Tesla put to the test

It’s been tough climbing back into my old Mazda after 72 hours behind the wheel of a Tesla.

The electric car giant is not far off opening its first New Zealand retail store and service centre on Karangahape Rd, Auckland.

Before that however, Tesla gave this lucky Stuff reporter the keys to a Tesla Model S P100D for a weekend. I suddenly found myself sat behind the wheel of one of the fastest production cars in the world with a price tag of $273,000.

There’s more than 200,000 Tesla on the roads globally.

The cars have autopilot capability however, I didn’t have the courage to trial that feature.

For you speed demons out there, the Model S goes from 0-100kmh in a stomach-dropping 2.7 seconds. It features a Ludicrous Performance Mode which essentially means when you hit it, the car goes even faster.

But when it isn’t breaking land speed records, the Model S is actually a very comfortable ride.

It doesn’t make any noise, which takes some getting used to.

A full charge takes up to two hours at a standard charging station, or 30 minutes at a Tesla Super Charge Station. Tesla chief executive Elon Musk said on Twitter that on a full charge, the Model S should travel ‘‘over 1000km, with the right tyres’’.

The minimalist, spaceship-like interior makes the car feel bigger than it is. There is no handbrake or gearstick in the middle consol, which is part of the allure. There is nothing in the way. It’s just you and more than 500kw of power at your feet.

However the car isn’t perfect. The sleek shape of the car leaves very little room for the rear window, not ideal when you are trying to back out of a driveway. But the reversing camera display looks high definition and helps when reversing.

This is not a car for petrol heads who love to hear and feel the roar of an engine.

But for those wanting a car that ticks all the boxes in terms of style, speed and efficiency, the Model S is hard to look past.

With a price tag of up to $300,000, I had better start cutting back on the smashed avocado.