Alright, this is long, but i didn't want to just do your average "review". If you can't handle it, just skip it and don't knock it. Thanks 
So I took a test drive of the P85D on Monday. I have an order placed but had not confirmed, so my emotions were running high, this was the moment to bring clearness to my mind and make the decision as easy as coding "Hello World" in your average programming language.
I had so much anticipation for this moment, with all the rave reviews from other test drivers and early owners, the mentions of F1s, Bugatties, Lambos and Ferraris, I was expecting to have a sickening experience, unreal, like the Hulk rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios Orlando perhaps. "Hey, it's not my fault, others are raving so much, this thing must fly" I said to myself as I arrived at the Tesla showroom full of emotion and thoughts.
I tell the Tesla rep, "I'm really looking forward to this, I still can't decide if the P85D is it, I want to make sure I'm making the right decision." And he joyfully says, "Ohhhh myyyy god, you are, the thing is a beast." Well, that just kept piling on and making my expectations even higher.
Before this moment, I had already taken a test drive of the P85, and having no prior expectations, I was quite impressed with its performance, but now, it was time to unleash "The Beast" as many have called it.
To put this into perspective, I am just your average driver. I'm not a fast driver, never buy sport versions of cars, and ultimately see a car as point A to point B transportation. However, I always wanted a "toy" car, something fun to drive on weekends, and seeing how this could serve both as a daily driver and a weekend toy had me completely intrigued.
I get in, I asked if we were in "Insane" mode, receive an affirmative nod from the Tesla rep and we drive off. I ask the rep to turn off the music for me, he lowers it but not completely off, I ask him to kill it as I would like to hear how quiet the car is, he lowers it almost full but not completely. I approach the screen and completely turn it off. I don't own a Tesla and don't know how to use the on-wheel controls, but by reaching for the screen I achieve the goal. My first test was to hear the front motor sound. Yes, it does make a slightly annoying sound that the other S versions didn't make, "um, I can see how this could get annoying, but hey, I rarely drive without music or some sort of audio on, no biggie I guess".
We proceed to try and push the car to its limits, I punch it and go from 20 to 60, then onward to 80, the car certainly flies, you can barely notice you are accelerating so fast, and if not for the 80MPH limitation on test-drive cars, I could've easily hit 100 without knowing.
Then, the real test, we are at a stop light, this is the moment, what everyone is talking about, the experience of the beast, the launch to beat all launches, this was the moment I was certainly waiting for. The light turns green, I floor it, about three seconds go by, and sure enough we're already going 60 miles per hour and other vehicles behind me are just barely warming up.
But suddenly I feel disappointed, I still feel confused, "Should I really pay an extra 30k or go with the S85?" Still puzzled I ask myself. I proceed to drive through some twisty roads, handling feels great, I'm hitting seventy miles per hour on a twenty five and it feels like I'm going fifteen, the car just glides over, it flies, it's like it is running on rails. And here lies a big realization, while the car surely flies and drives quite smoothly, I sense like the feeling of speed just wasn't there, I kind of missed the big roar of a fast ICE, the feel of the road, the feeling of gears shifting one after the other. At a minimum I expected a rush like the one I get every time I ride the Incredible Hulk at Universal Studios, none of that was felt.
I really couldn't believe it, I went back, took an S60 for a test drive, then right back to driving the P85D again. At the end of it all, I still felt puzzled. I didn't even want to post a review here so I let it all settle in, a few days have gone by since Monday and today I have confirmed my P85D order. Not because it is fast, but because it is a technological marvel and I truly appreciate that. I enjoy the technology, I enjoy supporting what I would love to be the automotive future, and I do feel the car is extremely special. While I could also achieve all of that with an S85, I'd much rather grow to love "The Beast" for what she is as we get more acquainted, than move on without her and feel like I should've given her another chance but it is now too late. After all, I blame most of my disappointment to the incredibly high expectations I had after reading so much about this car and hearing others rave so much about it. I know that once my P85D arrives I'll be able to appreciate all of its marvel.
With all that said, initially I thought a Tesla could replace my inner desire for a toy car, however, I can certainly see myself owning a loud ICE someday as a fun weekend toy that transmits more energy as the speedo raves on.
So I took a test drive of the P85D on Monday. I have an order placed but had not confirmed, so my emotions were running high, this was the moment to bring clearness to my mind and make the decision as easy as coding "Hello World" in your average programming language.
I had so much anticipation for this moment, with all the rave reviews from other test drivers and early owners, the mentions of F1s, Bugatties, Lambos and Ferraris, I was expecting to have a sickening experience, unreal, like the Hulk rollercoaster ride at Universal Studios Orlando perhaps. "Hey, it's not my fault, others are raving so much, this thing must fly" I said to myself as I arrived at the Tesla showroom full of emotion and thoughts.
I tell the Tesla rep, "I'm really looking forward to this, I still can't decide if the P85D is it, I want to make sure I'm making the right decision." And he joyfully says, "Ohhhh myyyy god, you are, the thing is a beast." Well, that just kept piling on and making my expectations even higher.
Before this moment, I had already taken a test drive of the P85, and having no prior expectations, I was quite impressed with its performance, but now, it was time to unleash "The Beast" as many have called it.
To put this into perspective, I am just your average driver. I'm not a fast driver, never buy sport versions of cars, and ultimately see a car as point A to point B transportation. However, I always wanted a "toy" car, something fun to drive on weekends, and seeing how this could serve both as a daily driver and a weekend toy had me completely intrigued.
I get in, I asked if we were in "Insane" mode, receive an affirmative nod from the Tesla rep and we drive off. I ask the rep to turn off the music for me, he lowers it but not completely off, I ask him to kill it as I would like to hear how quiet the car is, he lowers it almost full but not completely. I approach the screen and completely turn it off. I don't own a Tesla and don't know how to use the on-wheel controls, but by reaching for the screen I achieve the goal. My first test was to hear the front motor sound. Yes, it does make a slightly annoying sound that the other S versions didn't make, "um, I can see how this could get annoying, but hey, I rarely drive without music or some sort of audio on, no biggie I guess".
We proceed to try and push the car to its limits, I punch it and go from 20 to 60, then onward to 80, the car certainly flies, you can barely notice you are accelerating so fast, and if not for the 80MPH limitation on test-drive cars, I could've easily hit 100 without knowing.
Then, the real test, we are at a stop light, this is the moment, what everyone is talking about, the experience of the beast, the launch to beat all launches, this was the moment I was certainly waiting for. The light turns green, I floor it, about three seconds go by, and sure enough we're already going 60 miles per hour and other vehicles behind me are just barely warming up.
But suddenly I feel disappointed, I still feel confused, "Should I really pay an extra 30k or go with the S85?" Still puzzled I ask myself. I proceed to drive through some twisty roads, handling feels great, I'm hitting seventy miles per hour on a twenty five and it feels like I'm going fifteen, the car just glides over, it flies, it's like it is running on rails. And here lies a big realization, while the car surely flies and drives quite smoothly, I sense like the feeling of speed just wasn't there, I kind of missed the big roar of a fast ICE, the feel of the road, the feeling of gears shifting one after the other. At a minimum I expected a rush like the one I get every time I ride the Incredible Hulk at Universal Studios, none of that was felt.
I really couldn't believe it, I went back, took an S60 for a test drive, then right back to driving the P85D again. At the end of it all, I still felt puzzled. I didn't even want to post a review here so I let it all settle in, a few days have gone by since Monday and today I have confirmed my P85D order. Not because it is fast, but because it is a technological marvel and I truly appreciate that. I enjoy the technology, I enjoy supporting what I would love to be the automotive future, and I do feel the car is extremely special. While I could also achieve all of that with an S85, I'd much rather grow to love "The Beast" for what she is as we get more acquainted, than move on without her and feel like I should've given her another chance but it is now too late. After all, I blame most of my disappointment to the incredibly high expectations I had after reading so much about this car and hearing others rave so much about it. I know that once my P85D arrives I'll be able to appreciate all of its marvel.
With all that said, initially I thought a Tesla could replace my inner desire for a toy car, however, I can certainly see myself owning a loud ICE someday as a fun weekend toy that transmits more energy as the speedo raves on.
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