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Model S 90D Test Drive - Indescribable, Stupid Fun

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Wow. I've been lurking on these boards since July when I read an article on the "Wait But Why" blog about a company I had barely known about, Tesla, and how it is going to change the world. I knew then I was going to buy and have spent every day since researching the S. However, I had never sat inside or driven a Tesla until yesterday at the Northpark Center store in Dallas. Unbelievable.

Even though they weren't doing test drives that day, the store advisor knew I had driven 6 hours and was close to buying, so he made it happen. We drove a similar model to what I will be ordering, a 90D. I knew it would be nice, but didn't expect it to be *that* fast since it wasn't a "P."

What. The. Heck.

As the light turns green and we enter the on-ramp to the freeway, he tells me to floor it. To say I was surprised is an understatement. A guttural, terrified scream escapes my lungs as we accelerate, and maybe a profanity. Okay - it was a string of profanities. And I don't cuss normally! My heart, my stomach, it was all just the most amazing thing. It's almost indescribable, that thrill. The advisor really got a good laugh out it, and I assume that giving newbies test drives must be the best part of his job. Needless to say I launched a couple more times. I was probably 90% the way there before doing that drive, now I'm so there it should have arrived yesterday.

All that is to say, Tesla - where you been all my life? The power even from this non-performance model is something to be marveled at. Maybe it's because I'm not that much of a car guy but this bad boy is going to be more than enough to make driving a real pleasure and to scare my friends. I had that feeling in my stomach the rest of the day, my body reliving the experience. Can't wait to put my order in very soon!

I recently ordered a Model S 90D and I agonised over whether I should have spent the extra for the P90D so I really appreciate and relate to your point of view. I decided that I would rather have a fully optioned 90D for less than the price of a P90D without any of the optional gear. And I too thought that as it has the same acceleration as the P85 / P85+ then I won't be disappointed as I too am not a car guy (at least not until I discovered Tesla!!!).
 
It was charged to about 240miles estimated range

Ok thanks. That's just under 90%. Bummer that it wasn't as significant as expected.

gg_got_a_tesla is driving mine tomorrow morning so we'll have additional input. Honestly, I hope that it is an improvement and that something was just off when you drove it. I'd hate to read stories of people upgrading and being disappointed.

There are definitely times, even when I borrowed the P85D, that it felt less noticeable. I pretty much always notice the acceleration from 30. The P85D NEVER made me feel like the blood rushed to the back of my head... I have that pretty regularly in the P90D.
 
Ok thanks. That's just under 90%. Bummer that it wasn't as significant as expected.

gg_got_a_tesla is driving mine tomorrow morning so we'll have additional input. Honestly, I hope that it is an improvement and that something was just off when you drove it. I'd hate to read stories of people upgrading and being disappointed.

There are definitely times, even when I borrowed the P85D, that it felt less noticeable. I pretty much always notice the acceleration from 30. The P85D NEVER made me feel like the blood rushed to the back of my head... I have that pretty regularly in the P90D.

Here where my biggest hope is.
I hate watching drag videos where some crazy trucks or lambos beating p85d on a quarter mile but just a little.
And I'm counting on p90d to cut all this bul***it ancient ICE tech out of competition (we can't beat uncompromized specially built dragsters but who cares about them).
I can't wait to see first drag reports with p90d or after-retrofit p85d. I want ultimate humiliation for 99% of ICE cars on a dragstrip finally to come true. Electric revolution needs it.
 
Here where my biggest hope is.
I hate watching drag videos where some crazy trucks or lambos beating p85d on a quarter mile but just a little.
And I'm counting on p90d to cut all this bul***it ancient ICE tech out of competition (we can't beat uncompromized specially built dragsters but who cares about them).
I can't wait to see first drag reports with p90d or after-retrofit p85d. I want ultimate humiliation for 99% of ICE cars on a dragstrip finally to come true. Electric revolution needs it.

So it's impressive what Tesla has done, and PXXDs can definitely hold their own, but this sounds pretty extreme. A Murciélago weighs close to 1500lb less and has a V12, but can be taken off the line by a 5000lb car. That's impressive, but that car will take a P85D rolling.


When your SOC is low you won't smoke a Lambo off the line, even if they run out of gas 5 minutes later. They are simply different in different ways. The drag strip is not reality because you can take a street car and throw slicks on it and run better numbers. Just like on the road a P90D with low SOC won't perform the way it does at 90%.

If you blow the doors off a fast car look at it as a plus for Tesla, not a negative for the other car. If you want them to be impressed and supportive of how fast the car is, the respect needs to remain in place. Humiliation is only going to lead to dislike for the car just like all the haters on Youtube that go in both directions. You might humiliate them on the track, but they can just as easily humiliate you at other times.

A Lambo is a Lambo, and a Tesla is a Tesla. They are both impressive and beautiful machines.

Today I pulled up to a light and saw a beautiful Ferrari. Rolled down my window, complimented it, asked what year it was. He thanked me and appreciated the compliments and said nothing about my car. I could care less, because his car was stunning and it deserved as much respect as I feel mine deserves. Just because I could have blown his doors off at the light doesn't change that.

- - - Updated - - -

I'm the owner of p85d since april and when "ludicrous" p90d was announced I was so impressed and wanted to upgrade my car immediately. But today I finally wad able to test drive P90d at the mall of short hills nj.
I was with my 9yo daughter and my wife. Before I get to the point want to tell that all of us get used to insane mode acceleration of our p85d and we love it. My car takes off the line brutally, instantly and we have this "butterflies in the stomach" feeling. It is so much fun for us. So we expected to get even more of this from p90d and... all 3 of us were not impressed if not to say disappointed :(.
We tried the car before and after max battery performance preparation (it took about 10 mins to warm it up by constantly driving). Surely the car feels more confident accelerating from mid range (passing) speeds than p85d. When you drive 40-60mph and step on the pedal it definitely jumps forward with more power. But off the line it feels even worse. Maybe the 0-60 timing with accurate measurement would be slightly better but the car has different character. It is less brutal off the line but more confident and constantly accelerating at higher speeds. So that's it. Not much of fun at all which is a great disappointment. I do hope that promised retrofit from insane to ludicrous will make my car feel differently from p90d in good way. But today's testdrive made me questioning whether I should pay 7k for the retrofit or not.
I will most likely repeat the testdrive at the different tesla store with different car. Maybe I missed something...

GG drove my car earlier and will probably post a review of it sometime soon. We did apples to apples for the most part. I was at 90% and he was at 95%, took the same route each time, he drove both, and I was a passenger in both so weight was the same.

This was my first time as a passenger in either car and I was able to notice a difference. Especially in the 30+ test and the 70+ test.
 
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