All regular 85kwh owners, help required

[Mc_Herreington]

Hi. Have searched the forum on performance stories on the 85, but not many are out there.

Torn between choosing the regular 85 or the 85P. Money is an object, would be nice to spend it on something else. The only real life performance data on the 85 is the Motor Trend test. From the test I read that most of the difference are in the 0-30 range, after that its just 0,4 to 60. The brake test also indicates that they were running 19" on the 85 and 21" on the 85P, so that makes the test more or less useless in compairing the two. Belive that 21" would be faster of the line but slower at high speed.

Would love to hear from 85 owners who has driven both or can compare it to other cars they have owned or driven. For med 30-90 is the most important speed range and also the "feel" of acceleration.

 

[Mickfair]

I similarly went back and forth between the P85 and the reg85. Ultimately. I went with the non perf option solely due to the cost differential and value equation. If you can afford it then go for the Performance because you will have no regrets. If however you are stretching for the 85 then you will love the 85 and not regret the decision. I have had my 85 for six days and it is awesome. The acceleration is awesome and speed capability is much faster then legal and even higher than I am comfortable driving. I am constantly accelerating on to the freeway and realize that I am topping 80 at the end of the ramp and have to slow down to merge.

i have owned a BMW 659 and the 85 is as powerful and more comfortable. Just thus afternoon I was in a drive thru lane with a very nice 650 behind me with a young blond behind the wheel, yet it was my MS with a middle age accountant behind the wheel that had people commenting to me on how beautiful the car looked.

So while the car is not perfect and we still need the build out of the Supercharger network on our Interstates, the car is a pure pleasure to drive for commuting and pleasure driving. I am finding the cockpit to be spacious and comfortable

I find the 85 awesome for the speed range of 30-90 and the feel of being pressed into the seats on acceleration great.

 

[Al Sherman]

There's another thread running on this right now. There the OP didn't say anything about money being an issue though. If money is even the slightest concern DEFINITELY get the standard 85. I drove it and it's ridiculously fast and powerful to all but the most serious fast car enthusiasts. Get the standard with the air suspension and whatever else you deem important. Don't sweat it for a second. As far as the feel of acceleration; It felt like an afterburner takeoff, like a catapult. When I blinked my eyes and finished saying "Holy S**t" we were doing 75mph. Trust me. Really.

 

[MikeK]

I do believe the "P" difference is mostly at low speed -- makes sense since the car needs to be able to deliver more current to create more torque at low motor RPM. Certainly, the regular 85 is quick off the line from a standing stop, but you can really feel it start to pull a little later in the acceleration. The P85 is whiplash-inducing right from a dead stop.

In daily driving, I do not miss the P85 at all. When demoing for friends, of course it'd be nice if it were even more impressive. ;-)

 

[ChadS]

In daily driving, I do not miss the P85 at all. When demoing for friends, of course it'd be nice if it were even more impressive. ;-)

Exactly my feeling. Even though I'm used to a Roadster, the regular S85 is plenty fast for me for everyday driving. In fact, if you punch it at freeway speeds the S85 is quicker than the Roadster.

People that won't miss the money should get the P85 just for giving rides so that the riders WON'T BE ABLE TO STOP TALKING ABOUT IT. But if you can find other uses for the money, go for the S85 and you'll be plenty happy.

 

[dsm363]

If the money could be better spent the standard 85 is plenty quick, I agree.
You can also tell people who are blown away by the performance 'and this isn't even the performance version'.

 

[jerry33]

The only times I've ever felt the need to mash the pedal is during a demonstration drive. The rest of the time the 25 kWh marking is plenty fast.

 

[neroden]

I haven't actually driven the Performance. I have to say I'm having trouble understanding who would want it, though... The Standard has more acceleration than I've ever felt in a car, and more deceleration, and corners spectacularly. I'm leaving other cars behind in the dust when starting uphill from a stoplight, and I'm not even trying.

IMO the Performance is overkill for most purposes. Presumably it's ordered by people who take their cars to the track? And people who like the special interior, the bolsters, the carbon fiber, the spoiler? Maybe people who just want to donate capital to Tesla, which certainly could use the money. :wink:

 

[Puyallup Bill]

I'm with the majority here. The P85 test drive was exhilarating, but my S85 is quite exciting enough for me. It wows everyone that drives it when I tell them to punch it.

 

[yobigd20]

from what others have said, the biggest different in P85 vs standard 85 is the 60-90 acceleration and as well as when your car is fully loaded down with ppl and stuff it'll feel sluggish on standard 85. that's waaaay more important to me than goosing it off the line.

 

[swegman]

I did 3 or 4 test drives of the performance model and regular model and bought the performance version because I like the interior better, and also, I was not blown away by the acceleration of the regular model. Yes, the regular model is fast, but I've owned many vehicles that did 0-60 in the 5 to 5.5 second range. On the other hand, the performance model is a blast to drive. Its acceleration at highway speeds is great. I'll be going 60-65 with the other traffic and tap the accelerator to pass, and before I know it, I am doing 85. That is the only downside to the performance model; you are likely to have an unwanted meeting with a police officer.

Having said this, my performance S died after 100 miles (discussed in another thread). Maybe a regular version would be more robust?

 

[Stoneymonster]

from what others have said, the biggest different in P85 vs standard 85 is the 60-90 acceleration and as well as when your car is fully loaded down with ppl and stuff it'll feel sluggish on standard 85. that's waaaay more important to me than goosing it off the line.

From the numbers it seemed the biggest difference was from 0-30, not 60-90. 60-90 gets me in trouble in my standard pretty often, faster would be a problem for me

 

[Kaivball]

I really all depends what the OP's previous car experience is.

If you've never owned or driven a car that goes 0-60 in less than six seconds than the 85 will blow your mind.

Everyone else buys the P...

 

[Jason S]

Having said this, my performance S died after 100 miles (discussed in another thread). Maybe a regular version would be more robust?

Talked to somebody recently with a low Signature # performance. He's had his 12500 mile maintenance.

Sorry about yours, but so far his and mine (5000 miles or so) are doing very nice.

 

[Mc_Herreington]

Thanks for all the replies. My previous fastest car was an 09 VW GTI ED30 with about 230hp in a light car. Would appreciate more people compare their 85 to previous cars they have had.

Thanks

 

[nrcooled]

I have really enjoyed my S85 and it is plenty quick for my tastes. I have always been a "tuner" guy and I have had many quick vehicles.

'91 Nissan 240sx w/ turbo SR20DET (2700lbs) 278hp 305lb/ft
'00 Mitsubishi Evolution 6.5 Tommi Makinen Edition w/ big 16G 370hp 328 lb/ft
'03 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII w/ 2.3l stroker motor and 50trim t3/to4e 407hp 385lb/ft

and various other cars with lighter states of tune.

The model S S85 is by far the quickest of them. Since I am a turbo guy there is always lag associated with the power that my previous cars made. You had to wait for spool up before you could get to the fun. With the Model S the power delivery is so instant that it is just a joy to drive. Need to pass? Just give it throttle and it takes off. No hunting for gears and no drivetrain slop.

All of the cars that I have listed above were "faster" than the MS but none were as quick. I love the car and I really don't need any more power since I don't really use the max power of the S85 anyway.

 

[Mc_Herreington]

I have really enjoyed my S85 and it is plenty quick for my tastes. I have always been a "tuner" guy and I have had many quick vehicles.

'91 Nissan 240sx w/ turbo SR20DET (2700lbs) 278hp 305lb/ft
'00 Mitsubishi Evolution 6.5 Tommi Makinen Edition w/ big 16G 370hp 328 lb/ft
'03 Mitsubishi Evolution VIII w/ 2.3l stroker motor and 50trim t3/to4e 407hp 385lb/ft

and various other cars with lighter states of tune.

The model S S85 is by far the quickest of them. Since I am a turbo guy there is always lag associated with the power that my previous cars made. You had to wait for spool up before you could get to the fun. With the Model S the power delivery is so instant that it is just a joy to drive. Need to pass? Just give it throttle and it takes off. No hunting for gears and no drivetrain slop.

All of the cars that I have listed above were "faster" than the MS but none were as quick. I love the car and I really don't need any more power since I don't really use the max power of the S85 anyway.

Great response nrcooled. That sort of comparison is great when trying to decide. It´s hard to know the difference between "stupid" fast and "idiotic" fast, which seems to be the general assumptions on the two models

 

[rogbmw]

Thanks for all the replies. My previous fastest car was an 09 VW GTI ED30 with about 230hp in a light car. Would appreciate more people compare their 85 to previous cars they have had.

Thanks

I came from a BMW 1 series M Coupe, and I feel that my non-performance 85kW is as fast as the 1M in daily traffic. Of course it feels different as the S is a larger car, but the non-performance 85 is VERY quick.

 

[stevezzzz]

I came from a (standard) Roadster and bought the S85 for the simple reason that I was tired of buying new rear tires every 5500 miles: spending more money on rubber than electricity seemed silly after the third or fourth set of new tires. I'm more than happy with the performance of the standard S85, though as others have noted it does make a difference when you load it down with four or five adults.

And look at it this way: we standard S owners get to have an extra second or so of fun whenever we mash the 'go' pedal. :biggrin:

 

[Laumb]

And look at it this way: we standard S owners get to have an extra second or so of fun whenever we mash the 'go' pedal. :biggrin:

So. Well. Said!

Still laughing.