Tesla Fashion Island

[TRONZ]

So we braved the rain to visit Tesla's new showroom in Fashion Island, Newport Beach. This has been their Grand Opening weekend and seemed to have a good draw of people. Most did not seem to know much about EV's, so it was inspiring to see so much interest. Since most people do not live near a Tesla Showroom (yet), here are some pics from today.

The staff was very friendly and had a good foundation of knowledge about the product. If you are in the area stop by and take a look.

 

[Boomer23]

Great shots, TRONZ. I really mean that. You have very good photo skills, and probably a very good camera. I have a set of similar shots from Friday night, but yours are superior.

Did you wait to sit in the car, and what were your impressions?

 

[TRONZ]

Thank you but I can't lie. Its just an iPhone4. It really does make you leave your SLR at home. I did sit in the S and really liked it. The flat panel is very good and I like how almost the entire dash is upgradable with software. Might be something very different to live with though. Couldnt tell since I was not really allowed to play with it. I also paid my dues in the back seat but fit well at 6'. The glass roof is also very nice. The kids really wanted to sit in the "trunk" seats but for some reason they are not allowed (yet). I spoke with several associates and the manager. I mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing the X and maybe we would get a peek at it next month in print. The manager said "No!", it will be a Detroit reveal only. Allllrighty then. I also sat in the roadster but gosh it made me feel old. The seating was fine but getting your legs in and out of the tunnels is awkward at best. Clinging to the door to get out I also noticed the paint finish is not the best for a $100K car. The finish on the S was far superior! The kids each got the Roadster Hotwheels they were handing out and I got the brochures. I will pack them away in an "EV TimeCapsule" I have started. Hope to open it when the kids are grown and laugh about how few EV's and charge stations were available way back when.

 

[Boomer23]

Thank you but I can't lie. Its just an iPhone4. It really does make you leave your SLR at home. I did sit in the S and really liked it. The flat panel is very good and I like how almost the entire dash is upgradable with software. Might be something very different to live with though. Couldnt tell since I was not really allowed to play with it. I also paid my dues in the back seat but fit well at 6'. The glass roof is also very nice. The kids really wanted to sit in the "trunk" seats but for some reason they are not allowed (yet). I spoke with several associates and the manager. I mentioned that I was looking forward to seeing the X and maybe we would get a peek at it next month in print. The manager said "No!", it will be a Detroit reveal only. Allllrighty then. I also sat in the roadster but gosh it made me feel old. The seating was fine but getting your legs in and out of the tunnels is awkward at best. Clinging to the door to get out I also noticed the paint finish is not the best for a $100K car. The finish on the S was far superior! The kids each got the Roadster Hotwheels they were handing out and I got the brochures. I will pack them away in an "EV TimeCapsule" I have started. Hope to open it when the kids are grown and laugh about how few EV's and charge stations were available way back when.

Ouch! I just threw my Canon SLR in the trash can based on your comments. Okay, no I didn't. I guess that your photo success compared to mine was due to the daylight you had to work with. Anyway, very nice pics, especially the dash display.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

anyone know if there is an option for normal sized rims and tires? After owning a car with big rims for a short time the road noise and vibration was so annoying that I promised myself I'd never do it again and sold the car within a year.

 

[davewill]

Drool!!! I wonder if my wife would be interested in a shopping trip to Newport Beach..."Hey Honey, look! They have a Tesla store. I didn't know that!"

 

[EricBayArea]

Very cool, thanks for sharing. If I was in the market for a $50,000+ car, I would have looked at the S... but it's out of my price range.

I really like that they give you a storage space under the hood. I think Nissan should have done something like that and just placed the stuff under the hood, further down. That would have been a really neat addition. But I understand that the Leaf is a much smaller car than the S, so space is limited all around.

Neat show room / marketing space.

 

[Boomer23]

Drool!!! I wonder if my wife would be interested in a shopping trip to Newport Beach..."Hey Honey, look! They have a Tesla store. I didn't know that!"

The Model S will have moved on, I believe. It'd be worth calling the store to find out. They are touring just two of them around the country for short visits at their various stores. The red one is in Chicago right now.

But they might leave the "skateboard" there so that you can see the battery box and the suspension and motor. They'll also have the EVSE cables and lots of pictures of the S, brochures, video displays, etc.

 

[TomT]

Here is comparison of the iPhones against a number of other (older) cameras... Bottom line: Not bad but keep the DSLR!

http://arstechnica.com/apple/guides/2011/11/can-the-iphone-4s-replace-a-real-digital-camera-for-many-yes.ars" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ouch! I just threw my Canon SLR in the trash can based on your comments. Okay, no I didn't. I guess that your photo success compared to mine was due to the daylight you had to work with. Anyway, very nice pics, especially the dash display.

 

[Boomer23]

Here is comparison of the iPhones against a number of other (older) cameras... Bottom line: Not bad but keep the DSLR!

http://arstechnica.com/apple/guides/2011/11/can-the-iphone-4s-replace-a-real-digital-camera-for-many-yes.ars" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ouch! I just threw my Canon SLR in the trash can based on your comments. Okay, no I didn't. I guess that your photo success compared to mine was due to the daylight you had to work with. Anyway, very nice pics, especially the dash display.

Pretty amazing performance from those iPhones. Thanks for the link. I'd have never really considered comparing these very different devices. I have an iPhone 4 and I'll have to try some comparisons myself.

Of course, for moving subjects and fast changing conditions, such as working with small children and animals, as well as shooting in low light, nothing can beat a DSLR yet.