[Chris65LeMans]

This weekend, I drove a Tesla Model S - whatever the top performance edition is called - in "Ludicrous + Mode." (Turning this setting on requires OK'ing a disclaimer on the screen.)

Motor Trend claimed that this was good for a 2.3 second 0-60 time and a 10.5 1/4 mile at 136 mph.

I found a desolate stretch of road in Orange County and can say that I believe these figures. With the AWD, the car launches like a roller coaster. I stomped on it when a light turned green: the tires gave off a chirp, and I was across the intersection before I knew it.

I kept it under 100, since the city I was in is known for super aggressive police, and one of my kids may have been with me, but it got there VERY fast.

Most striking about the car was how smooth it is. The car accelerates without the violence that piston-driven cars tend to. I let off in my Pontiac when the "fear" starts to creep in. With the Tesla, only my fear of getting locked up eased my foot.

Stomping the gas at 60 mph, while impressive, wasn't nearly as fast as I expected. Acceleration from a stop is the car's strong point - it is "feel your lunchtime cheeseburger moving around in your stomach" fast.

So - just like Porsche 911s - I thought Teslas were lame until I drove one. I'm not sure I'll ever buy one, (for the HUGE price tag, you're really only getting the acceleration - none of the bells and whistles that most $150K luxury sedans offer), but they are cool cars. Just like a drag car, the space behind the tires was coated in molten rubber after our drive.

[GT182]

Amps, volts, or whatever word you put in front of peddle. There ain't no gas in it Chris. Except what might leak out you pants and get in the seat covers. LOL

I'd call it the "OOOOOOH SH!T! peddle". LOL

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Chris65LeMans

This weekend, I drove a Tesla Model S - whatever the top performance edition is called - in "Ludicrous + Mode." (Turning this setting on requires OK'ing a disclaimer on the screen.)

Motor Trend claimed that this was good for a 2.3 second 0-60 time and a 10.5 1/4 mile at 136 mph.

I found a desolate stretch of road in Orange County and can say that I believe these figures. With the AWD, the car launches like a roller coaster. I stomped on it when a light turned green: the tires gave off a chirp, and I was across the intersection before I knew it.

I kept it under 100, since the city I was in is known for super aggressive police, and one of my kids may have been with me, but it got there VERY fast.

Most striking about the car was how smooth it is. The car accelerates without the violence that piston-driven cars tend to. I let off in my Pontiac when the "fear" starts to creep in. With the Tesla, only my fear of getting locked up eased my foot.

Stomping the gas at 60 mph, while impressive, wasn't nearly as fast as I expected. Acceleration from a stop is the car's strong point - it is "feel your lunchtime cheeseburger moving around in your stomach" fast.

So - just like Porsche 911s - I thought Teslas were lame until I drove one. I'm not sure I'll ever buy one, (for the HUGE price tag, you're really only getting the acceleration - none of the bells and whistles that most $150K luxury sedans offer), but they are cool cars. Just like a drag car, the space behind the tires was coated in molten rubber after our drive.

Your description of the driving sensation is spot on. Kind of like a roller coaster like you said. Once rolling, the instantaneous torque of the electric drive isn't there as much. A co-worker bought a used P90D with the ludicrous mode and I have been in that car several times. He only owned it about 3 months and sold it for a profit, because he bought it right. Went back to an older gas powered Maserati because he was bored with the Tesla. His comment was, yea, it's a little slower, but it feels faster, makes beautiful noise and smells great inside from the quality leather. There is more to owning a car than acceleration alone.

[68lemans462]

I've driven a couple teslas, a Model 3 and a Model 100D. They were both very smooth to drive and deceptively fast. I dont think the model 3 had ludicrous mode and it was still stupid fast. The auto driving feature is also pretty weird. My friend had to tell me to "take my hands off the wheel" and I didnt want to. Weird being in the drivers seat and not in control. Fit and finish appeared excellent in both.

I thought Tesla's were lame before I drove one and I still do. Maybe a cool car for some but I'd rather have my $ tied up in real estate! Another friend of mine who is a financial guy told me of one of his clients that bought one (and at the same time bought a bunch of Tesla stock).. After 3 years his stock had more than paid for the car.

[webfoot]

I rode in my brother in law's base model (the 3?) and was super shocked.. it was really fun.

[RocktimusPryme]

When it comes to performance I prefer the violence. I would be more in the market for the cheapest possible Tesla I could get as a commuter. But in general I root for them as a company, no matter if I intend to buy one or not. I know not all on here share the interest in "self driving" that I do, but for commuting to and from work on most days, sure, do it for me. I would think that at this time they are one of the more all-american auto mfgs. Two of their 3 gigafactories are here in the states.

[Half-Inch Stud]

I would really dig a DeLorean body fitted to/with a Tesla driveline.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Half-Inch Stud

I would really dig a DeLorean body fitted to/with a Tesla driveline.

Now THAT would be really cool!

[694.1]

Whoa!
Back to the original post...
You thought 911s are LAME?

[1965gp]

I wasn’t a fan of 911’s until I drove a GT3 on a road course in Las Vegas. Still not for me but I definitely respect them more.

I’ve ridden in a few Tesla’s (not Ludacris mode) and was very impressed. Not something I can see myself buying, but I am a huge fan of the company and what they build

[hgerhardt]

Gotta love electric motors with max torque at zero rpm (or close to it). I got a ride in a model X a short while ago (also a top-spec version) with 3 people in it and... yeah, acceleration from a stop is impressive.

I think the part that makes it weird for us gearheads is the lack of noise. You don't realize how much the noise adds to the overall emotional impact of a car until it isn't there.

[GT182]

If you could get 500 miles and more out of a charge, I might think of one.... only if the price of one would come down a whole lot. But until then.... I'd rather have the "violence" too.

[242177P]

Originally Posted by hgerhardt

I think the part that makes it weird for us gearheads is the lack of noise.

^^^ What he said.

[Rocco Testa]

When your warranty is up you can just throw the car away because it will be to expansive to fix it. Or it it breaks under warranty or lease, it will be in the shop for weeks. All new cars are throwaways even gas motors,(they are like TV's) because of the cost to fix them and the difficulty in repairing them. They are to technical for their on good. My daughter has a XC60 Volvo SUV Electric hybrid . It's a beautiful truck, but when it breaks it's in the shop for at least a week. One time they had to call in the manufacture to repair it because they didn't know what to do. Most new cars you can't even replace your own brakes because you need the software to retract the parking brakes. Then hope and pray you don't get into an accident with the car. Testers cars can only be repair at a Tester dealer, if you get into a fender bender. When any Electric car gets in a accident the responder's will cut all power to the car before getting to the victims

[Heybuck]

I heard of a dentist, based in Cairns (far North Queensland). Apparently he bought a Tesla, had it trucked up there from Brisbane. About 1700 kilometres distance. Not ONE dealer in between the two cities.

It broke down!!!! Had to have it trucked back to the selling dealers, and back to Cairns. Broke again. Same thing. MONTHS away and lots of arguments who was paying for the transport etc. 3 times it failed.

My cousin - who lives in Cairns - tells me the dentist cut his losses and never took it back. I don't know the end of the story but it is a strong lesson not to buy something you have virtually no dealer support for.

[Sirrotica]

Originally Posted by 242177P

^^^ What he said.

I don't know if Jim Wangers penned this advertisement, or not, since I was a young kid, and read it (64 or 65) I have always loved this bit of advertising, above all other Pontiac advertisements.

The greatest part is you're looking at an empty garage with one dim electric incandescent bulb illuminating it, and your mind is the vehicle for the whole thing taking place by the description and text. I've always thought this was one of the most brilliant pieces of advertising ever...….

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by Sirrotica

I don't know if Jim Wangers penned this advertisement, or not, since I was a young kid, and read it (64 or 65) I have always loved this bit of advertising, above all other Pontiac advertisements.

The greatest part is you're looking at an empty garage with one dim electric incandescent bulb illuminating it, and your mind is the vehicle for the whole thing taking place by the description and text. I've always thought this was one of the most brilliant pieces of advertising ever...….

If you love Pontiac's and Pontiac engines, that ad has to give you chills every time you read it. Pontiac had a number of ads that didn't feature the cars, but were incredibly effective and impactful. The visceral feel of speed and danger, the noise, the tire smoke, these are the things missing from Tesla no matter how fast they are. BUT these things are from our memory, (those of us who are older). Younger owners/drivers don't have these memories so they don't have a basis for comparison. That will work in the Tesla's favor moving forward. They aren't being built for people my age, I understand that. Hell, I have a hard enough time with my phone and I-pad without it being required to operate my car. The ludicrous mode is the GTO of the 30 something crowd! Big power in a somewhat ordinary car. I don't want to own one, but I can appreciate it.

[Chris65LeMans]

Originally Posted by Heybuck

I heard of a dentist, based in Cairns (far North Queensland). Apparently he bought a Tesla, had it trucked up there from Brisbane. About 1700 kilometres distance. Not ONE dealer in between the two cities.

It broke down!!!! Had to have it trucked back to the selling dealers, and back to Cairns. Broke again. Same thing. MONTHS away and lots of arguments who was paying for the transport etc. 3 times it failed.

My cousin - who lives in Cairns - tells me the dentist cut his losses and never took it back. I don't know the end of the story but it is a strong lesson not to buy something you have virtually no dealer support for.

I can’t say that I feel too sorry for the guy - Teslas are known to spend a lot of time getting warranty work done.

[Baron Von Zeppelin]

Been noticing dedicated Tesla recharge booths at various Sheetz locations in the southeast in the more Metropolitan locations.
Starting back since around first of this year.

There must be some sort of partnership between them.

I don't know if they are "fast-charge" complete chargers , or just for quick partial recharging. There will be 6-10 units at these locations.
Somewhere on my phone i took some pictures one time.

[Chris65LeMans]

The Tesla website itself says that the supercharges will give "an extra 130 miles of range in just 15 minutes of charging."

This disappointed me. If my car has 370 miles of range, and I need to re-charge, what good will an extra 130 miles do me? They phrased it that way because "full recharge in just 45 minutes" doesn't sound as convincing.

We may go with an electric car for my wife IF her Toyota ever dies, since she never drives more than 150 miles from home in her car. {edit - I just looked at how much they cost, and we'll give it several years for the prices to come down. $85K for an entry level Model X?}