Motor Trend's 2013 Car of the Year Tesla Model S

Year-end awards are always tricky. Sometimes, tension makes the announcements electrifying, while other years have less charge than the surface of a balloon rubbed against a woolen sweater. Award shows often attract controversy like lightning rods. However, this year, there's no resistance to Motor Trends' shocking pick for Car of the Year: the Tesla Model S.

This is the very first time Motor Trends has highlighted an electric car as its Car of the Year, but Tesla surely deserves it. It may be full of new wonders (it is), it may be slickly stylish (it is), but at the end of the day, it's a damn good car. It's just not powered by an internal combustion engine, that's all.

The company's namesake, Nikola Tesla, demonstrated the basic principles of AC-induction type power way back in the 1880s, and that is the kind of engine the Model S uses. Tesla offers three battery pack levels: 40, 60, and 80 kW-hr, respectively. Make no mistake, the premium tier, the 80 kW-hr model, produces a not-to-be-ashamed of 363 hp and a sturdy 325 ft-lbs of torque. The battery packs are actually a load-bearing part of the car's structure, helping to rigidify the body and draw the center of gravity down to 17.5 inches.

The fine folks at Tesla claim no less than 250 patents on the Model S, and it's no surprise. The Model S is a testament to modern American engineering (the company's home is in Fremont, California). Everything from its super light yet strong aluminum body to its progressive design claim a mastery over the art of car manufacture. It's even the first hatchback, ever, to offer third-row seating.

The machine weighs just under two and a half tons, tipping the scales at a fighting 4766 lbs. Pretty impressive for a luxury car that hits 60mph at 4.0 seconds even, with a top speed of 113mph. The really arresting fact is that the Model S does this with an unmatched efficiency. While driving the winner around the test track, the 11 judges returned with a 74.5 mpg-e, though the Motor Trends editors report a remarkable 118 on a trip from LA to Las Vegas. Using California's 13 cents per kW-hr, the thing costs a majestic six cents a mile to run. To top it off, the Model S has photovoltaic cells on the roof, so part of your charge is covered by the generosity of the sun itself.

The Model S is a testament to everything that has ever made American cars great. It is a brilliant mesh of engineering, design, and entrepreneurship. While the interior could use some polish, the car as a whole brightly outshines every other model in its class. It tops the list of mid-size luxury cars in safety ratings, blows other electric cars out of the water in speed and electrical parsimony, and its looks incredibly stylish to boot. In fact, Motor Trends 11 judges voted unanimously for the Model S as Car of the Year. How often do you get 11 people to agree on anything? If all decisions were as easy as this, ordering pizza would be a sight easier, let me tell you.

If you live in the Southern California region and need to take your vehicle in for service, head to your local Ramona Tire. Operating for over 40 years, Ramona Tire & Automotive Service Centers are among the most trusted service shops in California. To get the best prices on tires and some of the most competitive coupons in the industry, visit their website at http://www.ramonatire.com/index.htm and search for a location near you. Remember we always have the best deals in town on motor trends 2013.

Check the Original Article: http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/1301_2013_motor_trend_car_of_the_year_tesla_model_s/