Now if I just had the $70K...

brianlux

...I'd be driving one of these. It look like a winner but well out of my price range. Any takers?

http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-reports- ... 22843.html

DETROIT (Reuters) - Consumer Reports magazine awarded a near-perfect score to Tesla Motors Co's Model S, citing the electric car's power, "pinpoint" handling and quiet, well-crafted interior.

The score of 99 out of 100 puts the Model S far ahead of other electric and gas-powered rivals, including the Porsche Panamera sports car and the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid.

"Slipping behind the wheel of the Tesla Model S is like crossing into a promising zero-emissions future," the highly influential magazine said in its review on Thursday. "It's what Marty McFly might have brought back in place of his DeLorean in 'Back to the Future'."

Consumer Reports last gave a near-perfect score six years ago to the Lexus LS 460L luxury sedan made by Toyota Motor Corp, according to the magazine, which has more than 8 million subscribers.

The positive review comes on the heels of Tesla reporting its first quarterly profit in its 10-year history. Chief Executive Elon Musk is attempting to reach a broader group of buyers with the Model S electric sedan.

Consumer Reports said a Model S equipped with an 85 kilowatt hour battery was able to get 200 miles between electric charges. Range varied between 180 miles on cold winter days to about 225 miles in more moderate temperatures.

The main drawbacks of the Model S include its limited range when compared to conventional gas-powered cars. The car also takes 12 hours to charge on a 240-volt electric-car charger.

"When it's left unplugged, we noted a parasitic loss of energy that amounts to 12 to 15 miles of range per day," the magazine said. "That could be a concern if, say, the car is parked at an airport for an extended period. Tesla has promised a fix for that."

The Model S starts at around $70,000 with a 60 kilowatt hour battery before a federal tax credit. A sedan equipped with a larger, 85 kilowatt hour battery starts around $80,000. Consumer Reports recommended buying the sedan with the larger battery.

Bentleyspop

I love the Model S

One of the owners of Tesla lives here (Boulder, CO) and I have seen them since before they were available to the general public and it's an awesome car.

Yes, like all electric cars, it has its drawbacks. But it looks awesome and is a smooth mover.

I'm out and about every day here in town and rarely does a day go by that i don't see at least one Model S and sometimes 4 or 5 a day.

I love it and would definitely own one if I had a need for it.

brianlux

Bentleyspop wrote:

I love the Model S

One of the owners of Tesla lives here (Boulder, CO) and I have seen them since before they were available to the general public and it's an awesome car.

Yes, like all electric cars, it has its drawbacks. But it looks awesome and is a smooth mover.

I'm out and about every day here in town and rarely does a day go by that i don't see at least one Model S and sometimes 4 or 5 a day.

I love it and would definitely own one if I had a need for it.

4 or 5 a day? Wow! Only in Boulder. Well, and maybe Palo Alto.

I'd love to check one out. Hmmm- maybe a test drive some time.

polaris_x

electric is the way to go ... considering the range they are getting and the supercharger ... it's definitely the future ... except the car companies (much like many other industries) are gonna have to figure out a business model that doesn't rely on the car breaking down ...

Jason P

The crappy thing is that if you can afford it, you are probably not worried about gas prices.

They need to start cranking these out at $20K.

Bentleyspop

brianlux wrote:

Bentleyspop wrote:

I love the Model S

One of the owners of Tesla lives here (Boulder, CO) and I have seen them since before they were available to the general public and it's an awesome car.

Yes, like all electric cars, it has its drawbacks. But it looks awesome and is a smooth mover.

I'm out and about every day here in town and rarely does a day go by that i don't see at least one Model S and sometimes 4 or 5 a day.

I love it and would definitely own one if I had a need for it.

4 or 5 a day? Wow! Only in Boulder. Well, and maybe Palo Alto.

I'd love to check one out. Hmmm- maybe a test drive some time.

Yes definitely only in Boulder, Palo Alto, and probably Austin as well

However, I did see one in my dads tiny little fishing village on the Florida Panhandle.

hedonist

Jason P wrote:

The crappy thing is that if you can afford it, you are probably not worried about gas prices.

They need to start cranking these out at $20K.

Yup. And reduce the charging time (with related cost).

Bentleyspop

http://editorial.autos.msn.com/tesla-model-s-gets-top-score?icid=autos_4297

lukin2006

electric cars too expensive ...

and with a shrinking middle class these cars will be for the wealthy and will be a fringe item.

lukin2006

I also don't much about the bodies of these electric cars ... are they stainless steal? rust proof? because if not, here in Ontario with the amount of salt that gets tossed on our roads during the winters the bodies will eventually get rusty...hard to avoid here.

polaris_x

lukin2006 wrote:

I also don't much about the bodies of these electric cars ... are they stainless steal? rust proof? because if not, here in Ontario with the amount of salt that gets tossed on our roads during the winters the bodies will eventually get rusty...hard to avoid here.

they are the same ... the only difference is they use an electric motor vs. a gas motor ... which also means you don't need the maintenance on them ... no spark plugs, no oil filters, no oil changes ... etc.. in fact, the tesla's are annual maintenance optional ...

for sure - the tesla's are more expensive ... but the reality is that it's not that far off ...

g under p

brianlux wrote:

...I'd be driving one of these. It look like a winner but well out of my price range. Any takers?

http://news.yahoo.com/consumer-reports- ... 22843.html

DETROIT (Reuters) - Consumer Reports magazine awarded a near-perfect score to Tesla Motors Co's Model S, citing the electric car's power, "pinpoint" handling and quiet, well-crafted interior.

The score of 99 out of 100 puts the Model S far ahead of other electric and gas-powered rivals, including the Porsche Panamera sports car and the Fisker Karma plug-in hybrid.

"Slipping behind the wheel of the Tesla Model S is like crossing into a promising zero-emissions future," the highly influential magazine said in its review on Thursday. "It's what Marty McFly might have brought back in place of his DeLorean in 'Back to the Future'."

Consumer Reports last gave a near-perfect score six years ago to the Lexus LS 460L luxury sedan made by Toyota Motor Corp, according to the magazine, which has more than 8 million subscribers.

The positive review comes on the heels of Tesla reporting its first quarterly profit in its 10-year history. Chief Executive Elon Musk is attempting to reach a broader group of buyers with the Model S electric sedan.

Consumer Reports said a Model S equipped with an 85 kilowatt hour battery was able to get 200 miles between electric charges. Range varied between 180 miles on cold winter days to about 225 miles in more moderate temperatures.

The main drawbacks of the Model S include its limited range when compared to conventional gas-powered cars. The car also takes 12 hours to charge on a 240-volt electric-car charger.

"When it's left unplugged, we noted a parasitic loss of energy that amounts to 12 to 15 miles of range per day," the magazine said. "That could be a concern if, say, the car is parked at an airport for an extended period. Tesla has promised a fix for that."

The Model S starts at around $70,000 with a 60 kilowatt hour battery before a federal tax credit. A sedan equipped with a larger, 85 kilowatt hour battery starts around $80,000. Consumer Reports recommended buying the sedan with the larger battery.

Brian, absolutely I'd get one of these if I could. I was leaving a restaurant in Palm Beach and saw this car, it was so unusual (Palm Beach is known for their exotic expensive cars) and i had find out what car this was. It was the Model S, I went home and google it. Loved the car but even if I was ready to buy I would wait two years for it to be even more fined tuned. It's not for long long distance driving but you'll look damn good driving around town while helping to save the planet.

Peace

Jeanwah

Sweet looking car and it's electric! However, if I ever had that kind of money, a car is not what I'd buy. I'd start completing my bucket list.

g under p

Jeanwah wrote:

Sweet looking car and it's electric! However, if I ever had that kind of money, a car is not what I'd buy. I'd start completing my bucket list.

I wonder if this car was named after the inventor Nikola Tesla?

Peace

brianlux

hedonist wrote:

Jason P wrote:

The crappy thing is that if you can afford it, you are probably not worried about gas prices.

They need to start cranking these out at $20K.

Yup. And reduce the charging time (with related cost).

I'm guessing it's like anything new- once they start cranking them out in bigger numbers the price will come down and the technology will improve. Sort of like the first CD players- very expensive and not-so-great features.

mookeywrench

Jason P wrote:

The crappy thing is that if you can afford it, you are probably not worried about gas prices.

They need to start cranking these out at $20K.

That's their goal.

My bet is that Elon Musk will be an iconic household name right along within the decade

81

local mall has a tesla store with a fully assembled car and one that shows the frame/suspension/motors. it's a pretty cool looking under the skin.

but if i was spending 70K on a car, i'd be getting a Z06

mookeywrench

You also get a $7,500 tax credit with the car.

hedonist

mookeywrench wrote:

You also get a $7,500 tax credit with the car.

Ah, but who pays for that credit? Me, Ms. Taxpayer, who can't afford to spend 70K on a car

pjl44

g under p wrote:

Jeanwah wrote:

Sweet looking car and it's electric! However, if I ever had that kind of money, a car is not what I'd buy. I'd start completing my bucket list.

I wonder if this car was named after the inventor Nikola Tesla?

Peace

Nah...probably the band.

mookeywrench

hedonist wrote:

mookeywrench wrote:

You also get a $7,500 tax credit with the car.

Ah, but who pays for that credit? Me, Ms. Taxpayer, who can't afford to spend 70K on a car

You and about 122 million other tax paying entities (all of which who are entitled to the credit) over the course of ten years which comes out to a whopping 62 cents per year carrying the assumption that everyone is paying an equal tax bracket and ignoring corporate taxes.