Tesla's New Car Is So Good, It Literally Broke the Consumer Reports Scale

[LiberalArkie]

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-08-27/tesla-with-insane-mode-busts-curve-on-consumer-reports-ratings-idu1hfk0

This score is kind of insane.

Tesla Motors Inc.’s all-wheel-drive version of the battery-powered Model S, the P85D, earned a 103 out of a possible 100 in an evaluation by Consumer Reports magazine.

The combination of power and efficiency was so off-the-chart that the group had to recalibrate its ratings methods “to account for the car’s exceptionally strong performance,” according to a statement. Ultimately, the car was given a score of 100 that set a new standard for perfection.

The Tesla sedan is the quickest Consumer Reports ever tested, accelerating to 60 miles (97 kilometers) per hour from a stop in 3.5 seconds using the car’s “insane mode.” (Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk has since released an even-faster “ludicrous mode.”) The P85D is a high-performance, all-wheel-drive version of the all-electric Model S that achieved the equivalent of 87 miles per gallon of gasoline.

Snip

[PatrickforO]

1. Wow. That's really cool. I want one!

[rug]

7. $105,000.

[GummyBearz]

10. Wonder if the older model will cost less now

I figure my toyota has 5 years left on it, maybe 10 if I'm lucky. I would really like a Tesla to be my next car... if its down to $50K in 10 years it could happen

[rug]

15. I hope the prices drop too. These cars are magnificent.

[DirkGently]

17. This one's $46k with no reserve and one day left!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Tesla-Model-S-60KWT-Battery-w-Tech-Pkg-NO-RESERVE-/291545591870?forcerrptr=true&hash=item43e178b03e&item=291545591870

Seem to be a fair number around that price, although I have no idea what they're actually going for.

But the prices on the pre-AWD versions have dropped precipitously. Lot of owners upgrading right away, it seems.

More for the rest of us!

[rug]

54. That's promising,although 46K is still a lot.

I remember when you cold get a brand new car, loaded, for 1k. Took leaded gas of course.

[valerief]

36. Oh, it's a CEO-only car. Figures. nt

[Yavin4]

65. At one point, only rich people had cell phones

Give it a minute.

[valerief]

73. I know. I'm very used to waiting. I'm old and not rich. nt

[RandySF]

2. Bay Area built.

[KamaAina]

69. At one time there was a fair amount of auto manufacturing here.

The Great Mall in Milpitas was once a Ford plant. Later on there was Nummi, a joint venture between GM and Toyota in Fremont, where Tesla is now.

[Motown_Johnny]

3. Ludicrous Mode.. LOL

The guy has a sense of humor.

[Codeine]

4. 0-60 in 2.8 seconds in Ludicrous Mode. nt

[certainot]

28. they better have good headrests

[Lizzie Poppet]

59. That's serious supercar territory.

And from a luxury sedan (that is, a good bit heavier car than most supercars). Damned impressive!

[TeeYiYi]

5. This thread needs a picture...

TYY

[hifiguy]

13. Very nice

The front end styling is somewhat reminiscent of Maserati.

[Electric Monk]

23. 3/4 view

[RKP5637]

27. Cool car! And it definitely has a face!!! n/t

[awoke_in_2003]

67. It looks like it is screaming

Which is what the occupants are doing with that crazy acceleration

[RKP5637]

68. ...

[Lizzie Poppet]

6. The P85D is absurdly fast for a big luxury sedan.

A car video team did a run-off between a P85D and a Dodge Charger Hellcat. The latter is also a big, relatively heavy 4-door sedan...with a 707 horsepower conventional engine. The Tesla, however, nearly matches the Dodge in horsepower and torque...plus because it's an electric, it makes 100% of its torque right from the get-go (electric motors don't build torque as they spin faster...what they have is what they have, at all RPM). That torque (and a really good all-wheel-drive system with excellent traction control) let the Tesla smoke the Dodge off the line, an advantage it held through the entire quarter mile drag race. It's a seriously fast car.

[Historic NY]

33. It fun to watch...the little cat is so scared it redlined here.

and then there is here kitty kitty.......

I'm a Mopar guy but i love the Telsa.

[hifiguy]

64. Nothing can beat maximum torque from the first rpm

and that's what electrics do best.

[Mosby]

8. big deal

My 3000 dollar Honda motorcycle can hit 60 in about 3 seconds.

1/4 mile in about 13 seconds and that's slow for a bike.

[Statistical]

16. Let me know when your bike can seat five.

[Major Nikon]

44. ...

[lovemydog]

48. Duzy!

[Historic NY]

49. Thats cheating....

the dog doesn't count.

[Logical]

30. Yes, and real comfortable I bet. LOL. nt

[bvar22]

62. Safe too.

Darwin at work.
Gonna get the dog too.

[hifiguy]

9. That is supercar/badass motorcycle acceleration

if not quite hypercar/racing bike level. Wow!

[NV Whino]

11. Now, if he would only build something I can afford.

[jmondine]

12. Model 3 is in the works!

[Squinch]

22. Is model 3 going to be one for the masses?

[lostnfound]

25. Yes. They hope to sell them for $35,000.

In the meantime, the Model X will be an expensive crossover.
I love my 70 D.

[Squinch]

26. Oh yeah! Every time I see one of those on the road, I think, "What IS that? I want one!"

[LanternWaste]

56. I used to say that about computers.

I used to say that about computers. The march of progress often illustrates our greed as short-sighted.

[a kennedy]

14. HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I SAID I WANT ONE NOW......

I'm this close to getting my name on a list to test drive one, and then another list to get my name on a waiting list. My dream and last car in my life.

[Dont call me Shirley]

18. I want a royal blue colored one with a light gray interior. Ok universe, I'm manifesting it now.

[1939]

19. United Auto Workers (UAW) in Detroit send their love to all of you NT

[RandySF]

24. So what is Detroit building?

[1939]

32. Detroit building

Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, Ford, Lincoln, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep.

Take your pick and a lot less then they used to (Pontiac, Oldsmobile, Saturn, Hummer, Mercury, DeSoto, Plymouth, Imperial, Rambler)..

[RandySF]

50. I mean electric cars.

[Statistical]

60. Chevy Volt (and Bolt)

Oh and of course this classic:


Yes that is an electric car from 1915 made by Detroit Electric. Imagine what the world would look like today if battery vehicles had won out over internal combustion.

[Logical]

31. My BIL Loves his job at Honda in Ohio. They treat him good. Best job he ever had. Should he quit? nt

[LeftyMom]

37. The plant they use in Fremont was abandoned by GM.

Do you have a problem with jobs for blue collar Californians?

[LanternWaste]

57. If only efficiency and market response were closed in by borders...

If only efficiency and market response were closed in by borders...

[W T F]

20. Tesla' stock gained over $18 a share today.

[byronius]

21. That is awesome. I'm a big fan of Tesla.

[certainot]

29. what's a good acceleration for a motorbike?

[Mosby]

34. about 2.5-3 seconds 0-60 and 9.5 to 10 seconds 1/4 mile

For a modern street legal sport bike.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

35. A word of caution to all of you drooling over the Tesla:

My brother has one, and I've ridden in it. It is a very cool car, except for one little detail.

It's really awful to get into and out of. It's built to be a bit sporty and this makes it LOW.

I have long legs and am rather stiff besides, and that makes it tough for me.

Jus' sayin!

[Codeine]

42. My fiancee's Mustang is the worst for entry and egress.

I'm limber and healthy, and at 6 feet tall not exactly a giant, and I fucking HATE getting into her car.

It's a master class in poor ergonomics all around, in fact.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

45. I'm not sure, but you might feel similarly about the Tesla.

[DemocraticWing]

38. Cool car. Wish it was union made

[Go Vols]

72. +1

[mainer]

39. For such an expensive car, still has a way to go with interior amenities

I sat in a Tesla and wasn't impressed by the trim, leatherwork, etc. It doesn't "feel" like a luxury car when you're sitting inside one.

[retrowire]

40. I actually saw a Tesla in RDU a couple of weeks ago

I wanted to wave at the driver but it would've been weird.

But COOL! A Tesla!!!

[hunter]

41. My favorite form of transportation is my feet.

Shoes are optional accessories in good weather and most places.

I have a certain fondness for sailboats too, and trains even, where nobody is in much of a hurry to get anywhere.

The "small world" of high speed transportation is just an illusion. Anyone traveling at high speed simply misses the most important things.

[Codeine]

43. "misses the most important things"

Except where we're going, which is the whole point.

[hunter]

47. Venice is pretty cool, with history and stuff...

... but these days it's just another big Disneyland with a big parking garage built on an artificial island and employees who leave when their shifts are over.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venice

I used to have a seventy mile Southern California commute. One long weekend I decided to ride it on my bicycle. I saw many things I never knew were there.

Automobiles and airliners are machines of human isolation. I think that's why they are so well subsidized by oligarchs. They don't want the rest of us conspiring against them on five day trips across the nation on trains, or one week cruises across the Atlantic on boats.

My sister, more adventurous than I in many ways, but of greater sanity and less recklessness, once rode her bicycle from the Pacific Ocean of Southern California to the Atlantic shore near the tip of Long Island.

She's got a much clearer picture of what these United States are than anyone who flies or even drives the same distance, even someone like me who has made trips of the same distance in unreliable cars and severely inadequate financial resources.

My parents, on the other hand, could take such adventures to extremes. At one point we were indigent Americans living in a French public park, with strangers giving us food. My youngest sibling (there's a mob of us) was three years old. The local community didn't quite know what to do with us, and none of us really spoke French, so they bought us Ferry tickets to England.

My parents did repay them, above and beyond, within a year, and I have very fine memories, treasured more than any more conventional travels through France.

[LanternWaste]

58. Hence, the millions of people walking across the Nevada desert in August.

Hence, the millions of people walking across the Nevada desert in August.

[hunter]

61. Not so bad walking at night.

Especially if you're hoping for a closer look at Area 51.

[Plucketeer]

46. The Pure Stock Muscle Car Drags

They are JUST what they claim to be. There's a fella that races his FACTORY STOCK 1963 Studebaker Daytona there every year - and consistently blows away all challengers. This is on tires OF THAT ERA and with a supercharger option topping it's 304cu.in. V8 that you could opt for for a few bucks more. This thing turns 110 or so most of the time - in the 13 second range - give or take. ALL STOCK and dating to 1963.

BTW, the owner-driver of this gem - said car named The Stude Tomato, since it's bright red - is 80 years old!

&feature=player_detailpage

[Populist_Prole]

51. I saw that exact car run at a dragway

It sounds even better in real life than on that video. I got a chance to check it out in the pit area. Fairly spartan overall, a definite sleeper if ever there was one. Looked like chambered exhaust pipes without mufflers; which is one reason it sounds so good.

[Baclava]

52. It still only has a 200 mi range - with the big battery option

I dunno - I still see it as toy for the rich

2015 Tesla Model S
Luxury vehicle

MSRP: From $69,900

Range: 208 to 270 mi battery-only

I believe we are still decades away with current battery technology for an all electric for the masses.

[jeff47]

63. Is your commute more than 135 miles each way?

"The masses" would just plug the car in when they get home, and it would be charged in the morning. So unless you live more than 135 miles from work, 270mi range is plenty.

(This, of course, ignores that it's waaaaaaay too expensive for the masses)

It's not going to work for a "road trip", since there are nowhere near enough fast chargers around the country. But the majority of households with cars have two of them. Electric works very well for the "other" car.

[Yavin4]

66. At one point cell phones were expensive and it was difficult to get a signal

Give it some time.

[still_one]

53. As long as Tesla charges such high prices for their cars, it will be considered a luxury item, that

most people cannot afford.

plus any costs associated with setting up a DC Fast charging station at your home.

[Statistical]

55. You don't need a DC fast charging station at home.

The cars have built in charging inverters so AC power works just fine. Just plug it in and set the car to charge when the power is the cheapest. In the morning you have a full recharged car. A high power DC charger is only needed when you need a charge fast.

Tesla is smart to concentrate on the high end. Prior to Tesla other than green nerds nobody wanted a BEV. Now they are "cool". It makes it easier to build out the company starting from high margin products. The roadster was $120K, the Model S is as low as $69K, and the Model 3 should be around $35K ($27K after tax credit).

[nationalize the fed]

70. ~5 miles of range per hour

is what a regular 110v outlet provides. So "full recharged" car overnight depends on how much is already in the battery. 8 hours at 110v = ~40 miles. And long distance trips must be planned around a super charger, or bring a book to read while charging at a public charger (and paying).

Anyone thinking of buying a Tesla should read the forums. They aren't trouble free. And if you buy one, sell it before the warranty expires. Drive units are $10,000 +, and every part is expensive. You are not allowed to work on it yourself. And if you live a long way from a service center prepare to pay a tow truck.

http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/

[Statistical]

71. On 110v low amp outlet sure but...

you have other options. A 240V, 40A outlet would provide 30 miles of range per hour.