Where do I start.

[gregd]

The only drawback I can think of (besides being in a perpetual state of whiplash) is that I've run all my leases through work using (largely) pretax dollars, which also allowed me to get a new vehicle every three years. I'm a little nervous about using after-tax dollars and then owning the roadster... because what if something even cooler comes out three years after that?

So, you're worried about something more awesome than the Roadster coming that soon, and within your budget? I'd take that risk...

 

[TEG]

Also concerned about weight and wait.Would like to see prototype on a track.
Has been a year since introduction.How about an update on car.Will it be a true roadster or will it stay a Targa top?.

It is expected to be a removable top... with storage for the top in the back.

It will be heavy. But Tesla has shown that they can make very heavy cars perform very well and still fun to drive.
The massive low end torque and smooth power delivery make it so that you don't notice the weight as much.
Also the very low center of gravity helps a lot.
I expect it will be good at eating tires, so prepare yourself for that.

 

[12Pack]

The weight issue is about transitioning in corners. That’s why mid engined ICEs cars excel - low polar moment of inertia. It’s not so much low C of G, but that even spread of the battery weight that I hope helps with that.
And then here’s braking and active aero. I hope they don’t ignore that. All the verbiage has been about straight line speed. Elon doesn’t sound like a guy who knows how to drive. At least my 50k couldn’t do worse than the stock market at the moment.

 

[12Pack]

Sorry that should read “moment of interia”. Not polar moment of interim.

The weight issue is about transitioning in corners. That’s why mid engined ICEs cars excel - low polar moment of inertia. It’s not so much low C of G, but that even spread of the battery weight that I hope helps with that.
And then here’s braking and active aero. I hope they don’t ignore that. All the verbiage has been about straight line speed. Elon doesn’t sound like a guy who knows how to drive. At least my 50k couldn’t do worse than the stock market at the moment.

 

[TEG]

...And then here’s braking and active aero. I hope they don’t ignore that..

Well, the prototype has massive looking brakes and top line tires:

And I think they talk of a track package with active "thrusters" (compressed air jets) to give more downforce when needed.

I bet there are some serious enthusiasts and engineers there that could design a world class track car...
But at the end of the day they need to make money to stay viable, so there may be some limits to how far they will go with the production car.
Tesla has generally shied away from spending a lot of resources on track efforts. They are in business to sell street cars.
My guess is that they will throw enough tech at this to get the world's attention, but may stop short of fully supporting it as a track car.
( Contrast to something like Ferrari which builds dedicated track cars for factory supported race events.
Ferrari Races ... Ferrari Challenge - Ferrari Corse Clienti )

 

[yo mama]

So, you're worried about something more awesome than the Roadster coming that soon, and within your budget? I'd take that risk...

It's only a minor hesitation. But I got my P85D and within three years the P100D was available. Got the P100D and within three years of that the roadster will be available. I love Tesla's innovation, which is one reason leasing appeals to me. I'm sold on the roadster, but it may be possible to go through a third party leasing service if I want to go that route. But that's a research project for another day. I've got another 2-1/2 years on my current lease, so I have time to think about it.

 

[gregd]

It's only a minor hesitation. But I got my P85D and within three years the P100D was available. Got the P100D and within three years of that the roadster will be available. I love Tesla's innovation, which is one reason leasing appeals to me. I'm sold on the roadster, but it may be possible to go through a third party leasing service if I want to go that route. But that's a research project for another day. I've got another 2-1/2 years on my current lease, so I have time to think about it.

Ok, I see your point. I guess I was thinking you were referring to something better from someone other than Tesla.

Sure, Tesla will be improving the Roadster over time. My bet would be more in the software (which would be an OTA update) for a while, followed by other tweaks. It might also depend on how the other car companies respond, with Tesla wanting to keep a step or ten ahead.

Personally, I'm keeping the original Roadster. There's just something about it that I don't think any of the new cars can/will match. My daughter just got her first drive of it yesterday (dad was holding out...), and her reaction was "Oh My God, this is so awesome. It's actually fun to drive again!" We talked about why, and concluded it was a combination of the small size, smooth controls (accel & brake), and the lack of power steering. She really felt a bonding with the car during the drive. No new car would be built like that, especially the lack of power steering. If you look at the videos of the rides given at the unveiling, the driver isn't "working" to control the car. It's too easy, too laid back, too much driver-as-passenger. Very different than the original...

 

[yo mama]

Nah, the only EV that even remotely interests me around this price point *might* be the Porsche Mission E. But it would have to out-perform beyond all expectations, and the roadster massively under-perform, for that to be any kind of real decision.

 

[12Pack]

Weather in Manchester this morning was crisp but dry. Took the Atom out for a spin on some local roads. Having been in the P100d last couple of weekends, I sometimes forget how much fun and involving rev matching for yourself, feeling very ripple through the steering and drifting through roundabouts can be. I guess I won’t expect my 2020 roadster to match that. TBH the P100D off the line is old hat now and after that initial jerk, is really quite disappointing. Enjoying all the other great aspects of having a Tesla EV but for driving fun, I look elsewhere. Starting to have doubts if I really want another one-trickster, even if it is a helluva trick.

 

[tstafford]

Starting to have doubts if I really want another one-trickster, even if it is a helluva trick.

I get that. But it's really not a "one-trickster". High performance combined with 600+ mile range and autopilot is a combination that will make it very livable as a DD for me. I'll still have a couple of ICE cars too but I expect the Roaster to be the go to car for most applications other than the track.

 

[tonybelding]

Took the Atom out for a spin on some local roads. Having been in the P100d last couple of weekends, I sometimes forget how much fun and involving rev matching for yourself, feeling very ripple through the steering and drifting through roundabouts can be. I guess I won’t expect my 2020 roadster to match that. TBH the P100D off the line is old hat now and after that initial jerk, is really quite disappointing. Enjoying all the other great aspects of having a Tesla EV but for driving fun, I look elsewhere. Starting to have doubts if I really want another one-trickster, even if it is a helluva trick.

Nothing else is ever going to match the Arial Atom at what the Atom is made for. That's an extreme, highly specialized vehicle.

If you've ever driven a Tesla Roadster R1, you know that it's a very different type of vehicle from a Model S, and the driving experience is quite different. So, I don't think it makes any sense to try and draw conclusions about the R2 from anything you've experienced with the S.

Actually, I'm wary of speculating about the R2's driving characteristics at all. It's unlike anything that's hit the road before, the first of a new category of car. Nobody knows how it's going to drive, what its strengths and weaknesses and quirks will be. I look forward to finding out. I'm confident enough in Tesla's track record to assume it'll be a fantastic and amazing car. These guys know what they're doing.

 

[12Pack]

I hope so.

Even forgetting about the Atom, see the attached cutaway of my McLaren - which is a similar car to the new roadster. The 75kg carbon fibre tub under the cabin and a small engine lump low and just ahead of the rear wheel (all just like in Formula 1), make for fantastic dynamics. I'm worried how the weight of the 600kwH battery will be distributed and managed. Hoping for the best.

 

[12Pack]

I should add - I am hoping they can find a way for the battery/inverter to remain where the ICE engine is in the above - and as it now is in formula E.
People seem to think an evenly distributed battery is optimal for handling, but that's only if you are always just driving in a circle. Otherwise, you want a rear-biased weight distribution for best braking and acceleration when transitioning straights/corners.

 

[tonybelding]

Even forgetting about the Atom, see the attached cutaway of my McLaren - which is a similar car to the new roadster. The 75kg carbon fibre tub under the cabin and a small engine lump low and just ahead of the rear wheel (all just like in Formula 1), make for fantastic dynamics. I'm worried how the weight of the 600kwH battery will be distributed and managed. Hoping for the best.View attachment 367784

It's 200 kWh. But yeah, that's gonna be big and heavy. My personal inclination would have been to make the battery maybe half that size, and with less "extreme" range and acceleration. But I'm just an armchair observer, and I have to assume they've chosen this design for reasons, and they believe they can deal with all that mass. If the mass is positioned and distributed well enough, and if they do everything possible with torque vectoring, maybe they can make it handle well. Exactly how well, and what exactly that means in practical terms, we'll have to wait and see.

I can practically guarantee it won't handle like the McLaren or like anything else we've seen before, because it's just not like anything else we've seen before. Some will find that exciting, some won't.

 

[TEG]

I think they want to show that they can be the "best" by any metric you can think of...
So, to get really high top speed, and world's best EV range, they need a really big battery.
( Cost doesn't seem to be a major consideration for their 'halo' car. )

So:
Roadster 2008 = ~$100K
Roadster 2020 = > $200K