Automotive

Here it is at the 'factory' in Holland when I was picking it up. Lot's of Tesla's as you can see. Hideous rims. They say that it saves 3% energy consumption. In Formula 1 they also had them for a while (until they got banned), but in F1 everything is much cooler....   

Honestly I do believe this IS the future of transportation. The comfort is second to none. The speed, the quietness. The app on your phone to remote control some things (heating/ac, locks, roof, horn and lights). You know that feeling you forgot to lock the car? I do. And now I will never ever have to walk back. Just open the tesla app on your phone and lock it (it is always locked of course but at least now you can see it remotely and have piece of mind). The pre-heating and cooling is also brilliant! 

Internet:

It also has a 3G connection so you have google maps (navi) and internet radio. And indeed: Google, Facebook, the works. Sadly movies are not enabled due to safety concerns. As if internet is not distracting?! So tnx to the internet (www.teslatuner.com) you can get some completely useless things on your screen like a 007 screen with buttons for machine-guns. Or a valet screen telling the valet he is being monitored so he should be careful.     

The driving:  

It weighs 2.100 kg. Thats a lot. And I was afraid how it would feel when driving and especially when cornering hard (i like that). Surprisingly it feels like a much much lighter car. It feels lighter than my previous car (1.700kg) and more agile too. That is due to the fact that the batteries (800 kg) are placed in the bottom of the car between the wheels. The engine is placed on the rear axle. The body (and chassis too I think) is made from aluminium so all the (heavy) weight is on the bottom of the car. And then you've got the 600 Nm torque. 100% all of the time.  

Range:

Despite those ugly rims 3% energy saving (winter rims btw when spring comes the 21" Turbine rims will go on) and Tesla's 500 km range propaganda it will never reach that in real life. That range is Utopia. When driving normal while commuting (EU highways and smaller roads) a range of max 300 km is what you (at least I) will get. Yes I have a heavy foot, but not 'drive it like you stole it' foot (at least not every day). And yes: an ICE car will tell you after filling it up you can drive 660 km's and in real life you will get 530 km's out of it (the Audi). But the difference between the advertised 500 km and 300 km range is big. You can charge the batteries 100% (but normally you will not because it is bad) and use Range Mode and turn down the heating and drive 90 km/h on the highway. But who does that? In real life you want to use a car like a car. Hop in and drive it the way you always drive a car. But as long as you don't have to drive over 300 km's a day your fine. And lets face it, most of us (in The Netherlands) don't drive more than 54 km a day (average). And if you do drive more than 250 km's a day you just have to plug it in while not driving.        

Flaws:

Yes it has some flaws. Main issues in my case are the seats (backrests). They are terrible if you are a bit taller. Way to small (not high enough) and hardly any side supports holding you in place while cornering hard. For a sporty GT at this price level that should be much much better (Tesla please take a look at Audi S-Line seats or BMW M-line or similar). Than some small things like the absence of lighting in the sun visors (one of the first things my wife complained about). Cup holders are not deep enough for a bottle of water (while cornering a bit faster). Furthermore you can ask yourself if a roof button placed on the roof wouldn't be much handier than having to go to that screen everytime. So some small issues. Having said that: for a new car manufacturer coming up with a car as brilliant as this in 1 go is an unpresedented achievement!

Conclusion:

I tell you: if you can buy one and if it fit's in your daily driving range Just Do It! You will love it. It's the future. 

Warning:     

If you testdrive it, you wil most likely buy it.

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