But the second figure says a lot more about the Tesla's driving experience: the 3.7 seconds it takes the Roadster Sport 2.5 model to get from 0 to 60 mph. Indeed, the Tesla Roadster is a real sports car, with out-of-the-blocks speed that rivals some Porsches and is just a bit slower than the Chevy Corvette ZR1 (0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds). The Tesla is fast as well as quick, covering a quarter-mile in about 12.7 seconds.
But enough oohing and ahhing over the numbers; let's get to the driving experience (which will inevitably lead to speed). For starters, the "fusion red" Tesla Roadster Sport 2.5 convertible we tested has supercar looks. And it has the underpinnings to match, with a bonded-aluminum chassis adapted from the Lotus Elise.
This Sport came with clear-coated carbon-fiber accents (an $8,000 option), premium Italian leather seats ($7,800 with leather interior). The black ragtop, which comes standard, nicely sets off its black rims.
Getting in the Tesla Roadster's racing bucket seats is a bit of a trick; you either sit momentarily on the door sill and slide in, or aim your knee just to the right of the steering wheel and sort of plop in. The seats are thinly padded, but wrap the body so well they had a glove-like feel for my fairly average-sized frame.
The instrument panel is clean - no gee-whiz electronic bar graphs - with an old-school analog (dial-type) combined speedometer/ tachometer to the left and a power-consumption meter to the right. An optional 7-inch touch screen controls the "infotainment" group, including a seven-speaker stereo, GPS navigation and back-up camera. A second screen above the console helps manage electrical options.
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