We can't even count the number of performance-car owners and drivers who sneer at electric cars. Usually the phrase "golf carts" comes up.
Well, we guarantee that if you put each of them behind the wheel of a 2009 Tesla Roadster, they would emerge with their priorities radically re-sorted, starting to figure out where they can mount the recharging box in their garages. It's that kind of car.
Miracle torque
What causes this miraculous transformation? In a word, torque. Pure, seamless, unstoppable, rocket-to-the-moon torque.
No rev bands, no shift points, no heel-and-toeing. Just smooth and seemingly limitless power thrusting you forward, again and again and again.
Electric motors, remember, develop peak torque from 0 rpm. And the Tesla doesn't have a gearbox; the motor spins from 0 to 14,000 rpm to take the Roadster to its maximum speed of slightly above 100 miles per hour.
All about acceleration
And performance is really the whole point of the Tesla Roadster. Did we mention the 0-to-60-mph time of under 4 seconds?
Even if the company doesn't survive, the 900 Roadsters they've delivered to date will stand as proof that electric power can not only be practical but also amazingly, wonderfully, laugh-out-loud fun to drive.
(And, by the way, if you happen to live in Colorado, you can get a $42,000 tax credit against the Roadster's price of $109,000 if you complete the purchase before December 31 of this year. Shop now!)
Pros and cons
Acceleration, in fact, tops our list of things we like in TheCarConnection.com's review of the 2009 Tesla Roadster. The positives include:
* Acceleration that shames many so-called supercars
* Smooth and continuous rush of power at any speed
* Excellent roadholding
* Green credibility and awareness factor
source: motorauthority
