2013 Tesla Model S first drive | Consumer Reports

Tesla from the ground-up, this all-electric luxury sedan pushes boundaries and challenges traditional thinking. Consumer Reports checks it out at the test track.

[teslaaddict]

this video still holds up, what a fantastic car

[InSaNViSioN]

0-60 in 4 seconds.... using NO GAS! Tell me whats better than that? ....Nothing! therefore every car has lost my interest.

[pxxpandaxxa]

Yes! Glad this was mentioned. The turbo charge stations charge the car in about a half hour I think.

[mefan]

Just rode in one a couple days ago, so quiet and you can barely hear it when you're accelerating but boy, does it go!

[yummy]

the only other time ive seen him happy was the Grand Cherokee SRT8. he actually smiled in that one!

[goneutt]

Apart from the fact we're talking about 80 amp plugs, you're saying that a 20kW connection still takes five hours to charge the battery? So on the big battery you have to dump in 100kW hours to get 85kW hours of use.

[dirtymonkey]

That's some thing I always think of. I saw a video where there is this airport (can't remember the country) that if you want to charge your phone you have to get on a bike an make your own electricity. I wonder if they could make a system similar to that but beef it up so that it can be used in a car.

[dimitrigregorieff]

This is a beautiful car indeed. I have driven the I-Miev and the leaf and they were great. I can only imagine how amazing this car must be to drive. Good luck to the Tesla company!!

[xaiano]

because home circuits don't provide the same amperage as the ones at the charge stations.
I wouldn't worry about home charge times since unless you drive more than 250 miles per day every day, you can just charge at night.

[RobertStoddard]

Base model is $57, 400 (not including the $7, 500 federal tax credit nor any state incentives). The mid-size battery adds $10k; the largest battery, another $10k.

When you consider costs, remember that the "fueling" costs will be much lower. Electricity costs per mile will be about 1/4 of the gasoline costs (depending on a lot of things). That can really add up over time. Also, the very simple drivetrain means lower long-term maintenance costs.

[darrylsmith]

consumer reports gave the tesla it's highest rating ever, This is back when I debated buying 1000 tesla stocks at around 80 per share and remember this was before the 5-1 split, and today I still work to pay my bills

[InSaNViSioN]

best car ever made... but the chevy volt is a cool car, leaf is hideous 

[Jacob]

Actually, you don't have to click a tab on the screen to lock the door of the Model S. Oddly enough, the computer saves you that time by sensing the key fob in your pocket and automatically unlocks the car as soon as you come in proximity. Neither do you have to manually start the car by twisting the key into its slot either. Very intuitive.

[AlexVenz]

Well, that 85% charge efficiency which isn't all that bad--battery chargers aren't 100% efficient. The Nissan Leaf usually sees around 80% charger efficiency at L2 (220/240V) and about 70% at L1 (which isn't surprising). As for range, the Model S with the 60kWh pack could get me just about anywhere I want to go within CA thanks to Tesla's network of DC fast chargers (which are free to use) and that model would only be about $66k with the tech package.

[LongIslandDad]

If you didn't buy a Model S yet, how'd you get the car you were you just driving?

[babybirdhome]

Yes, that's true, but with the 85 KW/h body, the range loss is almost unnoticeable. A/C draws a maximum of about 2, 000 watts, and only intermittently when the interior is very hot. Once it cools down, the A/C starts to draw only a couple hundred watts, still intermittently. Headlights draw about 35 watts each, so all the lights together may draw upwards of 200 watts. That's 425 hours of headlight use, and about 42 hours of continuous A/C at maximum output, or probably 100-200 hours of real use.

[scoinva]

300 miles of range. Wow! Now we're talk'n. That seems like the sweet spot. That's about 4 hours of drive time.

[lasuvidaboy]

Tesla needs to re-work the a/c system in the Model S. A friend bought his Tesla several months ago but when the weather started to warm up here in So California, the small vents and insufficient cold air flow simply can't keep the cabin ( even the front seat passengers don't receive enough cool air). I can imagine larger dashboard vents and a re-worked a/c system in future models.

[adoreslaurel]

What is the "donor" body? provided for modification.

[JBC]

Can we get the same thing in an SUV or minivan? I need a lot of space.