It's really hard not to regret buying my P85 back in Dec 2012. If I'd waited 2 years, I'd have a P85D and a life changing amount of money in savings as I'd have let my TSLA ride instead of buying the car 
First thoughts on P85D acceleration, day 1
- Thread starter Aargau
- Start date
Test drove a P85D in Toronto a couple of days ago. It had old seats front and back. The roads were soaking wet. Despite the very wet roads, it felt like it was glued to the road. It was literally defying the laws of physics. How can something with so much power have so much traction? My CLS63 AMG would be wrapped around a pole if I drove it like I drove the Tesla. What a phenomenal car. The traction control is invisible. You know it is working REALLY hard and you see the light flashing on the dash but you don't feel anything at all. Unlike ICE cars where you feel the car starting to slip and then the TC kicking in, the TC in the Tesla is just pure MAGIC.
I am in love.
I am in love.
Vitaman
Supporting Member
Osama:
Great review.
I had a feeling that when it was all said and done it was the handling that was going to be the biggest improvement in the D
Liked your CLS63 contrast comment too.
Great review.
I had a feeling that when it was all said and done it was the handling that was going to be the biggest improvement in the D
Liked your CLS63 contrast comment too.
3s-a-charm
Active Member
Yes, thank you for the comments on the traction control! Did the car have 21" winter tires/wheels? How was the ride and did you encounter any snow or just rain/wet?
I just drove a P85D at the Park Meadows mall location in Colorado.
I have a September (no sensors) P85+. I have a P85D on order (February delivery).
The car I drove had the next gen seats in the front. Standard seats in the rear.
It was cold, wet and snowing. Wet to light snow accumulation on the pavement. I ran in insane mode.
My thoughts.
* Seats are slightly better than the ones I have... If you like side bolsters and performance seats these (next gen) are the right seats for you. If you like a more relaxed seat, the recent performance seats are fine and I think they might be a tad more comfortable for bigger people. I didn't find the cushioning significantly different from my recent performance seats. The next gen seamed a bit stiffer in the padding. But this could be because it is new.
* "Model S" aluminium plaques on the front door sills.
* No kangaroo pouch...
* Frunk is much easier to close and more fool proof than the previous version. One handed light push in the center is sufficient and feels normal. When I close my P85+ frunk per instructions I feel some flex and it doesn't feel right.
* Frunk is smaller, I'm not sure if my Tesla Microwave bag will fit in the new frunk. I forgot to bring it... I was planning on reusing it...
* Sensors worked fine in the snow. The wipers clear the camera area... No autopilot yet...
* Road noise was significantly less.
* Motor noise was significantly more. As in I could hear it from the front while cruising. It wasn't annoying but it was there. I expect this is because it is an early build.... If not it is not a big deal, but if complete silence is what you are after this may be a deal breaker.
* Under heavy acceleration motor noise was about the same for me. However the noise came from front and rear as opposed to just the rear.
* Fit and finish was better than my car. But this is my single data point and two pieces of interior trim aren't aligned properly on my P85+. I'm sure they would fix this, I just haven't had time and I'm trading it in anyway...
* Traction control was much better. I got some wheel spin. Car hooked up better and was quicker. Noticeably quicker 0-40.
* Snow tires on the 21" rims are Pirelli Sottozero 3. These are better than the Sotozero serie 2 on the 19" for snow and slush.
* I did not notice better acceleration at higher speeds. It actually seemed slower. But that could just be me and the conditions.
* Steering felt lighter than the "sport" setting I run on my P85+. No ability to select "sport"
* I didn't test the power charge port. But I'm looking forward to it...
* Energy usage seemed a tad more than what I would expect out of my P85+. Considering the conditions it is really hard to judge.
Overall this is a better car. Much better in some regards. I particularly like how sure footed it felt at full throttle in wet conditions on some curves. My P85+ will let go and slip a little even on dry pavement. It seems like the reaction of traction control, and grip are both better. I'm not overly concerned with the drop in range for my use case, I do see why it would be a deal breaker for some.
I think the P85D might actually be slower after the hole shot. 4.2 0-60 and 12.4 1/4 mile Tesla claims P85+ vs 3.2 0-60 11.6 1/4 mile Tesla Claims. A second better 0-60 but only .8 seconds better 1/4 mile. So the P85+ would gain 2 tenths after 60 in the quarter based on Tesla's times. or if you hit it at 60 the P85+ should pull slightly on the P85D. I don't really care or know, I am curious though. We won't really know unless someone tests it. Who knows maybe we will get a tweak to the inverter software that improves 60+ performance.
I'm excited to take delivery... My wife on the other hand prefers the old performance seats and bigger frunk. She also thinks the P85+ is fast enough...
Compared to my recent P85+
P85D
Pluses
* AWD
* 0-60 Performance and 1/4 mile improved.
* Autopilot Sensors.
* Door sills
* Next Gen Seats
* Frunk operation
* Fit and finish
* Heated Steering wheel
* Power Charge port
* Reduced road noise
* Improved handling
* improved Traction control
Minuses
* Softer steering and not selectable
* louder Motor noise (front)
* Smaller frunk
* Reduced Range / Increased power usage
I have a September (no sensors) P85+. I have a P85D on order (February delivery).
The car I drove had the next gen seats in the front. Standard seats in the rear.
It was cold, wet and snowing. Wet to light snow accumulation on the pavement. I ran in insane mode.
My thoughts.
* Seats are slightly better than the ones I have... If you like side bolsters and performance seats these (next gen) are the right seats for you. If you like a more relaxed seat, the recent performance seats are fine and I think they might be a tad more comfortable for bigger people. I didn't find the cushioning significantly different from my recent performance seats. The next gen seamed a bit stiffer in the padding. But this could be because it is new.
* "Model S" aluminium plaques on the front door sills.
* No kangaroo pouch...
* Frunk is much easier to close and more fool proof than the previous version. One handed light push in the center is sufficient and feels normal. When I close my P85+ frunk per instructions I feel some flex and it doesn't feel right.
* Frunk is smaller, I'm not sure if my Tesla Microwave bag will fit in the new frunk. I forgot to bring it... I was planning on reusing it...
* Sensors worked fine in the snow. The wipers clear the camera area... No autopilot yet...
* Road noise was significantly less.
* Motor noise was significantly more. As in I could hear it from the front while cruising. It wasn't annoying but it was there. I expect this is because it is an early build.... If not it is not a big deal, but if complete silence is what you are after this may be a deal breaker.
* Under heavy acceleration motor noise was about the same for me. However the noise came from front and rear as opposed to just the rear.
* Fit and finish was better than my car. But this is my single data point and two pieces of interior trim aren't aligned properly on my P85+. I'm sure they would fix this, I just haven't had time and I'm trading it in anyway...
* Traction control was much better. I got some wheel spin. Car hooked up better and was quicker. Noticeably quicker 0-40.
* Snow tires on the 21" rims are Pirelli Sottozero 3. These are better than the Sotozero serie 2 on the 19" for snow and slush.
* I did not notice better acceleration at higher speeds. It actually seemed slower. But that could just be me and the conditions.
* Steering felt lighter than the "sport" setting I run on my P85+. No ability to select "sport"
* I didn't test the power charge port. But I'm looking forward to it...
* Energy usage seemed a tad more than what I would expect out of my P85+. Considering the conditions it is really hard to judge.
Overall this is a better car. Much better in some regards. I particularly like how sure footed it felt at full throttle in wet conditions on some curves. My P85+ will let go and slip a little even on dry pavement. It seems like the reaction of traction control, and grip are both better. I'm not overly concerned with the drop in range for my use case, I do see why it would be a deal breaker for some.
I think the P85D might actually be slower after the hole shot. 4.2 0-60 and 12.4 1/4 mile Tesla claims P85+ vs 3.2 0-60 11.6 1/4 mile Tesla Claims. A second better 0-60 but only .8 seconds better 1/4 mile. So the P85+ would gain 2 tenths after 60 in the quarter based on Tesla's times. or if you hit it at 60 the P85+ should pull slightly on the P85D. I don't really care or know, I am curious though. We won't really know unless someone tests it. Who knows maybe we will get a tweak to the inverter software that improves 60+ performance.
I'm excited to take delivery... My wife on the other hand prefers the old performance seats and bigger frunk. She also thinks the P85+ is fast enough...
Compared to my recent P85+
P85D
Pluses
* AWD
* 0-60 Performance and 1/4 mile improved.
* Autopilot Sensors.
* Door sills
* Next Gen Seats
* Frunk operation
* Fit and finish
* Heated Steering wheel
* Power Charge port
* Reduced road noise
* Improved handling
* improved Traction control
Minuses
* Softer steering and not selectable
* louder Motor noise (front)
* Smaller frunk
* Reduced Range / Increased power usage
MarcG
Active Member
That's not how it works. You can't compare 0-60 times with 1/4-mile times as one is a measure of speed, the other of distance.
In your example, the P85D gets to 60 mph faster and therefore does so having covered less distance.
So to cover the full 1/4 mile, it will need to cover more distance from 60 mph on.
I'd bet that if both cars accelerated from the same point in distance with a 60 mph running start, the P85D still covers the remaining part of the 1/4-mile faster (and therefore ends it with more speed).
Last edited:
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
I experienced my first true 0-60 run in a P85D today. My new P85D to be exact. Traffic light straight on to a highway entrance ramp.
I mashed the Go pedal and actually exclaimed something out loud that's probably best not posted here on this family forum.
Color me duly impressed.
No wheel spin. No traction control intervention. No loss of grip. Just all go. Reminded me of launch control on my supercharged, chipped Audi S4, just without all the setup fuss. I swear, it was like a 10 step mission control procedure on that thing. In the Tesla it's just "put your foot down."
I went back to the same spot in my old P85 and punched it. Rear wheels spun like mad, traction control got really busy, and the car shuddered as the rear wheels repeatedly broke traction nearly the whole time.
AWD FTW!
I mashed the Go pedal and actually exclaimed something out loud that's probably best not posted here on this family forum.
Color me duly impressed.
No wheel spin. No traction control intervention. No loss of grip. Just all go. Reminded me of launch control on my supercharged, chipped Audi S4, just without all the setup fuss. I swear, it was like a 10 step mission control procedure on that thing. In the Tesla it's just "put your foot down."
I went back to the same spot in my old P85 and punched it. Rear wheels spun like mad, traction control got really busy, and the car shuddered as the rear wheels repeatedly broke traction nearly the whole time.
AWD FTW!
I handed out coupons for a free rollercoaster ride at my family holiday party... with me doing The Launch, of course. The "least" reaction I got was from a guy who raced speed-bikes (holy power to weight ratio, batman!) and even he was impressed. I think I won the entertainment award for this event.
The AWD was the selling point to get me to set foot out of Audi... otherwise, on just a RWD vehicle... yeah, see-ya the first time the pavement is wet. And OMG - like your experience - this car delivers. It was raining when I took delivery of mine... and The Launch was on wet pavement... and although I did feel a TINY bit of slip, it still rocketed forward with a force unlike any other. Good job, Tesla!
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