The Tesla Model S has been on sale a year in the USA and there is now one driving around Grand Cayman’s roads.

Michael Mandish took delivery of the vehicle this week from Cayman Automotive.

So how good is the car?

Digital Spy has a review of it:

King of the electric cars?

By Ben Griffin

Design

The Model S is a big-old thing. It’s 5 metres long and more than 2 metres wide. Although an Aston Martin Rapide S is slightly bigger you will get used to a snug parking space fit.

As five-door saloons go, the Model S is really stylish. For what is an American car (Tesla is a Californian company), the styling is very Italian. Sleek, stylish and sophisticated. Memorable, too, thanks to that sort of mouth and ‘T’ Tesla badge.

Inside are two incredibly comfortable seats, gigantic touchscreen display (more on that later) and not a lot else. Sparse is the word we would use. An Aston Martin or Bentley feels more impressive inside, but the Model S makes up for luxury with a futuristic edge.

Cool features make the Model S stand out. The door handles extend out when you get close like the Jaguar F-Type. The engine start button turns on with virtually no fanfare. Forget turning a key. Even the speed dials are fully digital. More to go wrong, in theory, but very cool all the same.

Performance and handling

In the UK you get a choice of two models. The first has a 60kWh battery, giving it a range of 240 miles. Next up is the 85kWh, which can manage up to 312 miles on a single charge. Power output is higher for the bigger battery car.

There’s an option for the Model S 85kWh called Performance. Spend more money and you get 416hp instead of the 362hp in the non-Performance 85kWh model. As the name suggests, this model is even more rapid.

Spend even more money and the Model S can, like our test car, be fitted with a Performance Plus option that adds, among other things, 21-inch alloy wheels, even grippier Michelin Pilot Sport tyres and a spoiler. Yours for £5,500.

We refrained from testing the actual 0 to 62mph time because we found ourselves describing it as bloody quick. Make that scarily quick. Supposedly 4.2 seconds will have you doing 8mph less than the motorway speed limit, which is pretty ridiculous for a car capable of carrying seven people.

Much of that pace comes from the electric motor, which generates 600Nm and can do so instantly. This is unlike a petrol car, which needs to wait for the revs to pick up. The downside of electric is top speed, although 130mph is hardly slow.

The ride itself could be a little more involving but this is more of a big cruiser than a sports car, owing to its 2,100kg weight. A Ford Focus is around 1,360kg.

At least the steering is very light and we found the tyres gripped well. Braking is another highlight as there is plenty of power to bring you to a halt quickly without being snappy. Go into a corner fast and only a bit of manageable understeer will thwart you. Just be careful when you accelerate, as the back end does twitch under all that torque.

In ditching the combustion engine, things get much quieter. There’s no chuggy engine to vibrate the cabin, no engine noise to have to shout over when on the motorway. It’s just you, a supercharger-esque whine and rubber on tarmac. And children screaming in the back if you are a dad or mum.

This means the Model S is refined. Super refined, in fact. Just about everyone we’ve spoken to about the Model S uses the word ‘glide’. It really does glide along in a surreal fashion

Interior gadgets

The star of the show (and also the biggest issue) is the generously sized 17-inch touchscreen. From here you control everything except the door mirrors, windows, hazards and glove box opening. Everything else is hidden within a relatively straightforward menu system.

While it’s extremely cool (in a geeky way) to check out your projected range and current driving habits as part of a graph, open and close the optional panoramic sun roof with a touchscreen slider and browse the web while navigation gets you from A to B, it can prove tiresome going in and out of menus. What’s wrong with a few extra stylish buttons, Tesla?

A cool option is the rear-seats for the boot. Adults will have a fairly cramped experience, but you can get kids in there without a problem. Until they get car sick from looking backwards. Even without the extra seats you can seat five average people in comfort, especially in the front.

There’s no Euro NCAP crash test to go on, but the Model S scored so highly in the US it is the safest car ever tested. So have faith in the six airbags and construction if – heaven forbid – something goes wrong.

Running costs

The Model S features regenerative braking. Take your foot off the pedal and it will feel a bit like the brake has been applied (in the standard setting, low reduces the effect). Panic not ─ this is just a clever system turning the energy in slowing down into power for recharging the battery.

Before the eco-warriors get upset, you could install solar panels or use a green energy tariff if you are concerned about eating into the world’s fossil fuels. In fairness, yes, the car created pollution just by existing. But compared with a petrol or diesel car and the Model S is far cleaner, particularly as it spews out zero CO2 emissions.

The downside of a Model S in the maximum range is still far less than a petrol and even less than a diesel or some hybrids. The most efficient diesels, for instance, can go as far as 1,000 miles on one tank. Long journeys are therefore a non-issue, while the Model S would probably need a break halfway.

Conclusion

The Tesla Model S is extremely potent in the performance department and is exceptionally cheap to run. A large range in the 85kWh model makes it more versatile than any all-electric car on the market at the time of writing. Most of its competitors struggle to reach 150 miles on a single charge.

But – and here’s the crux of it – the cheapest Tesla Model S is very nearly *£50,000, while a fairly well specced Performance 85kWh is heading towards *£90,000. It will outpace an Aston Martin Rapide S, admittedly, which costs £150,000, so we can’t call it bad value.

No, the issue is one of affordability. Electric cars need to be like the Tesla to conquer hearts and minds, but few people could afford one. Therefore only those who are already pretty well off can do their bit for the planet.

There’s really nothing like the Tesla Model S on the market. If electric motoring is tempting but you need something fast and stylish, this is the car for you. There may be cars more fun to drive, but nothing offers such a strong mix of performance and efficiency. Consider us sold.

IMAGES: Tesla Motors Inc.

For more on this story go to:: http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/tech/review/a589136/tesla-model-s-review-king-of-the-electric-cars.html#~oMlXQlNR0p3Gv4#ixzz39o8t1AUU

* EDITOR: We understand the Tesla Model S is retailing in the Cayman Islands for around $100,000.