2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

We hit the magic 20,000 mile marker in our 2013 Tesla Model S, a record for an Edmunds long-term EV. Its long-range battery pack is the reason.

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fordson1

Oh, I see - it happened over 2 months ago, but they "have yet to respond" with an explanation. Hey - I'm sure it's just an oversight and they will have a complete explanation for you any minute now. In other news, in addition to no updates on this issue from Tesla corporate, the car is still fast and still gives range anxiety. So for the 20,000-mile update, there's nothing new. Thanks, Cameron.

markinnaples_

That was a major event, when it stopped abruptly and couldn't be moved. That could be one of the most dangerous events a driver could experience in the wrong situation. I cannot believe that Tesla hasn't at least gotten back to you with some response. Unbelievable, considering who you all are.



You know, it's a shame that Fisker went out of business as I saw two of them on the way into work this morning and they are infinitely better looking than the Tesla.

drcomputer

Unfortunately, facts don't mean much to Edmunds journalists. The recent software updates had nothing to do with the "creep" feature. This has been part of the firmware for over a year now. All one must do is click on the "release notes" button to see all of the new features in the current firmware.

shepski

"it's a shame that Fisker went out of business as I saw two of them on the way into work this morning and they are infinitely better looking than the Tesla." Hmmm... I wonder what the adjective for infinitely better looking than "gorgeous" is? You may far prefer the Fisker, but have you seen what that exterior has done to its interior usability? Can you fit five adults and tons of their crap in a Fisker? Nope. The Fisker may be awesome looking, but the Model S is brilliant.

wheelieone

drcomputer said exactly what I was thinking. Over the past year I have become suspicious of this Edmunds group. They've never seen a owner's manual that they wanted to read and unlike Motor Trend or Car and Driver, they really don't seem to know a whole hell of a lot about cars! But this gig gives them a clever way to drive a lot of different models.

jnb1

After one year and over 16K miles, my S has been relatively reliable. The only problems I've had -- both of which happened immediately after taking delivery -- were a faulty tire pressure monitor antenna and a faulty 3G antenna. Both antennas were replaced and both issues were quickly resolved. In the 16K miles since those problems, I really can't think of a single issue.

If you look at Consumer Reports, fellow owners are overwhelmingly satisfied with their car (99/100) and CR's surveys also showed average reliability, which means that quality really isn't a problem.

Certainly, the drive unit issue Edmunds experienced is potentially concerning, but given my experience and CR's reliability survey, it seems that a problem like this is really an outlier.

Overall, I'm thrilled with my car and at this point, I don't see myself driving anything but a Tesla.

duck87

Edmunds, looks like you guys just don't have any clout for anything. I think you've had a number of issues across multiple cars at this point but none of the manufacturers have tried to answer you.

gslippy

No updates in 9 days - is the S in the shop again? Hello?

hybris

Well it would seem that the Tesla is probably being wrapped up. Again being done in the highest level of secrecy just like the Dart. If you guys are going to decide to retire a car even if it is at the end of its test period (We know 1 year/20,000 miles is not a hard figure) at least say "We are wrapping up this car now" so as to reduce the number of "No updates in XX days" posts. Just a bit of common courtesy.

jemm55

Test drove and will order my Tesla Model S 85 today.

Oddly, my wife noted a glaring engineering defect. She is only 5 feet tall and the seatbelt harness is not adjustable on the door column. Therefore she has to raise the seat in order to have the seatbelt not strangle her.

Pretty simple stuff but seems to me an obvious standard found in even the lowest priced vehicles.

sleepydoc1

I took possession of my new Model S 6 months and 6 days ago. So far I have had three warranty visits. The first was for a failed drivers door handle ("failed to present"), the second was for a drive train replacement and a second door handle failure. I'm currently in the shop for a computer failure (console and dashboard both spontaneously rebooted, odometer showed 0 miles, touch screen failed, energy app was blank, console temperature showed "---" and console battery icon showed empty, no sound when turn signal but turn signal icons did work on dashboard. In Tesla's defense, the car continued to drive normally including regenerative braking.) I realize that Tesla is on the cutting edge, but how many times do most cars go in for warranty repairs in the first 6 months of ownership? I have 9,000 miles on the car.

nicad

Certainly been a while since there were any new observations? I have some questions. Does the car have any rattles? Does the new power train work the same as the older ones? How has the tire wear been ? How many miles you up to?
Looking forward to an update

gslippy

5 weeks, no updates, no wrap-up, nothing. And a contributor here (sleepydoc1) who says his Model S drivetrain was also replaced... at or before 9000 miles. Edmunds, you can be honest about what's going on here, but your silence implies a dark outcome for your Model S that you just don't want to discuss. Usually, there is a wrap-up sequence that includes some final impressions and resale information. You paid a lot of money for this car, so given your usual interest in getting the best resale, I'd expect to see a story on this - since EV resale is an important developing feature of the EV ownership experience.

gslippy

If you're done with a car, please take it off the 'current' list, and place it on the 'past' list. I suppose we should assume this car has gone to the same netherworld as the Dart, with no concluding remarks or explanations of its problems, and no resale story. You guys have no credibility.