Let's hope that the Tesla Model S fares better than the Fisker Karma did.
That's the first thought that sprang to mind when we heard the news that Consumer Reports had bought its very own Model S all-electric sport sedan to test.
The respected consumer testing magazine notoriously savaged the Fisker Karma in a review last September.
Specifically, the $106,000 range-extended electric luxury sport sedan died on the test track and otherwise proved to be badly built, with confusing controls and minimal interior space for such a large and heavy car.
The magazine was more impressed with the Tesla Model S following an early drive in a borrowed car last November.
The Model S "shatters every myth," it wrote, and redefined the experience of traveling on all-electric power.
Two weeks ago today, after waiting more than two years following its $5,000 deposit, CR took delivery of its 2012 Tesla Model S.
It specified the Model S with the largest 85-kilowatt-hour battery pack and the $1,500 additional charger to bring charging capacity up to 20 kilowatts.
As an early-build car, the magazine's Model S also comes with the air suspension, along with a large sunroof, and tan Nappa leather upholstery.
Tesla Model S
The total price was $89,650, roughly in line with the Audi A7 or Porsche Panamera luxury sport sedans.
Confronted with the option to pick up its Model S at Tesla's Queens service center or have it delivered to the door on a flatbed truck, the magazine chose the latter alternative.
As usual, Consumer Reports masked the identity of the buyer so that Tesla Motors [NSDQ:TSLA] likely didn't know that the magazine was actually buying the car.
As CR's Gabe Shenhar says, "We can't wait to pile some break-in miles on our Model S and start testing it."
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