After 3 years my P85+ just hit 25K so it was time for service. I also had a small list of rattles and other issues so I set up an appointment to drop off my car at the service center. I always brag about how much I love the handling of the + suspension and how I believe that it is so much better than a non + P85. So I guess it was my lucky day because the loaner car i got was a P85DL and although restricted to 80 mph, the acceleration is not restricted. AND they told me they would have my car for a few days.
Lots of new things to play with for me.... AP1, the "D" and of course the "L". At first I was not overly impressed but I am liking it more and more as I drive it.
AP1...not sure if it was this particular car with 34K plus mileage but the steering seems jerky while in AP.. i was speculating that maybe the alignment was a little off and that it was constantly making little corrections. I used it cruising at 65 and again when in complete stop and go crawling along the highway. I still don't know if I would use AP if I had it but it is cool how amazing this 3 year old technology is.... makes me wonder about 2.0 or 2.5. I also love the dashboard differences and the little shadows of the vehicles around you. I think this is not only cool but a nice safety feature.
OK.. just for the record I know the P85DL is way faster than my car but at first it seemed to me that the P85+ acceleration SEEMS more dramatic... when i test drove a D car the sales person mentioned that the AWD makes the acceleration "smoother" so like i said it SEEMED less dramatic. In fact to me it was not all that different and I liked my + better. THEN I launched from a dead stop... OK I get it now... the D adds traction that my + doesn't even pretend to have and the acceleration was sick. But then again unless you are driving like a crazy person from every traffic light it seems the P85+ for me is still more than enough and I get that same "Launch" feeling with the RWD. (just a second or so slower)
Handling... the loaner car has the square set up so it is not one of the first P85Ds that had the + suspension. In the past I have mentioned that the P85 (no +) was almost scary to drive compared to the "planted" feeling of the +. In my opinion the "D" helps with handling to an extent and I would judge the handling to be better than a P85 but still not as "on rails" as my P85+. This is the one category that I think the + still has the edge over every other Model S (for the record the P85DL has 21's and pilot sports and air suspension) and i know this may sound crazy but i feel like my + still had a smoother ride... again, it could be the loaner I have but i felt like the bumpy road near my house was more noticeable.
So yes I have a little bit of loaner car envy but I am sure once I get my car back I will fall in love with my + all over again.
Lots of new things to play with for me.... AP1, the "D" and of course the "L". At first I was not overly impressed but I am liking it more and more as I drive it.
AP1...not sure if it was this particular car with 34K plus mileage but the steering seems jerky while in AP.. i was speculating that maybe the alignment was a little off and that it was constantly making little corrections. I used it cruising at 65 and again when in complete stop and go crawling along the highway. I still don't know if I would use AP if I had it but it is cool how amazing this 3 year old technology is.... makes me wonder about 2.0 or 2.5. I also love the dashboard differences and the little shadows of the vehicles around you. I think this is not only cool but a nice safety feature.
OK.. just for the record I know the P85DL is way faster than my car but at first it seemed to me that the P85+ acceleration SEEMS more dramatic... when i test drove a D car the sales person mentioned that the AWD makes the acceleration "smoother" so like i said it SEEMED less dramatic. In fact to me it was not all that different and I liked my + better. THEN I launched from a dead stop... OK I get it now... the D adds traction that my + doesn't even pretend to have and the acceleration was sick. But then again unless you are driving like a crazy person from every traffic light it seems the P85+ for me is still more than enough and I get that same "Launch" feeling with the RWD. (just a second or so slower)
Handling... the loaner car has the square set up so it is not one of the first P85Ds that had the + suspension. In the past I have mentioned that the P85 (no +) was almost scary to drive compared to the "planted" feeling of the +. In my opinion the "D" helps with handling to an extent and I would judge the handling to be better than a P85 but still not as "on rails" as my P85+. This is the one category that I think the + still has the edge over every other Model S (for the record the P85DL has 21's and pilot sports and air suspension) and i know this may sound crazy but i feel like my + still had a smoother ride... again, it could be the loaner I have but i felt like the bumpy road near my house was more noticeable.
So yes I have a little bit of loaner car envy but I am sure once I get my car back I will fall in love with my + all over again.
