Tesla Model S: The good, the bad and the downright annoying

If there is one electric car that sells the electric dream best, it is the Tesla Model S. Not only does it look decent, owing to the fact the Model X SUV looks like it has been squished and inflated, it has a 100kWh battery, which is as big as it gets right now.

As a result, the all-electric beast can travel around 300 miles on a single charge, although this largely depends on how often you remind yourself what instant torque feels like. And you will remind yourself quite often because it is like being on a fair ground ride.

Being highly practical helps, too, as you can get up to seven passengers inside the Model S. Provided, of course, you spec those extra rear-facing seats in the boot and can find two people small enough to use them.

There is also the fact that your average consumer is a fan of Tesla and there is some truth to that, given that the Californian manufacturer received 500,000 pre-orders for its most affordable offering, the Model 3. A car since plagued by production issues (blame lithium).

Having first driven the Tesla Model S in 2014 and then again in 2016, followed by the Model X in 2017, we have become well-acquainted with the Tesla way. But there is always a chance that time has been unkind, is it still as revolutionary?

DriveTribe's Ben Griffin decided to find out, by driving from Surrey to the Lake District on a sunny Bank Holiday weekend, which ended up being an eight and a half hour trafficathon, and then home a few days later. Destination: Another Place, The Lake.

The good

Red is the best colour for a Tesla. No arguing please

Red is the best colour for a Tesla. No arguing please

As we made our way to the A3, the Model S felt instantly familiar. Its 'Bauhaus' interior may lack the plushness and sheen of a Mercedes, but there is something pleasant and futuristic about the way it hates buttons and clutter.

That instant access to eerily silent performance, the sort that can embarass almost every car on the road (even without the 'P' for Performance badge), also feels good. As good as it did four-ish years ago.

Ride quality is another plus. Its suspension system can get a bit upset with certain bumps, but smooth cruising is the default 99 per cent of the time. As is a relative lack of road noise, which lets the still-impressive sound system do its thing, via Spotify.

Tell people that a two-tonne, American-sized saloon with a gigantic battery cell in the floor handles well and most laugh. But then Top Gear's Chris Harris agrees it is no slouch in this department, either. Its low centre of gravity, balance and easy steering make it a real corner-muncher when it needs to be.

Our test car was in 'salesman' mode, apparently, which inhibited a bit of private road testing. Suffice to say, though, those two motors, which power the front and rear wheels, get you to 70mph in rapid fashion.

Honestly, nudge the throttle a bit at 50mph to overtake something and, about a second or two later, whatever slow-coach was in your way is now a dot in the rear-view. Electric motoring is feisty, which is why Jaguar actually had to add in an artificial delay for its I-Pace.

Withnail and I fans will know the significance of this sign

Withnail and I fans will know the significance of this sign

Remember, the Model S and all other cars in the Tesla range only have one gear so there is less chance of you fluffing up your launch. And there is no need for the revs to build up very highly to witness every horsepower and maximum torque.

Stopping in traffic, which happened a lot as we crept along various motorways, was similarly convenient. Its default energy regeneration level provides enough braking to do away with using the brakes altogether (if you are the sort of driver who leaves a gap).

Our car lacked the rather useful and heavily criticised 'Autopilot' system because our car had been used by an influencer recently and Tesla's UK PR team prefers to teach them the ropes before letting them use it.

That speaks volumes about that gap between semi-autonomous and completely self-driving, an issue that involves not just Tesla. But we did miss its ability to maintain a gap, change lanes for you and generally save you from doing anything but steer.

It has nothing to do with driving being dull. On the contrary, we are the type to always go for a manual where possible and maximise the experience. But when stuck on a motorway, all you want to go is get where you are going and Autopilot helps with that.

To complete our journey, which was over 300 miles, we had to recharge just the once. This was done at a Supercharger along the way. There was less mileage in the battery than we needed so we pulled in for a coffee, stretch of the legs and to be shafted by service station pricing.

Having given up on arriving at Another Place, The Lake hotel on time, we sipped our cappucino slowly. We only needed about 30 minutes to get the power back to a very high level, a time much-needed after so many hours of motoring.

There is hassle when it comes to planning a journey. We were anxious the Superchargers would be out of action (they weren't) and being used (we only saw one fellow Tesla), but neither was an issue.

But then that depends on whether your destination includes superchargers and a destination charger, where you can tuck the Tesla into bed, give it some electric juice and return to it in the morning with 100 per cent. Because without that, long journeys make life more complicated.

There are pluses to charging an electric car, though. For one thing, your parking space is the same as where you fill up, unlike in a petrol or diesel, and knowing you filled up for free is vastly superior to spending £60 or so each time.

The bad

The Lake District really is very pretty.

The Lake District really is very pretty.

Not all was 100 per cent care-free over our weekend. For one thing, the map is great at telling you where all the Superchargers are as part of the Google Maps system. But it can be difficult to know whether to go back on yourself to a charger or onto the next one if desperate.

There is also the need to be super vigilant when cruising along with people around because of the Tesla's ability to creep up on unsuspecting pedestrians. The startled look on people's faces when they turn round to see two tonnes of metal is priceless.

You could also accuse the Tesla Model S of being less involving than some of its rivals, although this is somewhat undone by the performance. Its steering wheel is beefy, American style, and it keeps front-wheel communication to a minimum.

Another issue is that the infotainment system, as easy to use as it is, can sap too much of your attention. Having mapping and Spotify occupying half of the screen each is great, but navigating through lots of menus to find what you need is not.

The downright ugly

The Model S bum has aged the least well, in our humble opinion

The Model S bum has aged the least well, in our humble opinion

We have the left the worst until last because, quite honestly, the Model S feels as ahead of its time even now. Yes, some of the cabin materials could be better but then you get plastic in most, if not all of its rivals. But then nothing creaks or squeaks either.

No, what really soured the experience was the 40 minutes at the start of our drive where, for reasons said to be down to a necessary software update, the infotainment system kept crashing.

This meant to ability to adjust the air conditioning, which was preferabke because it was as hot as the sun outside, was impossible. So was entering a destination, which meant relying on Waze (not a bad thing), and playing music. Basically, all but driving and the hazard lights.

We were starting to get sore thumbs from having to hold down both the scrolly wheels either side of the steering wheel as part of the reset process. Not exactly great on a car that can cost over £100,000, although it did begin working after the umpteenth attempt.

For the Model S to have this kind of issue feels like a backwards step, especially after a few years of production and service under its belt. But then it is remarkable how accomplished the Model S is given how young Tesla is and that this was its first 'proper' attempt.

Will it please a die-hard petrolhead? You would be surprised, but then it was never designed to outdo a Porsche 911 or other performance cars (although it can in some cases). That will be the Roadster 2.0's job, which on paper sounds like an absolute monster.

Ultimately, the Model S is still an expensive motor, the payback time of which is substantial. But then there is nothing else quite as fast and eco-friendly. And these are pluses motorists are seemingly all-too happy to pay for.