Today marks the end of my first week owning a Tesla Model S, and I just wanted to share my experiences, thoughts, and impressions with it, so far.
In a word: Glorious.
There really isn't much beyond what I wrote about last week, but here are a few more thoughts...
All That Glass & Heat
The Model S, having an amazingly low drag coefficient, has a very broad and low windshield that gives it a sleek shape, but also allows plenty of sunshine to come in. Now, even though Tesla applies a metalized coating to the glass, you do still feel some heat coming in. And, you certainly feel heat through the side windows as much as with any other car. To be fair, though, the A/C (especially if you put it on recirculate) really is quite up to the task of cooling my all-black interior. However, if you put it on full-auto climate control, you will get waves of heat, periodically. Mainly because of this, I've decided to have all the windows tinted with a nano-ceramic film that blocks all infrared wavelengths (heat). That shall be done next Monday, and I expect it will help a LOT (with privacy, too). Interestingly, the pano roof allows only a tiny bit of heat through ~ I'm extremely impressed with that; but we'll see how drafty it is in the winter!
RIP, Radar Detector?
As mentioned, I knew the Model S had a metal film on the windshield that would prevent radar detectors from working; but I thought there would be a small area to the right of the mirror that it would work in (people have put their toll passes there). BUT~ my 2015 (VIN 97,XXX) Model S came with a solid black coated area to the right of the mirror, like I'd not seen before, and it doesn't seem to be able to work with my Beltronics. I definitely miss having it, especially with how easy it is to speed in this car. I must figure something out.... which brings me to.....
Speeding
This car is so ridiculously quiet and smooth (and quick) that you're 10 over the speed limit before you even realize it - and that's with predictable cruising courses. But, say you want to pass grandma doing 25 in a 30 on a country road? The Model S has you covered! You'll zip right around her and be back in your proper lane within 2-3 seconds, max. Oh, sure you might be hitting 70mph when you expected a more sane 40mph, but that's what brakes are for, right? -- That is NO exaggeration.
Autopilot
For the first time, behind some idiot on a 35mph parkway, I wished I had the traffic aware cruise control! Every once in a while, you get that person who just doesn't know how to pay attention or drive, and they are constantly fluctuating between 20 and 40mph. The TACC would have been a nicety to have on that 2 mile stretch. Maybe it will be a future gift to myself ~ after all, you can just buy and download the capability at any time.
No comments:
Post a Comment