????“哇噢。”

????我那通常不茍言笑的丈夫以幾乎低平的語調發出如此感嘆，實際上就相當于一位十幾歲的孩子發出尖叫聲。當他在試駕中踩下特斯拉Model S的油門后，我們充分感受到了這輛電動汽車的澎湃動力，從靜止加速到時速60英里只需4秒鐘，他忍不住發出了驚嘆。

????我老公其實對汽車無感，也不太喜歡開車。

????但我很喜歡汽車和駕駛，這就是為什么我們全家最近花了一個下午到奧斯汀地區的特斯拉展廳去試駕四驅版的85D Model S（目前特斯拉在售的只有Model S一款，Model X SUV預計將于明年上市）。85指的是電池，并暗示了車子的續航里程。除了85D外，這款車型還有稍便宜的70版本以及稍貴一些的90版本。

????我目前駕駛的是一臺10年車齡的謳歌TSX，它連藍牙都沒有，也沒有后視攝像頭或泊車輔助等任何新技術。雖然它是一臺很有運動感而且開起來也很有樂趣的車子，但我還是希望車里能多一點高科技配置，同時能有更大的后排空間給我越長越大的女兒，另外我更期待擁有一臺電動汽車，這樣我就不用去加油了（在戶外溫度高達40攝氏度的奧斯汀，出門加油絕對是一項我非常討厭的事）。

????去特斯拉經銷店，就是為了選購一臺有最大續航里程和最強性能的全電動汽車。本周早些時候，我已經試駕了日產聆風，它是一臺很有樂趣的入門級電動汽車，不過和特斯拉相比，試駕聆風的感覺就像在吃一支脫脂的冰淇淋，遠遠沒有“全脂”的特斯拉那樣夠味。我并不是一名專業的汽車評測員，但作為一位既癡迷高科技又喜愛汽車的女性，以下就是我試駕這款連《消費者報告》都稱贊不已的車子的感受。

????“Oh wow.”

????Those words, said in an almost flat monotone, were the equivalent of a teenager’s squeal coming from my usually stoic husband. But after he hit the gas during a test drive of a Tesla Model S, and we felt the power of an electric sedan that can go from 0 to 60 in about 4 seconds, he couldn’t keep from expressing his surprise.

????The man doesn’t even really like cars or driving.

????But I do, which was why my family had found itself in an Austin area Tesla showroom on a recent afternoon to take a spin in the all wheel drive 85D Model S (Tesla only makes the Model S for now, although the Model X SUV is coming next year for new buyers). The 85 refers to the battery and indicates the car’s range. The 85’s stated range is about 265 miles. It also comes in a slightly cheaper 70 and a more expensive 90 option.

????I currently drive a 10-year-old Acura TSX that doesn’t even have Bluetooth or any fancy technology like a backup camera or parking assist. Although it is a sporty, fun-to-drive car, I’d like to get a bit more tech, a roomier back seat for my growing daughter, and an electric vehicle so I wouldn’t have to fill up the gas tank (a task I absolutely hate when it’s 104 degrees outside in Austin).

????I was in the Tesla dealership for an all-electric car with the maximum range and no compromises on performance. Earlier that week I had test driven a Nissan Leaf, which was a fun introduction to electric cars, but was the equivalent of eating diet ice cream compared with the Tesla’s full fat goodness. I’m not a professional automotive reviewer, but as a tech-obsessed lady who appreciates a good car, here’s what it was like to test drive a vehicle that even Consumer Reports raves about.

????第一印象實在是驚艷。在我們坐進車子的時候，銷售員提醒我們，車子會自動記住我們偏愛的后視鏡和座椅的位置。還有一個地方也能顯示出這臺車子的獨特之處，那就是一個占據整個中控臺的觸摸屏。坦率地說，似乎有點太大了。不過等到開始正式試駕時，這種想法就被拋在了腦后。令人有點掃興的是，車子啟動的時候沒有任何征光。電動汽車說啟動就啟動了，在我看來，這是聆風和特斯拉這兩款汽車最詭異的地方。我想，現在經常開電動汽車的人估計已經忘了，他們頭幾次啟動車子時總會不自覺地想：“這東西到底啟動了沒有？”

????不過，一旦踩下特斯拉的油門，你就不會再有這種疑問了。它的起步不亞于任何一臺肌肉車，另外你在加速的過程中感受不到任何卡頓，非常平順，而且速度比我預想的要快得多。后來我才掌握了加速的油門感。不得不再說一遍，的確很驚艷。

????所以說，它的動力是很吸引人的（也讓我丈夫發出驚嘆），但一款車的靈魂是它的操控。銷售員顯然不笨，他很快看出了我的駕駛風格，然后從正常駕駛模式調到了更緊湊的運動模式，并鼓勵我繞著彎道開得更快些。我照做了。我以從來沒有在那臺謳歌上試過的速度轉彎，并沒有產生任何汽車可能失控的感覺（特斯拉的車子著實份量很足，重量超過4600磅，給予它更好的穩定性）。我可憐的女兒在后座上被慣性帶得東倒西歪。

????在試駕區的彎道上享受了高速過彎的樂趣后，我們開到了奧斯汀的街道上，一般來說，在奧斯汀市區開車的感覺都是很不爽的。今天我依然像平常一樣不走運，走到哪兒都是紅燈。于是我開始研究起這款車型的再生制動功能，也就是當我剎車的時候，制動產生的電能會儲存到電池里。但這個功能會產生一種令人不爽的額外的“延遲”，直到后來我才稍稍掌握了竅門，學會輕一點踩剎車跳板（我得承認，我對這個功能的感覺一直不好）。由于我大腳轟油式的起步，再加上我對再生制動功能的討厭，從這次試駕看來，我應該是達不到特斯拉宣稱的續航里程了。

????Amazing. The moment we got in the car, the salesman tried to impress us with the fact that the car would remember our preferred mirror and seat positions. Another thing made it clear that this car was different: a giant touch screen that replaces the entire center of the control panel. It’s a bit much, frankly. But I had to just push all of that out of my mind while putting the car into drive. It was a bit anticlimactic because there was no telltale hum of a motor starting. Electric cars just boot up, which frankly, was the freakiest aspect of both the Leaf and the Tesla. I imagine anyone who has driven an electric car regularly will probably have forgotten that momentary frisson of self doubt as they started the car those first few times and wondered, “Um, is this thing on?”

????But once you hit the gas on the Tesla TSLA -4.71% there is no doubt. This car moves into drive like every overpowered masculine cliché you can imagine, only there’s no subtle lurch as it accelerates. It’s smooth. Suddenly we were moving forward, much faster than I intended, until I got the hang of how much power was at my disposal. Again, this was awesome.

????So the power is compelling (and what elicited the exclamation from my husband), but what makes a car is the handling. The salesman, who was clearly not a fool, quickly saw my driving and switched from the normal steering into the tighter sport mode, and encouraged me to go faster around the curves. So I did. I could take corners at speeds that I could never take in my Acura, without ever feeling any risk of losing control (the Tesla is really heavy at more than 4,600 pounds, which gives it more stability). My poor daughter was sliding around in the backseat like she was at a roadside carnival ride.

????這輛車還有很多新奇的功能，比如車道偏離警告，即車子偏離車道時，方向盤會發出震動。另外車子還會自動識別限速標志，如果我超速了，車速計就會閃燈報警（由于車子動力非常強大，超速的確是很輕松的事）。我覺得我正在駕駛一臺電腦，它的軟件似乎可以改變車子的高度，來繞過地上的溝溝坎坎，可以平行泊車，可以改變操控的感覺，隨著時間的推移甚至還可以添加新的功能。

????特斯拉的電子功能是它的一個主要賣點，因為該公司可以輕易地升級新的軟件，提高車輛的自主駕駛水平。不過它對我來說也是一個很大的隱憂，因為作為一個以評測電子產品為生的人，再沒有人比我更了解軟件故障的痛苦了。如果我的汽車表現得像我的手機或其它家用電器一樣（我家里到處都是各種能聯網的燈、恒溫控制器和鎖），那么哪怕是一次故障，都會讓我為花出去的這9萬美元深感懊悔。畢竟，如果車子送回店里修理，或是壞在路邊動彈不得，都會讓我在一兩天里出行不便。

????對于汽車的續航里程，以及在出門時只能在特定的特斯拉超級充電站充電的問題，我倒是不那么焦慮，但我丈夫還是提了出來。

????最后，我還是決定，特斯拉不在我的預算之內。要買這樣一輛心儀的愛車，除了高得離譜的9萬美元的價格，還要支付高額保險費。我在經濟上無法承受（尤其是目前油價還比較低）。但特斯拉的確是唯一一臺我想買的車。

????試駕特斯拉的經歷雖然短暫，卻讓我產生了一種躋身于一個精英俱樂部的感覺——似乎特斯拉的車主都既開著豪車，又能享受最新的技術。盡管特斯拉的價格非常高，但你依然可以用6萬或7.5萬美元的價格買到更便宜的版本或二手車。另外你也可以入住一家非常高檔的酒店，它會讓你免費駕駛特斯拉一兩晚。

????是的，不管哪個版本的特斯拉，價格都十分昂貴。但是自從我這次試駕之后，每當我坐上自己那輛平凡的車子時，腦海中都會再次回憶起駕駛特斯拉的感覺。我有時甚至對自己說，只要能以那樣的速度過彎，在車流中穿梭，哪怕付出那樣的天價也是值得的。何況我仍然非常討厭去加油。（財富中文網）

????譯者：樸成奎

????審校：任文科

????After the fun of driving around a curvy campus and through parking lots we hit Austin’s streets, which are typically a misery to drive. As is my usual luck, I hit every red light and played with the regenerative braking feature that helps return power back to the battery while I brake. But that feature created an unpleasant extra “drag” while braking until I got the hang of a lighter touch on the brake pedal (I never got a great feel for it, I admit). Based on my rapid-fire take offs from stoplights and my hatred of the battery-conserving regenerative braking, I could tell that I would fall short of Tesla’s projected mileage range on this ride.

????The car had so many novel features like giving the sensation of rumble strips when I crossed over a lane marker and the ability to read the speed limit signs and flash an alert indicator on the speedometer to let me know when I was going too fast (such an easy thing to do with that much power at my feet). I never stopped being aware that I was driving a computer whose software could change the height of the car to avoid potholes, to parallel park, to tweak the feel of the steering and to even add new features over time.

????Tesla’s electronics are a major selling point because the company can easily update a car with new software that would let it drive autonomously. But it’s also hugely scary because no one knows the pain of glitchy software like someone who reviews gadgets for a living. If my car behaved like my smartphone or my home appliances — my house is filled with lights, thermostats and locks that are connected online — I would feel profound buyer’s remorse for spending $90,000 on a product that caused me even a moment’s irritation. After all, I could be inconvenienced for a day or two while the car is in the shop or, even worse, stuck on the side of a road.

????I was less anxious about the car’s range and having to charge at only specific Tesla supercharger stations on road trips, but my husband did bring it up.

????In the end, I decided that a new Tesla wasn’t in my budget. The cost of paying the higher insurance premiums and the insanely high $90,000 price for the version of the car I wanted didn’t make financial sense (especially with somewhat lower gas prices today). But the Tesla did become the only car I wanted.

????Tooling around in a Tesla, even if only briefly, made me feel like I was in a rarefied club: People who drive luxury cars and own the latest technology. And while the price tag was too high, it’s possible to buy a cheaper or used version for $60,000 or $75,000. You could also stay in a pricey hotel that gives guest free access to a Tesla, and drive one for a night or two.

????Yes, Teslas, no matter the version, still cost a lot of money. But ever since my test drive, I’ve been reliving the experience in my mind every time I get behind the wheel of my far more mundane car. And I can almost tell myself that it’s worth the stratospheric price to be able to accelerate through traffic so quickly or take curves at the speed they deserve to be driven. Plus, I still really hate having to get gas.