I rented a Tesla S over the weekend from Club Sportiva. They have the $110 performance everything but the kitchen sink version (I'll have a column up on my weekend experience shortly but it is titled "in search of a charger" so you can get the drift).

I was actually thinking of buying one. We went by the Jaguar dealer on Sunday and it was quiet so they wanted to see how the Tesla would do against the V8 F-Type in a freeway run-on. The Jaguar sales rep was driving the F-Type with my wife as passenger, I was solo in the Tesla. She signaled go and the Tesla left the F-Type behind. Now realize it had my wife so more weight and the Tesla tops out at 130 but it only has one gear to the F-Type's 8. Also because the Tesla is dead quiet I think I got about a half second jump on the Jag. Now in corners there is no real competition the Tesla is really heavy and corners well for a big sedan which is to say not that well. On a lark I turned traction control off and jumped on the Tesla on the on ramp and almost went sideways into the bridge embankment I was passing.

You jump on it at slow speeds with traction off (which really isn't all the way off) and it is very hard to keep straight, it feels like a rocket under your butt. Fortunately this version of the Tesla isn't the most popular but I'd avoid taking one on unless you are sure it isn't the performance version. I'd also recommend if you get the chance to test drive one if you get the chance, it is crazy quick for a big car. I still prefer the F-Type because I'm more a sports car guy bet beware the Tesla Performance edition it'll dust most cars on the road in a straight line and particularly with the traction control off.

If you are in California and want to rent one Club Sportiva has one to rent along with other unusual cars like the new McLaren, they even have the new Viper and just picked up an Aston Martin Vantage (they had a DB-9 and it drove like a Lincoln and not in a good way). Oh and they will have an F-Type shortly. I'm going to have a great summer.

Don't feel bad, by the way, here is a video of a Tesla S vs. a Viper:
It dusted the Viper too.

 

I am surprised by that...as it is trapping only around 110mph in the 1/4.

From a roll I would expect the V8S to slowly pull ahead as speed increased. I wonder what gear the sales guy started in? It might have kicked down when he floored it if he wasnt in the right gear already. Also the car may get quicker as it breaks in, as some motors do.

I saw a guy in a model s fly away from a stoplight a couple weeks ago and get pulled over by a TX state trooper. He was probably going 90 in a 50. My radar was going off...and I guess he didnt have one.

 

I think it is the torque. The electric gets 100% instantly and with an automatic it is harder to get into the power band instantly. When you are already doing 60 or so and don't want to go to jail you're limit is 90 and that is a pretty small window that favors the Tesla. I've been looking at Tesla drag races and the car is in the mid 12s most of the time in the quarter. That's an older viper without traction control and it looks like the driver was trying to keep from cooking his tires. Viper's often don't hook up on the quarter because they have so much torque and just sit and fry the tires. Still, if you get the chance to drive a Tesla S I'd do it, I just wouldn't own one yet. The old Tesla sports car on a fast launch was like a roller coaster, it felt like my stomach had moved to the back seat, the S isn't that crazy but it is still quick.

 

I havent seen ftype qtr mile numbers yet, but i know of 3 xfr's that are in the high 11's stock. I drove a xfr s last week, 1st 1 in houston and its even faster than a regular xfr

 

I know it wasn't a very scientific test but, I Think that if the F was in Dynamic Mode and the driver were to be shifting manually it may have been a different outcome. Don't know much about the Tesla,but depending on RPM and mode I have been surprised at both how fast and how slow the F Type can be.
One thing for sure, the F Type is louder ! LOL

 

I think the other driver just mashed the throttle like I did, so I agree had he had it in a lower gear, had it been in dynamic, and had he actually started when I did the result would have been different. No argument on the sound. When the V8 F opens up and the active exhaust kicks in you could wake the dead, I actually like the sound of the 6 in the same mode better, more F1 like less Cobra. It was sure fun to drive both though.

 

Teslas are ugly over priced hatchbacks that have weird dashboards! How can you compare that to a beautiful British work of art? Tesla has the highest warrantee cost for any new car co and they will be lucky to be in business in 5 years. I would take a used 2009 Jag XJ Portfolio over a brand new Tesla any day of the week. Just my two cents from a lover of British brands who happens to be in the Automotive business who sells everything but Teslas!

 

You should probably start thinking about selling Teslas...

 

There's no doubt about it: Tesla makes one of the quickest accelerating cars.

 

The Viper is a difficult car to launch because of the low-end torque it makes and the fact that it's not really a drag car anyway. You really have to get good at feathering the clutch to get a decent 60' time. Having run a Gen 2 and Gen 3 Viper (both with headers and exhaust) I can tell you that the Gen 2's clutch was easier to launch the car with but if done right, you can consistently get low 1.90s and high 1.80s on the factory tires. It looks like the guy in the video had ditched the stock Gen 3 run-flats but if he didn't then that'd help explain the launch (the run-flats are terrible). Bottom line is that his Viper should be able to run mid to high 11's at sea level, depending of course on the driver.

 

This is a really strange thread to necro... especially for a first post.

 

Straight line? Pfft...that's why they've invented this...

 

Even if the Teslas fly I would never ever spend to purchase one to drive it. The whole meaning of a car drive joy dies in the moment you sit on the wheel of a Tesla or alike car and drive it. I would take it as a passenger only, as a taxi or shuttle service, never as my car to drive. So whatever fast they can go is just no relation to a launch control with a V8 or big engine car. Is like to compare a joystick shoot to a gun shoot...

Down with the Teslas!

 

Silence or a sewing machine sound don't do it for me at all. A novelty for a while.

I've read that when you look at the bigger picture of resources it takes to run a Tesla, including disposal of the massive batteries, they are NOT so enviromentally correct.

 

Teslas are a pretty awesome experience to drive. They don't handle especially well IMO but the acceleration is a lot of fun. There's a reason I drive the F-Type, but all the Tesla hate seems to me likely to be from those who have never driven one.

 

Augmenting traditional combustion engines with electric motors has provided some spectacular results - McLaren P1, La Ferrari, Porsche 918 Spyder.

Tesla' influence on the automotive industry isn't all bad! And let's face it combustion engines are archaic (although a lot of fun), we are in their heyday and new tech will soon make them obsolete. Let's enjoy them while we can.

 

With all respect, I would have to drive a Tesla only if my government would force me to or if I had a taxi shuttle service with large company subsidy or city restrain (I'd fired myself and hire a driver possibly). The whole point is that I refuse to ever drive it not to mention compare a Tesla with a sport coupe V8 old school or new school. I'd call it an offense putting a Tesla aside on a drag test.

This is the kind of future I do not accept or welcome. I am so happy with the present! :-)

 

I drove a Tesla S a couple of weeks ago with the highest power option (can't remember the terminology). The acceleration was terrifying, but usable only on a completely empty road - and there aren't many of those. I think the Tesla S is quite a beautiful car outside, but very large, and colour makes an enormous difference. The interior leaves me absolutely FLAT. It has no warmth at all, lots of hard surfaces....and they even charge extra for a rudimentary console. For $100,000 plus is a little luxury too much to ask?
And the silence (there is road noise) also promotes a sterile atmosphere. No thanks. Give me a Jaguar with its beauty, comfort, far-more-than-adequate speed, and a beautiful, satisfying, soul-stirring engine/exhaust note...my choice is clear.

 

Yes...for all of two or three laps. Then the battery is toast. Let's see how well they fare during a 45 lap road race.

 

Lets be honest with ourselves, no one on this forum is the target audience for anything Tesla makes. The F-type and the Model S couldn't be more polar opposites as far as vehicles go.

That being said, the product Telsa makes is extremely popular and technologically advanced, which has a huge market for the non-car enthusiast. Owning a Tesla is a status symbol similar to owning the newest Iphone, where a majority of people are extremely jealous or have to run out and get one for themselves where as owning an F-type is like owning a Rolex; some people are jealous or stare, but the majority don't care much beyond a few moments.

What Tesla has done in the last few years can only be compared to the growth of Ford when the assembly line was created. Even given poor reliability and a less than ideal sales model, they sell more than they can produce. And this popularity will only be intensified once the model 3 comes out. Tesla is here to stay and is really reshaping the industry.