goodies you can share that didn't make it into the review (for whatever reason)?

Well, nothing was edited out of my story (so there aren't 500 words sitting on the floor somewhere)... but one thing I really didn't get a chance to mention was how fun (aka engaging) it was to drive compared to all of the other BEVs I have experienced (Leaf, RAV4 EV, Fit EV, A3 e-tron, e-Bugster, Roadster, etc...). I drive a ton of really high-performance ICE vehicles (Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, etc...) in my position and the Model S was in some ways equally as enjoyable to drive. I'm an old-school enthusiast with a classic Porsche 930 in my garage (~9 mpg!), obviously not one to eagerly jump on the EV movement, but I found the Model S very, very entertaining.

- Mike

 

[artsci]

Maybe I'm reading this wrong, but:

How is the Model S 35.4 dB at idle? That should be 0 dB, no? Or maybe "Db" stands for something else?

35.4 dB is very quiet. 30dB is a whisper quiet library. 40dB is the hum of a refrigerator motor.

 

[vfx]

... mention was how fun (aka engaging) it was to drive compared to all of the other BEVs I have experienced ... I found the Model S very, very entertaining.

...

And emotions sell cars..

 

[Michael Harley]

And emotions sell cars..

Very right you are, sir. :wink:

- Mike

 

[Oyvind.H]

The Model S price range should have been elaborated. The heading says Tesla Model S test, but you tested a top of the line Signature Performance version.
I did not find any info in the text about the price range of the Model S, only the price of a loaded Performange version. No wonder people think that the Tesla is only a 100k car unavailable for most people....

 

[CapitalistOppressor]

I revised the story, and eliminated the comment about the rear hatch (I didn't realize it was power when I closed it).



There is a queue of reviews backlogged on Autoblog — meaning I have articles done that are just waiting to be published.

- Mike

*blush* Sorry for the snark

No excuse for it. I worked in the newspaper publishing industry for almost a decade and it turned me into a blowhard. But I was born an idiot :tongue:

 

[Jeeps17]

Well, nothing was edited out of my story (so there aren't 500 words sitting on the floor somewhere)... but one thing I really didn't get a chance to mention was how fun (aka engaging) it was to drive compared to all of the other BEVs I have experienced (Leaf, RAV4 EV, Fit EV, A3 e-tron, e-Bugster, Roadster, etc...). I drive a ton of really high-performance ICE vehicles (Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche, Aston Martin, etc...) in my position and the Model S was in some ways equally as enjoyable to drive. I'm an old-school enthusiast with a classic Porsche 930 in my garage (~9 mpg!), obviously not one to eagerly jump on the EV movement, but I found the Model S very, very entertaining.

- Mike

Too bad you did not mention that at the end of your article! Your above-average exposure to such vehicles makes your comparative opinion quite valuable to readers. Coming from an old-school gear-head even more so!

I also agree that a quick mention of the different available battery packs and prices would have been useful, even if you only drove the sig perf.

Thank you, and please thank your photographer for the amazing shots.

 

[Cottonwood]

Those 35.4 dB are about the same background noise level as I measure in my living room on a quiet night with the AC and computer turned off and the kids safely in bed. I live in the countryside, a mile or so from the nearest highway. Not real noisy around here. :smile:

Roughly speaking, a change of 1 dB is just barely noticeable and a change of 10 dB is subjectively "twice as loud".

0 dB from Wiki Sound Pressure: The commonly used reference sound pressure in air is = 20 µPa (rms), which is usually considered the threshold of human hearing (roughly the sound of a mosquito flying 3 m away). Most sound level measurements will be made relative to this level... These references are defined in ANSI S1.1-1994.[5]

and: Very Calm Room, 20-30db; Normal Conversation at 1m, 40-60dB

 

[Michael Harley]

The Model S price range should have been elaborated. The heading says Tesla Model S test, but you tested a top of the line Signature Performance version.
I did not find any info in the text about the price range of the Model S, only the price of a loaded Performange version. No wonder people think that the Tesla is only a 100k car unavailable for most people....

This is an issue we always come across with regards to vehicles — make, model and trim. Autoblog only categorizes Tesla's "Model S" and "Roadster" models on our site. Since this was our first official drive of the Model S, we normally don't put the trim level on the title (I know some would argue that "Signature Performance" is not a trim level, but a model) as it confuses readers too. In the same manner, readers see my review of the Porsche Panamera Turbo S and think all Panamera models are $195,000 when they really start at $76,000! Convince Tesla to make "Signature Performance" a model on its own! :smile:

*blush* Sorry for the snark

No excuse for it. I worked in the newspaper publishing industry for almost a decade and it turned me into a blowhard. But I was born an idiot :tongue:

I have learned to live with it, regardless of the frustration (I have a 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel story that keeps getting pushed back...).

Too bad you did not mention that at the end of your article! Your above-average exposure to such vehicles makes your comparative opinion quite valuable to readers. Coming from an old-school gear-head even more so!

I also agree that a quick mention of the different available battery packs and prices would have been useful, even if you only drove the sig perf.

Thank you, and please thank your photographer for the amazing shots.

I would like to include things like that, and it does add unique perspective, but there is only so much space in the story. I've also never let my readers know what types of vehicles I personally own, as I don't want them to feel it taints my story.

Re the battery packs, I briefly mentioned them:

"While Tesla offers the sedan with a standard 270-kW (362-horsepower) electric motor and a base 40-kWh battery (good for a range of about 160 miles), the Signature Performance features a 310-kW (416-horsepower) three-phase, four-pole AC induction motor with copper rotor generating 443 pound-feet of torque. Powered by an 85-kWh microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery, it promises a range of about 300 miles on a charge."

I could have discussed it further, but I chose to stress the impressive capabilities of the Signature Performance Model S rather than focus on the entry-level model (yet to be released).

I just sent my photographer your comment via IM. His reply: "Thanks!"

- Mike

 

[Princeton96]

Found a new video on Motortrend. This could practically be called Tesla's first commercial for the Model S. Nice to see a drive video that isn't so focused on range, but more on performance and other benefits.

Pikes Peak Meets and Drives the Tesla Model S - WOT on Motor Trend

 

[grisnjam]

Found a new video on Motortrend. This could practically be called Tesla's first commercial for the Model S. Nice to see a drive video that isn't so focused on range, but more on performance and other benefits.

Pikes Peak Meets and Drives the Tesla Model S - WOT on Motor Trend

It was also on their facebook feed.

 

[PhatCat]

*blush* Sorry for the snark

No excuse for it. I worked in the newspaper publishing industry for almost a decade and it turned me into a blowhard. But I was born an idiot :tongue:

All-time best mea culpa. Well played, sir!