Just trying to get some opinions on it. I've been doing research on new cars and I test drove a Model S the other day. I liked the car, but the big negative I came away with was the handling. The car fishtailed twice when I was lightly accelerating into turns. The "salespeople" said that it wasn't an issue with the cars and tried to make it seem like I didn't know how to handle the power. But I've read that this is due to bad alignment on some new cars, but I was curious if anyone else had opinions or experience with Tesla Model S handling and the car in general.
I have a guy at work that just got one and he loves it, but I have not heard of the fish tailing issue.... I am considering buying one too, let me know how it goes for you. DD
It's not a road trip car at all. That's the only thing I've read negative about it. Don't expect to drive from Houston to Dallas or anything that long.
If you get a chance test drive it and let me know your thoughts. Outside of that fishtail issue the other problem I had with the car was that there are no tactile or knob controls. You have the pretty cool looking console to control everything, but it is very awkward to manage when you are driving since you can't just reach out and grab a control or push a button. Yes you can do things from the steering wheel but it is a little slow and clumsy. Maybe if I drove it more I would get used to it, but I wish there was some sort of mouse or trackpad type thing to control the screen with. Like if you want to adjust the A/C you have to look at the screen, reach down and touch the monitor and there is no haptic feedback when you push something. It's a cool car, but there are things that just felt awkward with the controls imo. Maybe someone will develop some different apps or devices to control the screen. Also, the interior is not spectacular when compared to other sedans in its price range. When you get into a Benz in that price range you just think "Man, this is a gorgeous interior." For me it was acceptable, but I can see others being disappointed.
No question about that and the Tesla is certainly far ahead of Benz in terms of tech, but it just a borderline bland interior. They could have offered an option for a premium interior or something with a little more wow. Also, another issue I just realized was the Smart Air Suspension doesn't seem to do anything for performance anymore. It is being disabled at high speeds due to the road debris issue they have had. Anyhow....the research continues!
It's the Prius of sports cars. Check out some online video reviews of it, you can decide whether it's the car for you. Personally I wouldn't mind but the lack of noise, reduced mileage and "heavy handling" due to the batteries and expensive replacements of the batteries themselves.
I think the no center console is a bit star range but they said they would be putting something there next year
I'll never understand why anybody would spend so much money on an impractical car, especially so when they complain about fishtailing as they are exhilarating into a turn? That's all Texas needs is another nascar driver on the road. Invest that 63k into a house or land or something and buy a 25k honda accord instead. I really don't get it.
What's there to get? If you can afford it, you can afford it. If you can't, you can't. I know. Mind=blown. The Model S can cost you like 110-120 depending on the package. My cousin put 22" ADV1 wheels on his and is about to drop it. SICK. I do remember him saying something about the handling issue (fishtail).
I never think that when I drive my wife's CLS550. I hate the hard leather and the back coupe seats. When I get into my XJL, my mind is still blown. The interior absolutely blows away any Benz/BMW/Audi I've been inside of.
I've test driven one, and overall loved the experience. I agree about the console - it looks great, but it's kind of impractical while driving with no tactile buttons. I also thought the auto-braking was weird. I imagine you'd get used to it after owning one for a bit, but it seemed strange and unnecessary to me to not be able to simply coast. Seems like if you went back to driving a regular car after primarily driving a Tesla, it would screw you up a bit.
I'm considering the Tesla because of its speed, styling, technology, and practicality. I'm just trying to pin down if this fishtailing thing is common with Teslas or what the deal is. It kind of pissed me off that the reps at the showroom didn't have upfront answers. I've heard their performance plus upgrade completely eliminates any of the handling issues, but I need to test drive one and the "showroom" over here doesn't have one yet. The reason why the Tesla is practical is because of the low cost of ownership. I live in Austin so my commutes are shorter than what they would be in Houston also. That combined with the stupid traffic here in Austin makes it kind of practical since the Tesla is much more efficient in traffic.
