Dilemma: 90D vs P90D?

[theslimshadyist]

Hey guys,

Looking for feedback from those who own a 90D and P90D. My situation is this... I'm doing the overnight test drive and Tesla gave me a P90D which totally screwed me up because I had already decided upon the 90D. With my vehicles, I always purchase them loaded so I don't have any regrets. Mind you, I may not use all of the features but there would be that time where if I didn't have them and I wanted to use, I would regret.

I'm really struggling with sticking with the 90D or going with the P90D but in my mind, I'm having a very difficult time accepting the cost difference vs what I will be getting. I hear that some owners who purchased the 90D in that if they had to do it all over again, they would go with the P90D instead. I also hear that the 90D feels heavier compared to the P90D, maybe not as nimble or because of more torque? No, I will not be ordering with Ludicrous mode enabled.

Besides the increase in acceleration, what is the P90D giving me over the 90D that warrants such a hefty increase in price?

Thanks in advance!
Scott

 

[e-FTW]

From where I stand (s70 RWD, aka "The 'Slow' One"), the 90D sounds plenty fast.
The other half of both our brains is saying "MOAR speed! P90D, P90D!!!!"

Personally, I could not drop that kind of $ on a P85D at the time. Of course, I wanted one! My Model 3 will have a 'P'...

If you listen to both halves of your brain, you'll never get anywhere.

 

[theslimshadyist]

From where I stand (s70 RWD, aka "The 'Slow' One"), the 90D sounds plenty fast.
The other half of both our brains is saying "MOAR speed! P90D, P90D!!!!"

Personally, I could not drop that kind of $ on a P85D at the time. Of course, I wanted one! My Model 3 will have a 'P'...

If you listen to both halves of your brain, you'll never get anywhere.

Right, I get it trust me. I just looked at the cash price of both configs with identical options. The 90D comes to $111K and the P90D is $131K, a hefty $20K difference WITHOUT ludicrous mode. So, am I only getting a slightly faster car for the $20K difference????

 

[msnow]

I had the same decision to make last August. After driving both I came to the conclusion that the 90D was plenty fast enough and I liked the greater range of the battery. The Tesls salesmen also warned me that the "P" I liked with 21" wheels would run through tires between 15 and 20k miles while the regular 19's would not only drive smoother but the tires would last longer than 40k miles. Also, everyone I know that has a P90D has rim rash. I do like the red brake calipers but you can order those now.

 

[theslimshadyist]

I had the same decision to make last August. After driving both I came to the conclusion that the 90D was plenty fast enough and I liked the greater range of the battery. The Tesls salesmen also warned me that the "P" I liked with 21" wheels would run through tires between 15 and 20k miles while the regular 19's would not only drive smoother but the tires would last longer than 40k miles. Also, everyone I know that has a P90D has rim rash. I do like the red brake calipers but you can order those now.

Thanks for the info, my 2014 550i M Sport has 19" wheels with Michelin tires and I am extremely satisfied with them. I love the red brake calipers so good to know that they can now be ordered. I assume directly from Tesla?

 

[STbreaker]

I thought I was going to get a 90D until I drove it in 70 mode accidentally and realized it still felt really fast (guy forgot he had turned it down during the last drive). After apologizing for the mistake he put it back in 90 mode and I floored it. It felt 'ludicrous' (hah). I asked him what a p90D felt like then and he basically said he has to bring a barf bag.

So I guess you just have to decide if the fastest 100K car you can buy is enough or do you want to spend 20k on the need for barf bags. I don't think any of us can tell you what to do because it all has to do with you (your financial situation, where you drive, how much you love cars, etc)

As for my opinion, I know I'm going to love my 70. If I could really justify the 90 I would get it. P90 just seems unnecessary. If you just like the details like red calipers or the carbon fiber spoiler, you can aftermarket that stuff for way less than 20K

 

[theslimshadyist]

I thought I was going to get a 90D until I drove it in 70 mode accidentally and realized it still felt really fast (guy forgot he had turned it down during the last drive). After apologizing for the mistake he put it back in 90 mode and I floored it. It felt 'ludicrous' (hah). I asked him what a p90D felt like then and he basically said he has to bring a barf bag.

So I guess you just have to decide if the fastest 100K car you can buy is enough or do you want to spend 20k on the need for barf bags. I don't think any of us can tell you what to do because it all has to do with you (your financial situation, where you drive, how much you love cars, etc)

As for my opinion, I know I'm going to love my 70. If I could really justify the 90 I would get it. P90 just seems unnecessary. If you just like the details like red calipers or the carbon fiber spoiler, you can aftermarket that stuff for way less than 20K

I can certainly afford the P but then again, I'm not going to be wasteful either. If the only difference is speed then I certainly can't justify the difference in cost. I'm trying to figure out if it offers anything besides a $20K speed bump.

 

[msnow]

Thanks for the info, my 2014 550i M Sport has 19" wheels with Michelin tires and I am extremely satisfied with them. I love the red brake calipers so good to know that they can now be ordered. I assume directly from Tesla?

Yes. I also just noticed they sell the "P" pedal set now too.
Tesla — Model S Red Brake Calipers Set

 

[ForeverFree]

Hey guys,

Looking for feedback from those who own a 90D and P90D. My situation is this... I'm doing the overnight test drive and Tesla gave me a P90D which totally screwed me up because I had already decided upon the 90D. With my vehicles, I always purchase them loaded so I don't have any regrets. Mind you, I may not use all of the features but there would be that time where if I didn't have them and I wanted to use, I would regret.

I'm really struggling with sticking with the 90D or going with the P90D but in my mind, I'm having a very difficult time accepting the cost difference vs what I will be getting. I hear that some owners who purchased the 90D in that if they had to do it all over again, they would go with the P90D instead. I also hear that the 90D feels heavier compared to the P90D, maybe not as nimble or because of more torque? No, I will not be ordering with Ludicrous mode enabled.

Besides the increase in acceleration, what is the P90D giving me over the 90D that warrants such a hefty increase in price?

Thanks in advance!
Scott

I'm like you, Scott; I derive a lot of enjoyment from having capacity, even if I don't use it. Especially, oh-yes-I-can acceleration capacity when edgy LA drivers respond to a turn signal request with oh-no-you-won't denial.

Having said that, though, I've never for a second regretted going 85D. I've always had fast cars, and this is by far the fastest ... especially in terms of instantaneous response. Fully floored, it makes me woozy.

A P85D loaner was absurd ... almost made me black out ... and I've got nearly 1000 wooze-inducing hours as a airplane and hang glider pilot. Just couldn't see the point.

Besides, I'm not willing to give up range that I use fairly regularly on road trips in order to get a few instants of extra wooze. Put another way, if the P came free, I would not get it. Now, if it included an extra 5 kWH capacity to offset the range hit, that would be another story ...

In the meantime, a few easy no-regret additions I recommend: UHFS, upgraded charger, and home HPWC.

 

[msnow]

I'm like you, Scott; I derive a lot of enjoyment from having capacity, even if I don't use it. Especially, oh-yes-I-can acceleration capacity when edgy LA drivers respond to a turn signal request with oh-no-you-won't denial.

Having said that, though, I've never for a second regretted going 85D. I've always had fast cars, and this is by far the fastest ... especially in terms of instantaneous response. Fully floored, it makes me woozy.

A P85D loaner was absurd ... almost made me black out ... and I've got nearly 1000 wooze-inducing hours as a airplane and hang glider pilot. Just couldn't see the point.

Besides, I'm not willing to give up range that I use fairly regularly on road trips in order to get a few instants of extra wooze. Put another way, if the P came free, I would not get it. Now, if it included an extra 5 kWH capacity to offset the range hit, that would be another story ...

In the meantime, a few easy no-regret additions I recommend: UHFS, upgraded charger, and home HPWC.

I didn't order the dual charger because I wasn't sure I needed it and here I am a year later and not once would I have got benefit from it even on road trips. Have you? If so how often?

 

[AMPd]

I had the same dilemma a few weeks ago
To me it came down to speed vs range
The 90D has more range while the P90D is quicker

I went with the P90D because although the extra miles would be nice, I've never had the need for them in my current 85. So I chose speed!

Also, everyone I know that has a P90D has rim rash. I do like the red brake calipers but you can order those now.

To be fair that's not a p90d issue, that's a 21in wheel issue

 

[theslimshadyist]

Yeah, I guess I need to just make a decision before tomorrow and never look back!

 

[newtman]

Right, I get it trust me. I just looked at the cash price of both configs with identical options. The 90D comes to $111K and the P90D is $131K, a hefty $20K difference WITHOUT ludicrous mode. So, am I only getting a slightly faster car for the $20K difference????

Plus significantly less range

 

[Beryl]

Besides the increase in acceleration, what is the P90D giving me over the 90D that warrants such a hefty increase in price?

You asked for feedback from those with both models but like others with only one, I'll weigh in. To me, it is like any other feature -- it depends on your lifestyle and what you value. When the salesperson drove us in a P90D, it was a fun moment but my niece enjoyed it so much that she wanted that experience regularly for health reasons. (I didn't get it either.)

Will you regret not being able to have that experience occasionally? Will you regret not being able to show off insane or ludicrous mode to friends and family?

I justified the additional cost to change my order from a 70D to a 90D for the performance and range boost but could not justify the P90D primarily due to the cost but also the range hit. The occasional thrill just didn't make sense for me.

 

[sorka]

Right, I get it trust me. I just looked at the cash price of both configs with identical options. The 90D comes to $111K and the P90D is $131K, a hefty $20K difference WITHOUT ludicrous mode. So, am I only getting a slightly faster car for the $20K difference????

It all depends on what you mean by slightly faster. If you're driving mostly freeway, then the difference from a 45+ MPH roll is about 50 hp at the wheels for 90D vs P90D. Double that difference when you add Ludicrous. So I agree there's not a huge difference when you're talking accelerating starting from freeway speeds.

However, stop light to stop light there's a HUGE difference. At some point early in the torque curve, the P90D is pumping out 200+ hp more than the 90D but only at lower speeds.

Depends on what kind of driving you're going to do.

 

[sorka]

The Tesls salesmen also warned me that the "P" I liked with 21" wheels would run through tires between 15 and 20k miles while the regular 19's would not only drive smoother but the tires would last longer than 40k miles. Also, everyone I know that has a P90D has rim rash. I do like the red brake calipers but you can order those now.

The 19s are not smoother than the 21s. I own both sets with OEM rubber.

 

[Superloud]

Nobody seems to have answered your question of if you get anything other than speed for the extra $20k.

Back when I was shopping for my P85, I heard several conflicting accounts of what makes a "P" a "P". These forums would say stuff like the P models are the only ones with beefier motors and inverters. But I had that notion challenged by one tesla employee once. He told me all models have the same motor, implying maybe it's just the inverters which are beefed up and hence allow more current to get more hp out of the same motor. But the consensus view seems to be that the P models do have a "beefier" drive train.

I did like the idea that maybe driving a P model more like a normal person may make for a more trouble free ownership experience over the long haul. Kind of like, would you rather beat the heck out of a turbo charged 4cyl engine every day, or cruise on a more robust 6cyl?

Not sure if you care much about that whole way of looking at this?

Anyway, my P85 does 0-60 in the same 4.2s as a 90D. Although probably the 90D feels faster due to better traction over non ideal surfaces. It's already too fast IMO. A friend of mine has a P90D model X and it took him 3 tries before he could make it all the way from 0-60 in launch mode without letting up and giggling nervously

 

[sorka]

BTW, Ludicrous is a much better deal than insane when it comes to incremental hp cost. Usually the hp goes up cost per hp as hp increases but Insane as Ludiscrous are backwards. The first 50 hp increase (Insane) costs $20K. The second 50 hp increase only costs $10K. It should be the other way around.

 

[sorka]

But I had that notion challenged by one tesla employee once. He told me all models have the same motor, implying maybe it's just the inverters which are beefed up and hence allow more current to get more hp out of the same motor. But the consensus view seems to be that the P models do have a "beefier" drive train.

That Tesla employee is just wrong. A P90D has a bigger reare motor than a 90D.

 

[Superloud]

That Tesla employee is just wrong. A P90D has a bigger reare motor than a 90D.

Indeed, I do still believe you're right. Which as I said is one reason I was willing to pay more for the P. It's just funny how many different accounts you can hear even from people who work at tesla. But since the motor is hidden, I can't say I've seen the differences for myself!

The OP should perhaps ask the sales person what is different hardware-wise between the 90D and P90D and let us know