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Tesla 2.5 - Still the Only Car That'll Make You Cry 'Mommy'

This article is more than 10 years old.

Honestly? "Mommy" was not the word I used when the Tesla Roadster hit 60 mph, 3.7 seconds after I floored it from a standstill.

What I said was a variant of  "Fracking amazing!" Given my age, I think that's pretty much the same as the young boy's "Mommy!" in the video below.

Sure, the Nissan Leaf is more practical as a family car for everyday driving (and I loved the way it handled in a test drive, too). The Chevy Volt is supposed to do away with "range anxiety." But, neither of those cars will make you call out for your mother. There are times when that is what we want from a car.

Even from a fully-electric one.

The beauty of the Tesla, especially in its new 2.5 iteration, is that there's more to it than just brute power. Part of the beauty is, well, beauty. Its curves may be largely dictated by the laws of aerodynamics -- but clearly the Tesla design team understands the role of the libido in car buying.

As 2010 ends, I've read many articles devoted to the supposed Volt-Leaf showdown in 2011.

I'd like to put in a plug for the Tesla.

Its listed maximum range is 245 miles. (Just don't try any 0-60 tests if you want to get anywhere close to that range, however.) I wasn't sure if I wanted to take it on the highway here in central Phoenix, fearing that I'd get into a crash trying to drive a machine that was closer to a rocket than to the cars and trucks around me. But, it handled beautifully. Given the Tesla's powerful torque, I felt even safer, knowing that I could get out of trouble with the instantaneous acceleration.

It took about five minutes to get use to the regenerative braking. When I did, I fell in love with it. As soon as you remove your foot from what was once quaintly known as the "gas" pedal, the car begins harnessing and storing the energy created by your speed.

What that means in real life is that slight braking begins as soon as you step off the accelerator. On the half-hour test drive around town, there were many times I didn't need to actually use the brake. Simply easing off the accelerator pedal was enough.

Obviously, I don't know what fate the market has in store for Tesla. Then again, nobody else does, either. The unique business model Tesla has used -- introducing an expensive sports car first and then selling a sedan version -- will be studied in years to come as a flop or a stroke of genius.

Despite a recent decline in Tesla's share price over the last few weeks, today's news from GM and Nisssan showing lackluster new orders for the Volt and the Leaf suggests that Tesla should not be written off as an also-ran.

By this time next year, Tesla CEO Elon Musk may have GM and Nissan both crying "Mommy!"

Click on the links for details on the Tesla Roadster 2.5 and the Model S.

Watch the test drive video.