Tesla Model S test drive

[FarAway]

As someone who has never owned or even driven an EV, I felt I needed to test drive a Tesla before my CT shows up. I shared this reveiw with some non-EV friends and critics, so it may be a little basic for most on this forum. If you are like me and the CT will be your first EV, then go take a test drive!

I made a reservation online to test drive a Tesla Model S at the Richmond, VA Tesla store. I used a referral link from a frequent poster and supporter of this forum. If anyone wants to use my referral link, and thank you, it is: https://ts.la/irvin81632

My wife and I showed up at the Tesla store for the test drive a few minutes before our scheduled time. We were greeted and directed to a table to complete some paperwork, most of it was done electronically on a tablet. We had to download an app to show law enforcement if we got pulled over. All this took about five minutes. The show room was clean, somewhat spartan, but had a Model 3 and a Model X with the “rear gull wing doors “on display. The X can comfortably seat 7! The shop/garage was next door and just peering inside it was the cleanest garage I have ever seen.

They pulled the car around from the back, it had literally just been offloaded from the delivery truck. The other demo had sold that morning. It was a black Model S PLAID with carbon fiber interior. Score!!

The Tesla rep spent about 10 minutes going over the car’s operation while I was in the seat… very few knobs or buttons, most controls are on the large touchscreen. We had most of it down when we pulled away but had to pull over to figure out how to turn on the A/C.

I have driven some very fast and great handling cars. I have never driven anything that had this kind of acceleration and handling, including jets with afterburners. I would say it approaches a “cat launch” with the almost instantaneous speed and g force acceleration, but I am an AF guy so what do I know.

This car is quiet and smooth. The handling is great with the four three engine AWD, no torque to contend with when accelerating. Even at 60 mph the car can lay you back in the seat with a healthy push of the accelerator. It cruises down the road with a quiet confidence, almost as if it knows that it is the baddest ass car on the road. The mirrors are almost not needed as the car automatically displays better views on the touch screen when changing lanes or backing up. The S has regenerative braking, you take your foot off the accelerator and the car starts slowing immediately by using the energy to generate electricity back to the batteries. This takes some getting used to but should save on brake wear.

Our test drive lasted about 40 minutes. We changed seats about halfway through so my wife could drive while I explored the touchscreen. Overall impressions, this car is amazing. The technology impressive, it is to other cars what the iPhone was to flip phones or maybe even rotary landline phones. The car can get you away from trouble quickly, I bet it could ALSO get you in trouble even more quickly, especially with the local “gendarme”. Not sure I need the raw power and offerings of the PLAID but having experienced it would be hard to say no. The wife, who is NOT an EV fan, was equally impressed.

It was also probably the least pressure I have ever experienced test driving any car. I got back and they asked me if I had any questions, I had a few that were answered quickly. The car is relatively expensive, but I have not purchased a new vehicle in a couple of decades. This one cost almost exactly twice what my first house cost! They asked me if I wanted to take the car home… I thought about it, but said no.

I will say the CT has some very big shoes to fill to beat out the look and feel of the Model S.

 

[Chris9702L]

Yup, I rented a Model 3 on our last vacation. The car was amazing! I can’t wait for the Cybertruck!

 

[Crissa]

That's what I did to convince my spouse. Rented her a Model S in 2019 for a road trip from Boston (where she was working) to New Jersey. She had to Supercharge on the route.

It really convinced her they were ready.

-Crissa

 

[Sirfun]

As someone who has never owned or even driven an EV, I felt I needed to test drive a Tesla before my CT shows up. I shared this reveiw with some non-EV friends and critics, so it may be a little basic for most on this forum. If you are like me and the CT will be your first EV, then go take a test drive!

I made a reservation online to test drive a Tesla Model S at the Richmond, VA Tesla store. I used a referral link from a frequent poster and supporter of this forum. If anyone wants to use my referral link, and thank you, it is: https://ts.la/irvin81632

My wife and I showed up at the Tesla store for the test drive a few minutes before our scheduled time. We were greeted and directed to a table to complete some paperwork, most of it was done electronically on a tablet. We had to download an app to show law enforcement if we got pulled over. All this took about five minutes. The show room was clean, somewhat spartan, but had a Model 3 and a Model X with the “rear gull wing doors “on display. The X can comfortably seat 7! The shop/garage was next door and just peering inside it was the cleanest garage I have ever seen.

They pulled the car around from the back, it had literally just been offloaded from the delivery truck. The other demo had sold that morning. It was a black Model S PLAID with carbon fiber interior. Score!!

The Tesla rep spent about 10 minutes going over the car’s operation while I was in the seat… very few knobs or buttons, most controls are on the large touchscreen. We had most of it down when we pulled away but had to pull over to figure out how to turn on the A/C.

I have driven some very fast and great handling cars. I have never driven anything that had this kind of acceleration and handling, including jets with afterburners. I would say it approaches a “cat launch” with the almost instantaneous speed and g force acceleration, but I am an AF guy so what do I know.

This car is quiet and smooth. The handling is great with the four engine AWD, no torque to contend with when accelerating. Even at 60 mph the car can lay you back in the seat with a healthy push of the accelerator. It cruises down the road with a quiet confidence, almost as if it knows that it is the baddest ass car on the road. The mirrors are almost not needed as the car automatically displays better views on the touch screen when changing lanes or backing up. The S has regenerative braking, you take your foot off the accelerator and the car starts slowing immediately by using the energy to generate electricity back to the batteries. This takes some getting used to but should save on brake wear.

Our test drive lasted about 40 minutes. We changed seats about halfway through so my wife could drive while I explored the touchscreen. Overall impressions, this car is amazing. The technology impressive, it is to other cars what the iPhone was to flip phones or maybe even rotary landline phones. The car can get you away from trouble quickly, I bet it could ALSO get you in trouble even more quickly, especially with the local “gendarme”. Not sure I need the raw power and offerings of the PLAID but having experienced it would be hard to say no. The wife, who is NOT an EV fan, was equally impressed.

It was also probably the least pressure I have ever experienced test driving any car. I got back and they asked me if I had any questions, I had a few that were answered quickly. The car is relatively expensive, but I have not purchased a new vehicle in a couple of decades. This one cost almost exactly twice what my first house cost! They asked me if I wanted to take the car home… I thought about it, but said no.

I will say the CT has some very big shoes to fill to beat out the look and feel of the Model S.

Thanks for this awesome report. You convinced me, I need to test drive a Tesla. The Plaid Model S was created as a Halo product. The Cybertruck is more of a full utility vehicle. No way am I driving a Plaid. I don't want to get in my Cybertruck, and feel underwhelmed.

But take that Model S off-road and then see who has the big shoes! ?

 

[MonkeyDeLuffy]

Model S and Model 3, if you want to buy from Tesla. CT is a strange cat in the family. Whether or not generating future wealth is still questionable within...

 

[ikwill]

As someone who has never owned or even driven an EV, I felt I needed to test drive a Tesla before my CT shows up. I shared this reveiw with some non-EV friends and critics, so it may be a little basic for most on this forum. If you are like me and the CT will be your first EV, then go take a test drive!

I made a reservation online to test drive a Tesla Model S at the Richmond, VA Tesla store. I used a referral link from a frequent poster and supporter of this forum. If anyone wants to use my referral link, and thank you, it is: https://ts.la/irvin81632

My wife and I showed up at the Tesla store for the test drive a few minutes before our scheduled time. We were greeted and directed to a table to complete some paperwork, most of it was done electronically on a tablet. We had to download an app to show law enforcement if we got pulled over. All this took about five minutes. The show room was clean, somewhat spartan, but had a Model 3 and a Model X with the “rear gull wing doors “on display. The X can comfortably seat 7! The shop/garage was next door and just peering inside it was the cleanest garage I have ever seen.

They pulled the car around from the back, it had literally just been offloaded from the delivery truck. The other demo had sold that morning. It was a black Model S PLAID with carbon fiber interior. Score!!

The Tesla rep spent about 10 minutes going over the car’s operation while I was in the seat… very few knobs or buttons, most controls are on the large touchscreen. We had most of it down when we pulled away but had to pull over to figure out how to turn on the A/C.

I have driven some very fast and great handling cars. I have never driven anything that had this kind of acceleration and handling, including jets with afterburners. I would say it approaches a “cat launch” with the almost instantaneous speed and g force acceleration, but I am an AF guy so what do I know.

This car is quiet and smooth. The handling is great with the four engine AWD, no torque to contend with when accelerating. Even at 60 mph the car can lay you back in the seat with a healthy push of the accelerator. It cruises down the road with a quiet confidence, almost as if it knows that it is the baddest ass car on the road. The mirrors are almost not needed as the car automatically displays better views on the touch screen when changing lanes or backing up. The S has regenerative braking, you take your foot off the accelerator and the car starts slowing immediately by using the energy to generate electricity back to the batteries. This takes some getting used to but should save on brake wear.

Our test drive lasted about 40 minutes. We changed seats about halfway through so my wife could drive while I explored the touchscreen. Overall impressions, this car is amazing. The technology impressive, it is to other cars what the iPhone was to flip phones or maybe even rotary landline phones. The car can get you away from trouble quickly, I bet it could ALSO get you in trouble even more quickly, especially with the local “gendarme”. Not sure I need the raw power and offerings of the PLAID but having experienced it would be hard to say no. The wife, who is NOT an EV fan, was equally impressed.

It was also probably the least pressure I have ever experienced test driving any car. I got back and they asked me if I had any questions, I had a few that were answered quickly. The car is relatively expensive, but I have not purchased a new vehicle in a couple of decades. This one cost almost exactly twice what my first house cost! They asked me if I wanted to take the car home… I thought about it, but said no.

I will say the CT has some very big shoes to fill to beat out the look and feel of the Model S.

As someone who has never owned or even driven an EV, I felt I needed to test drive a Tesla before my CT shows up. I shared this reveiw with some non-EV friends and critics, so it may be a little basic for most on this forum. If you are like me and the CT will be your first EV, then go take a test drive!

I made a reservation online to test drive a Tesla Model S at the Richmond, VA Tesla store. I used a referral link from a frequent poster and supporter of this forum. If anyone wants to use my referral link, and thank you, it is: https://ts.la/irvin81632

My wife and I showed up at the Tesla store for the test drive a few minutes before our scheduled time. We were greeted and directed to a table to complete some paperwork, most of it was done electronically on a tablet. We had to download an app to show law enforcement if we got pulled over. All this took about five minutes. The show room was clean, somewhat spartan, but had a Model 3 and a Model X with the “rear gull wing doors “on display. The X can comfortably seat 7! The shop/garage was next door and just peering inside it was the cleanest garage I have ever seen.

They pulled the car around from the back, it had literally just been offloaded from the delivery truck. The other demo had sold that morning. It was a black Model S PLAID with carbon fiber interior. Score!!

The Tesla rep spent about 10 minutes going over the car’s operation while I was in the seat… very few knobs or buttons, most controls are on the large touchscreen. We had most of it down when we pulled away but had to pull over to figure out how to turn on the A/C.

I have driven some very fast and great handling cars. I have never driven anything that had this kind of acceleration and handling, including jets with afterburners. I would say it approaches a “cat launch” with the almost instantaneous speed and g force acceleration, but I am an AF guy so what do I know.

This car is quiet and smooth. The handling is great with the four engine AWD, no torque to contend with when accelerating. Even at 60 mph the car can lay you back in the seat with a healthy push of the accelerator. It cruises down the road with a quiet confidence, almost as if it knows that it is the baddest ass car on the road. The mirrors are almost not needed as the car automatically displays better views on the touch screen when changing lanes or backing up. The S has regenerative braking, you take your foot off the accelerator and the car starts slowing immediately by using the energy to generate electricity back to the batteries. This takes some getting used to but should save on brake wear.

Our test drive lasted about 40 minutes. We changed seats about halfway through so my wife could drive while I explored the touchscreen. Overall impressions, this car is amazing. The technology impressive, it is to other cars what the iPhone was to flip phones or maybe even rotary landline phones. The car can get you away from trouble quickly, I bet it could ALSO get you in trouble even more quickly, especially with the local “gendarme”. Not sure I need the raw power and offerings of the PLAID but having experienced it would be hard to say no. The wife, who is NOT an EV fan, was equally impressed.

It was also probably the least pressure I have ever experienced test driving any car. I got back and they asked me if I had any questions, I had a few that were answered quickly. The car is relatively expensive, but I have not purchased a new vehicle in a couple of decades. This one cost almost exactly twice what my first house cost! They asked me if I wanted to take the car home… I thought about it, but said no.

I will say the CT has some very big shoes to fill to beat out the look and feel of the Model S.

While I don’t have the plaid which is Tri motors, I have the long range one and it’s still a grand car to own. Take advantage of the latest price cuts and get a MS LR, still fast.

 

[Jsmithjr732]

Lurker for some time but had to register and reply.

Thank you for the review of the S plaid. I’m a ~11k CT reservation holder but am debating between the model S plaid and the Cybertruck. I love the look of the Cybertruck, but I’m a really big fan of the plaid and the speed it has. No easy decision.

 

[BayouCityBob]

While I don’t have the plaid which is Tri motors, I have the long range one and it’s still a grand car to own. Take advantage of the latest price cuts and get a MS LR, still fast.

We ended up buying an MS LR on Friday (take delivery week from Monday). The Ultra Red with Cream interior dropped to $77k. It was $110 in January and was $86k last week when we did a test drive. (Also drove the X but my wife said it felt too much like a high performance minivan, lol.) Even the "slow" version has 3.1 second 0-60 (same as a Model 3P). These prices are incredibly compelling (and we were able to do the free FSD transfer from our 2018 Model 3 which was nice).

When CT time comes rolling around we will have some difficult decisions to make...

 

[ikwill]

We ended up buying an MS LR on Friday (take delivery week from Monday). The Ultra Red with Cream interior dropped to $77k. It was $110 in January and was $86k last week when we did a test drive. (Also drove the X but my wife said it felt too much like a high performance minivan, lol.) Even the "slow" version has 3.1 second 0-60 (same as a Model 3P). These prices are incredibly compelling (and we were able to do the free FSD transfer from our 2018 Model 3 which was nice).

When CT time comes rolling around we will have some difficult decisions to make...

I've seen the Ultra Red, you chose a beautiful color! I drive long distances and keep it at chill mode to save few pennies at the SC's. Now they've added the drag mode as well so you can go out to show the noise makers who's their daddies.
I'm not parting with my MS LR when my CT arrives, I test drove both MY and MX before buying MS, it is on another level when it comes to comfort. Also it's great to see prices coming down as I bought mine when prices were high but had enough with gas stations and sitting at service center at a whopping $1,8k a year.

 

[BayouCityBob]

Now they've added the drag mode as well so you can go out to show the noise makers who's their daddies.

Wait, what, they have drag strip mode on the LR? … [looking up on the interwebs] … oh cr@p! This is primarily my wife’s car and she is a speed demon. I am absolutely hiding this fact from her! But good to know.

 

[JCERRN]

That's what I did to convince my spouse. Rented her a Model S in 2019 for a road trip from Boston (where she was working) to New Jersey. She had to Supercharge on the route.

It really convinced her they were ready.

-Crissa

Funny, it was actually the need to super charge multiple times on a trip (san diego to las vegas in a performance MY) that convinced my friends that they DIDNT want an ev. “Too inconvenient” “adds too much time” despite them taking pretty much exactly how much time it took to charge inside the store/bathroom….

 

[Sirfun]

We ended up buying an MS LR on Friday (take delivery week from Monday). The Ultra Red with Cream interior dropped to $77k. It was $110 in January and was $86k last week when we did a test drive. (Also drove the X but my wife said it felt too much like a high performance minivan, lol.) Even the "slow" version has 3.1 second 0-60 (same as a Model 3P). These prices are incredibly compelling (and we were able to do the free FSD transfer from our 2018 Model 3 which was nice).

When CT time comes rolling around we will have some difficult decisions to make...

That's Awesome, not only did Tesla lower the price. But now you get that fantastic red paint for no extra cost. I have a feeling there won't be very many new white ones, while that deal is around!

 

[Mini2nut]

We test drove a Model S a few years ago before the refresh. The driving experience and acceleration were amazing.

We wife currently drives a '21 Model Y and she has driven it over 40k trouble free miles.

The Model S has premium feel as expected. I feel bad for all of those who purchased at the higher prices. If Tesla decides to lower prices again, say around $70k, it's going to be tempting to step up to a Model S.

December and January are slow new car sales months so anything is possible.

 

[Crissa]

Funny, it was actually the need to super charge multiple times on a trip (san diego to las vegas in a performance MY) that convinced my friends that they DIDNT want an ev. “Too inconvenient” “adds too much time” despite them taking pretty much exactly how much time it took to charge inside the store/bathroom….

Yeah, she said the same thing. But she's like, super-quick at that stuff. Annoyingly so ^-^

But she also said it proved they'd made it reliable and took away the range anxiety she had.

-Crissa

 

[Chip Geek]

I test drove a MS LR yesterday. I can't stop my brain from screaming to Tesla "Shut up and take my money!" <insert standard meme here>