TESLA Model S Review

As for why you’d be tempted to push the Model S so far, it’s simple. There is no engine sound of gear shifts to keep you involved, so you can end up seeking thrills in this manner.

You could, in theory, attempt to perform a burnout. Well, in real life, you should be prepared for a totally different experience. You can switch off the electronics via the center display, but the Model S won’t let you use the brakes for such a charade. Thus, you’ll have to provoke the car. Be aware, once those tires start spinning, it’s very hard not to obliterate them. The instant torque and the single gear ratio means you can spin the rubber like nothing you’ve seen before. Spectacular it may be, but it’s definitely too much, so you’d better not try this at home. Or anywhere else, for that matter.

Where the engineers have done a great job though, is in the braking department. You can choose between two levels of regenerative braking. This feature is activated when you step of the gas and the calibration is well executed. Push the pedal on the right and the friction braking steps in. We’ve tested the vehicle in various conditions, some more intended than others and we can confirm the stoppers are truly up to the job.

A brilliant part of the Tesla Model S lies in the safety department. When the NHTSA tested the Model S, the vehicle achieved the best score ever. There have been other cars with higher ratings on individual tests, but the Tesla managed to achieve the highest overall score.

And if crash tests can be used as humor material, then Tesla put on quite a nice stand-up comedy show. You see, the NHTSA has awarded it a 5.4-star safety rating, but this was expressed in the industry language. Tesla took the liberty to advertise the Mode S as having more stars than... five-star cars. The NHTSA stepped in, asking Tesla to quit bragging about this.

Despite Tesla’s request, the IIHS has yet to subject the Model S to its tests. The IIHS’ small overlap test is a pretty fierce assessment that catches many big names out and we’d be very eager to see how the electric sedan behaves. Apparently, the low sales volume means this won’t happen too soon.

Instead of fighting fire with fire, the US carmaker battled the flames with a triple shield and a software update. The fires were linked to road debris and the new software raises the highway ground clearance.

More importantly, the belly of the electric beast is now protected by a hollow aluminum bar, a titanium plate, as well as a solid aluminum extrusion. More importantly, Elon Musk bragged the new armor would only affect the range by 0.1 percent, while having no impact on handling.

Tesla still has to address a few cyber security issues highlighted by a recent report. To put it shortly, your colleagues from the IT department could reportedly get inside your Model S, albeit without being able to drive it. Given the Tesla’s past record, we’re pretty sure the virtual doors that were left unlocked will be sealed soon.

In fact, Tesla’s attitude sits at the very base of the Model S. From the very beginning, Tesla chose a safe development path. The company skipped some of the technological bits in order to come up with what it sees as a viable business proposal. On the other hand, the Californian carmaker has been paying close attention to customer feedback, constantly updating the Model S.

What Tesla is offering us with the Model S is an interesting proposal. Nothing more, nothing less.

In order to appeal to the public, the engineers played with the calibration, making the Model S 60 percent sports and 40 percent sedan. You can enjoy both parts of the car, also together with your family, but only if you want to.

In translation, to do that means to ignore the multiple drawbacks of the Model S. First there’s the design, which isn’t something to brag about, despite the fact that the potential is there.

Then there’s the lack of certain technologies, which ends up seriously affecting the overall experience. If a smarter power delivery would only be required by performance addicts, each and every customer out there could benefit from an optional range extender. We’ll remind that we had to stop after 150 miles (240) of warm driving.

The last paragraph is a deal breaker for us, so we can’t recommend the Tesla Model S. Nevertheless, Tesla still has some stunts to pull.

The company has quite a set of plans. It is expanding its free Supercharger network and introducing a battery swap network. Moreover, Tesla aims to build a Giga Factory in America, with the facility set to produce lithium-ion batteries.

Most of the auto industry is skeptical though. The main argument is that the $5 billion estimated cost of the Giga Factory would require Tesla to sell a terrifyingly high number of cars per year in order to pay out. For instance, investment journal Barron’s places Tesla’s required annual sales figure at half a million cars.

Speaking of sales, the P85 performance model begins at $93,400, but you may want some options with that. Nonetheless, there’s a federal tax credit, so you can cut at least $7,500 off that price. The exact amount depends on the state and so does an extra incentive. Still, the latter is offered in much fewer states. Californians, for example, can knock another $2,500 off the aforementioned price. As for the entry-level Tesla Model S, with its 60 kWh battery pack, this starts at $65,570, including Federal and State Incentives.

We’ll use the German market pricing as an example for Europe. Here the Tesla Model S P85 is offered for a starting price of EUR 88,040, including EUR 14,000 worth of VAT. As for the value for money race, the Tesla Model S gets a seven. As for the 60 kWh model, this starts at EUR 65,300, including EUR 11,000 in VAT.

We can’t help but notice history repeating itself in the automotive industry. If Elon Musk is Enzo Ferrari, Henrik Fisker, the man behind the now defunct Fisker Karma project, is Ferrucio Lamborghini. Alas, things in America went a little different than those in Italy and the outcome was nasty, at least for Fisker.

You see, Fisker had been contracted by Tesla to design the Model S. The two parts didn’t quite get along, with Fisker deciding to design his own sedan, of course with the matching electric powertrain to fill the design sketches.

Fisker went all the way with the Karma, for example introducing a range extender. Oh and he also came up with a much nicer design.

Unfortunately, he tried to cut some corners in the business model. He took some chances in his quest for market success and lost everything. Fisker automotive went bankrupt and was taken over by Chinese company Wanxiang. This made Tesla the winner.

Not for big children, but for little ones. It also brings ridiculously low transportation costs when pitted against internal combustion-powered competitors.

Alas, if you take the electric propulsion out of the package, we see no reason to choose the Tesla.

Becoming electrified once again, we have to say the Tesla Model S is the best in its segment. It’s just that, for the moment, it is alone in this class. Wait for the big boys to join the segment and then we can talk about a battle. Nonetheless, the story is not that simple - need we remind anyone that Daimler is a key Tesla investor?

Tesla is a bit like McLaren, who has been constantly introducing updates for its 12C. The latest effort of the Brits saw the 12C retire after just three years, as the supercar morphed into the 650S. Perhaps the Model S needs such a dramatic overhaul in order to make a good purchase.

In its current form, the Tesla Model S is a bit like Disneyland. Overrated.