Hi all,
Just a quick report. We did our first long trip with the Model X Sunday and Monday. First leg was
as far as Eugene, Ore. and after a long night at the Holiday Inn Express in Springfield (good place
with breakfast and a supercharger in the lot) we made the second leg to Lincoln, Ca.
The car did very well - but I was a bit surprised how the long duration higher speeds consumed
the battery as much as they did. The car seemed to 'anticipate' that so we always arrived at a
charger with enough miles to 'search' for the charger. I just hadn't driven "at speed" for hours
and hours before so I didn't really understand how much faster the battery (miles) went down.
We learned to put the addy of the destination super charger into the GPS! One of the stops
I had just entered the name of the small city and it took us to downtown ... which wasn't any
where near the charger ... but we found it and all is well.
Have been learning how to turn the sun shade to a horizontal orientation and then position
it so it blocks the sun - nice trick and with the more than ample vertical clearance makes it
very effective sun blocking - it is rarely all the way to where it is locked in at the rear view.
The car had to deal with an idiot that cut in with far too little space in front of us. It was in
cruise control mode, the dumbey dodged in, the car went into hard braking, and he cleared
the front bumper by less than 6 feet. Some people's kids! I've never understood the drivers
that 'have' to try to make time when the traffic levels are high and they can't really make a
difference - I guess they "just have to try". It's usually a driver that I refer to as a "squid".
If you've ever seen a squid swimming in the ocean you know that they squirt, pause, and
squirt again ... just like the drivers trying to make time on a crowded multi-lane freeway.
Please note I said "the car had to deal with" and not "I" - the car responded before I did.
The location (spacing) of the superchargers along I-5 between Seattle and the S.F. Bay Area
is great! It would be nice if there were a better range of choices for places to get a meal - we
had to 'settle' for some places that we wouldn't normally go to and there don't seem to be
any superchargers near brew pubs. *G*
The Model X is simply the best car for long trips I've ever owned - in over 60 years of
driving. The comfort of the seats (without being so comfortable you are struggling to
stay awake) and the handling characteristics are simply great. This particular trip was a
route I've been driving since the 60's so I know it well.
We got to see some amazing sunsets coming down I-5. The mountains in the Siskiyous
are noticeably short on snow - hopefully they will "white up" thru the winter. Not much
wildlife or birds - not really expected when you are driving I-5. Roads were clear and
dry the whole way - not even any snow along side the road over Siskiyou Summit.
Thanks for reading ... Jim in the PNW
Just a quick report. We did our first long trip with the Model X Sunday and Monday. First leg was
as far as Eugene, Ore. and after a long night at the Holiday Inn Express in Springfield (good place
with breakfast and a supercharger in the lot) we made the second leg to Lincoln, Ca.
The car did very well - but I was a bit surprised how the long duration higher speeds consumed
the battery as much as they did. The car seemed to 'anticipate' that so we always arrived at a
charger with enough miles to 'search' for the charger. I just hadn't driven "at speed" for hours
and hours before so I didn't really understand how much faster the battery (miles) went down.
We learned to put the addy of the destination super charger into the GPS! One of the stops
I had just entered the name of the small city and it took us to downtown ... which wasn't any
where near the charger ... but we found it and all is well.
Have been learning how to turn the sun shade to a horizontal orientation and then position
it so it blocks the sun - nice trick and with the more than ample vertical clearance makes it
very effective sun blocking - it is rarely all the way to where it is locked in at the rear view.
The car had to deal with an idiot that cut in with far too little space in front of us. It was in
cruise control mode, the dumbey dodged in, the car went into hard braking, and he cleared
the front bumper by less than 6 feet. Some people's kids! I've never understood the drivers
that 'have' to try to make time when the traffic levels are high and they can't really make a
difference - I guess they "just have to try". It's usually a driver that I refer to as a "squid".
If you've ever seen a squid swimming in the ocean you know that they squirt, pause, and
squirt again ... just like the drivers trying to make time on a crowded multi-lane freeway.
Please note I said "the car had to deal with" and not "I" - the car responded before I did.
The location (spacing) of the superchargers along I-5 between Seattle and the S.F. Bay Area
is great! It would be nice if there were a better range of choices for places to get a meal - we
had to 'settle' for some places that we wouldn't normally go to and there don't seem to be
any superchargers near brew pubs. *G*
The Model X is simply the best car for long trips I've ever owned - in over 60 years of
driving. The comfort of the seats (without being so comfortable you are struggling to
stay awake) and the handling characteristics are simply great. This particular trip was a
route I've been driving since the 60's so I know it well.
We got to see some amazing sunsets coming down I-5. The mountains in the Siskiyous
are noticeably short on snow - hopefully they will "white up" thru the winter. Not much
wildlife or birds - not really expected when you are driving I-5. Roads were clear and
dry the whole way - not even any snow along side the road over Siskiyou Summit.
Thanks for reading ... Jim in the PNW
