Following the launch of the new Tesla Model 3, we took the briefest of rides with Doug Field, Tesla's Vice President of Engineering, at the wheel. Doug was kind enough to floor the accelerator pedal during our quick jaunt, and the Model 3 leapt to an indicated 60mph in what felt like around four and a half seconds, with the torquey, jet-like acceleration typical of electric cars.

Doug told us we were riding in one of the dual-motor all-wheel-drive cars, which offers better traction and performance than the basic rear-drive car. An impromptu slalom showed that body lean was well controlled - no surprise with the battery and motor mounted so low - but until we get our own hands on the wheel, we'll have to reserve judgment on the Model 3’s handling.

Once our internal organs had returned themselves to their native positions, we took in the Model 3's interior, which is so simple as to be nearly stark. The cabin is dominated by a large touchscreen; it's mounted horizontally rather than vertically as in other Teslas, giving the appearance that someone has left a laptop on the dashboard.

saw one of these the other day - they do look good