Anyway, today I test drove a Tesla 3 Long Range AWD. Tl;dr - no discount, 0-60 4.2s, 360 miles range, 12-16p/kWh at supercharger plus £1per min waiting fee when fully charged.
So, I drove the M4 there and it’s interesting to see how they have similar performance figures but get there very differently. There’s a 90mph artificial limiter that’s active on test drives as they’ve previously had several cars alert them that it’s currently at 140mph!
Apparently, mine hit the limiter a couple of times on a nearby private track and the way it got there is shocking.. the acceleration, at all times, is simply determined by how far down you push the accelerator. Overtakes are ridiculously easy and require no forethought, just see the gap and go!The non-performance versions come with what I called spaz wheels (sorry Robby) but it turns out these pop off and reveal much better alloys underneath. The covers give up to a 5% saving in certain scenarios, at a constant speed on a motorway for example, so may be worth adding for the extra 18 miles, but personally I prefer what’s underneath.
Anyway, two charging pads, netflix when charging and a large landscape screen meant the kids think it’s the coolest thing evah! (TM yoof). Large panoramic roof that goes all the way to the boot (bar a cross bar add lots of light and there’s a lot of room in the rear and the boot - small aperture to the boot though. And drunk is pretty useless except to keep the charging cable in. Interior quality is fine for a 35-45k car but it has no smell whatsoever, which is weird in a new car.
Single pedal driving is excellent and the amount of info it supplies of your surroundings and displays on the central screen will significantly enhance your spatial awareness. It even detects the size of vehicle next to you and changes the icon from bike to car to van to lorry. Brake pedal is crap and, when needed, didn’t fill me with confidence. Lots of side wall made for a comfortable ride but, although very flat through corners, you can feel it squashing and squirming when you are late for an appointment..
Overall, I went to test drive one for my parents and possibly my girlfriend and I came away impressed.. obviously I want a performance at least or maybe a S plaid lgbtq+, or whatever it’s called, but I think Elon may be on to something with these and I don’t fear the end of petrol quite so much any more.
My M4 felt very old school afterwards, buttons still have their place and idrive is impressive, but the delay when an opportunity to overtake was missed by being in the wrong gear at the wrong time meant I drove it in manual mode for the rest of the day. Unfortunately, in that mode you make quite a bit of noise and it felt erm.. uncouth to be disturbing other whilst driving through a few villages later on..
End result - my parents are interested, my girlfriend wants to buy on and I now want a Taycan!
