Tesla’s pure-electric sports sedan

We are well into the 21st Century and fossil-fuelled vehicles are rolling out of factories around the world in record numbers. In Australia, the best-selling electric car, the Nissan Leaf, is withering on the vine at just 15 sales a month. Our Prime Minster believes “coal is good for humanity”. Oil prices are artificially low, and there’s no meaningful buyer incentive to go green.

So we can only assume Tesla has taken leave of its senses, launching a $100,000-plus pure electric sports luxury sedan aqainst such overwhelming passive opposition. If consumer apathy doesn’t bury it, bureaucratic ambivalence will.

 Or will the sheer will of the Tesla Model S prevail?

In a convenient coincidence, Wheelsdrove the flagship (for now, see breakout) Model S P85+ in the weeks surrounding the G20 Summit in Brisbane, where world leaders including Barack Obama and Angela Merkel shamed the Australian government for lacklustre climate change action.

The public, however, was anything but reticent to investigate this luxurious vanguard of our electrified future. Whether moving or parked, everybody wanted a closer look. There was genuine admiration, the like not seen since the Monaro’s return in 2001.

Tesla’s first full in-house model after the Lotus Elise-based Roadster has already stood the test of time. Launched in North America two and a half years ago, its arresting concept-car styling helped the Model S outsell everything in the Mercedes S-Class segment in the US last year.

The slinky Model S five-door liftback is about the same size as the Porsche Panamera (and just as wide) and targets the Mercedes-Benz CLS, BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe, Maserati Ghibli and Audi A7. But here’s the first of many shocks (pardon the pun): the base Model S comfortably is the cheapest of the lot.

Slipping in at under $100K, the Model S 60 (named for its 60 kWh lithium-ion battery pack) features a 225 kW/430 Nm motor driving the rear wheels via a single-speed fixed gear. It shoves the two-tonne Tesla from 0-100km/h in an impressive 6.2 seconds (equalling a CLS 350) and on to a mediocre 190 km/h top speed.

Now here’s surprise number two: Tesla claims up to 370 km between recharges, more than double that of a Leaf. In terms of range anxiety, this sets it apart from every other pure EV. And the 60 is the least adventurous in the Model S range. Moving up to the 270 kW/441 Nm 85 (from $111,807) scores you an 85 kWh battery that saves about half a second to 100km/h yet boosts Tesla’s range claim to a stellar 500 km, or 460 km at a constant 105 km/h. 225 km/h is possible.

Better still, the all-wheel-drive 85D (for Dual Motor) version is due in August, priced from $122,078, with 140 kW motors driving each axle independently, for a total output of 280 kW/490 Nm, top speed of 250 km/h, 0-100 km/h in 5.4 sec, and more than 500 km potential range. More is definitely more.

Before that, a range-topping P85D AWD (from $150,938) will arrive in June. With 443 km between charges, it boasts 165 kW and 350 kW motors driving the front and rear wheels respectively, for a knockout 515 kW/931 Nm combined punch. That’s right, 931 Nm, enough to make the P85D the fastest-accelerating production sedan ever, hitting 100km/h in only 3.4sec.

Aping its Euro rivals, Model S pricing can escalate dramatically with a few options such as air suspension ($2800), Tech Pack with AutoPilot ($5200), leather ($1800), sunroof ($3100) and 21-inch wheels ($5500). The P85+ we're testing here (which will be replaced by the P85D mid-2015) starts at $127,890, but with all the options tops out at $161,800.

With a 310 kW/601 Nm as part of the $7990 Performance Plus Package, our Model S streaks to 100km/h in 4.4sec, two-tenths slower than the $300K BMW M6 Gran Coupe, which has at least $50K worth of extra kit. This Tesla remains a comparative bargain, and a comparative danger to your licence, since the drivetrain is such an intoxicating mix of warp-speed acceleration and turbine-smooth serenity.

Giving it stick in the dry on grippy Michelin Pilot Sport rubber (245/35ZR21 front, 265/35ZR21 rear), the P85+ wiggles its tail momentarily, scrabbling for traction, before hunkering down as it launches forward like a nuclear-powered jet car.

Throttling off provides instant deceleration due to a regenerative braking function that helps save otherwise wasted kinetic energy, improving range and extending brake-pad life since it works on the drivetrain and not the anchors (ferociously effective ones ensconced by those 21-inch wheels). Clever engineering permeates the Model S’s every pore.

Our test car features the optional three-level air suspension and three levels of steering weight (American-light, normal and Euro-hefty). And you know what? Aided by an exceptionally low centre of gravity, this Tesla feels magnetised to the road, even at serious speeds, with no obvious bump-steer or rack rattle. The P85+ glides through turns with terrific body control.

At this juncture you might expect to hear about a hard and unyielding ride, but the Model S again smashes stereotypes by smothering everything except small-frequency rough patches, which telegraph through to the cabin as sharp prods.

On the downside, there’s too much torque for the rear end to handle in the wet, with the hitherto unobtrusive traction control struggling to keep things from going sideways. You have to wonder how the all-wheel-drive P85D will cope with nearly 1000 Nm.

The steering is evenly weighted and progressive, but would benefit from more feedback. On our coarse bitumen highways the silent drivetrain makes tyre rumble seem excessive but it’s not really. But the P85+ isn't pretending to be a cosseting luxury car, and that’s apparent from the feline silhouette.

With automatically retracting handles whirring out to meet you on approach like a handshake, the Model S’s charm offensive continues even before you’ve opened the aluminium door.Duck your head, though, that slinky roofline and resulting small apertures make getting in and out slightly more yoga-esque than you expect in this SUV age, though the old Subaru-style frameless glass adds a further sense of non-conformity.

Once inside, the immediate sensation is of lounging in a theatre, with lots of legroom and plenty of headroom, despite the panoramic sunroof. Larger people may find the optional $3100 Performance Leather Seats small, however, with fixed tombstone headrests that are uselessly low. They look like escapees from a 1970s-era Porsche 911.

That’s in stark contrast to the elegantly symmetrical T-shaped dashboard’s comically oversized (and initially overwhelming) touchscreen that takes care of most car-related functionality. Flanked on either side by the only physical buttons on the fascia for the hazard flashers and (oddly shaped) glovebox lid the screen will challenge even the early adopters Tesla is hoping to lure. Thankfully, there’s an electronic operation manual within one of the easy-to-access sub-menus.

There isn’t enough space here to explain everything, but the vital climate, audio, navigation, telephone and driving set-up control menus are readily accessible from either the touchscreen or via a steering wheel spoke button (with thumb roller) so the driver can keep their eyes on the road and hands upon the wheel.

Reflecting Tesla founder Elon Musk’s background in the IT industry, the interface actually works. It’s the more basic practicality items that let down the Model S interior. Storage is woeful, with no door pockets and only a tray between the seats (no lidded bin), while in the back there’s absolutely nothing not even a middle armrest to house cupholders. Plus, the sunvisors are laughably small, there are no overhead grab handles, no map pockets, the pokey rear seat’s inadequately padded cushion makes thighs ache, and the sloping roofline steals headroom for even folks of average size, let alone beanpoles. Oddly enough, the middle rear seat might be the best riding-shotgun position, thanks to the car’s extraordinary girth and front centre console design that liberates more foot space than sitting behind the front seats. Think of this as a five-seat coupe.

Tesla has already implemented a series of updates designed to fix some of these issues.

Cyclists will appreciate the massive boot aperture and broad flat floor that extends via folding rear seat backrests. A sizeable cavity space underneath increases seat-up luggage capacity to 745L. Then there’s the fronttrunk frunk, in Tesla speak under the bonnet, which adds another 150L of storage space.

Despite minor foibles, the P85+ transcends all other EVs with its beguiling ability to be all things to all people, or at least wealthy ones; eco statement, racy sports sedan, (relative) long-distance grand tourer, practical family runabout.

Questions remain about the recharging infrastructure on both a personal and public level, but up to 500km between charges means the Tesla ought to be on your next sports sedan shortlist.

Having a gorgeous body that is more Angelina Jolie than Angela Merkel is just another thing to love.

The Model S speaks to people today, rather than in some scary or sanctimonious tomorrow way, addressing EV issues better than any has before. And it’s the first pure electric vehicle that can claim to be price competitive with its internal combustion rivals. It feels like the motor car has at last caught up with suit?