Tesla Model S P85+

It’s unclear at this point whether Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk intends to save the world or try and take it over. Perhaps it’s both. In between building space transportation vehicles, planning to colonise Mars and inventing new methods of high-speed transport, the 43-year-old Canadian billionaire entrepreneur (see p42) found time to create the world’s first manufacturer of all-electric cars.

Tesla’s first offering was the Roadster. Built from 2008-2012, the Elisebased sports car offered range and performance that remains unmatched by any other electric car manufacturer and found approximately 2600 willing early adopters, mainly in the US. The company’s second attempt, however, is far more ambitious. By positioning the Model S as a luxurious sedan, Tesla aims to elevate the electric car from intriguing curiosity to a viable means of everyday transport.

To save you the suspense, it’s done it. In a number of significant ways, the Model S moves the automotive game on markedly. There are still hurdles to overcome, but for what is essentially its first mass-produced car, Tesla has done an incredible job. Imagine if Henry Ford had decided to skip those tedious first 90 years of evolution and simply introduce a mid-’90s Mondeo as his first production car. That might not sound very exciting, but think what a technical achievement it would’ve been.

The Model S is available from $91,400 with a 60kWh battery pack that provides 285kW and 345km of range, but this being MOTORwe’ve opted for the range-topping $127,800 P85+, its 85kWh battery providing 310kW/601Nm, 0-100km/h in just 4.4sec and a claimed 486km of range. The rear-drive P85+ has actually now been discontinued in favour of the new P85D, a 515kW/931Nm all-wheel drive rocketship that’ll hit 100km/h in 3.4sec. We’ll be driving it as soon as it arrives mid-year.

It may look like a relatively conventional five-door sedan/hatch, but in many respects the Model S needs to be approached with a completely different mindset. That relatively subtle bodyshell, which looks a bit like a Jaguar XF and a Mazda 6 had a date that went extremely well, looks the way it does purely to sell cars there’s no technical reason for it to look like that.

The Tesla’s batteries are laid out like a giant skateboard with the electric motor mounted at the rear. This results in a near-perfect 48:52 weight distribution and an incredibly low centre of gravity, which gives it an agility that makes complete nonsense of its porky 2108kg. Photos show a reasonable amount of weight transfer, but from the inside it feels to corner flat and grip levels are massive thanks to Michelin Pilot Sports 245/35 ZR21 at the front and 265/35 ZR21 at the back. Dynamically, it’s
incredibly well sorted; there’s excellent balance and body control, and only a slightly firm ride and the odd crash over sharper bumps creates any negative impression.

Dynamically, it’s incredibly well sorted, with an overtaking punch to rival the best Audi’s RS or BMW’s M models can manage

The variable-ratio steering, threeway adjustable from light (Comfort) to heavy (Sport), offers little in the way of feedback but is very accurate and traction is extremely strong. It almost feels all-wheel drive, though on slippery surfaces the tail begins to wiggle if you’re too early on the throttle. It’s succinctly caught by the cautious ESP system we were warned not to deactivate it under pain of death which is perhaps just as well as there’s no warning before it happens.

Here we come to probably the strangest aspect of the Model S. In performance driving, you don’t realise how much you rely on aural and visual cues until they are taken away. In the Tesla there is no flare of revs or judder through the throttle pedal to signify the onset of wheelspin, no gears to worry about when approaching or leaving a corner and, crucially, no engine noise.

With complete silence your only reward for flooring the throttle, you’re often left feeling ‘why bother?’. Be in no doubt as to the Tesla’s speed if anything the claims feel conservative and it’s overtaking punch rivals the best Audi’s RS or BMW’s M cars can manage, but with no soundtrack, I often found myself driving quickly, but not flat out. Adopting this approach, there’s little required of the driver other than to press the throttle and steer, as the strength of the regenerative braking means there’s often no need to use the brake pedal itself. This saves plenty of money in servicing costs servicing is, in fact, optional, with only an annual ‘safety check’ recommended. Removing so many of the processes that make up performance driving does rob the Tesla of some thrill factor.

Then there’s the issue of range (you knew we had to get to it eventually). There’s no doubt the 486km claimed range of the Model S is a revelation, but it’s achievable under a very specific set of circumstances, namely at a 105km/h cruise. Our test loop was around 200km and while spirited driving was involved, there wasn’t as much as there would have been in a comparable petrolengined car and we made it back on fumes… er, sparks. As ever, the range itself is not particularly the issue, it’s the fact you can’t duck into the nearest service station and be on your way again in 10 minutes.

Tesla plans to install superchargers on major routes, enabling owners to recharge their cars to 50 per cent charge in 20min for free, but until then, with the current generation of technology you are still limited where and for how long you can drive. But that doesn’t necessarily rule it out, because as everyday family transport the Model S has an awful lot going for it.

Anyone with an iPhone should have little trouble negotiating the giant 17-inch touchscreen

On a practical level, with no engine, gearbox or diffs to accommodate, storage space has to be seen to be believed. Boot volume is 745L seats up, and 1645L with the seats folded flat, about the same as an Audi A6 Avant. But then there’s another cavern underneath the boot floor and two deep pockets either side; at the other end of the car there’s the hip-hop sounding ‘frunk’ (front trunk, or boot) which holds another 150L, including another area under the dash which is apparently the perfect size to accommodate pizza boxes.

Again, with no transmission tunnel or annoying oily bits in the way, interior space is enormous, though some decent cup holders or somewhere to put keys, wallets, etc, would’ve been nice. Anyone swapping out of a Mercedes will be instantly familiar with the minor switchgear, but everyone will need some time to get used to the most jaw-dropping feature of the Model S, the gigantic 17-inch touchscreen that controls everything from the sat-nav and climate controls to the sunroof and air suspension. To fully explain it would take this entire feature, suffice to say that anyone with an iPhone should have little trouble negotiating the various drag-and-swipe menus.

Following a first encounter with new technology, occasionally you are left with as many questions as answers, and that’s partially the case with the Tesla Model S. Some questions are philosophical: in Tony Abbott’s Australia, where renewable energy has few friends in ruling government, just how much difference is having an electric car going to make? Then there’s the question of, is the Model S a performance car? It undoubtedly does the numbers, but given the catastrophic effect driving it hard has on battery life, what good is the performance if you can’t use it? Personally, I’d gladly add a second to the 0-100km/h time if it meant another 150km of range. Others may feel differently, of course.

However, there’s no way this article is going to end on a negative, as the Model S is a real game-changer. For a new manufacturer to enter the market with a vehicle this dynamically polished is an incredible achievement, even without the added complications of its pioneering drivetrain. At $161,800, our fully-loaded test car lands smack bang in Audi S7/Maserati Ghibli territory, but on first
acquaintance the Tesla is every bit as impressive as its more conventional competitors. The jury might be out on whether the Model S is a MOTORcar, but it’s definitely a very good one.

HAVE YOU UPDATED YOUR CAR?
THE way the Model S is built and operates requires a whole different mental approach. As mentioned in the main text, servicing is optional, with an annual ‘safety check’ recommended to check tyre and brake wear, and you receive a replacement P85+ for use during the service period. Your Model S will need to be updated, however, just like your iPhone or Playstation; you can’t drive while the car is being updated, but you can postpone it for a later date.

This ability to update means that features can be added whenever new software revisions are released. As long as no hardware changes are required, technically anything is possible. All Australian cars will receive ‘Autopilot’ before delivery, which adds adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning, emergency braking and, on private property at least (for legal reasons), the ability to go and find its own parking space. The Model S can theoretically drive itself on the highway, but Australian legislation doesn’t currently allow for autonomous driving.

Charge time using one of Tesla’s home-charge systems is roughly an hour for every 50km of range, meaning a 10-hour wait for a full charge. Tesla plans to install superchargers, capable of providing 50 per cent charge in 20 minutes, about 200km all the way up Australia’s East Coast, but currently supercharger stations are only installed in Tesla’s dealership located in St Leonards on Sydney’s North Shore and in the carpark of the new Star Casino.

New vehicle warranty is four years or 80,000km, while the battery and drive units are warranted for eight years and 200,000km in the case of the P60 or unlimited mileage in the case of the P85.