@jlear was nice enough to let me look at his new Midnight Silver LR with 21" rims tonight. As an existing Model S 90D owner, below are the main questions I wanted answered for myself. I hope this helps anyone on the fence about LR vs Plaid, or whether to order the refresh at all.
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Is there a continuous linear pull beyond 60MPH? Without a Dragy on hand for actual numbers (sorry boys & girls), I can happily say that the refreshed LR feels like it keeps pulling equally strong from the 0-60 band that it does the 60-100 band. On previous model S cars, you feel a substantial drop-off on the upper powerbands. Not with this puppy! Much like the Plaid reviews,
This. Thing. Keeps. Pulling.
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If I stomp on the accelerator at 60MPH, does it provide a strong enough pull from there? For me, yes, yes, yes.
@jlear was devilish enough to stomp on it without forewarning me as we drove around, and for the first time in a long while, I felt like your typical newbie who's never rode in a performance Tesla before. I found myself chuckling out loud like a 10 year old little school boy... it was that good of a surprise every time he punched it. Without raw benchmarks in hand, this LR feels like a P90D to me while in Insane Mode, without any of the drawbacks like SoC dependencies. And that is
without even trying Launch Mode yet. So yeah, bet your bottom dollar you can still do the acceleration party trick surprise in this bad boy. Tesla may call this the LR, but I consider it a "Performance Model S LR".
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With a lower State of Charge, does performance fall off like on previous models? I didn't check that, but something tells me that similar to the Plaid mode, the answer is no. Someone else will need to confirm that.
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Does the car handle and ride significantly better? Much like the 2019/2020 Ravens, the adaptive suspension is much more forgiving on the bumps, but the 2021 refresh feels even better on the turns and at high-speed straightaways than what I remember on the Ravens. Someone else here said they were able to get a 2021 on a lift and said the suspension is all new, and I believe it. I was going to put on aftermarket 20" rims similar to my current Model S to smooth out the ride and quiet the ride a tad, but I might just go with 21" aftermarket rims after this ride. Btw, road noise is much improved with the double paned glass, but I wouldn't say it is as quiet as a Lexus. But it is certainly better, just like previous Model S builds have gotten a little quieter with each passing year. I'm sure someone will do some sound level tests to measure actual differences in decibels. As for motor whine, the only time I could really hear it was when he pounded on the accelerator. Otherwise, I didn't notice it.
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Does the interior feel substantially better than previous generation Model S's? Much like what was posted here, hell yes. Little things like more premium feeling materials, including the vegan leather, carpet and alcantara all feel more plush. Even the hard surfaces have a more luxurious feel to them. Little details we all expect on a car (let alone a luxury performance car) like the dry-cleaning hooks in the rear and vanity lights in the visors are there. All the major gripes I've had with previous Model S generations, they've finally addressed with this generation. The now-returned ventilated front seats feel great for the warm weather here in North Carolina, and the AC really feels much more adequate too. When dropping the rear seats, no more bump across the middle! Although the overall surface area is still slightly elevated from front to back, I would say the cargo area will be flat enough for me to slap down my air mattress without extra padding under the rear area, and get some solid sleep on.
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How is the tech (displays, software, graphical interface) over previous generations? As a techie who is also big on AV, this is always a priority for me in any car. Similar to what others here have said, the displays in this model are very crisp and the brightness is much improved over the previous generations. Certainly worthy of playing 4K video or current gen games, IMHO. The touchscreen has the responsiveness similar to a current smartphone (perhaps just a little slower, but hey, it is a massive screen), including multitouch use. But as most know, the software is raw. Feels more like an alpha build to me than a beta release, given stability seems lacking (e.g MCU reboots, phone as key not working, etc.). Let alone the features stated in the owner's manual that are currently absent. But for those who've never owned a Tesla before, my only advice is to not obsess over that now. The car is bleeding edge when it comes to tech. Just enjoy the car. When the software updates roll out from Tesla, these things will be incrementally addressed.
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Does the exterior look substantially better than previous generation Model S's? I was able to look at two refresh Model S cars today, one in black and the other Midnight Silver. Photos don't do it justice. You need to see it in person to really appreciate the changes. Little things like the fog lights and the more aggressive body styling around the wheels make a world of difference. The massively wide 295 tires on the back make the car look sick too. Lastly, as someone who has chrome-deleted my last two cars, I certainly think the black trim on this refresh is the biggest improvement over the previous generations. We're not driving your grandfather's 1955 Caddy anymore, folks! That said, as to whether I will chrome-delete the Tesla emblems or leave them as is, I'm actually still on the fence.
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Will I miss anything in particular with the previous generations of Model S's? Absolutely. The ability to open the sunroof during those pleasant weather days. Unlimited free charging on long road trips, just so I don't think about it. And I'm still on the fence about no more steering wheel and stalks. I love the look of the yolk, but like others here, I will probably dread what that means in daily use until I've driven it a week or two. I've seen the complaints about taking turns, but even more complaints about trying to use the buttons in absence of stalks. Or even accidentally pressing the buttons. So that yoke is still a big question mark for me. At least I can "hit the horn" without looking for the little button (tip: place your hand over the right set of buttons). Just hope I can do that successfully while the yoke it upside down!
Hope this helps folks. On a related note, my Dragy arrives tomorrow. So if anyone in the Raleigh area wants to benchmark their Plaid or LR with a few runs, let me know!
