Tesla Model S Review

Log into an iPhone app, check how much charge is in the battery and set the heating while you eat breakfast. From your very first interactions with the Tesla Model S, you know it’s unlike any other car on the road.

The car continues to impress before you get inside. Walk up to it with the key in your pocket (I say key, it’s actually a small plastic model of the car itself) and the Model S senses your presence. The mirrors unfold and door handles glide outwards. Grab one, get in and prepare yourself for a journey unlike anything you’ve experienced before.

At this point I could talk about the huge touch screen, the electric, heated seats which remember exactly how you set them, the 3G connection, the two extra child’s seats in the boot, and everything else the Model S has to offer. But they can wait; let’s get straight to the party piece.

Tesla Model S: Performance

Foot on the brake to wake the car, engage drive with the Mercedes-sourced gear selector, breathe, hover your foot over the accelerator, then bury it. The car’s electric motor feeds 416 horsepower and 600 newton metres of torque (433ft lb in old money) to the rear wheels and launches you down the road with the unrelenting shove of a roller coaster.

Traction control filtering out a hint of slip from the 21-inch rear wheels, 60mph ticks by in 4.2 seconds – faster than a Porsche 911 Carrera S. It isn’t just the initial launch which impresses, but the way the Model S keeps you pinned to the seat with a ferocity which doesn’t fade until deep into license-losing territory. Because there’s only one gear the barrage of torque is relentless, and can be summoned instantly – this is where electric cars reign supreme over their internal combustion counterparts.

Flooring the accelerator never, ever gets boring, and feeling the immense surge forward is hugely addictive. The sci-fi whine from the motor and regenerative braking system only adds to the otherworldliness of it all.

The mind-bending turn of pace is even more impressive when you consider the size of the Model S. It’s just shy of five metres long, two metres wide, and weighs more than two tonnes.

But all that mass is more muscle than fat. Because it was designed to be a fully electric car from the very start – there is no petrol, diesel or hybrid alternative – the Model S is packaged cleverly. The immensely heavy battery pack is in the floor, keeping the centre of gravity low, which improves handling and stability.

Being much smaller than an equally powerful engine means the Tesla’s motor can be tucked away between the rear wheels, leading to masses of storage. The rear boot is about what you’d expect from a car of this size – plus my model had the optional (£2,100) children’s seats, good for kids aged five to 10. There’s also a front boot large enough for a weekly food shop or medium-sized suitcase.

Read more: IB Times