The Tesla Roadster is probably one of the most unique and interesting cars that i've driven. My brother's friend recently ordered one and I really didn't understand why he'd pay so much for an electric car but after my test drive I know exactly why. The particular car that I drove is Tesla's marketing car and it will appear in magazines and other media. As I was leaving the dealership after the test drive a Japanese film crew was about to shoot the car that I just drove.
As most of you know, the Tesla Roadster is based on the Lotus Elise chassis. The Toyota VVTi motor has been replaced with an electric motor and around 6800 laptop batteries. There have been numerous changes to the chassis and suspension as the batteries add around 900 pounds of weight to the car. A standard Elise weighs around 1950 pounds and the Tesla weighs around 2600 pounds. With the assistance of Lotus, Tesla was able to reduce the weight of the standard Elise.
The first thing you notice when getting inside the car is that the door sills are much lower than in the Elise and Exige, helping ingress and egress. There is a standard key which you twist to turn on the car, except there is no engine sound when the car is turned on. There is an electronic chime that informs you that the car is turned on. There is a small LCD information display on the left side of the steering column, here you can adjust the driving modes of the car, get battery charge information, etc. The newer models will have this display mounted on the center column for ease of use and for the passengers to see.
The Tesla Roadster is quite different from a standard gasoline engine car and there are a few things that take getting used to. First of all, there is only the tire and wind noise when the car is moving, it feels very strange at first but you get used to it. Secondly, the transmission has only one gear ratio and as a result you don't have to shift gears. Another thing that takes getting used to is the "engine braking" when getting off the gas. The sensation is similar to a manual transmission car when you're cruising in a low gear at high-rpm and let go of the gas, the car starts to slow down due to the engine braking. This engine braking feature is designed to slightly engage the brakes during coasting so that the regenerative brakes can partially charge the batteries.
Out on the road I first tried the car in standard mode. The steering is heavy when the car is standing still but lightens up as soon as the car gets going. I first got my feel for the power when I had to merge into traffic. Pushing the power pedal down resulted in a very linear and strong wave of power, unlike anything that i've experienced before. The feeling is very addictive and the car feels very stealthy as there's no resulting engine sound when the pedal is floored. I have to say though, the only gasoline engines that came close to matching the smooth power delivery of the Tesla were in the Ferrari 575 and 599. The electric motor is rated at 248hp but it felt a lot more powerful than that. A gasoline motor with similar response and torque would have to have at least 400hp and 400lb-ft of torque.
On twisty roads is where the Tesla really displays its full capabilities. The steering has plenty of feedback and the pedals are properly weighted. You can clearly feel the extra weight of the batteries in the back and higher center of gravity as compared to the Elise. As a result the car tends to understeer at the limit but turn in still quite sharp. There's also a bit of roll due to the added weight and the car isn't as quick to change directions as the Elise. When I selected the performance mode I could hardly notice the difference in power. In performance mode the batteries are allowed to run hotter and as a result they drain much faster. I personally don't see the need of ever putting the car into performance mode as the extra performance is neglibible and the battery life is reduced. The car that I drove had the dark finish wheels with Yokohama A048 performance tires that will be available on the upcoming 288hp Roadster Sport. As I was testing out the car's handling on some nice twisty and hilly roads I had to make an emergency stop as there was standing traffic in front of me as I crested a hill. I have to admit that I did get scared for a sec but luckily I managed to stop in time. The AP brakes and the A048 tires did their job well but initially I did feel the ABS kick in and the A048s slipped enough to make me think that I was going to rear-end a truck.
Overall, the Tesla Roadster is a very impressive car. I still can't believe how a car that doesn't make any sound is capable of such performance. The Roadster is quite expensive with a starting price of $109,000 but the 3.9 second 0-60 acceleration and overall nice composure of the car make it seem worthwhile. The Tesla Roadster has provided me with a tough benchmark to judge other cars' power delivery by, it's hardly fair but good reference point nonetheless.