P85DL or 75D

[VegarHenriksen]

I am considering getting a new S, but I'm having a hard time deciding between a P85DL or 75D.
My favorite thing is to push the car to its limits in terms of spirited driving so this should be a no-brainer, but the 85-pack scares me in terms of failure rate.

P85DL
- Plus suspension
- More power

75D
- More reliable battery
- Less miles

I already have everything I need inside and out to facelift the P85DL so any looks and interior quality stuff doesn't matter.
Autopilot versions doesn't matter as I run Openpilot anyways.

Any inputs would be greatly appreciated!

 

[SilverGS]

P85DL hand down.

Where did you read that the 85 kwh battery pack is not reliable?

 

[VegarHenriksen]

P85DL hand down.

Where did you read that the 85 kwh battery pack is not reliable?

Based on personal experience and seeing ads on the market. A high percentage of 85 cars has had the pack replaced, not so much the 75s.

 

[glide]

The 85 batteries are more prone to issues.

With the warranty period coming up, that is something to consider.

All things being equal I would get the 85 all day. AP1 is still superior to AP2 IMO for normal driving conditions.

 

[beatle]

Another vote for P85DL. Not all had the plus suspension though - just double check that the car you're looking at has it. It's terrific. AP1 will probably be the best highway ADAS until Tesla brings radar back, maybe only for HW4 cars. I miss AP1 every time I drive my 2019 to work or take it on a road trip.

 

[islandbayy]

I will second AP1 VS AP2.x

Of course, AP1 will never be Full Self Drive. But in terms of doing long trips on the freeway, I prefer my AP1 Model S hands down over my FSD Model X. The radar makes a huge difference. Even though until I get the upcoming firmware update, my Model X still uses just Autopilot on the freeway, there is a NOTICEABLE difference, that AP1 is hands down 100X more reliable on the freeway. I don't use Nav by autopilot on the MX, find it too unreliable, so I just use basic Autopilot on the freeway for the MX. I could tell a noticeable difference, instantly once Radar was removed. I've never had so much Phantom Braking, and overall poor performance. My MX DOES have radar, however, they have disabled it. Even before Radar was removed, AP1 has always trumped AP2.x in terms of lane keeping. FSD is neat, but it's worsening performance is starting to ware on my patients. Really hope the upcoming firmware update makes a difference.

 

[islandbayy]

Suppose I should weight in on batteries while we're at it. The 85, if it has warranty left at all, will be up soon. The 75 should have a 1 to 1 1/2 years of battery and drive unit warranty left.
In terms of Degradation, the 85 pack beats the crap out of current chemistry for degradation, however, the pack electronics are a little more unreliable. The 75 will last longer, but will degrade slightly faster.
The 75 will be more efficient, with the smaller drive units, the 85 will make up for that with the larger pack. The large drive unit in the rear of the p85DL is more likely to fail than the smaller drive units.

Without knowing the price though, I'd likely go with the P85DL, especially if it's still grandfathered in for free supercharging.

 

[VegarHenriksen]

P85DL+ is around $5k cheaper with 111k miles
75D has 2yrs of battery warranty and has 69k miles
Both has free supercharging
Again, AP versions does not matter, nor does looks or interior.

I honestly wouldn't be too upset buying a new battery for the P85DL+ if it dies since it's a car worth keeping on the road imo. I would think twice about replacing the battery in a 75D as it's a very replaceable vehicle.

I think I will regret getting a normal 75D due to my driving style.
The + suspension has been super interesting to me for a long time and the handling should be night and day between those cars.

 

[airborne spoon]

You'll get more range and faster supercharging with the 75.
Yeah I know it doesn't make any ****ing sense.

I have a P85D and I've been given a 75D multiple times as a loaner while I was in service. The charging is much faster on the 75D and I could drive from the service center to my house without charging. In my 85 I have to charge once for like 45 min or 2 times for 20 min. But no way in hell I can make it home in my car without charging. It's about 2.5 hours of driving and all uphill for reference.
But the P85D is a crap load faster than the 75D which is pretty important

 

[VegarHenriksen]

@lolachampcar Would you mind chiming in here? I see you in all the performance threads regarding handling and such and would love your opinion.

 

[dannycamps]

I'd say it depends on the year of the car. If it's a '15 or later P85DL with the next gen seats, then I would definitely go for that one. The first gen seats (to me - subjective) feel like you are sitting on a park bench while driving.

 

[islandbayy]

Just a thought though, down the road, if being kept for the long haul, www.057tech.com can upgrade it to a 100 pack, then it would be a P100DL ;-)

 

[ICUDoc]

P85DL was the best Tesla I've driven

 

[lolachampcar]

"My favorite thing is to push the car to its limits in terms of spirited driving so this should be a no-brainer, but the 85-pack scares me in terms of failure rate."

Seems like this really makes the decision for you if it is your governing concern.

I agree with a lot of what has been posted.
Gen2 seats a must to keep you in the seat else you end up sliding around too much.
First few months of DL production had the "+" suspension. BIG difference and, if you are more aligned to the M Car suspension feeling, a must. Follow on production used the standard S suspension which was a bit of a let down. (not applicable here but the latest S with the adjustable damping and significant changes in suspension geometry allow for 1.1G plus lateral grip which is just fantastic)
My 85 pack had a vacuum check failure when it went in for the L upgrade and thus I ended up with a 90 pack. I did have a contactor failure but otherwise no battery issues. A friend still has that car and I enjoy riding in it when I get a chance. 125k miles on the car (about 100k on the pack - the whole 85 to 90 swap thing) with no issues.

The very early DLs are the only ones with the + suspension that I am aware of which makes them a bit of a unicorn.

 

[VegarHenriksen]

"My favorite thing is to push the car to its limits in terms of spirited driving so this should be a no-brainer, but the 85-pack scares me in terms of failure rate."

Seems like this really makes the decision for you if it is your governing concern.

Currently have a dead 85-pack due to water ingress. Plan is to fix it eventually, but winter is insane now so transporting the pack 1000km again is not happening right now.

I have decided not to get the P85DL+ due to the risk and I'm instead looking at a Model 3 Performance since it should be comparable and it's roughly the same price for 1/3 the mileage. I have decided that the 75D will be too tame.

 

[VegarHenriksen]

Eh, yolo, got a P90DL with + Suspension (was P85DL) with new v3 90 kWh battery (brand new rDU too). Just can't give up FUSC and the Model S is just so much better looking than the 3.