Topic: 2015 Tesla Model S 70D

[lebowski]

My only issue with Teslas is I have never seen one accelerate quickly.  There are lots of them in the Vancouver area and I see 2-3 every day on my commute. Weirdly they are the slowest drivers on the road.  I get that you can't use warp speed everytime but if I owned one I'd have to do it at least once a day.

In my experience the fastest-accelerating quiet cars in Vancouver have been Prius cabs. #silentkillers 

[Blueprint]

haha, wow, very cool. It seems like anyone who gets behind the wheel of one of these things has a similar revelatory experience. Really need to drive one some day. Have you driven other high-end sport sedans? Build quality and interior issues aside, how does the drive compare?

Drove a Panamera Hybrid, and from inside the cabin, no contest - the P-Car feels like its price tag. Just had a quick spin in it in traffic, so can't really compare, but to me these two are closer than one may think, being sleek 5-door sedans with lots of ooooomph.

[Blueprint]

The lack of a glorious engine note is a deal breaker for real enthusiasts.

That aural pleasure is part of the draw and experience of driving a hot car.

At full tilt, the Model S emits an awesome "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!" - think 500+hp power drill.

[Blueprint]

They aren't the most reliable things.  But give them credit since it's their first car.

Second*

That's a modded Elise, not a blank-sheet design.

[rrocket]

The lack of a glorious engine note is a deal breaker for real enthusiasts.

That aural pleasure is part of the draw and experience of driving a hot car.

At full tilt, the Model S emits an awesome "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!" - think 500+hp power drill.

It is far from glorious.

[lebowski]

haha, wow, very cool. It seems like anyone who gets behind the wheel of one of these things has a similar revelatory experience. Really need to drive one some day. Have you driven other high-end sport sedans? Build quality and interior issues aside, how does the drive compare?

Drove a Panamera Hybrid, and from inside the cabin, no contest - the P-Car feels like its price tag. Just had a quick spin in it in traffic, so can't really compare, but to me these two are closer than one may think, being sleek 5-door sedans with lots of ooooomph.

Nice. Yeah, I would think they'd be very close indeed.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

The lack of a glorious engine note is a deal breaker for real enthusiasts.

That aural pleasure is part of the draw and experience of driving a hot car.

At full tilt, the Model S emits an awesome "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!" - think 500+hp power drill.

It is far from glorious.

If you don't get it now, you probably never will, rrocket.

The model S isn't really supposed to be a 'hot car'.  It's more of a high end car that you can live with every day.  Oh, and it happens to faster accelerating than almost anything else out that that is street legal.

I think the Model 3 is where Tesla will come into their own in the mainstream car business.  If they can get the price down to an average $35k and still maintain or improve upon the range of the Model S, they'll have a winner.  At a lower price point, they'll be able to do away with some of the fancy and potentially unreliable parts of the Model S, like the fancy suspension and trick door handles.  And the apparently 'poor' build quality will be more at home on a $35 000 vehicle than a $100 000 vehicle.

[mmret]

I wonder if Tesla will mature into a "real" car company or if they will end up licensing technology to real car companies etc.

They got some really cool tech for sure, and they seem to do the software stuff much better than "real" car companies. They are much more of a Valley co. than a Detroit/Stuttgart co.

Whatever Elon says its still a niche product tho.

My guess is it will be Honda/Toyota/VW/etc. that will collectively bring mass market plugin EVs that really take off in the mainstream.

[Guy]

The lack of a glorious engine note is a deal breaker for real enthusiasts.

That aural pleasure is part of the draw and experience of driving a hot car.

At full tilt, the Model S emits an awesome "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!" - think 500+hp power drill.

It is far from glorious.

Can you actually hear the engine on your Lexus?

[Great_Big_Abyss]

I wonder if Tesla will mature into a "real" car company or if they will end up licensing technology to real car companies etc.

They got some really cool tech for sure, and they seem to do the software stuff much better than "real" car companies. They are much more of a Valley co. than a Detroit/Stuttgart co.

Whatever Elon says its still a niche product tho.

My guess is it will be Honda/Toyota/VW/etc. that will collectively bring mass market plugin EVs that really take off in the mainstream.

They don't need to license any of it.  They've stated that any car company can use any of their technology free of charge.  They literally just want to proliferate electric car tech.

https://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you

[mmret]

I wonder if Tesla will mature into a "real" car company or if they will end up licensing technology to real car companies etc.

They got some really cool tech for sure, and they seem to do the software stuff much better than "real" car companies. They are much more of a Valley co. than a Detroit/Stuttgart co.

Whatever Elon says its still a niche product tho.

My guess is it will be Honda/Toyota/VW/etc. that will collectively bring mass market plugin EVs that really take off in the mainstream.

They don't need to license any of it.  They've stated that any car company can use any of their technology free of charge.  They literally just want to proliferate electric car tech.

https://www.teslamotors.com/en_CA/blog/all-our-patent-are-belong-you

That's great, but I don't want to be a shareholder. Not sure how they're going to compete without being able to capitalize on their tech.

The actual BUILDING of cars, mass produced? Eh....not sure they can outdo the likes of VW/Toyota/GM there.

[rrocket]

The lack of a glorious engine note is a deal breaker for real enthusiasts.

That aural pleasure is part of the draw and experience of driving a hot car.

At full tilt, the Model S emits an awesome "Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!!" - think 500+hp power drill.

It is far from glorious.

Can you actually hear the engine on your Lexus?

Absolutely.  Even when stock that V8 sounds incredible!

Sounds even better with Magnaflows on it!

[Blueprint]

Download an app of a v12 Ferrari and have it play over the sound system of your tesla.  That way you can pretend you are burning half a tanker of fuel while pretending to shift gears and scaring the life out the old lady down the street.

Actually, the stereo was pretty crappy on the test car - experiment would be like imitating an AC/DC live show with a cell phone speaker. The Bose in my Dad's Sentra is waaayyy better. And good luck upgrading the stereo in a Model S!!

[Blueprint]

This Model S goes "Weeeee!!!"

[rrocket]

If you don't get it now, you probably never will, rrocket.

I get it.  It's just not for me. 

No engine sound, too many safety nannies, self driving, etc.  Too many concessions to the joy of driving. 

It's not for me.

[safristi]

How do you WEE in a Tesla ...... carefully!!!!

[bye]

Me before driving:  "Poor panel gaps, no storage, doors finished like Payless Shoe Store products, no headroom in the back, poor ergonomics and they sell this 100k$ ?!?"

Our Tesla is an early 2013, and the fit/finish is premium and very tasteful.   Especially like the open center area (we are not fans of center consoles) as my wife is the primary driver and has a good place for her purse.  The headroom in the back was fine for the up-to 6'2" passengers I shuttled around Ontario during the winter school sports events we went to.  As for ergonomics, it's a matter of time before you become completely at home with using the steering wheel and touch screen for everything.  Voice commands for navigation, music selection, phone dialing.  Steering wheel buttons for audio volume, next/prev and selectable/customizable for HVAC and other settings.  We have the premium interior package with LED lighting and other appointments.   The other nice option is the top of the line audio package, our car sounds so clear and crisp, with tons of base, something to enjoy in a car that drives so quietly.

Me after driving it and flooring it a few times in a deserted and safe area:
"Ok, how can I finance this?".

Our S85 is "plenty".   The first few weeks we got it this past summer, I routinely "give it" from stop up to the speed limit to enjoy the silent power.  But most of the winter I've kept it easy to preserve the expensive winter tires we put on the car.

I don't miss the sound/fury of our 300HP Mercedes, gas cars are so yesterday to us now.

Recently had an Audi rental when getting winter service, and was completely disappointed by the rough engine and jerky shifting of a gas car in cold weather.  Couldn't wait to get back into an EV after that 2 day experience!  My wife refused to drive the Audi, took my Smart ED instead.

A 70D would have been great for 99% of our needs, no need for the 90D or P90D for that matter, but we decided to buy from the CPO (gently used) program to afford the most premium options (interior, air suspension, audio) instead of getting a "base" 70D.

[X-Traction]

"They aren't the most reliable things.  But give them credit since it's their first car."

What about the Roadster?


"having the engine noise go through speakers is a deal breaker as well." 

Aren't there lots of expensive cars that do this nowadays?  Isn't BMW fond of this?


"The lack of a glorious engine note is a deal breaker for real enthusiasts.
That aural pleasure is part of the draw and experience of driving a hot car."

If the people who drive Formula E cars and operate their teams aren't enthusiasts, what are they then?  It gives me great pleasure to tell a person so much younger than I am, that you're resistant to change.


"My only issue with Teslas is I have never seen one accelerate quickly.  There are lots of them in the Vancouver area and I see 2-3 every day on my commute. Weirdly they are the slowest drivers on the road."

It's amazing how many are around Vancouver.  Any trip to Whistler you'll see ~4 each way.  I have never seen one being driven slowly, nor have I ever seen anyone demonstrating what they are capable of.  I have also never seen one being driven as a jerk would drive.  Perhaps once one has a Tesla, showing off would seem very declasse.


"Too many concessions to the joy of driving."

That's what the horse carriage drivers said about cars.

[safristi]

Driving to Whistler (appropriate destination 'eh!!) wheee wheee   U see 4 each way...Wow amazing in a Million Dollar Crap shack CITY of a Million plus............... going to million dollar condo ski lodges

[me_2]

My only issue with Teslas is I have never seen one accelerate quickly.  There are lots of them in the Vancouver area and I see 2-3 every day on my commute. Weirdly they are the slowest drivers on the road.  I get that you can't use warp speed everytime but if I owned one I'd have to do it at least once a day.

Not the same as real life but you get the idea 

Tesla Model X vs Model S P90D Ludicrous Husband vs Wife Drag Racing 1/4 Mile Showdown
https://youtu.be/K9o1CaekxUQ