P for Performance or Party Trick

[kort677]

very important, obviously, given the price.

price isn't always indicative of performance. one could by a mustang or camaro for much less money without giving up too much performance/

my range isn't precious. i almost never come close to driving over 300 miles in a single day. in fact, driving like a maniac in this car is far cheaper than driving like a maniac in an ICE car, in terms of fuel cost (and likely maintenance cost as well, but that's harder to prove).

driving like a maniac is not the goal of many tesla owners, excepting those who are maniacs.

nobody buys a Tesla to fill a NEED. this is a car that fulfills desires and fantasies.

really?
in my case the tesla was a step down in cars and when did you become the official arbiter of why people buy teslas?

 

[Pezpunk]

the preference for an electric car is not a need, it's a luxury. how privileged does one have to be to not see that?

you can't buy a high end status symbol and then look down your nose at others who bought a higher trim level of the same vehicle. it's absurd, and reeks of sour grapes.

 

[kort677]

you can't buy a high end status symbol .

therein lies a problem. you need a status symbol for some reason.

 

[Pezpunk]

therein lies a problem. you need a status symbol for some reason.

and so do you apparently. the difference is you lie to yourself and tell yourself you "needed" it and i fully admit i merely desired it.

again, your disdain for people who merely bought a higher trim level of the same car reeks of sour grapes. you can't smugly pretend you bought a utilitarian econo-box when you are driving around in a freaking Tesla Model S.

 

[McMuggets]

In the combustion engine world, tuners spend upwards of $20-50K to squeeze out 0.3 seconds in a straight line. It's not odd to spend a lot of money for faster... and in this case, the Ludicrous+ 2.28s (achieved by Motortrend) puts the Tesla in the same league as $1M+ cars. $40,000 is a pittance.

 

[rhumbliner]

By vaporizing the old thinking that EVs are ugly/slugs/nofun and reframing Tesla as a main stream car <snip>. *THIS* is the way to change minds and hearts away from polluting ICE to sustainable EV.

+1

Maybe 'cuz I live in Wyoming & Nevada where a macho image is important but the crowd I hang with would never consider a Volt, Bolt, Leaf or i3 because those cars have no macho bragging rights. Once they saw (and felt) the incredible performance of my Model S they began to change their opinion of EV's. Performance is the only thing that would change their mindset.

 

[omarsultan]

So you've driven the non-P equivalent of your car and found it inadequate in one or more of these regards?

1) Yes
2) That's not what I said (see the first paragraph)

 

[CraZ8]

This is all done by Tesla for the halo effect for all the down market models, the 60s, 70s and all non performance models. Manufacturers have been doing this since Mercer was vying for top performance bragging rights against Stutz. The old formula of race on sunday to sell on Monday still holds true. Many people would never consider a Prius are bowled over by the write ups on the S. (as well as the looks) they may not buy a P model but still feel part of the family.

 

[randompersonx]

I've owned a number of high performance cars in my life.
BMW E46 M3 Cabriolet
BMW E46 M3 Coupe
Porsche 997 Turbo Coupe
Porsche Panamera 4S
Porsche 997 Turbo Cabriolet

As others have said, the P85D was a reasonable transition for me ... Comparing to a Chevy Volt is just silly.

Is it a luxury? Obviously, but again, so is any Tesla. If you want to be "green", drive a used geo metro, use public transit, ride a bike, or walk. Tesla may be less bad than other luxury cars, but it is still a luxury car.

As far as how the performance compares ... With Ludicrous mode, it launches faster than any other car I've owned, and for highway passing, it performs somewhat comparable to the Panamera, though certainly not in the same league as a 997 Turbo.

Does it handle around a turn like a 997 Turbo? Of course not.
Does it handle around a turn like a Panamera? It's in the same ballpark.

Is it a supercar on the highway? No.

Is it a performance car? Obviously.

 

[Btr_ftw]

The 0-60 is party trick and not something most people do (blasting from stop light to stop light).

Speak for yourself.

 

[davidc18]

I would say Ludi is more performance than party trick, just for the additional power above 45+, which is the speed where most people drive at and use the passing power.

The 0-60 is party trick and not something most people do (blasting from stop light to stop light).

You really have no idea how much fun this is.

 

[EinSV]

I have only done a handful of Max Battery 0-60 launches (including with a car full of 21-22 year-old guys -- priceless!) and have never used "Launch Mode." But the incredible acceleration available for day-to-day driving is just amazing. I think this is true to some extent with any Tesla, but the nearly instantaneous ability to get the car where you want it to go is really incredible and puts a smile on my face every day. It is not only 0-60 launches, but incredible acceleration at all legal/practical speeds plus excellent handling, that make this a true Performance car with a capital P.

 

[whitex]

Worth is always relative. Worth to whom and for what purpose? To some, no Tesla is worth the money and for those who are just looking for basic transportation you really cannot justify buying even a used one. To others P100DL is worth it. Everyone needs to decide for themselves and even for a particular person, it depends on for what purpose. We have both P85D and a 60D and feel both were worth buying - each serves a different purpose.

 

[Indpowr]

Performance people will always pay for performance. Why the Z06/Zr1/Z06 etc is for. Otherwise everyone would order everyday cars. I am blessed enough for a full mix.

 

[Canuck]

I'd be more interested in a future E120D. Not P120D, but E. For Endurance. When a Tesla can do 2 hours straight at a sustained 120mph+ on the Autobahn without the battery or motor melting from overheating, then I know Tesla will have arrived.

I think Tesla has already "arrived" but I do want to know when Tesla does make a E120D how yours will "arrive" at the Autobahn from New Mexico? Maybe it will be the AE120D (with A = amphibious) and there will be superchargers on the way.

this poll will come down to: all non-P owners voting "party trick" and all P-owners voting "performance". the former to make them feel better about not having P power. the latter because they know it's about much more than a 0-60 launch.

Strange then with those P owners voting "party trick." And as a non-P owner, I voted Performance based on a P85+ loaner I had once. I don't need to vote to bring others down to make me "feel better". That's a sad view of life you have.

 

[P100DHG.]

I bought a P100DL and I voted party trick. Looks it's not a 911 Turbo. It's not a Ferrari, its not a GTR, it's not even an M3 so it's a party trick. I bought it for the battery, and because I have a philosophy when buying cars, pick the car you want and get the best available that way you can never look back and wish you had done better. So its a party trick in my mind but a fun one. I think performance comes from handling, braking, acceleration and top end not just one. It doesn't have to be a track car but if it should come with better brakes than the standard models and better suspension at minimum.

 

[P100DHG.]

Electric GT championship with Tesla Model S P100D gets a launch date and circuits, including Nürburgring

This might help change my mind if this really happens this summer depending on how they perform.

 

[John Stuckey]

I would never do another 90L. I don't use it.

 

[P100DHG.]

I finally got my P100D. I came from a 2015 BMW M3 and the Model S in sport feels slow compared to my M3 and in ludicrous it feels much more responsive. When the M3 would shift from 2nd to 3rd it felt like you got shoved into the seat there was so much power. I loved that feeling and without the P I'd be disappointed. Now 0-60 in 2.3 I have yet to come close to that. I am scared to do it with my own car. The test drive car was great but my own car I'm scared.