The feeling of quality, the materials used for the finish, even the body painting and assembly – all this was more reminiscent of a self-made car assembled in a garage than a mass-produced car. Of course, I am thickening the colors, but the opinion was something like this.
However, time has shown that this did not bother those who wanted to buy not only an electric car (the Nissan Leaf was the most popular in the world at the time), but also a crazy fast car – the performance of the electric motor without compromise surpassed the most powerful (and at least twice as expensive) BMW, ” Mercedes-Benz or Audi business class cars. It is no wonder that the Model S quickly became the most popular electric car in the world, later giving way to the cheaper Model 3 of the same manufacturer (you can find its review here).
Over the years, the Model S has been constantly improved, the quality of the finish has improved – you can find a review of this used car here. However, the same features that attracted buyers remained – breathtaking dynamics and high-capacity batteries that ensure a long driving distance. Rushing into the production of electric cars, the Germans also began to offer electric cars with impressive capabilities, but they lacked one essential element.
And specifically, Tesla-like self-driving capabilities. Even the smaller Model 3 I tested is still the epitome for me of how a car can follow the road and drive without driver assistance – no other manufacturer’s model has yet convinced me that it won’t suddenly take off and lose its way by going in the wrong direction at one point or another.
Of course, this has a lot to do with the legal requirements for the driver to monitor the road and keep his hands on the steering wheel – it is very possible that if greater freedom at the wheel is legalized in Europe, self-driving driving will become better not only on highways, but also on ordinary winding country roads.
Admittedly, it is ironic that the Model S we tested was limited in its ability to fully utilize this feature. But even this did not prevent us from making sure that the car drives perfectly on a winding section of the road, where the models of all other manufacturers sooner or later gave up and left the required trajectory – you will see all this in the video review.
And it was also an interesting experience to drive a car with not a traditional round steering wheel, but a Formula 1 steering wheel without a top part – interesting, but certainly not always comfortable, especially when maneuvering in the city and on parking lots.
Of course, when the price of the representative model reaches as much as 96,788 euros (Sixt Leasing’s operating lease price is from 1,679 euros), the question arises whether the Model S is that much better than the twice cheaper, last year’s most popular car in Europe, the Model Y. , the review of which I also intend to prepare in the near future.
See more about the new Model S in the video.
