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Consumer Reports weighs in with its first Tesla Model S review

Everyone has been chiming in with their thoughts on the Tesla Model S lately, and with the car taking home awards like the prestigious Motor Trend Car of the Year, this probably won't change anytime soon. Not wanting to be left in the dark, Consumer Reports has managed to get its hands on a Model S to give its own impressions of the luxurious electric hatchback.
Like many other outlets (including our own first drive), CR praised the Model S for its styling (which it compares to an Audi A7) and performance (which it says "can put serious hurt on a Corvette"). With limited time with the car, the video doesn't touch on the specific range the institute attained, but it appears most of the car's time was spent on the track anyway.
On the flip side of things, CR dinged the Model S for its retractable door handles which the reviewer refers to as "fussy," and as much as CR has blasted Ford and its MyFord Touch for being distracting and largely button-less in the past, we were surprised at how much it seemed to adore the lack of buttons on Model S. They even glossed over the fact that drivers can surf the Web on the 17-inch touch screen while driving.

Elon Musk is Vanity Fair's number one 'disrupter'

Elon Musk's leadership of Tesla Motors has transferred well to pop culture. In this case, the electric-vehicle maker's CEO has popped up as Number 1 on Vanity Fair's annual "disrupters" list. Musk jumped from No. 5 last year and for 2014 came in ahead of Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin; Apple's Tim Cook and Jonathan Ive; and Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg. Pretty healthy company. Vanity Fair pegged Musk's net worth at $12.9 billion, thanks in part to Tesla's stock climbing up about 70 percent in the past year (despite a recent dip) and has surged by a factor of 16 since the initial public offering in 2010. It also can't hurt that Tesla scored about $1.2 billion in government incentives when it agreed earlier this month to build its gigafactory in Nevada. Additionally, Vanity Fair feted Musk for his involvement in both space-exploration company SpaceX and home solar-panel provider SolarCity and described Musk's marital status as "complicated." VF just loves that stuff. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Musk was the only auto executive to end up on either the publication's "disrupters" list or its "powers that be" list. The latter was headed by Fox's Rupert Murdoch, Walt Disney's Bog Iger and Comcast's Brian Roberts and Steve Burke. You can read Vanity Fair's write-up of Musk here.

Recharge Wrap-up: Smart Fortwo engine fires, Tesla finalist for Extole Advocacy and Customer Experience award

NHTSA has launched a preliminary investigation into complaints of Smart Fortwo engine fires. So far, the agency has received eight complaints about the rear engine compartment catching fire in model year 2008 and 2009 Fortwos and quickly engulfing the car. Six of the fires occurred while driving and were preceded by a check engine light. "The safety of our customers is our primary concern, and we are cooperating with NHTSA in its inquiry," says parent company Mercedes-Benz. "We are not aware of any injuries related to this inquiry." Read more from Automotive News. Volkswagen will pay $1.6 billion (US) in Canada as part of a settlement of its diesel emissions scandal. The funds will be used to fix or buy back some 105,000 affected cars, compensate owners between $3,815 and $4,451 above the buyback price, and pay a $11.2 million civil fine. So far, VW has agreed to spend over $18 billion in North America in connection with its diesel emissions cheating, and is expected to settle on a resolution of its 3.0-liter diesel vehicles in the US soon. Read more at Hybrid Cars, or from Automotive News. Tesla is one of three finalists for the Extole Advocacy and Customer Experience Award. The award recognizes companies that turn customers into brand advocates through referral programs. In Tesla's current program, customers who buy a car using a referral link get $1,000 off the price of their car, while referring owners are awarded prizes including a signed Powerwall 2 and invitations to unveiling events. Referring owners are also entered into a drawing to win a Model S or Model X. "With a disdain for paid advertising, Tesla Motors is leading the trend of reaching new customers through existing ones," says Extole. The other finalists are Hanna Andersson and Ulta Beauty. Read more at Teslarati. Related Gallery Review: 2009 Smart ForTwo View 20 Photos News Source: Automotive News, Hybrid Cars, Automotive News, TeslaratiImage Credit: Copyright 2016 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Government/Legal Green smart Tesla Volkswagen Green Automakers Safety Diesel Vehicles Electric recharge wrapup