Living with the Tesla Roadster Sport: One week in an electric light orchestra

February 23, 2010

Living with the Tesla Roadster Sport: One week in an electric light orchestra

Living with the Tesla Roadster Sport: One week in an electric light orchestra: "

Filed under: Convertible, Coupe, Performance, Tesla, Reviews, Electric

2010 Tesla Roadster Sport - Click above for high-res image gallery

After finally getting myself situated in the back of the Boeing, I notice the lady to my left wearing a Tesla fleece. As fate, the alignment of the stars and unbridled dumb luck would have it, I was seated next to Rachel Conrad, Tesla's Senior Manager of Communications... for the next 10 hours.

After exchanging pleasantries, discussing each other's plans for the Frankfurt Motor Show and getting acquainted, the topic of conversation naturally turned to cars, and the Tesla Roadster, in particular.

'It's not just about performance,' an overly animated Conrad told me. 'What journalists don't understand is how functional it is. Owners forget to clean their windshield because they never have to go to the gas station!'

Okay, sure. But if you're selling a vehicle that starts at $109,000, you're interested in more than avoiding dirty hands at the pump. You want the full sports car monty. Power, poise, engagement, the lot. And a bit of green cred to boot surely doesn't hurt.

So after several hours of discussion, I finally say, 'Hand it over to us for a week. We'll give it a proper review on its day-to-day livability. No track tests. No slalom speeds. No smoky burnouts. Just a comprehensive assessment of functionality.'

A handful of phone calls and dozens of emails later, I arrive at Tesla's flagship dealership in Menlo Park, CA to pick up a full-kitted 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport. After a tutorial on the charging procedure, the internal computer and signing my life away, I was off. The Roadster was mine for the next five days, so I promptly pulled off into a bus stop, set a destination for the coast, disabled the traction control and laid a set of elevens down the street from the dealership.

Ladies and gentlemen, it pays to fly coach.

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Gallery: Review: 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport