Just mentioning this word instills dread in us. The thought of so many people in America, in the WORLD who are horribly addicted to things. Drug/Alcohol/Illegal Substance Abuse, Prescription Drug Abuse, Gambling Abuse, Food Abuse, there are so many things that a person who is susceptible to Addiction can become addicted to. It is a true health risk, it is a health issue that the world must face and address. There are serious costs, health care is expensive, health insurance costs are going out of control, this is a global problem.
I myself, must admit to an addiction. While I can drink alcohol and enjoy, I thankfully don’t get addicted to it. I have had a few surgeries and have had quite a bit of Oxycontin and Fentanyl usage for pain. Both are now considered WORSE than Heroin, and have more addicts registered than any other drug legal or illegal. Just to note, I didn’t feel any euphoria nor happy hallucination from each. Both just made me sleepy and only had minor pain relief. However, for millions, the addiction is real.
There is…. I must admit….. there IS one thing that once I get a taste of it, I can’t stop. Once I get this, I must have more. I feel a burning inside of me, I feel something missing inside me. A big pit in my stomach. I lie awake at night and pray that I can get more of my desired substance. I can honestly say that I feel those, and get actual withdrawals.
To us Petrolheads, we know what that is…….TORQUE!!
Now, for you “normal people”, you are probably laughing. You think it is a joke. Well, imagine if you took a person who had a gambling addiction and told them they couldn’t gamble anymore. They would get withdrawals and go nuts for a while, literally needing medicine to stop. Well, SAME THING!!!!!!
With my current cars, you could say that I am on Petrolhead “Crack”. My garage ornament is sub-5 second 0-60 and has top speed of 177, and sounds wonderful. My new CCDDGG of my X2 is pretty decent on speed for being a CUV and feels great. However, here is the problem. I unfortunately just got a taste of the hard stuff…… and the addiction is real.
To preface. As in previous articles, my wife FINALLY chose a car after decades of searching for a new car that she would really like, and she has the Tesla Model 3. She is wildly in love with the car. It is a joy to be sure. An oddly creepily “silent” joy, I must admit the missing exhaust note is still confusing the heck out of me, but it is just so neat. Well, she had a little issue with her wheel rim, and so she needed to take the car in for some service. For our loaner, we received a Model S P90. I have been wanting to test drive one, and now, I get a nice long test drive.
Right off, I have to admit, while it takes some time to get used to the dashboard layout, once you do, it is fantastic. The regular screen behind the wheel, and then the massive screen in the middle of the car. Everything is well laid out, I absolutely love it.
First off, the car only had 90 miles charge on it. Well, now I get a chance to go try a Tesla Supercharging station. I have to admit, this was neat. Found one right by the gym, in a parking lot. One just backs up to the “pump”, pops open the gas lid….oops, I meant “Charge Port Door”, and then you just grab the wire and plug it in. FREE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No, swipe of credit card, no stinky fumes, no watching the dollar signs fly by on the pump. Just get back in your car, turn on the A/C and radio, and relax for a few minutes. In the span of about 10 minutes of relaxation, I added 100 miles to the car….FREE!!!!! If I took a nap for 30 min, it would be a full tank per se and all FREE!!!!!! What a notion. I have to admit, this is exhilarating. Just pull up, take a nap, and save $40. I’m a bit speechless on this. It’s literally like getting your happy-time drugs for free. LITERALLY!!
That afternoon, the wife & I pop up to Boca Raton to go get some free spa treatments (the wife knows how to find a good deal ? ). Now I finally get to feel the car on the highway. Of the little angel and the little devil that sit on opposing shoulders of mine, the little devil pulled out a giant pill and said “Hey, try this, it will make you feel coooooool!”, and I tried it out.
Oh, the colors, the colors. I see unicorns, and fairies, and rainbows, and I feel all tingly inside. Actually I did see a rainbow, the wife saw it and pointed it out. Just saying.
OH MY GOD IN ALL THE HEAVENS AND THE EARTH!!!! The torque. The TORQUE! THE GLORIOUS GORGEOUS GOD-BLESSED TORQUE!!!!!!!!!!!!
It really is a drug. Once you get the taste, you need more, and you can’t think of living without it. OMG, what a rush.
One of the beauties about “Electric Torque vs Gas Torque vs Diesel Torque” is that gas is the slowest car off the line. Even if you have a Supercharged V12, there will still be a tiny lag, and if you have turbos, a LOT of lag to fight. If one goes to read my article on Jags, I mentioned how both the wife & I felt a lag on the supercharged Jag XE. I was actually a bit shocked.
Diesel is not as bad, hence its usage in trucks. However, nothing beats electric. There is ZERO lag. You lightly touch the pedal, and the car goes, that’s it. No debate, no thinking about it, the car just goes! Mash the pedal, and you are at Warp Speed in .00001 seconds. You were behind a car, and now you passed the car in .01 seconds.
I spent the rest of the day injecting myself with torque over and over. I felt literally like I was in a crack den just injecting, I literally couldn’t stop. This is what people who are addicted to “drugs” must feel like. I can’t stop thinking about the feeling of torque. I abused my drug over and over. I wanted to pass a car, I would pass it. That’s it. No debate, no argument, no problem whatsoever. I just used my right foot, I passed the car, and then I went back to just cruising along.
Elon Musk, my new favorite “Dealer” of choice, is working on building tunnels under cities, where Teslas can go 1555mph and skip traffic on their daily commute…….oh…. I just felt another tingle in my spine!
I will be writing further articles on Tesla, I can guarantee you that. But for now, I have been sitting quietly at my computer typing this article, and I am feeling withdrawals. My fantastic Dental God, better known as my dentist Ernie Soto, just purchased a P100D. 0-60 in sub-3, blowing away his brand new Lambo beast, OMG, the withdrawals are creeping up! Can’t wait to test drive them.
I will be back…….when the charge is down to 20 miles and I have to go take another free nap at a free supercharging Tesla station for a free charge……oh, the joy!