I’ve had my Model S Long Range Plus for a couple of months now. I was just taking another look at this old cartoon → https://theoatmeal.com/comics/tesla_model_s
I’m not sure if that was first published in 2012 or 2013, but it must have been thereabouts. In 2020 is the Model S still a Magical Space Car, an Intergalactic SpaceBoat of Light and Wonder, an Electric CruiseBeast? Or is it, as CNET Roadshow asserted, in dire need of a refresh?
Mine is different in a number of notable ways from the car that The Oatmeal gushed over.
RANGE. He wrote: “After seven months and 4,000+ miles of owning a Model S, any ‘range anxiety’ I used to have has been completely quelled.” Also, “I have the 85 KWh battery, which can go up to 260 miles on a single charge.”
When I placed my order for a S Long Range, it was advertised as having 373 miles range. Before my car was built, Tesla switched production to the Long Range Plus version, and a few days ago I got my firmware update to the new official 402 miles EPA rating. After having the car for a couple of months I am beginning to understand, in practical terms, just how much overkill that is. Also, when it comes to charging stations… Man, the Supercharger network today is a world beyond the fledgling network that The Oatmeal barely mentioned in passing. The whole USA is valid for road trips now. It’s almost too easy. If anything, I might sort of miss the pioneering spirit that driving cross-country in an EV required only a few years ago. Where’s the challenge now?
CAMPING. On the subject of driving cross-country… When The Oatmeal published his story, camping in Teslas hadn’t even really been discovered yet. One lady here in town peeked in the back of my car and gasped, “It has more space than my Ford Explorer!” Yes, there is plenty of room to stretch out. It could charge from an RV hookup while I sleep in the back. That reminds me, I need to put in my order for a Dreamcase.
THE ACCELERATION. Quote, “My Model S can go from 0-60 in five seconds, and because it’s completely noiseless, accelerating feels like being fired out of a gun with a silencer on.”
I’ve sometimes wondered if I should have splashed out the extra cash (lots of it!) for a Performance model. Then I notice that my LR+ can do 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. That is not a slow car by any means. My old Lotus Esprit V8 couldn’t match that. (I think the Lotus might have an advantage in overtaking at highway speed, but not by very much.) By the way, I do notice torque steer when I floor the S. It’s not ideal, but I can live with that. It adds a bit of extra drama to launches, as the wheel jerks in my hands and I hang on for dear life.
OLD AND BUSTED. According to CNET Roadshow, “One area where the Model S is clearly lagging behind is design.” Also, “Things are beginning to look awfully plain.” Also, “In a segment that prioritizes freshness, visually, the Model S is anything but.”
I laughed and laughed at this. Well, I guess it must depend on where you live. If you are in California and there have beeen Model Ses swarming around you on the highways for years, then maybe it looks plain to you. I live in Texas. Rural, small-town Texas. My car is still a novelty here, drawing plenty of both questions and compliments. And I think it still looks great, especially in a world that is being gradually taken over by chunky, homely, generic SUVs and crossovers.
My main gripe about the Model S’s appearance is one that could apply to all Teslas now. The selection of factory colors is very limited. I happen to like bright, vivid colors, and you can get any bright color you want as long as it’s red. I admit the red does look good, but still… We need more color on our highways, and I’ve been feeling a little envy towards all those Jeep Wranglers around town that look like they escaped from a bag of Skittles. That’s why I bought a white Model S and am getting it wrapped in “Atomic Teal” vinyl.
THE CLASSIC. The Oatmeal observed, “Being fully electric, the Model S is completely noiseless, which was jarring at first because every time I came to a stop I thought that the motor had stalled. It also makes parking lots rather interesting because pedestrians can’t hear my Ultra Stealth NinjaCar as it approaches.”
Regulations have been on the books for a few years now requiring electric cars to have pedestrian warning systems (noise makers) operating at low speeds. However, actually pinning down the details of those regs and getting them into effect has been delayed and delayed. The Model 3 now comes with a noise maker, but my Model S LR+ doesn’t have one. Maybe I got one of the last cars to be free from that nuisance feature of dubious worth.
Likewise, there have been persistent rumors of the Model S and X getting a single landscape-oriented screen like the 3 and Y, but mine still has both the dash display and the large, portrait-oriented screen. Personally, I like it that way. More screen is more better, and I find the portrait screen divides up nicely into map, camera and music windows.
Oh, and then there’s the Unlimited Free Supercharging. It may be somewhat wasted on me, as I don’t expect to use it heavily, but hey… That’s still pretty sweet to have.
To all those guys who are still waiting because they think there’s a refresh right around the corner… Enjoy your pedestrian noisemakers, piddling little landscape screen and paying for Supercharging. I will be happy with my “classic” Model S.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. Shortly after getting my car, I took it out for a spin on one damp morning after some spring showers, and I went around the county’s dirt roads. The sure-footedness of this heavy car as it splashed through puddles and around muddy corners was amazing. I felt perfect control, never a hint of slippage. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive, with precise, electronic modulation of power front-and-rear, is a wonderful thing. Washing all that mud off afterwards was less wonderful. Car needs a non-stick coating. Are you working on that, Elon?
Next I went down to “The Farm” which is notorious for its neglected, rocky, washed-out road. I dialed the suspension up to maximum height and slowly, carefully eased the car down the road and over the rocks — with it beeping and flashing warnings at me the entire way, but it never did actually scrape bottom. So… Why do I need a SUV again?
I’m not sure if that was first published in 2012 or 2013, but it must have been thereabouts. In 2020 is the Model S still a Magical Space Car, an Intergalactic SpaceBoat of Light and Wonder, an Electric CruiseBeast? Or is it, as CNET Roadshow asserted, in dire need of a refresh?
Mine is different in a number of notable ways from the car that The Oatmeal gushed over.
RANGE. He wrote: “After seven months and 4,000+ miles of owning a Model S, any ‘range anxiety’ I used to have has been completely quelled.” Also, “I have the 85 KWh battery, which can go up to 260 miles on a single charge.”
When I placed my order for a S Long Range, it was advertised as having 373 miles range. Before my car was built, Tesla switched production to the Long Range Plus version, and a few days ago I got my firmware update to the new official 402 miles EPA rating. After having the car for a couple of months I am beginning to understand, in practical terms, just how much overkill that is. Also, when it comes to charging stations… Man, the Supercharger network today is a world beyond the fledgling network that The Oatmeal barely mentioned in passing. The whole USA is valid for road trips now. It’s almost too easy. If anything, I might sort of miss the pioneering spirit that driving cross-country in an EV required only a few years ago. Where’s the challenge now?
CAMPING. On the subject of driving cross-country… When The Oatmeal published his story, camping in Teslas hadn’t even really been discovered yet. One lady here in town peeked in the back of my car and gasped, “It has more space than my Ford Explorer!” Yes, there is plenty of room to stretch out. It could charge from an RV hookup while I sleep in the back. That reminds me, I need to put in my order for a Dreamcase.
THE ACCELERATION. Quote, “My Model S can go from 0-60 in five seconds, and because it’s completely noiseless, accelerating feels like being fired out of a gun with a silencer on.”
I’ve sometimes wondered if I should have splashed out the extra cash (lots of it!) for a Performance model. Then I notice that my LR+ can do 0-60 in 3.7 seconds. That is not a slow car by any means. My old Lotus Esprit V8 couldn’t match that. (I think the Lotus might have an advantage in overtaking at highway speed, but not by very much.) By the way, I do notice torque steer when I floor the S. It’s not ideal, but I can live with that. It adds a bit of extra drama to launches, as the wheel jerks in my hands and I hang on for dear life.
OLD AND BUSTED. According to CNET Roadshow, “One area where the Model S is clearly lagging behind is design.” Also, “Things are beginning to look awfully plain.” Also, “In a segment that prioritizes freshness, visually, the Model S is anything but.”
I laughed and laughed at this. Well, I guess it must depend on where you live. If you are in California and there have beeen Model Ses swarming around you on the highways for years, then maybe it looks plain to you. I live in Texas. Rural, small-town Texas. My car is still a novelty here, drawing plenty of both questions and compliments. And I think it still looks great, especially in a world that is being gradually taken over by chunky, homely, generic SUVs and crossovers.
My main gripe about the Model S’s appearance is one that could apply to all Teslas now. The selection of factory colors is very limited. I happen to like bright, vivid colors, and you can get any bright color you want as long as it’s red. I admit the red does look good, but still… We need more color on our highways, and I’ve been feeling a little envy towards all those Jeep Wranglers around town that look like they escaped from a bag of Skittles. That’s why I bought a white Model S and am getting it wrapped in “Atomic Teal” vinyl.
THE CLASSIC. The Oatmeal observed, “Being fully electric, the Model S is completely noiseless, which was jarring at first because every time I came to a stop I thought that the motor had stalled. It also makes parking lots rather interesting because pedestrians can’t hear my Ultra Stealth NinjaCar as it approaches.”
Regulations have been on the books for a few years now requiring electric cars to have pedestrian warning systems (noise makers) operating at low speeds. However, actually pinning down the details of those regs and getting them into effect has been delayed and delayed. The Model 3 now comes with a noise maker, but my Model S LR+ doesn’t have one. Maybe I got one of the last cars to be free from that nuisance feature of dubious worth.
Likewise, there have been persistent rumors of the Model S and X getting a single landscape-oriented screen like the 3 and Y, but mine still has both the dash display and the large, portrait-oriented screen. Personally, I like it that way. More screen is more better, and I find the portrait screen divides up nicely into map, camera and music windows.
Oh, and then there’s the Unlimited Free Supercharging. It may be somewhat wasted on me, as I don’t expect to use it heavily, but hey… That’s still pretty sweet to have.
To all those guys who are still waiting because they think there’s a refresh right around the corner… Enjoy your pedestrian noisemakers, piddling little landscape screen and paying for Supercharging. I will be happy with my “classic” Model S.
CHALLENGE ACCEPTED. Shortly after getting my car, I took it out for a spin on one damp morning after some spring showers, and I went around the county’s dirt roads. The sure-footedness of this heavy car as it splashed through puddles and around muddy corners was amazing. I felt perfect control, never a hint of slippage. Dual-motor all-wheel-drive, with precise, electronic modulation of power front-and-rear, is a wonderful thing. Washing all that mud off afterwards was less wonderful. Car needs a non-stick coating. Are you working on that, Elon?
Next I went down to “The Farm” which is notorious for its neglected, rocky, washed-out road. I dialed the suspension up to maximum height and slowly, carefully eased the car down the road and over the rocks — with it beeping and flashing warnings at me the entire way, but it never did actually scrape bottom. So… Why do I need a SUV again?
