The screen size can sometimes seem overwhelming. But its inherent coolness wins the day, especially for the next generation of motorists. When my 15-year-old daughter first saw the car’s Web browser, it was “like” at first sight: she immediately logged on to Facebook.

Throughout the week, I found myself sneaking away to Berkeley’s winding hilltop roads to experience the smoothness of the electric drivetrain. The half-ton battery pack is under the floor, providing a low center of gravity that helps to give the 4,700-pound Model S its ninjalike handling.

At high speeds and low, the car goes where you put it. Detecting noise intrusion in the cabin requires a stethoscope, although the optional 21-inch wheels add a decibel or two.

The Model S’s charging capability also figuratively cranks up to 11. With 50-amp service from a 240-volt outlet, I added back about 30 miles of driving for every hour of home charging. Highway fill-ups are even quicker for Model S owners using one of the Tesla Supercharger stations in the network announced last week.

Tesla hides the charging port behind the driver-side taillight. “If you’re an owner, you know where it is, but there’s nothing from the outside that screams ‘Plug me in,’ ” Mr. von Holzhausen said. When you approach with the charging cord in hand and push a button, the door pops open, revealing the port.

Yet Tesla sometimes takes its urge to reinvent too far. When parked, the outside door handles completely recede into the body. This makes opening the door a multistep process, and it can take two or three attempts before working. Other design imperfections include an artsy visor that’s too small to block the sun and mirrors made of fun-house plastic rather than, well, glass. And the trade-off for industry-leading aerodynamics is limited rear visibility.

More nitpicks: the lighting in the back seat is too dim; there are no parking sensors or guidelines on the backup-camera image to help guide you; the grip you’d use to close a front door is poorly positioned — it looks good but doesn’t help much; and there are no overhead handles to grip while speeding through a turn.