Well just returned from my test drive. The HUGE news is that a whole bunch of new cars arrived yesterday. How many? Closely guarded secret, but I know that none have been delivered to Melbourne yet. They had a multicoat red on show. Beautiful colour and slightly darker than Ferrari red, ( there happened to be a Ferrari parked there at the hotel as well).
About the Tesla. Amazing car to drive. Drove the P 85+. It is everything you have read about. Very refined and the power comes on beautifully. Takes all of 2 mins to get the feel of it, especially if you have driven a large .car previously. I had a Lexus LS 420 some years ago and this car is slightly smaller than that. It does not feel American at all. The fit and finish are great as is the comfort of the seat. The rear seat is indeed low for someone of average height. I am about 5 ft 10. My wife and daughter, both much smaller were totally comfortable back there. My head did touch the roof.
The power is very refined as I said, but at very low maneuvering speed ( the drive at the hotel is quite tight) it is totally controllable with comfort and ease. The turning circle is not bad for a big car, but not amazing bearing in mind that there is no engine in the front. However on the open road, there is no issue, and driving in fairly heavy traffic over the Anzac bridge, requiring frequent lane changes felt totally natural. Bear in mind that I currently drive a Merc B class, the controls all felt natural. If you come from a British or Japanese car there is going to be a large learning curve since indicators and cruise control are on the left hand side, with gears and parking brake stalk where otherwise the indicator would be. The cruise control stalk is Mercedes, and will talke getting used to for those who have never driven a Merc.
Regen, even in standard could be stronger for my taste. When I drove the roadster, it was more aggressive, which I liked. This could certainly be addressed with a software update so who knows. The steering settings, personally I liked the sport. Only slightly heavier, but really more positive. There is NO body lean, to the point that my car disinterested daughter actually commented on this quite spontaneously.
All in all, I am VERY happy with my choice of new car. This is the first car I have ever bought without first test driving, and I think it is going to be a hit. The interior is what you read about, so won't repeat here.
NOW, BRING ON OUR CARS!!
I have to wonder whether any of the cars just landed here are actually customer cars. They may be.
