2013 Tesla Model S Release date, Price, Interior, Exterior, Engine. - The dim outline of Santa Rosa Island is just barely visible on the horizon as we peer south across the Pacific Ocean toward Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Southern California. Were 120 miles from home base and our 2012 Tesla Model S sits quiet in a roadside turnout on the Pacific Coast Highway. But this pure electric luxury sedan isnt stranded with its battery perilously low on juice. No, we came to this remote stretch of unspoiled coastline on purpose, taking advantage of a lull in our schedule to go for a drive for the pure enjoyment of it.
The 2013 Tesla Model S is the second year for the first high-volume car from Silicon Valley startup Tesla Motors. It went into production in June 2012, and by late 2012, the company was building a few hundred each week, to work down its backlog of more than 10,000 orders for the all electric luxury sport sedan. The long, sleek shape of the 2013 Model S seems to remind onlookers most of the Jaguar XJ and XF sedans good company to keep if youre a startup luxury carmaker. The interior is well made, but fairly simple, dominated by the stunning 17 inch touchscreen display mounted vertically in the center of the dashboard. Its sheer size, graphic design, bright display, and lightning quick response really make any other cars touchscreen interface feel 10 years old. Theres also a smaller instrument display for the driver in the usual position behind the steering wheel. While we wonder about the distraction that comes from relegating all the minor controls to the center display, it has large icons and clear, easy to read fonts, so its more usable than any weve seen.
The standard motor is a 270 kilowatt (362 hp) unit that powers the rear wheels. The more powerful Model S Performance version upgrades to a 301 kW (416 hp) motor, letting it rocket from 0 to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Standard versions reach that speed in 6 to 7 seconds. The Tesla Model S handles and holds the road like a sports car, due to a center of gravity thats lower than any other sedan. It rides firmly over pavement imperfections youll know its not a soft luxury sedan that floats over anything on the road but the air suspension keeps the ride remarkably good over bigger bumps, lumps, and even the deepest potholes and most uneven surfaces.
With such large battery packs, fast recharging is a must. The Tesla specific charging station delivers power to one or two 10 kilowatt onboard chargers the second is optional on some models with the 20 kW charging about three times as fast as any other plug in car. Tesla is also rolling out its own, unique Supercharger network of fast chargers sited between city pairs. These will largely (but not completely) recharge a Model S pack in roughly half an hour. Stop and plug in, Tesla says, use the rest rooms, get a coffee, check your mobile device, and then you can be on your way with another 150 or 200 miles available. If the network can cover enough routes Tesla says itll offer national coverage by the end of 2013 it will make intercity travel possible in a zero emission car for the first time ever. And as a bonus for Tesla drivers, the electricity provided by the Supercharger network is free.
2013 Tesla Model S Price :
For 2013, the various Model S versions are priced from $57,400 to $87,400 before incentives and options. Top end models can touch $100,000, though of course the running costs of grid electricity are just a fraction of the gasoline used by competing luxury sedans. The Tesla Model S qualifies for a $7,500 Federal income-tax credit, along with a wide array of state, local, and corporate incentives including, in California, single occupant access to the carpool lane on the states crowded freeways.
The 362 hp Signature model we drove, priced at $96,570 before a $7500 federal tax rebate, strained its leash with its prodigious electric muscles and flat tracked through 80 mph sweepers directed by fast steering with piano wire tension to the wheels. It pounced from an on-ramp like the jaguar on the hood of the Jaguars it resembles, hitting 100 mph with a whisper of electromotive acceleration. Tesla says the hottest model, the Signature Performance ($106,570), which has the largest available battery and produces the most torque, will hit 60 mph in the mid fours. At this point, we don’t doubt it.
