Going out for a Tesla drive

It isn't every day that someone hands you something that looks like a car alarm clicker (it actually is the clicker, but also the key to the car), directs you to a car with a price tag north of $100K, and tells you to get in and go wherever you want as long as you're back in a half-hour.

Well, that happened to me today.

I found myself behind the wheel of a bright red Tesla Model X, which is their version of a crossover. When I was contacted by Tesla by e-mail, I had a choice of which vehicle I wanted to drive. Since I already drive a crossover (a Honda CR-V to be exact), I figured that the Model X would be a good comparison. (Before anyone gets any funny ideas that I'm going to lay out that kind of money for a new car, don't worry. My beloved CR-V is alive and well at 18-1/2 years old with over 250K miles on the clock.)

So how did I get roped into this, you're asking? Let me explain. Last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Tesla joined the many other brands of cars that offer test drives. I signed up, but the show closed before my reservation time came up. At the time, I was a bit annoyed, but didn't think anything more about it. I just wasn't meant to drive such a car. What I'd forgotten was that my contact info still lurked somewhere deep in the bottom of Tesla's archives. Eight months after what would have been a mere one-mile test drive in congested downtown L.A. along a pre-determined course, I got a chance to take a much longer and better drive in my own neighborhood.

I wanted to drive up in the Estates section of Camarillo, but wouldn't be able to if I stopped by home to see if Diana wanted to go for a ride. When I got there, she was home, but on her way out so she took a pass on the ride. But at least she did get to see the car. (And probably thought, "NOW what's Dad up to?")

On my drive back to the outlet mall, I took the back way for a chance to speed down a country-ish road. Unfortunately, there was a slow truck up ahead, so a speedy ride was out the window, so to speak. And for even less fun, I got stopped by the red light near the fire station on Las Posas. That light never turns red unless fire trucks are coming out or if Eric is driving a Tesla along there. Go figure.

If you've never driven an electric vehicle, I will say that they're quite interesting. I've driven about a half-dozen or so. In all of the models I've driven, I've noticed that regardless of the size of the car, they all pretty much jump when you push the accelerator. With the amount of torque from the electric motors driving the wheels, power is instant─and plenty. If you stomp on the accelerator, it feels like one of those launched roller coasters. It'll push you back into the seat and get your adrenaline going. But of course you'd better not drive around town like that unless you want a ticket. I wish I would have had the time to cruise around the Estates or the Heights to see how this car handles curvy, winding roads. The heavy lithium-ion batteries sit under the floor, which adds some stability.

I didn't sit in any seat except the driver's seat, so I couldn't check out the leg room and comfort, but I'm certain that five adults would be reasonably comfortable in any seat.

The Model X has an interesting door configuration. The front doors are the typical swing open type, but the rear doors are like the gull wing doors found on some exotic sports cars. They swing upward in such a way that the car doesn't need extra space in parking lots. All doors open, close and lock electrically.

So in my half-hour with a nice car, I did have some fun. In order to figure everything out, I would need an entire day with it. It's a bit daunting having familiar controls like radio and ventilation controlled by a giant touch screen in the center of the dash, but it will undoubtedly become familiar the more you drive the car.

Maybe someday when I'm rich and famous I'll pick up one of these. You never know...