But you’ll be even more struck by the enormous touchscreen on the centre of the fascia. Like an extra-large iPad turned portrait, it’s used to control everything from the air conditioning to the selectable ride height of the air suspension.
It also relays information about battery charge, energy consumption, the sat-nav and the audio system and, at a stroke, eliminates the need for individual buttons for the sunroof, demister and charging port door release. In some cases, this convergence adds complication to what ought to be simple processes. But mostly it seems light years ahead of ordinary cockpit functionality.
The sat-nav system is a ‘buy one get one free’ deal. The primary system operates via the instrument binnacle and it’s low on detail but reliable and easy to use. The secondary system can fill the entirety of that 17-inch touchscreen and relies on a decent 4G connection to access Google mapping. This can make programming a bit slow when you’re out in the sticks, but it works brilliantly where there’s good mobile coverage.
As a part of this technological masterpiece, Tesla has endeavoured to incorporate numerous autonomous systems, which it aptly names Autopilot. It allows the luxury electric car to steer within a lane, change lanes, adapt its speed to traffic and scan for and parallel park automatically.
You also get an AM/FM/DAB tuner but no CD player, and you can stream music via Bluetooth or USB. The radio accesses internet radio, and the web browser offers endless amusement value – where the data connection allows. Audio quality is good.
Specify the optional Tech Pack and you get Bluetooth, wi-fi and a permanent 3G data connection, which feeds information into the sat-nav, web browser and audio system. It will even connect to your home wi-fi network when updating its firmware for a faster transfer speed. Bluetooth connection takes less than five seconds.
Overall,
the
Tesla's
interior is comfortable and attractive
, with a few caveats. The seats should be more supportive and oddment storage more generous. Headroom is a bit tighter than we’d like, although it is still sufficient for all but the tallest occupants.
Material quality could be better. The veneers and accent trims on the fascia look pleasant from a distance but don’t stand up to close inspection. That could have been because our test car was a prototype, but whatever the cause, it’s a quibble in a roomy, bold, fresh and singularly modern cabin.
It wouldn’t be possible to
combine the Tesla
Model S’s remarkable refinement
, potency and calming ease of use in one combustion-engined saloon.
Install a sufficiently large piston engine to deliver the same outright speed as this all-American EV and – unless you’re
Rolls-Royce
– you’re likely to end up with noise, vibration, complication and even physicality in the driving experience.
None of which the Model S suffers in the slightest
.
Modern performance saloons are made better by some of that, of course – but that’s not what the Model S is about. Rather, it’s like the 21st century’s equivalent of the old V12
Jaguar
,
BMW
or
big Benz
: torquey, suave, relaxing – a privilege and a rare pleasure to just waft around in.
The genius of its delivery is all about instant, perfect accelerator response. Flatten it and
the now defunct Model S 85D we tested
, takes off from a standing start with the ferocity of a super-saloon. We timed the car at a 4.7sec two-way average to 60mph, which is marginally slower than Tesla’s claim. But it’s also faster than the
Mercedes-Benz CLS 63 AMG
we timed – a car that was burning fossil fuel at a rate of 7.8mpg.
The Tesla
Model S can’t sustain
being flat out for very long, however. For short bursts of full-power acceleration, the electric powertrain works brilliantly. But we couldn’t complete one flying lap of the dry handling circuit before the battery, inverter and electric motor tripped into safe mode and cut peak output by at least 50 percent.
Nevertheless,
the Model S likes to stretch its legs
. But even more wonderful is how precisely and effortlessly you can meter out that pace. Surges of force from that electric motor carry the Tesla forwards like a stiff breeze does as it hits the spinnaker of a racing yacht.
And its response borders on the incredible at the most normal of speeds – 40mph – where the reduction gearing puts the powertrain simultaneously at peak power and peak torque.
At motorway speeds, where most EVs are out of their depth, the Model S strides on comfortably, able to pick up an extra 20mph in a moment.
If the
Tesla's
armour has a chink, this is it. On a mixed route across typical UK roads,
the Model S conducts itself
with more than acceptable dynamic competence, but it’s nothing special.
Our test car was fitted with Tesla’s now retired Performance Plus Pack chassis mods (wider rear tyres, stiffer anti-roll bars and uprated dampers), this is a fairly softly sprung saloon that does isolation better than driver involvement. And that’s exactly as it should be.
Without the suspension modifications, the car’s cosseting rolling refinement might have better stood out. As it was, the test car neither rode nor handled with any particular brilliance.
That said,
the Model S is every bit as good
as you’d expect it to be on both fronts, given that it’s Tesla’s first proper fist at a car. It’s also probably every bit as good as it needs to be for something whose ultimate selling point is largely unrelated to how perfectly it rides a bump or sweeps around a corner.
Driven as fast as its powertrain will allow,
the
Tesla
Model S’s chassis
can certainly hack the pace, but it doesn’t bring much sporting engagement. The air suspension allows the usual few degrees of gently bumbling, constant body movement on a testing road, but nothing too discouraging.
Ultimately, it controls pitch and roll very well. But it never makes you feel connected to the contact patches. There are three assistance settings for the power steering, which is sensibly paced – but, similarly, none of them provides much road feel. The Comfort setting is by far the most pleasant.
Our experience suggests that a smaller wheel and tyre, combined with Tesla’s softer chassis set-up, would be the way to configure your car. On the 21-inch rims, a bit of road roar took the edge off the car’s natural advantage on mechanical refinement above 40mph.
Above all else, quick as it undoubtedly is, you want this car to be quiet as well. Its appeal comes from that unlikely juxtaposition of remarkable pace and incredible calm.
Our touring economy test isn’t designed to bring the best out of an EV, yet it produced a result from
the Tesla
Model S
of 383Wh/mile, giving a 222-mile range on a full charge when specified with 85kWh battery, which has been superceded by the 90kWh version.
Including our performance tests, the car averaged 411Wh/mile overall but, out on the road, we frequently saw trip economy of less than 300Wh/mile. On a typical motorway run, expect a range of 220 to 250 miles. If you’re prepared to cruise at a 50-60mph A-road pace, 300 miles would be routinely achievable.
That’s about three times the real-world operational range of a 24kWh
Nissan Leaf
, but it won’t be enough for everyone, despite the fact that
Tesla's range of Superchargers
can have your car back at full charge in under an hour and has removed a vast amount of the range anxiety that exists around EVs.
But for most UK drivers, it’s probably enough to work with, balanced against one key reward: you’ll never need to buy petrol or diesel again. A full charge, at average off-peak rates, costs less than a fiver.
The Tesla
Model S brings credibility
, luxury and useful range to the electric car market.
Of the electric cars that we’ve road tested during the re-emergence of the EV, only three have managed to complete our full set of track tests, photo shoots and road assessments without the assistance of a trailer. All three have been
made by Tesla
.
Finally, it seems, here’s a company that understands the workings of the automotive consumer. Small cars are already cheap and use very little fuel. So making an electric one of those work for everybody is going to be a very hard task, as their sales, or lack of, demonstrate.
With a luxury car, though,
Tesla
has found it easier to gain price and performance parity with its rivals. It has been able to offer a vast range by fitting vast batteries and has found a customer base more open to the new technology and with more resources at their work and home to counter the drawbacks.
Tesla Model S 100D 2017 UK first drive
This longest-travelling version of the Model S is perfect for anyone with range anxiety, but it's still a pricey choice
Tesla Model S 100D 2017 UK first drive
2017 Tesla Model S P100D
The additional driving range is welcome, but the range-topping Model S's increase in performance is overkill, even if it is very entertaining
2017 Tesla Model S P100D
2016 Tesla Model S 60D first drive
Updated Tesla Model S gets tweaked styling and a new entry-level 60kWh powertrain. Could this new version be the pick of the range?
2016 Tesla Model S 60D first drive
2015 Tesla Model S 70D first drive
The Tesla Model S keeps getting better. This 70D gets four-wheel drive and a slightly bigger battery pack, along with the 7.0 software updates
2015 Tesla Model S 70D first drive
2015 Tesla Model S 7.0 first drive
We sample Tesla's new autopilot function which falls short of being fully autonomous but, with automatic lane changing, makes light work of heavy traffic
