My Galaxy Phone

Tesla may have just unveiled the Tesla Model 3, but the Tesla Model S is the car that put the company on the map. Elon Musk’s company is breaking boundaries and disrupting norms – and nothing exemplifies its mission more than the Tesla Model S.

The first bespoke electric car from Tesla has made waves ever since it was released some four years ago, with software and hardware upgrades keeping it in the headlines and one step ahead of the competition. But after you get past the sci-fi interior and the general hype, what’s it like to drive and own? I’ve reviewed the Tesla Model S with the help of Carbuyer to find out.

General connectivity

The Tesla Model S might look like a handsome saloon with its recent facelift, but on the inside, it feels like a step into the future. Here, I’m looking at the things that matter most, such as connectivity, features, performance and satellite-navigation systems. After all, having a futuristic dashboard is great, but if it won’t connect with anything you own, it’s not worth having.

Luckily, the Tesla Model S hits the mark here, although it’s by no means the best I’ve seen. Like most cars, Tesla comes with Bluetooth (not aptX) so you can stream music and sync contacts from your phone, but it only has two USB ports for charging your mobile or playing media from a memory stick. As you’d expect from a car looking towards the future, there’s no CD player or DVD drive here - Elon Musk does not believe in physical media it seems.

In fact, the Tesla doubles down on streaming and comes with an impressive package for music listeners. Our Tesla Model S arrived with TuneIn and Spotify preinstalled. It even has its own 3G SIM card so that you can stream tunes or browse the internet without having to hook up through your phone’s hotspot.

There is a small downside, though: the car has a Spotify Premium account, so you can’t log in and use yours. It’s an odd way to do things, but once you’ve set up a few playlists, it isn’t too much of a bother.

The Tesla Model S comes with a range of apps, and they’re pretty much what you’d expect to see on a tablet. There are icons for music, navigation, a calendar, car analytics and the internet – as well as a camera and phone. Significantly, these are all present at the top of the screen at all times, so it’s easy to open up emails, say, when you’re using the screen for something else, such as navigation.

The app fun continues outside the car, too, as Tesla also provides a pretty useful counterpart app for the Tesla Model S. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices and gives access to some nifty features, such as the sunroof, air conditioning, the horn and the lights. As you’d expect, the app also lets you track the battery-charge status, too – much like the Nissan Leaf’s ConnectEV app.

Despite all this integration, the Tesla Model S still doesn’t get a full score for connectivity, and that’s because I couldn’t find any other apps to add to the system. If you want anything other than what Elon Musk and Tesla provide, you’re stuck.

Score: 3.5/5

Navigation

The Tesla might have over-the-air-updates and its own Spotify Premium account, but can it do the basics? The short answer is yes, and the long one is yes, but not as effortlessly as I’d have hoped.

Entering a destination into the Tesla is quick, and is a sign of things to come. The voice control is generally fast to use, but even entering free text is easy, thanks to the Tesla’s huge embedded 17in touchscreen.

The Tesla’s navigation system is “powered by” data from Google Maps but Tesla-enhanced, so maps are up to date, accurate and deliver most of the features you need. Routing is excellent, providing a choice of scenic, fastest and toll-free itineraries, and when you do punch in a longer trip than the car’s batteries can handle, the satnav will direct you to a charging point on the way there.

Once your destination is dialled in, the car takes care of the rest, and driving the Model S with the satnav engaged is a stress-free experience. To make sure you get to your destination, the Model S hits you with voice instructions and two sets of arrows, one on the dash and one on a screen to the left of the dials on the dashboard.

This might sound like overkill, but in practice, the Tesla has one of the most intuitive, informative and usable navigation systems I’ve used. Short-term directions and lane guidance are displayed in sharp, crisp detail to the left of the dials (oddly, this display uses technology licensed from Navigon, not Google Maps), while you get a better overview of the route on the touchscreen.

These directions are given well before you need them, giving you time to plan ahead, and the only shortcoming is a lack of multi-point route planning.Score: 4.5/5

Audio quality

When a car comes with its very own Spotify Premium account, you expect it to be serious about audio – but the Tesla isn’t quite there. It was able to handle pretty much everything I threw at it, but it didn’t pass with flying colours.

To test car audio, I usually play through a series of test tracks – everything from the spoken word through classical music, jazz, electronica and metal – to give the system a full workout.

Generally, it sounded great. Our audiobook test was delivered with good balance, and our test jazz track sounded full-bodied and atmospheric, although it lacked a little warmth. Elsewhere, the bass was tight, although not as gut-rumbling as some I’ve listened to, while most music had a slightly harsh edge to it.

If you’re thinking the Tesla Model S has a bad sound system, though, you’d be wrong. It’s better than a lot of cars out there; it’s just not as good as you’d expect from a car that’s usually ahead of the competition.

It still does one thing that most other cars tend not to, though: thanks to Gracenote’s MusicID tech, the Model S can drag track info and even album art to the dashboard – even over Bluetooth on an Android smartphone.

Score: 3.5/5