Mike theCarGuy and Mr Musk's Wild Ride...

A couple of days ago I had the incredible opportunity to visit the Tesla store in the Brea Mall on the eve of its grand opening. It is a gorgeous store I must say and with the doors closed it was awesome to have the place to ourselves and yet still hear all the people walking through the mall just outside. My cousin, and awesome, awesome guy, is the Senior Project Manager for new store construction at Tesla and knows what a huge fan I am of the Tesla line and invited me to spend the evening at the new store as it’s the first one close to my neck of So Cal. As a career retail car guy I know I am in the minority of Tesla fans in the car biz but politics are for another post, this day it was all about the cars! As we toured the store talking about the display cars on the floor there seemed to be a glint in Cousin Vic’s eye as he suddenly paused and asked, ‘hey, you wanna go for a ride?” No answer was needed as I turned on my heels and headed for the door….

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We walked out to the parking garage and there she was, beckoning me to her with her seductive, sensual lines. The stunning beauty of the Tesla Model S instantly draws a crowd where they show up and Brea is no different, there seemed to be a permanent crowd around the charging station/demo parking area and as some would leave to head into the mall for their shopping they had originally come for, others would come out and stop to stare… I felt somewhat the big shot as Vic took down the chains to allow the Tesla to be backed out for our drive, I’ll admit it was pretty cool as the people watched and whispered! In my mind I was sure hey were asking each other, ‘is he an actor, a sports celebrity or what?” Ok, maybe they didn’t really whisper to each other at all but I tell you this I was impressed as hell! The car sensed the approach of its key holder and the door handles slid silently out of their flush fit and we opened the doors. Vic sat in the driver’s seat and I slid down into the sheer luxury that is the passenger seat, we spent about 20 minutes just going thru the functions of the incredible 17” center display screen. A slider for the full panel moon roof along with a full vehicle image showing its position, an image of the front of the vehicle hat illuminates the lights that are in use, parking, driving etc. In addition to the cool graphics there are many, many other functions of the screen, enough to keep even the most hard core techies happy exploring for days! A light flick of the shift stalk upward put the Model S, did I mention it was the P85+(?), into reverse and we eased back out of the parking space.  With a quick snap of the shift lever down into drive we silently slipped out into the parking lot that wraps around the mall, with no media on there was only the sound of the breeze coming in thru the open roof. As we came to a straight stretch he gently pushed the pedal and I could feel the stirrings of a monstrous amount of torque building, he smiled as he backed off and mentioned that he is always surprised at the way the cars pull so strongly. The ride was firm yet very comfortable, as BMW like in the crisp handling as the interior was Audi like in its luxury. We came to a stop and the braking felt very sure footed and controlled, which I will get to in a minute… He pulled my new dream machine into a smaller lot with few cars parked and came to a stop, placing the selector into park he looked over and said, ‘can you promise not to wreck it?” I nearly fell on my as I leaped from the passenger door and sprinted to the drivers side! The open driver’s door invited me to the mechanical nirvana I have dreamed of since first reading the brilliance of Mr. Musk’s plans years back and I eased my way down into the seat. I strap in and adjust the seat to my optimum driving position, take my time as I fix the mirrors and make it obvious that I am going to get the very most out of my few moments of heaven this evening! The shift selector in drive I slowly depress the throttle and ease in the parking lanes, as I approach the end of the lane and let off the gas the drag from the vehicles regenerative braking system pulls s to almost a complete sop without my foot touching the brake. My conscious mind KNOWS there is not a conventional style parking brake that I could possibly have left engaged however I simply cannot stop myself from looking down and all to the foot well and then to the center console to visually ensure I haven’t don’t just that! Vic immediately senses what I am feeling and offers up that he knows exactly what I am looking for because the first few time behind the wheel he also looked for the parking brake thinking it was on! At low speeds the regen braking, that’s what us Tesla drivers call it, is incredibly powerful and took me a few laps of the small lot to start to get used to. Once out on the road at higher speeds however the assist from the regen lessons with the increase in speed. There been some talk about the up and the (I say perceived) downsides of the braking however after some time with the Tesla I felt comfortable with it and really like the way it works. Now, about that acceleration! The best way for me to describe the thrust of the Tesla with only a half pedal is to use the text abbreviation O…M…G…! Being a Ford guy I can describe it as being the same type of pull as a strong third gear run up in a Shelby GT500! No gears shifting means no peaks or declines in the solid, non stop application of the full amount of torque available and let me tell you it ‘puts yer ass firmly in that seat’! A liquid-cooled AC motor, producing the equivalent of  362 horsepower and 325 lb/ft of torque, pushes along the standard Model S however the P85+ that I piloted had the increased windings in its pumped up motor that give it the equivalent of 416 horses and 443 lb/ft of stump pulling, head slamming the head rest torque! Although the surroundings weren’t perfect for an all out performance drive the few times I was indeed able to make a run for it were enough to prove that it is a fully capable super-car in all aspects. I would have like to had the chance to play with the adjustable suspension settings but there will be time for that in the future… when I have one in my drive way! In my humble opinion the Tesla Model S has proved it self a world class car, from the impeccable fit and finish, the amazing array of technology, its sensual style and super-car worthy performance and handling; the Tesla Model S is one truly incredible car. In addition, one that I WILL own!