5 Thoughts After 500 Miles: Driving the 691 hp Tesla Model S P85D
We’ve just spent 500 miles behind the wheel of the new all electric 691 hp Tesla P85D and we have a ton to say. And while our full review is coming soon, we couldn’t wait to give you a peek into our time with the electric rocketship.
Here are five quick thoughts after five hundred miles.
1. 4,900 lbs has never felt so light. With the majority of the weight inches off the ground and the suspension so well-damped, the Tesla P85D feels like a car 500-700 pounds lighter.
2. The design and interface details inside and out show a quality in thought and execution superior to almost anything out there under $200k. There are plenty of things MINI and BMW get right. But there are more than a few areas that Tesla shames them in.
3. The skeuomorphic design language of interior interface (on that gorgeous 17″ display) is at odds with the beauty and simplicity of the interior design. It cannot change fast enough.
4. The quality of engineering and fit and finish are exceptional given that Tesla wasn’t making cars 10 years ago. It’s perhaps the most impressive thing about the Model S.
5. 0-60 in 3.2 seconds never gets old. And neither do hysterical and/or frightened reactions to it.
Note we didn’t mention range anxiety once and that’s with most of those miles being spent on a three-state road trip. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t have some charging downtime. Look for the full review soon.
<p>“0-60 in 3.2 seconds never gets old. And neither do hysterical and/or frightened reactions to it.” That answers my question about whether silent power is fun :)</p>
<p>You can also tune the radio to a station to pump F1 engine sounds through the speakers.</p>
<p>Perfect!</p>
<p>I absolutely love the design of this car. This and the Jaguar F Type make me believe that automotive design still has a heartbeat.</p>
<p>Why do you have a tesla? teslafile.com?</p>
<p>My thought too. Why is Motoringfile reporting on a Tesla? Isn’t this site for all that is MINI/Mini?</p>
<p>We’ve been reporting on the greater automotive world since we were for founded in 2003. In fact this is our fourth review of a Tesla over the years.
To out it another way, to not be curious about the rest of the automotive world is to lose your relevancy either an an automotive site or an enthusiast.</p>
<p>Yes I know that MF has reported on other automotive news and info since back in the day (I’ve followed MF since those days). I always thought it was odd. I may have even commented on it in the past.</p>
<p>I read other automotive sites and blogs for non MINI news and “curiosity about the rest of the automotive world”</p>
<p>I come here for MINI news and information.</p>
<p>Agree 100 percent. These occasional, out-of-the-blue dives into other makes and models simply smack of opportunities to brag about being able to test drive cars that are beyond the reach of most of us. The connection to MINI in this one is practically non-existent.</p>
<p>This has nothing to do with bragging. Anyone can test-drive a Tesla S P85D, or any other car for that matter. And to paraphrase Gabe, remaining in our “MINI bubble” threatens the relevancy of what we talk about. Would anyone criticize the Boston Globe for reporting on something that happened in New York? No they wouldn’t. Also thinking this has no connection to MINI is shortsighted. The BMW Group is watching closely what companies like Tesla, Uber, Google, and Apple are doing because it will impact any of its brands in the near future. Which in return will impact what we write on MotoringFile.</p>
<p>So if a friend of yours, for some reason, snagged a cool ride for the afternoon you don’t want to hear about it because it is out of your financial reach? Seriously?</p>
<p>If his goal was to simply rub my face in it? Then the answer is “yes.”</p>
<p>Admittedly, there are a ton of really good non-MINI car reviews to be found elsewhere.</p>
<p>But if these review spark conversations about MINI – an electric MINI in this case – then it makes for a good Motoringfile post, IMHO.</p>
<p>So, what about a BMW/Tesla partnership, anyway? I’d much rather see BMW build a MINI city car based on Tesla’s Model C platform than something from Toyota.</p>
<p>I may be wrong but I think the Model C will be a mid-sized sedan roughly 3-series size maybe a little smaller.</p>
<p>Hi ulrichd, you are correct. The Model 3 is supposed to be the same size-ish as the Audi A4 and BMW 3-Series.</p>
<p>I’m referring to the rumored city car, the Model C. here’s a “leaked” sketch:</p>
<p><a href="http://my.teslamotors.com/it_IT/forum/forums/tesla-model-c-unofficial-compact-tesla" rel="nofollow ugc">http://my.teslamotors.com/it_IT/forum/forums/tesla-model-c-unofficial-compact-tesla</a></p>
<p>Cool. I had not seen that one.</p>
<p>In the interest of the “rest of the automotive world”</p>
<p>“Ford to spend $2.5 billion on new Mexico engine, transmission operations” and ” it will also build a transmission plant in the central state of Guanajuato, in partnership with German transmission maker Getrag”</p>
<p>Plus “Volkswagen also said it would invest $1 billion to expand its plant in Mexico’sPuebla state.”</p>
<p><a href="https://news.fidelity.com/news/news.jhtml?cat=Top.Investing.RT&articleid=201504171452RTRSNEWSCOMBINED_KBN0N8271_1&IMG=Y" rel="nofollow ugc">https://news.fidelity.com/news/news.jhtml?cat=Top.Investing.RT&articleid=201504171452RTRSNEWSCOMBINED_KBN0N8271_1&IMG=Y</a></p>
<p>So sad.</p>
<p>Great idea: Teslafile! I would read this regularly. :)</p>
<p>Can’t wait for the full review. Next time, you should <a href="http://www.periscope.tv/" rel="nofollow ugc">http://www.periscope.tv/</a> the hell out of this :)</p>
<p>Thought about it but never had the right moment. Next week perhaps when we get behind threshers of the four door F55?</p>
<p>Can you get it with a manual? (sarcasm)</p>