IL: Tesla Model S

[68_427]

http://www.insideline.com/tesla/mode...rack-test.html

According to Tesla founder (and possible evil genius) Elon Musk, the Tesla Model S is "the best car in the world." It's a bold statement from a bold man about a very bold car.

But is the 7-passenger Model S really that good? So far our brief drives have left us very impressed. And we will publish an extensive full test soon where we will examine the sedan's range and consumption. Today, however, is track day. Tesla agreed to a truck a Model S to Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA exclusively for Inside Line, so we could put the EV though our usual battery of instrumented tests. The world's first test of the new sedan.

How does it perform? Impressively. This thing is fast.

In Performance trim, the 2012 Tesla Model S makes 416 horsepower and 443 pound-feet of torque. Enough to blow the doors off our long-term Audi A8 and long-list of luxury sedans that don't wear badges like M or AMG. It also turns and stops like Tesla has been building high-performance sedans for decades.
Test Results:
Acceleration
0-30 (sec): 2.0 (2.0 w/ TC on)
0-45 (sec): 3.0 (3.0 w/ TC on)
0-60 (sec): 4.3 (4.3 w/ TC on)
0-60 with 1-ft Rollout (sec): 4.0 (4.0 w/ TC on)
0-75 (sec): 6.1 (6.1 w/ TC on)
1/4-Mile (sec @ mph): 12.6 @ 108.3 (12.6 @ 108.2 w/ TC on)
Braking
30-0 (ft): 27
60-0 (ft): 108
Handling
Slalom (mph): 66.8 (66.0 w/TC off)
Skid Pad Lateral Acceleration (g): 0.86 (0.86 w/TC on)
Db @ Idle: 35.4
Db @ Full Throttle: 64.2
Db @ 70 mph Cruise: 61.2

[Cookie Monster]

7-passenger?

[2o6]

7-passenger?

Two rear facing jumpseats, similar to an old station wagon.




These numbers sound impressive but:


- How is the real-world range?
- What is charging time?
- Have they fixed the "bricking" issue that owners were having with the roadster?

[hotrodalex]

No real human being can fit in the "jump seats". I don't see the point of them.

[Rich]

You don't consider kids real human beings?

[hotrodalex]

You don't consider kids real human beings?

Not really. Not when you're trying to call it a 7 passenger. It's a 5+2.

[Rich]

I call it a 5.5 + 1.5

[SVT666]

No real human being can fit in the "jump seats". I don't see the point of them.

  How close is the glass to their fucking faces when it's closed???

[r0tor]

Styling is fugly and the rear seats are retarded

[sportyaccordy]

I like the rear seats... its a throwback to the almighty 300TE, the ultimate old money ride

[veeman]

if i were my current age 20 years ago I would have put my kids in those rear seats without a second thought.  20 years of 24/7 news media and internet exposure later (well not quite 20 years but at least 10 years) have made me become much more aware of, almost to the point of paranoia, car accident morbidity and mortality. 

although those back seats look like they have 3 point harnesses, i would doubt the crumple zone of the rear of the car is as robust as the front of the car.  in a normal sedan or wagon, you don't worry so much about the trunk because theres no humans back there.  you get rear ended at 40 miles per hour stopped at a traffic light, your kids in the back there may not be doing so well with nothing but the bumper, thin hatch back trunk lid, and a 4 x 4 of autoglass between them and the front end of whatever hit you.

[MexicoCityM3]

I say good job. These guys are innovating in a pretty conservative industry. I don?t know if they will go the way of Ford or Tucker but A for effort so far.

[Onslaught]

The rear seats are cool. That said, if I had a kid it never be put in them. Over the last 19 years I've seen too many cars killed in the ass end to have someone sit that close.

[Raza]

You don't consider kids real human beings?

Not in the least.

[LonghornTX]

I say good job. These guys are innovating in a pretty conservative industry. I don?t know if they will go the way of Ford or Tucker but A for effort so far.

+1

[MrH]

I give them less than a year.

[2o6]

I give them less than a year.

Hahaha!



Their press releases are too self-congratulatory.

[Cookie Monster]

I've been seeing a few of these rolling around.

They are pretty bland looking.

[hotrodalex]

I give them less than a year.

Not sure. Elon Musk is pretty smart and seems like he can figure things out to make it last. I'd guess the only thing holding them back is demand and financial support. But they seem to be heading in the right direction.

[2o6]

Not sure. Elon Musk is pretty smart and seems like he can figure things out to make it last. I'd guess the only thing holding them back is demand and financial support. But they seem to be heading in the right direction.

Demand and financial support are the two key things to keeping a business going...

[hotrodalex]

Demand and financial support are the two key things to keeping a business going...

Yeah? That's why I said that's what could hold them back. The company has a good direction, so it's up to the market to decide if electric cars are the future.

[MrH]

They aren't heading in a good direction if they don't have financial backing or demand

None of these are being sold at anywhere close to a profit anyways.  Like I said, I give them a year at most.

[hotrodalex]

They aren't heading in a good direction if they don't have financial backing or demand

The company's actions are good. They are turning out pretty good products, now they just need to convince the public to buy them and support them - just like any other company in the world that is trying to introduce a new type of product into the market.

If there's anyone that I think could make it work, it's Elon Musk.

[FlatBlackCaddy]

Everyone has that short fat friend in their group that you always wanted to stick in the trunk when you go places.

This is a fantastic design, he even has to face away from the rest of the passengers so he can't be part of the conversation.

[2o6]

If you have no game plan to make money, you aren't going to last long in business.

[hotrodalex]

If you have no game plan to make money, you aren't going to last long in business.

Please explain how you would run the company differently.

[2o6]

Please explain how you would run the company differently.

Quit trying to ignore the fact that a company's end goal is to make money, no matter how good or bad the product is. Yeah, the Model S may be a good product (who knows, really) but Tesla at a whole is operating at a huge loss and has no money coming in the door. As MrH said, there's nowhere near anything similar to a profit being turned on this model alone.


They need to do something that gets money in the door. More established makes have money from their traditional products backing forays into new technology. The only thing propping up Tesla (and Fisker, for that matter) is copious amounts of loans, plus money from investors. That doesn't bode well.....

[hotrodalex]

Quit trying to ignore the fact that a company's end goal is to make money, no matter how good or bad the product is. Yeah, the Model S may be a good product (who knows, really) but Tesla at a whole is operating at a huge loss and has no money coming in the door. As MrH said, there's nowhere near anything similar to a profit being turned on this model alone.


They need to do something that gets money in the door. More established makes have money from their traditional products backing forays into new technology. The only thing propping up Tesla (and Fisker, for that matter) is copious amounts of loans, plus money from investors. That doesn't bode well.....

And the only way to make money in the future is the suck up the losses now and continue to develop new and improved products. They have no other option. They aren't GM. Making "regular" cars would just dilute their resources and distract them from the goal.

American automakers are infamous for ditching new products because they give a car one chance to be a hit in the marketplace and start from scratch if it doesn't. If Tesla is smart, they'll just keep chugging along and improving their models. Might mean losing money right now, but that's not unheard of in start-up companies. Money doesn't just fall from the sky; it has to be earned. Right now, it seems like Tesla is on a good track and should start attracting more buyers/investors. Of course it's not even like the demand is low - they're running at full production capacity.

[2o6]

They're operating at such a huge loss, it's unsure if they'll last that long. Or if people will keep putting in money to keep the lights on. You can't develop new product with no money.

Why should I invest in a company who's business plan is suspect, and the market doesn't seem to be very receptive towards their product?

[Cookie Monster]

And the only way to make money in the future is the suck up the losses now and continue to develop new and improved products. They have no other option. They aren't GM. Making "regular" cars would just dilute their resources and distract them from the goal.

American automakers are infamous for ditching new products because they give a car one chance to be a hit in the marketplace and start from scratch if it doesn't. If Tesla is smart, they'll just keep chugging along and improving their models. Might mean losing money right now, but that's not unheard of in start-up companies. Money doesn't just fall from the sky; it has to be earned. Right now, it seems like Tesla is on a good track and should start attracting more buyers/investors. Of course it's not even like the demand is low - they're running at full production capacity.

But how long will they keep operating at a loss? Comparing this to GM is not similar at all. GM just gave up if a technology didn't catch on immediately, but they still had money coming in from their bread and butter car lines. Tesla has no such thing to fall back on.

Why do you think Porsche made the Cayenne? You need some way of keeping money rolling in while developing new cars and technologies, and right now Tesla has none of that to fall back on.