Tesla Model S: Test Drive Report

[neroden]

[*]We walked down to the Garage where all the Model S's were parked. Unfortunately he had brought a key to a car that was parked behind other model S vehicles. He ran back up and got another set of keys for a car parked in the front. As soon as we got through this minor hiccup we were off to the races.

Typical Tesla disorganization, unfortunately.

[*]The model S I had was brand new (new car smell and odometer at 50 miles). As we pulled out of the garage the brakes constantly had a high pitched squealing noise. It was a clear noise and unmistakeable on braking. I was concerned. Sales rep said the brakes had to "broken in" and sometimes made that noise on new cars. I did not believe him. Not sure if my car was faulty or if the sales rep was right but that concerned me. As I drove around more the squealing noise on braking seemed to go away. Still - first impressions matter. That was a little concerning.

It does go away. On *any car*, if you don't use your brakes for a while, or use them only very lightly, they will get squeaky. I'm a very conservative driver and managed to end up with squeaky brakes on every car I've ever driven for long periods. Some hard braking will clear that up. Because of regen, the Model S is likely to have its brakes used particularly lightly... and this car was sitting in a damp garage. Don't worry about it.

[*]It was raining (as it often does here in Seattle ). The lack of AWD was really noticeable. The car tended to fishtail slightly and it had a hard time self correcting.

That's worrisome, but probably the tires. Most people haven't been having problems with this. There's the "new tires are often slick" problem already mentioned. But also, the 21" "performance" tires kind of suck in bad weather, and aren't really recommended for it. Were you driving a car with the 21" wheels? If so, try a car with the 19" wheels.

[*]Suspension controls were options available on the control panel but we were told "it doesn't really do anything right now but will in the future". If it doesn't do anything it shouldn't be displayed to the driver.

Probably a beta-test software version -- it isn't in my car.

[*]This is a nit-pick - the rear view camera didn't have wipers. It got wet in the rain and the reverse camera mode wasn't very helpful.

That's been annoying, yeah. I've had lensing due to a big fat water drop on the rear-view camera, making it unusable. The poor visibility out the back window makes it worse. If it's any consolation, as soon as the rain gets much, much heavier it cleans off the rear-view camera and it starts being useful again. :wink:

 

[Doug_G]

Moved some posts to snippiness.

Also going to bump this whole discussion over to the Model S section... doesn't belong under Tesla Motors.

 

[brianman]

Europeans expect their performance cars to have squeaky brakes. Americans are anal about them being quiet, and as a result the stock pads installed on North American cars are pretty crappy.

"Canadians stereotype and generalize too much."

 

[Desdi]

1. We walked down to the Garage where all the Model S's were parked. Unfortunately he had brought a key to a car that was parked behind other model S vehicles. He ran back up and got another set of keys for a car parked in the front. As soon as we got through this minor hiccup we were off to the races.

nice work documenting this crucial part of the test-drive. definitely worthy of being one of your five "bad" points. perhaps you should email Elon about this? i think he would want to know...

Lol!

 

[Bearman]

Regarding water on the rear view camera, has anyone tried using rain-x or something on the lens?
Something hydrophobic might help :frown:

 

[ChadS]

I've talked to a couple of people that have tried - but they said it didn't help.

 

[phased_induction]

I went for a test drive myself this past weekend, in sunny Menlo Park, with a standard 85 kWh.

PROS:
• Acceleration (of course!)
• Silky-smooth, extremely responsive drivetrain
• Single-pedal throttle modulation. I really like that feature!
• The front seats felt nice and sporty to me. I fit well in them and felt comfortable in the cabin. I'm 6'3", and even without the pano roof I still fit fine. Only thing was I wished the seat might go a half-inch lower, but not a big deal.
• The whole UI kit. Bear in mind that I'm currently driving a 16-year-old car, so anything remotely modern, such as iPhone interaction, feels radically new to me. Still, seems like you can practically run your phone from you car, without having to use your hands.
• At first, I thought the steering was a bit numb, but towards the end of the ride, the rep set the steering to sport mode, or whatever it is. Much better! I wish it had been that way from the beginning of the drive.

CONS:
• Rear-window visibility isn't great. It feels a bit like looking out a porthole to me. I thought the over-the-shoulder visibility was decent, though.
• Not much else, from what I could tell with my 20 min test drive.

One extra-cool think about the test-drive was the overall "dealer experience". As I told them, I'm not currently in a position to buy the car, though I might be eventually. They still let me test-drive their $80k car. Afterward, I was bracing myself for sales pressure, like what happens at car dealers. There was none at all. The rep just shook my hand afterward and departed. How refreshing. When you walk into a Tesla store, you don't have to have your guard up. This is how car-buying should be.

So I'm setting my sights on a 60 kWh. Maybe in a little while...

 

[Holden]

What the hell is a "peddle"? Is that a puddle that a pedestrian steps in?

 

[Cheerose]

How long is a typical test drive (from walking into a store to leaving)? Are appointments required... or can you walk in?

 

[phased_induction]

>> How long is a typical test drive (from walking into a store to leaving)? Are appointments required... or can you walk in?

Test drive was about 20 mins, plus 5 mins beforehand to register, sign the waiver, etc. You'd probably be done in about a half-hour.

Wouldn't hurt to call ahead and schedule a drive. You can try a walk-in too, but you run the risk of being turned away if they're all booked up.

 

[kinddog]

i remember on my test drive, we had to take an elevator down into an underground parking garage. instead of hitting P3, my Tesla rep accidentally hit P2.

omg the elevator door opened on P2, and it was for NO ONE! i mean, nobody got on or off. this lasted for like 6 seconds.

finally, the elevator door closed and we were let off on P3, where the Tesla's were.

as soon as we got through that minor hiccup, we were off to the races.


The GOOD:

1 - amazing acceleration
2 - extraordinary handling
3 - precise steering
4 - fun driving experience
5 - technologically advanced cabin with tons of features
6 - it's electric, doy!
7 - great stying
8 - critically acclaimed (Motor Trend Car of the Year, Automobile Car of the Year, etc)
9 - competitively priced against its competitors from across the pond
10 - a trunk in the front! love that...


The BAD:

1 - the Tesla rep hit P2 instead of P3

 

[brianman]

omg the elevator door opened on P2, and it was for NO ONE! i mean, nobody got on or off. this lasted for like 6 seconds.

Intolerable. You should have billed them for your time.

 

[EarlyAdopter]

i remember on my test drive, we had to take an elevator down into an underground parking garage. instead of hitting P3, my Tesla rep accidentally hit P2.

omg the elevator door opened on P2, and it was for NO ONE! i mean, nobody got on or off. this lasted for like 6 seconds.

finally, the elevator door closed and we were let off on P3, where the Tesla's were.

I'm amazed you bought the car after that. ;-)

 

[huntjo]

Lol

 

[vfx]

What a tease!

 

[Mayhemm]

I received a bit of a mixed message before my test drive. On the advise of other TMC members, I called ahead to book one and I was told that I could not have one unless I was a reservation holder (only so many cars, need to focus on the RH's, etc, etc). At this point, I was kind of getting the old car dealership vibe. I went into the store prepared to place a reservation just so I could have a test drive.

As it turns out, on the day of my test drive the guy I made the appointment with didn't even show (maybe he was sick that day). I had to wait a few extra minutes around the store but then the store manager took me out on a test drive (probably 20 min total), but I bet we spent the same amount of time sitting in the car after we got back, going over the UI and answering my questions. Reservation was purely optional as far as he was concerned. This was more what I was expecting from Tesla.

Overall a very pleasant experience (despite some rough patches and initial confusion). The whole rest of my trip I couldn't stop thinking about my time in the car. A good sign, I would say.

A few comments:

1) No brake squeal
2) No squirrely behavior (but I did drive the car like an old lady :redface
3) Rearward visibility is indeed quite poor, even with the rear camera. Will take some getting used to.
4) I did like every non-MB driver and kept hitting the cruise control stalk instead of the turn indicator
5) Didn't get used to the "one-pedal" driving for the majority of the trip. Hope I didn't give my copilot whiplash.

 

[kinddog]

I received a bit of a mixed message before my test drive. On the advise of other TMC members, I called ahead to book one and I was told that I could not have one unless I was a reservation holder (only so many cars, need to focus on the RH's, etc, etc). At this point, I was kind of getting the old car dealership vibe. I went into the store prepared to place a reservation just so I could have a test drive.

As it turns out, on the day of my test drive the guy I made the appointment with didn't even show (maybe he was sick that day). I had to wait a few extra minutes around the store but then the store manager took me out on a test drive (probably 20 min total), but I bet we spent the same amount of time sitting in the car after we got back, going over the UI and answering my questions. Reservation was purely optional as far as he was concerned. This was more what I was expecting from Tesla.

Overall a very pleasant experience (despite some rough patches and initial confusion). The whole rest of my trip I couldn't stop thinking about my time in the car. A good sign, I would say.

A few comments:

1) No brake squeal
2) No squirrely behavior (but I did drive the car like an old lady :redface
3) Rearward visibility is indeed quite poor, even with the rear camera. Will take some getting used to.
4) I did like every non-MB driver and kept hitting the cruise control stalk instead of the turn indicator
5) Didn't get used to the "one-pedal" driving for the majority of the trip. Hope I didn't give my copilot whiplash.

great to hear that the manager stepped up for you.

he didn't forget the key and have to run back upstairs to get it, did he?

 

[Mayhemm]

Fortunately not. Had he done so, I think I would have walked out right then and there.

 

[brianman]

A request/recommendation: Good or bad experience, ask for names, remember them, and pass along kudos or critiques to the store manager. This way they can improve (worthwhile employees) or remove (bad ones).

2) No squirrely behavior (but I did drive the car like an old lady :redface

Please don't drive the vehicle into a restaurant wall.

 

[Mayhemm]

Please don't drive the vehicle into a restaurant wall.

No worries. I'm sure she just misinterpreted the term "Drive-Thru".