We are Edmunds.com testing the 2013 Tesla Model S electic car - Ask Us Anything

Does the large screen get annoying at night?

Not really. There are different brightness settings to suit your needs. --DE

Does it auto-dim? Is it easy to see if you're switching between bright light and shade, like driving along a tree-lined street?

Yes, we haven't had any problems. It does have a day, night, and auto mode. It has a slider to adjust. We haven't had any issues. -- DE

Switching between light and shade is something that no car is totally immune to but the Tesla is no worse than anything else with a large nav screen. -- MM

This has been fun. Thanks for all the questions. Let us know if you want us to do more of these. -- DD

With Electric car technology improving with time, do you recommend buying the model S now or should consumers wait a couple of years?

I agree with all of that but I'd buy one anyway. --SO

The electric part of the Tesla is fine. They are still working out some issues with the actual cars, like the screen, cargo cover, etc. -- DE

how do you guys stay objective in your reviews, especially, when ad revenue is majority (and probably only) source of income?

also, it seems a lot of companies wine&dine the review staff to sweeten the reviews, any comment on that?

This has been an issue plaguing the media since the beginning of time. We take our jobs and our responsibilities to the consumer very seriously. We understand that the day we compromise our integrity is the day you should stop reading Edmunds. And I think we've proven over the years that the ad revenue and the "fancy dinners" will not sway our opinion. We tell it like it is. -- SO

Wouldn't it be easier to prove that you don't get influenced by "fancy dinners" by simply not going for them?

I don't mean to imply that you are unfair consciously, but studies have shown that MDs can change prescribing behavior after a drug company paid for golf outing, and that's messing with our lives. Surely it would be easier to prove impartiality if you just opted out of such events.

No, because then we would evaluate far fewer cars a year if we skipped the hundreds of events a year. Also, the events allow us to interview the engineers, designers, and auto executives responsible for all of those vehicles. -- SO

How practical is a Tesla for a person with a 30-mile commute (each way)?

Between my commute and running around, I probably spend $80 per week on gas.

Quite practical because it's easy to replace 60 miles of electricity overnight with a standard level 2 240-volt charger. No need to buy Tesla's proprietary high-zoot 100-amp one. -- DE

Does this car play any song you want to, if you request it via voice control?

I saw an interview on Bloomberg about this, and was blown away such features exist, but are not advertised more.

The Tesla Model S will play nearly any song and it finds them shockingly fast. We only tripped it up with a few oddball, indie artists. - MM

Did you try foreign artists too?

(i.e., artists whose primary stage name and majority of song titles are in a language other than English)

Yes. It seemed to do OK with my french pronunciation, but very poorly with my German. I'm blaming Tesla here. -mm

+1 for Mischief Brew! i was just listening to songs from under the sink

I just drove the Tesla home for lunch and tried again; Mischief Brew worked. Even played Ballad of the Cloth off of Free Radical Fever. -mm

Given the large cost difference, how would you say the overall value per dollar of the Tesla S compares to the newly price-reduced Chevy Volt?

you can't really compare the two. The Tesla is unprecedented in that it goes 265 miles on a charge and is as fast as a Panamera GTS. It's in a different league and it is worth its higher price because of performance and intangibles that is shares with cars like a Porsche. Volt is more of a sensible type of plug-in. -- DE

Why are you doing an AMA about the 2013 Tesla S but not for the other vehicles that you test?

The Tesla was requested by reddit readers. Make a request and we will try to comply. --Dd

Thanks for answering. Please do an AMA/test for the 2013 Rossion Q1. If that's too exotic I guess a 2013 BMW ActiveHybrid 5 would be okay.

Please choose from the cars in our long-term test fleet

Why/how is a 87 grand national in your long term test fleet?

We always have one cool old car in our fleet. It started with a 1984 Ferrari. We were shopping for a Long Term Camry, i think it was, and we said "Whoa, for this price we could get a Ferrari!" like everyone who's ever read the Want Ads/eBay has done. So we bought the Ferrari, too. Since then we've had an E46 M3, C5 Z06, 1991 Acura NSX and a 1985 Porsche 911. We've also got a project Miata. -mm

How is the FRS as a daily driver?

A little coarse, a little small and a little loud. My commute is rough, slow LA traffic where I'd really prefer something like a Passat TDI for a daily, but if yours has things like turns, open roads and smooth pavement, it'll be pretty darned good. Before the supercharger, we were averaging 24 mpg and driving it like goons. -mm

Thanks for the reply! Hypothetically, if your commute was 50/50 in terms of open roads and traffic, would the FRS merit your recommendation?

Off topic, do you think something like the FRS or Genesis coupe would be considered a collectors car in the distant future?

It's kind of up to you, really. The FR-S isn't a car I'd like to commute in. It takes work to drive and at 6am I want easy. Do lots of people do it every day happily and eagerly? Absolutely. Sit in it. Drive it. See if you like driving it. The clutch is easy and it's got good visibility, good reliability so far and good fuel economy. Oh, and on light traffic days it can be pretty fun. -mm

Out of curiosity - why would you test both an FR-S and a BR-Z? It's essentially the same car...

Well, there are some differences-- especially on the interior-- but really we bought the FR-S to modify while the BRZ was stock. The Scion just got its supercharger a couple of weeks ago. -mm

That makes a lot of sense, that way you can test what will (probably) be a common modification and get a pretty good comparison while you simultaneously get a feel for both the Subaru and Scion styles. Smart.

Edit -

Follow up - which do you like better? The BR-Z or FR-S?

Pre supercharger: BRZ. Post Supercharger: FR-S. Subaru looks a little nicer and has a better interior with a slightly better radio interface/stereo and, iirc, a nicer ride. (It's been so long since our FR-S was stock.) Adding power (still not enough, btw) makes up for all of that. -mm

If you've ever tested a 370z, how do they compare? I currently drive a 2009 370z (perf) and I'm curious is it was worth the extra money.

Love this question. We've tested a bunch of 370s over the years, and people tend to forget this thing exists. In our testing, a '12 370Z was a second and-a-half quicker to 60 than the BRZ (w/6MT) and almost 10mph faster through the quarter-mile. 3 mph faster through the slalom, too. Not going to lie, I'll take power over delicate, precise handling any day and thus prefer the Z even if the motor does, somehow, sound worse than boxer in the BRZ. I'd have a tougher time picking between the V6 Mustang and the 370Z. -mm

You should x-post this in /r/autos and /r/cars

OK

First off, I really appreciate the long-term blog, it provides a lot of valuable insight!

Based on your impressions of the build quality of the Tesla Model S so far, how do you expect it to hold up over the coming years? Do you think it will be a good used-car buy in 5 years?

Thanks for the kind words about the blog. They're still working out some kinks but it's been fine for us so far. No worse than any other first-year car. -- DD and DE

Do you think it is possible to make an entry level car based with the tesla s drivetrain or idea?

And make a profit / break-even financially? Not yet. Not by a long shot. -mm

Have you noticed the weather affect its performance at all?

Will the bike fit?

Also, sorry to go a bit off-topic, but there are a bunch of long-termers that haven't had a wrap-up story, yet are out of the fleet. With the 2010 Fusion Hybrid and 2010 Kizashi (and probably many more), the posts simply stopped coming. I'm assuming you just returned them back to the automaker and that was that, but it would be nice to know final thoughts, etc.

Anyway, keep up the good work (like the article that thoroughly explained why mpg makes no sense, and Edmunds Live) and please try to minimize the "lists" you come out with. I was fine with one every month or two, but now it seems like every week I'm reading something that makes me feel like I'm being sensationally marketed to, even if the substance is there (like the well-thought-out used car classics one).

Yes, the bike will fit. 2 of them probably. -- DE

If you use the A/C a lot, you will see your range diminish fast. but we haven't had any real temp swings yet. We haven't taken it to any really cold weather spots yet. --DD

Since the transition back to Edmunds, not all of the wrap-ups have been formatted to this site. We are adding a few every week. They will show up eventually. -- DD

What do you think of Thorium Nuclear reactors?

They are not as good as oscillation overthrusters. -- DE

How does your experience and scoring of the car compare to Car and Driver's near perfect score?

I think you mean Consumer Reports, right? The Tesla certainly is an awesome performer but as a car there is still room for improvement in execution and fit/finish. We did give it an A Rating but its more like an A-minus. -- DE

It seems that, on balance, this is a much better mousetrap. Looks great, faster, handles well, cheap to operate. Customer service is unprecedented in the auto industry with loaners, breakeven operation etc. When you talk to the execs at MB, BMW, etc. what are they saying and how do they intend to compete?

I think Tesla's approach is interesting. They're building a high-end car that's worth the money, EV or not. The rest seem to be building adapted cars to fulfill an EV mandate, so you get $35,000 Ford Foci and Honda Fits. Tesla is building a brand and will move downmarket as they cost comes down. -- DE

Tesla keeps adding features instead of waiting for the annual refresh, what do you think of that and when should a buyer purchase?

If you buy it now, they can upgrade certain things throughout your experience. No need to wait. Software updates happens overnight automatically. Hardware is another matter. -- DD

What are the most needed improvements that have yet to be seen by tesla in terms of features and hardware? Where is it lacking and when do you expect it to be resolved by?

ipod connectivity. Currently the USB only allows for power and you have to stream thru Bluetooth. Every other carmaker has figured this out. --MM

Bluetooth sounds better. Why have a connector that can be outdated in a year or so(and only for iphones)

You don't even need to take your phone out of your pocket for bluetooth to work.

Two reasons: 1) Most of the time I don't want to pair my phone or take calls while driving and I certainly don't want it popping up on the screen and being all annoying. 2) I have a crusty old iPod with most of my music. It doesn't have Bluetooth. -MM

HPWC delivery should be with the car, if not before. We waited months. Same for cargo cover. -- DE

No questions about the Tesla, but I just wanted to say I really miss the Inside Line Long Term Road Tests blog. The new format just ain't the same.

I miss it too but we're trying our best to recreate the experience on Edmunds.com. If you have any ideas for improvements to the current format, let me know. -- DD

Your reviews helped me pick out my first car. I couldn't be happier so thanks for being so great!

Glad we could help! -mm

I love hearing that. Thanks! -- DD

How livable is a car with such a large battery capacity if you don't have a high-performance charger at the destination? As an example, my family lives about 200 miles from my house, so a drive to visit them would consume the entire battery pack's range. Is it reasonable to do this as an overnight trip, given only 120 on the other end to recharge?

If you have 120-volt on the other end and you drain the battery, it takes 3 days. you need 240. But the Tesla works at RV parks where electric hookups for motor homes are provided. So there are a lot more places to charge than you thinks. Any KOA camp ground for example. -- DE

My parents live in the boonies. Unless Tesla's putting supercharger stations in Dayton and Columbus, I might be SOL. That'd be a bummer.

But yes, there are going to be instances where this car just doesn't quite work out. The diff between an EV and fossil fuel cars is that you can install your own station, you don't have to wait for someone else to do it. -- DE

The supercharger network is going to stretch coast to coast by the middle of next year. And you can always buy a charger for your family's home. There are options. -- DE, MM, DD

Would you recommend buying a Tesla model S now or hold your money into Tesla stock until you make enough profit to have one for free?

No one can predict the stock market, ever. -- DD

Depends, did you buy it under $50 -- MM

For the last few weeks we've been hearing about how the Model S has surpassed the S-Class on terms of U.S. sales. Do you think this is justified by the Tesla's qualities as a car or is it due to the novelty factor of owning a luxury green car, an advancement from the Prius ?

It's a fun talking point, that an EV is outselling all of these traditional luxury cars, that's for sure. The S-Class is, however, at the very very end of its life-cycle and its replacement is due this year. That said, your points are all correct. Yes, it's a novelty and a number of owners I know bought it specifically because of that. What they didn't quite realize is that they're also getting a very, very good car that is on-par with the other luxury sedans available today, albeit with a drastically different driving demeanor. -mm

Is this a commercial?

Nope. We get a lot of questions about our Model S, a video of ours tookoff here on R/Videos and we thought an IamA would be fun. That's it. I mean, sure, go to our site and look around, but we're here to answer questions on Reddit, not just direct you to over to Edmunds. -mm

Is there any sort of electronic foot lightening on it? In other words, some sort of switch that you can set how fast you want it to accelerate so you can stretch the battery out?

How quiet is it on the inside? Are there weird relay sounds?

What type of maintenance do they need? Can you get parts for them (say brake pads) easily? I owned a 2001 Insight that pretty much nobody would touch and I had to order parts for it online to avoid being nailed at the dealership.

Does it come with any sort of emergency road service? What happens if you blow something important in a rural area?

There's a nifty lever directly under your right foot that will help determine how much you accelerate and how quickly the battery drains. -MM

There is a meter that gives you instant feedback. I call it a "leadfoot meter" and I can tell when Mike's been driving.

I don't know what you mean - MM

Not specifically foot lightening, but you can adjust the aggressiveness of the regenerative braking, and there is a creep mode you can turn on and off. -- DE

It is very quiet inside. Less "haunted house" brake regen noises than a typical Prius.

Maintenance is a TBD, and the strong brake regeneration (magnetic braking, more or less) keeps brake pad wear and tear to a minimum. And at the end of the day they're just brake pads. -- DE

P85 or the other non performance model? i drove the p85 and the acceleration was felt in places i didnt know i could feel acceleration...

P85. And you're right...It's kind of nutty. -mm

Thanks for AMA. Couple of questions:

1. 25 mile communte (each way). Employer will pay for electricity. Recommended electric cars for this? Is the Tesla still too pricey?

2. What's up with the GPS? I think it was not included in the base package, but included with tech upgrade to the tune of $3K. Is this still the case?

3. Any thoughts on how much used Teslas will go for?

Thanks.

*1) An EV sounds perfect for this. Especially if there's a charger at work. If not, a Tesla / Leaf would be perfect here. We've got a guy here that does 30 miles each way with his Leaf. Is it too pricey? That's between you and your accountant. *2) Yep. Still $3,500. *3) I don't believe there's been enough turnover to get an accurate gauge here. That said, there's still a wait list so I'm not expecting a big first-year depreciation like with most cars. -mm

For 100k, what other car would you guys say this telsa model s is similar to performance wise?

Porsche Panamera GTS ($113K) is the closest in terms of price, performance and purpose. And without question I'd take the Porsche. EV's sound neat, that GTS sounds evil...it's awesome. -mm

Not really a Tesla-specific question, but how do the team feel about touch screen interfaces vs real knobs? I like the flexibility of the touch screen, but you HAVE to look at it.

I'm with you. I wish the Tesla had a couple of master knobs to complement its screen. I think Infiniti does it best: a touchscreen, but a central control dial can be used to make the same selections instead if you prefer. And there are some fixed controls, steering controls and voice -- you have your choice of 2 or 3 ways to do anything depending on you preference, circumstances, etc. -DE

I'm less a fan of touchscreens than I am of knobs or control wheels (iDrive, Comand). Like you said, they require a bunch of time with your eyes away from the road and to avoid getting overcrowded, useful things are buried in sub-menus requiring even more screen-pressing and looking away. I think right now BMW has the best mix of buttons (HVAC, stereo volume) and screen (song choice, nav input, etc) use with MB following a very similar pattern. -mm

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Surprisingly, yes. And you can do pretty good burnouts. Most EV makers limit the initial torque you get to avoid these things. Not only does Tesla give you all the beans you ask for, but gives you a real on-off switch for the traction control. -mm

What's the most annoying thing to live with day after day in the Model S? Most unexpectedly good aspect?

Annoying: interior boom on some rough roads. Mercedes-Benz stalks weren't so great when MB had them on its cars. -- DE For me, battery drain when parked. -- DD Good: Max volume is 11. Incredibly fast and eerily so because of zero shifts and lack of noise. Holds a lot of stuff: front trunk and rear and under the hatch. Very practical. -- DE

Are there any video footage of you guys test driving this electric car?

Here's a quick Track Tested video on the car. -mm

Do you believe other car makers will catch up quickly to Tesla or will they remain in a class by themselves for years to come?

Good question. I think there are carmakers who could catch up pretty quick if they saw the profit/volume potential. The EV market is so polluted with tax rebates and government funding it's hard to get an accurate picture of what the actual demand is for these things. Which, I guess, puts them alone for a few years at least. -mm

Do you need any more people to test cars for your? On a serious note, what is your personal favorite feature that the general public doesn't get to see, also the flip side what is your least favorite feature?

Favorite feature for me is dual-zone climate control. The girlfriend is always 95 degrees colder than I am and wants the heat while I need the A/C set somewhere around absolute zero. Least favorite feature: Automatic fan speed for the HVAC (it just goes too fast/too slow/too fast/too slow), auto-locking doors or non-defeat stability control -mm

What is the total potential energy fully charged?

No idea, so I'm going to paraphrase Neal Stephenson and say "enough to fire a pound of bacon into the asteroid belt." -mm

Has a car manufacturer ever contacted you about a negative thing you have said and demanded you changed it? If so, how did you handle it?

Better yet, has a competing manufacturer attempted to sabotage a positive review of a car?

Sorry for the long wait; this has never happened to me so I had to go up the chain. Scott says that yes, this has happened and that if our report is factually correct, we don't change a thing. The answer to the second question is No. -mm / SO

Is my '86 Tempo valuable?

If it gets you where you need to go and back, yes. -mm

Please comment on sales overseas. It seems like many countries are more interested in electric cars than the US. The northern European countries and China for example. The market would appear to be huge and they may not be dealing with the "dealer network" battle in the US.

We're not really hip to Elon's future plans in those markets. but I can't see him turning his back on other markets once he gets enough Production capacity. --DE

I'm not fully up on Tesla features; are there remote features for pre-cooling or pre-heating the interior of the car from a smartphone, website, keyfob, etc?

From the app, you can also lock/unlock the doors, open the sunroof (even when the car is driving) and honk the horn. All fun to do when your boss has it for the night. -- MM

Yes, through the smartphone app, which is really easy to use and quick to respond. -- DD

fordson1 here. I understand that when staffers take cars on trips, sometimes it's business, sometimes pleasure...but why has no one really set out to test the Supercharger system by taking the Tesla S on a long trip? You are right in the Supercharger Playpen...if it won't work there, it won't work anywhere.

Our first Supercharger Road Trip

We've taken the Tesla on a number of trips using the Supercharger system, including when we picked it up from the factory. (Look for more trips coming up in the LT blog.) We've also used the Supercharger local to our office just to top it off instead of waiting around. -mm

I would say that most LT cars with almost 7k miles on them have been on trips of over 400 miles. Your CX-5 has been with you less time than the S and it has over 13k miles on it. That's because it has gone on real road trips, including the 2,500 miler to Wyoming most recently.

There are a couple in the works. I'm planning to take it to Oregon for Christmas. -- DE

Why even purchase it when there is no cost benefit?

Because it's new and it's awesome. Not everything works out on a dollar-based cost/benefit calculator. -MM

But I think in vehicles touted for efficiency if the ratio isn't in your favor why bother? A sports car is arguably more worth it for its purpose compared to cost. Both cars have separate purposes.

I think you're looking at the Model S from the wrong direction. First, EVs and hybrids aren't necessarily about efficiency as much as they are about a volumetric reduction in fuel consumption. Obviously the people buying the Model S (and the Roadster before it) and every household in Beverly Hills with a Prius can afford the gas on any car on the road today, but choose the alt-powered ones for reasons beyond cost.

Second, compare this one less with a sports car and more with something like a Porsche Panamera GTS or Mercedes S63 AMG -- big, luxurious family haulers that happen to go stupid fast.

This car goes from A-B in style, comfort and speed with unmatched presence right now. If you can swing it, why WOULDN'T you buy it? -MM

Have you ever experienced a backup at any charging station of any type since you had the car? What is your prediction for that scenario going forward, and how would it affect your purchase consideration?

One person has, but I make a habit of visiting superchargers when I'm driving non-Teslas just to keep an eye on it. And i haven't seen any lines yet. But I have heard stories on certain holiday weekend-type situations. Tesla is adding more slots at existing ones and they say they are going to upgrade them from 90-kw to 120-kw to speed up charge time. But I haven't seen any of those in the field just yet. --DE

I have heard that the Gilroy one (near the Bay area) can get busy because of all the concentration of Tesla owners trying to use it. we'll be going there and trying it ourselves soon. -- DE and MM

Have you tested the new performance package?

Sort of. The first we tested was Elon's and it had some prototype version of the perf package. Not sure if the Production version is exactly the same but it did stick a little better in corners. But the standard P85 is no slouch. --DE

Did you read proof your title?

Obviously not. That was my fault. -- DD