In April we organised a test drive of the Tesla Model S for a group of drivers. There was a Tesla Event scheduled for Warwick so we booked in for that. On the morning of the big day we headed over there in my ZOE.
Our very own Tesla Model S – for a while anyway (Image: T. Larkum)
We arrived a little early and they were still setting up so we waited with a coffee and Danish pastry before having a brief presentation on the Model S. Then we headed out with our guide, Adrian. We each took a turn of 10-15 minutes driving before swapping over, and overall took in a large loop around the local area.
The Model S touchscreen system (Image: T. Larkum)
I was very impressed with the car, both with the driving and the technology. It really does accelerate very hard and fast, yet quietly and smoothly. It feels a little unnerving, a bit like holding a loaded gun, as it can just take off at any moment. And this was only a standard performance model, the P85, not the new higher performance 4WD version, the P85D.
The boot – with the lift-up panel for the rear jump-seats just visible (Image: T. Larkum)
I very much liked the media system with its large 17” touchscreen. It seemed very futuristic, and was intuitive to use. Certainly I can appreciate the attraction of having such a large display for your satnav, or the option of the satnav and media player each having half the screen.
The famous ‘frunk’ (front trunk) resulting from the motor being between the rear wheels (Image: T. Larkum)
The time to return the car came only too quickly. After a quick debrief we headed back to Northampton in the ZOE. I very much enjoyed the test drive, and I know it definitely opened the eyes of a group of petrol-heads to the possibilities of driving on electricity – the Tesla grin was evident. One of the drivers has since bought a Leaf. Roll on the UK launch of the more affordable Tesla Model 3!
A classic Tesla grin (Image: T. Larkum)