After test driving the Tesla Model S P85D (aka Tesla P85D), my initial feeling was that I didn’t want to get out of the driver’s seat. Really. I’ve driven some fun cars in my life, but none of them came close to this. The raw power and fun is not just exhilarating — it’s immediately addictive. But the overall takeaway I most wanted to express was simply… “Wow.” (Hence what some considered to be an incomplete article.)
I’ve now edited the videos from the test drive to share them with you as well, and they are below, but there are a few points I think should be written beforehand:
1. Videos and articles can’t capture the experience. That may seem obvious, but really, they can’t. I’ve watched many Tesla P85D reaction videos, of course (see the links on the bottom of this article), and read many articles and comments about the car (it’s my job!), and I thought I was fairly prepared to have some fun but not lose my mind. Well, it seems I was wrong. You simply have to experience it.
2. Being the driver and being the passenger are two very different experiences. Being the driver, you have control of that massively powerful rocket ship (it feels like a rocket ship anyway… a super quiet one). The experience of stepping on the pedal is a ton of fun, but fun you are controlling to some degree.
As the passenger, it really is a bit like riding a rollercoaster. However, you don’t know when the driver will step on the electricity, so there is more of a surprise factor, and more “nervousness” about when it will actually happen. It’s fun.
3. There is truly much more to the car that “wows” than simply the acceleration. The steering wheel makes you feel like you have a race car in your hands, the excellent handling thanks to the low and balanced center of gravity has a similar but stronger effect, the touch screen is huge (can’t capture that in pictures or videos), the touch screen options are wonderful, the trunk space is crazy, and I loved the next-gen seats, which were firm but comfortable — exactly what I’d want.
4. While it’s hard to say any car is “worth” 3–5 times more than an average, good, electric car (like the Nissan LEAF), I think it’s very hard to settle for another model or brand once you’ve driven a Tesla P85D (or any Tesla Model S, I presume). As one of our readers, Kyle Field, wrote in a comment after test driving the P85D, “I’m looking into a used Model S to replace my Prius… or a 200mi LEAF, but the more I compare, the more the Model S seems like a no brainer. Yes, I’m aware that it’s twice the price but it’s soooooo much better on every level.” Indeed. It’s like a completely different product.
5. There’s obviously more to write, but the main thing is simply: go for a test drive!
(Or don’t, if you really need to keep your money in your pocket!).
Tesla Model S P85D Test Drive (Part 1: Tech Intro and City Drive)
[youtube]Obqw73f4nyI[/youtube]
Tesla Model S P85D Test Drive (Part 2: Roller Coaster Reactions)
[youtube]psl23AjBtCs[/youtube]
Tesla Model S P85 Test Drive (Part 3: Laughing All Around)
[youtube]tXY-z_Qolzg[/youtube]
Tesla Model S P85D Test Drive (Part 4: Driving It Home)
[youtube]xhdQAFTscmM[/youtube]
Tesla P85D Test Drive (Part 5: Reactions)
[youtube]YLMW1JB-BQ4[/youtube]
