One-hundred years from now, the Smithsonian museum at our nation's capital will host a display of history's most revolutionary automobiles. The collection will include the 1866 Dudgeon steam wagon (one of the earliest self-propelled vehicles), the 1886 Benz Patent-Motorwagen (recognized as the first combustion-powered automobile) and the 1908 Ford Model T (the first automobile mass produced on an assembly line).
Slightly more than a few years after the first prototype debuted in March of 2009, Autoblog was able to spend an evening with an early production model of the innovative all-electric sedan touted as "the next step to accelerate the world's transition to electric mobility." Much has been said and written about Tesla's enormous undertaking, but we brushed off the hype, ignored the rumors and cut through the layers dallas nascar race tickets of misinformation. It was time to drive.
The last time we were in a Model S was October of 2011 when Tesla invited us to its Fremont assembly plant for a ride in an early beta model . It is hard to judge a vehicle from the passenger seat, so the exercise dallas nascar race tickets left us more frustrated than appeased we needed time behind dallas nascar race tickets the wheel.
It didn't take long. Elon Musk (Chairman and CEO of Tesla Motors ) delivered the first ten production vehicles dallas nascar race tickets to customers in June of this year. Unfortunately, with vehicles exiting the plant at a relative trickle , the company still wasn't lending out cars to the media for extended reviews.
Circumnavigating the dilemma, we called Jason Calacanis . The Internet entrepreneur founded Weblogs, Inc., in 2003. The publishing company is credited with starting Engadget , Joystiq and Autoblog yes, he's our founding father. Jason was fortunate enough to take delivery of VIN S00001, the first Signature Performance model handed to a customer, a few weeks ago. A happy customer dallas nascar race tickets of Tesla from the early days (there is also a Roadster in his garage ), he was generous enough to allow Autoblog an extended test drive.
Jason's 2013 Tesla Model S is the range-topping Signature Performance model. While Tesla offers the sedan with a standard 270-kW dallas nascar race tickets (362-horsepower) electric dallas nascar race tickets motor and a base 40-kWh battery (good for a range of about 160 miles), the Signature Performance features a 310-kW (416-horsepower) three-phase, four-pole AC induction motor with copper rotor generating 443 pound-feet of torque. Powered by an 85-kWh dallas nascar race tickets microprocessor-controlled lithium-ion battery, it promises a range of about 300 miles on a charge. For those keeping score, those numbers dallas nascar race tickets put the Model S in an A List performance category.
When ordering dallas nascar race tickets his Model S, Jason went click-happy on the options and purchased just about every accessory. Base price of the Signature Performance is $97,900 Nappa leather with carbon fiber interior accents, active air suspension and 21-inch alloy wheels are all standard. The black paint is a no-cost item, as is the black upholstery with contrasting piping and gray wheel finish. However, add-ons such as the all-glass panoramic roof ($1,500), anti-chip paint armor ($950), rear-facing seats ($1,500) and high power wall connector ($1,200) will push the price into six-figure territory. As configured, Jason's car was about $103,050 before incentives and credits. (Jason ordered the third row option, with two rear-facing seats bringing total passenger capacity to seven, but the module has not been installed in his vehicle yet.)
One should approach the Model S from the side to appreciate its enormity. Even in flattering black, pictures don't do its stage presence justice the flagship Tesla is five inches longer dallas nascar race tickets than a BMW X5 sport utility vehicle and one inch wider. The styling is very European, with more than a hint of Jaguar in its lines. dallas nascar race tickets Sleek and sexy from just about any angle, the Model S cheats the wind with a stunningly low .24 drag coefficient.
With the sleek car-like black key fob in pocket, a quick tap of any of the recessed door handles will awaken the sedan. After a momentary pause, the requisite door handle extend slowly. The procedure is impressively dallas nascar race tickets futuristic to onlookers, dallas nascar race tickets but the process is slow and the door still requires dallas nascar race tickets a slight manual tug to open.
Unlike the RAV4 EV , Honda Fit EV , Coda sedan or even Tesla's own Roadster (itself built on a modified Lotus platform), the Model S was engineered dallas nascar race tickets from the onset to be an electric vehicle (EV), it's not constructed on a modified dallas nascar race tickets internal combustion engine (ICE) platform. Instead dallas nascar race tickets of putting the battery down a spine, or eating up space in the trunk, the four-inch thick battery pack is bolted beneath the chassis. This location keeps the space-devouring energy storage below the passenger compartment. It also delivers more room for passengers and cargo.
At first glance, the cabin appears overly simple dallas nascar race tickets (many would consider it spartan). By design, it lacks most of the traditional switchgear, buttons and knobs found in today's vehicles. However, once the key-wielding operator drops into the driver's seat, the Model S comes to life there is no ignition switch as multiple glass panels are energized. While the primary flat instrument panel (viewed through dallas nascar race tickets a sculpted three-spoke multi-function steering wheel) is impressive by itself, dallas nascar race tickets it is the center stack's stunning 17-inch capacitive touchscreen that captures everyone's attention. The oversized rectangular piece of glass, stretching from the top to the bottom of the dashboard and bordered in aluminum, effectively eliminates all mechanical switchgear for the climate controls, infotainment, navigation, ride height, heated seats, defrosters, moonroof, door locks, truck, frunk, vehicle configuration and more. Although intimidating initially, it is very intuitive and easy-to-use in practice no owner's manual required. It is, without question, brilliantly executed.
The only physical buttons dallas nascar race tickets or knobs, besides dallas nascar race tickets the tiny hazard switch and glovebox releases on each side of the flat panel, are the window switches on each door, the obligatory steering wheel stalks and the column-mounted transmission lever. Even then, all are very high quality components taken straight from the Mercedes-Benz parts bin (keep in mind that the German automaker is a key investor in Tesla ).
As mentioned, the operator does not "start" the Model S in the traditional sense of turning a key or pressing a button. Instead, proximity sensors acknowledge dallas nascar race tickets that a fob is within the cabin and that an adult's derri re is in the driver's seat. Once these two requirements are met, the vehicle automatically boots up, just like a quick computer. It's a bit awkward dallas nascar race tickets unlearning dallas nascar race tickets decades of conditioning about how to start a vehicle (and a real pain-in-the-ass when moving a car around for a photo shoot), but after a dozen times, we became comfortable with the process.
The parking brake (clamping those additional sets of calipers on the rear rotors) is electronically actuated when the transmission is moved in and out of a forward gear. Unlike most of the EV models we've recently piloted, the Model S has no "creep" the term applied to automatic transmission-equipped combustion-powered vehicles when they edge forward slowly when in gear but an upcoming software update will include that option. Instead, for now, the driver must apply gentle pressure to the accelerator to move the Tesla at slow speeds. Thankfully, the engineers have done a very good job tuning throttle sensitivity. After a few moments, low speed parking maneuvers become very natural. Unfortunately, we found rearward visibility challenged, even with a high-definition reverse camera. Audible parking sensors at each end and a forward-looking camera to alleviate some of the blind spots are on our wish list.
While the Roadster makes muted electric motor gear noises, like a zippy golf cart on steroids, the Model S is eerily silent. Only the g-forces of acceleration and the blurring outside scenery give hint of the change in velocity. The single-speed fixed gear (with a 9.73:1 reduction ratio) makes quick work of accelerating dallas nascar race tickets the sedan off the line. There is no exhaust note, or even an electric whine, to mask the sound of the rubber tires squirming under the stresses of torque. It is indisputably quick whether pitted against EV, hybrid or ICE vehicles (recent testing by Motor Trend pegs the Performance Signature Model S at 3.9 seconds to 60 mph ). Top speed, according to the automaker, is 130 mph.
Tesla has used an extraordinary amount dallas nascar race tickets of aluminum in the construction of the Model S chassis. Peel back the painted aluminum sheetmetal to find lightweight alloy stampings, alloy castings and alloy extrusions everywhere. All are designed to keep mass to a minimum (the effort only helps so much with an EV, as the Model S still comes in at a rather portly 4,647 pounds). The low mounting position of the batteries, the necessary unwieldy part of an EV, keeps the center of gravity just above the pavement.
The rigid chassis, featuring double-octagonal alloy rails running lengthwise and high-strength steel optimally placed dallas nascar race tickets for bracing, forms a solid platform for the sedan's active air suspension. Damping is fixed, but as the Model S accelerates, the chassis is automatically lowered to optimize aerodynamics (the center flat screen may be used to alter ride height when approaching obstacles, such as driveways). Chassis flex is non-existent and we didn't hear a single panel utter a peep or squeak. The bane of EVs is often numb electric steering. Again, the Model S seemed to pass with flying colors (the steering dallas nascar race tickets effort is adjustable, also through the flat panel no surprise, dallas nascar race tickets we liked the Sport setting best).
dallas nascar race tickets Thanks to the powertrain's rear-mounted configuration, the five-door boasts a very favorable weight distribution for handling (about 52 percent of the vehicle's mass is over the back wheels). We didn't have a chance to tackle any canyons, but we did dart through plenty of traffic effortlessly. dallas nascar race tickets The chassis felt heavy and solid, like the large sedan it is. Body roll was minimal and the sedan felt very stable and co
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