Australian New Car Buyer – June 2019

AUSTRALIAN NEW CAR & SUV BUYER’S GUIDE | 143

A

merican car company
Tesla, headed by PayPal
inventor and billionaire Elon
Musk, believes there is a more
sustainable way to transport four
people in performance, luxury
and style with the striking — and
completely electric — Model S.
A low-slung four-door sedan
with a tapered coupe roofl ine and
large liftback, the Californian-built
sports express is pitched as a
green alternative to the Maserati
Quattroporte, BMW Gran Coupe,
Porsche Panamera and their ilk.
From $146,175, the base Tesla
Long Range can travel up to
632km and can hit 100km/h in just
4.3 seconds, Tesla claims.
It runs two motors at 193kW
apiece and 660Nm of torque
spread over both axles.
In the fl agship Performance.,
priced at $159,140, a reduced
613km range is compensated
for by its upgraded 193kW-
front and 375kW-rear motors,
with torque totalling 967Nm.
Upshot? 2.7 seconds to 100km/h
in full power mode, aptly named
Ludicrous, making this one

of the fastest-accelerating

production cars on the planet.

Tesla is rolling out free fast-

charging Supercharger outlets,

with Sydney-Melbourne and

Sydney-Brisbane routes now

covered at several locations.

Be aware though that at

highway speeds Tesla’s claimed

ranges are greatly reduced to a

more realistic 300km-400km, and

recharging at a Supercharger

outlet can take up to an hour.

Cabin packaging is on the cosy

side considering the S’ large

footprint, not helped by small

apertures and a low roofl ine that

can snag taller scalps. Once inside

(via the ingenious protruding door

handles) there is ample space for

four adults to spread out.

The sheer theatre of the

centralised 17-inch touchscreen

dominates, operating like an

oversized tablet and responsible

for virtually everything pertaining

to the Tesla’s functionality.

Tesla has joined Mercedes

in being an early adopter of

semi-autonomous driving

technology. The Model S can in

some situations steer and change

lanes by itself, and you can even

park it using your smartphone to

manoeuvre it into (or out of) the

space from outside the car.

That said, it can be pretty

erratic and unpredictable in

self-drive mode, despite Tesla’s

claims to the contrary.

Tesla’s claim, for example,

that its cars “have the hardware

needed for full self-driving

capability” is disingenuous,

because sophisticated software

-- that doesn’t yet exist -- will

ultimately do the driving.

Small seats, poor storage,

marginal rear vision and

tiny sunvisors are also

disappointments. The driving

experience, though, is a revelation.

Select Drive and gasp at the

sheer force of acceleration and

revel at the speed as it spirals

star-wards with blurring ferocity.

After momentary tail jiggling, the

S settles immediately, sticking to

the road with magnetic obsession

and staying unfl appable even

when hurled hurriedly into

corners. Though crying out for

more steering feedback, the

expertly tuned chassis delivers

unbelievable grip for a hunkered-

down attitude reminiscent of

a Scalextric race car. The ride

quality and noise suppression are

up with the best luxury limousines.

And that is the underlying strength

of the Model S.

Its underlying weakness is

that the claimed ranges are

hypothetical, and in the real world

are likely to be much shorter.

Range is affected by temperature,

terrain and speed, so it will be

different on every drive you take.

And if you run out of juice, life gets

extremely complicated.

Uncertainty about Tesla’s

viability is also a consideration

when you’re spending this amount

of money. Elon Musk is an EV

pioneer, no doubt, but his car

company seems to lurch from one

crisis to another.

By Byron Mathioudakis

TESLA MODEL S FROM $146,175

THINGS WE LIKE

 Stunning performance

 An utterly quiet and refi ned

grand tourer

 Space-age interior

 Limpet-like roadholding

 Zero tailpipe emissions

THINGS YOU MIGHT NOT LIKE

Overpriced

Small door openings and a low roof

hinder cabin access

Seats suitable for small people only

Cabin storage is limited

Claimed ranges and battery

recharge times are optimistic and

if the battery goes fl at you have a

major problem.

SPEX (Long Range)

Made in the USA

Two three-phase AC electric

motors/100kWh lithium-ion battery/

single-reduction gear/all-wheel drive

193kW of power/660Nm of torque

0–100km/h in 4.3 seconds (claimed)

Warranty: Eight years/160,000km

Standard: Six airbags, stability

control, Autopilot, rear camera,

lane-departure warning, parking

sensors, Bi-Xenon headlights,

daytime running lights, heated/

electric front seats, climate

control air-conditioning, 17-

inch touchscreen, Bluetooth

with wireless hotspot, voice

recognition, 19-inch alloy wheels

Redbook future values: 3yr: 55%;

5yr: 40%

Safety

ANCAP

Green Vehicle Guide

Performance

Handling

Quality and reliability

Comfort and refi nement

Value for money

Overall

STARS

compare with ...

Audi A7 Sportback, BMW Hybrid

740e, Maserati Quattroporte,

Porsche Panamera 4E-Hybrid