Tesla Model S 70D

Driving any Tesla is an occasion and the new 70 models make the experience more affordable than ever. The 70D still impresses with its acceleration and its calm, relaxed nature, while quality and kit make it an easy car to live with. These latest Teslas are making electric car living more appealing than ever.

It might be the super-quick Tesla Model S P90D with its Ludicrous mode that’s grabbing all the headlines, but at the same time a new, all-wheel drive ‘entry-level’ 70D model has also arrived – and we’ve driven it.

It always seems odd to use the phrase entry-level for a car that costs £55,000 (after the Government has chipped in with its £5k electric car incentive), especially when the 70D feels anything but entry-level.

It looks pretty much the same as any other Model S, while the levels of kit, fit and finish are the same as more expensive versions – which means very good.

The badging on the boot refers to the battery pack hidden under the floor – in this case a 70kWh battery. The D refers to the dual motor four-wheel drive system – one motor on the front axle and one on the back – and there’s a rear-wheel drive-only version that’ll save you £4,200.

Tesla claims a range of 275 miles on a single charge (which will cost you nothing if you top up at one of Tesla’s own Supercharger stations), while 0-60 takes 5.2 seconds. That might not be as face altering as the maximum attack models, but it’ll certainly widen the eyes of most passengers, especially combined with the gentle whirr the Model S makes in the process - like a tape deck on fast forward.

It’s difficult to draw comparisons with this all-electric super-saloon, but a BMW 535d M Sport costs a little bit less, is a little bit slower and a little less well equipped. Oh, and with a claimed average of 53mpg the BMW will, in theory, go around 800 miles before you need to fill it up, at which time it you’ll have to cough up about £80. You’ll have to charge the Tesla more frequently, but it’ll probably cost you less than 10% of that for a similar mileage – or nothing if you use a Supercharger. And the Tesla wins hands down when it comes to other running costs like company car tax, due to its zero tail-pipe emissions.

The biggest joy of the Tesla driving experience is the instant arrival of torque from the moment you floor the throttle – either at standstill or at speed. The 70D gets a big 524Nm slug of torque, which keeps on coming up to a maximum speed of 140mph.

However, Tesla’s aren’t all about driving quickly – the 70D is comfortable, riding nicely on its 19-inch wheels over our short test route, and it’s spacious with plenty of room for two or three at the back plus the option of two more seats in the boot (for an extra £2,500).

The weight of the batteries can be felt through corners and the steering’s not BMW sharp, but sit back, relax and enjoy the straight-line bursts that you can’t resist and you’ll have few complaints.

And you’ll not complain about style, quality or kit inside, either – the minimalist design is dominated by the famous 17-inch touchscreen that still shows others how it should be done. And it’ll be continually updated free of charge when the car’s in range of your home wifi network.

Standard equipment is good, with keyless operation, navigation, autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning and DAB radio among the goodies. Tesla has been quick to catch on to the upgrade options, too, which includes Autopilot. Currently that comprises automatic cruise control, lane keep assistance and self-parking, but that, too, will be automatically upgraded to offer more features over wifi.

Key specs

• Price: : £55,000
• Engine:: Dual motors, 256 bhp front, 324 bhp rear
• Transmission: single speed, four-wheel drive
• 0-60mph/Top speed: 5.2seconds/140mph
• Economy/CO2: n/a
• Equipment: Alloys, keyless go, DAB, autonomous emergency braking, 17” touchscreen

Tesla Model S P90D

Even the most hardened supercar collector can’t fail to be impressed by the Tesla Model S P90D. Performance is eye-watering (literally), while if you take it gently, over 300 miles on one charge is perfectly achievable. It may lack the handling finesse or quality of a Mercedes-AMG E63, but as a family-friendly continent crosser it’s a taste of the future right now.

How quick is quick? It doesn’t seem that long ago that cracking five seconds from zero to 60mph put you into the realms of the supercar. Nowadays you can get a hot hatch that dips into the four-second bracket.

Last week we were behind the wheel of the £321,000 6.5-litre V12-powered Lamborghini Aventador SV that went from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds. And now we’ve sampled the Tesla Model S P90D…
Sat in any car park, the Tesla Model S looks like a mild-mannered four-door saloon. It’s all-electric credentials are well known and so is its penchant for putting performance cars to shame.

But this one takes performance for four-door, five (or seven) seat cars to a new level. In a straight drag, the P90D will almost beat that aforementioned Lambo – sprinting from zero to 60mph in the same time it takes the Aventador to get to 62mph. Bonkers. Or even Ludicrous, which is the mode Tesla has introduced for maximum attack in a Model S.

To be fair, the old Insane mode in the P85D was quick enough, but the P90D adds a 90kWh battery which not only drops that 0-60mph time below three seconds, but also adds six per cent to the car’s electric range – making it a fairly sizeable maximum of 330 miles. So long as you avoid Ludicrous mode.

So how does it feel? Incredible. Tesla reminds you that there’s no need for launch control with four-wheel drive and instant torque, and as you’re encouraged to just stamp down on the throttle, your head is jolted back against the headrest and you feel your face doing those funny things when you’re skin is pushed backwards to give you an instant face-lift.

And the power keeps on coming – you’ll pass the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds on to way past 100mph. Of course, you don’t get the dramatic soundtrack you get in a petrol-powered supercar, but the whirr of the electric motor and the whoosh of the wind round the mirrors is almost as intoxicating.
But ultimately, it’s just the sheer shove this car’s got that has you looking for an opportunity to bury the accelerator and hurtle forwards. Overtaking has rarely been less of a problem.

Other than the power, performance and range upgrade, which combined add £10,800 to the P85D’s price (totalling £85,700) the P90D is pure Model S. In spite of the straight-line performance, this isn’t a sports car to throw around – the weight of the batteries, although sat low in the car, see to that.

The steering is meaty enough, but lacks real directness, too. The ride is pretty comfy, though.

Inside, the sleek dash is dominated by the huge touchscreen that gets updated via your Wi-Fi and can control some advanced autonomous features – this car is also as close as you will currently get to full autonomous driving. There’s plenty of space for two in the back, while a third person is able to squeeze in between without a nasty transmission tunnel to worry about.

And with Tesla’s free-to-use Supercharging network growing to over 1,000 chargers across Europe, crossing the continent has never been cheaper, more comfortable or quicker.

Key specs

• Price: £85,700
• Engine: Dual motors: 255bhp front, 496bhp rear, total 751bhp
• Transmission: single speed, four-wheel drive
• 0-62mph/top speed: 2.8seconds/155mph
• Economy/CO2: n/a

Tesla Model S P85D

The Tesla P85D is an all-electric car and that means it has one big flaw: the UK’s electric car charging network is still under-developed. But with four-wheel drive and 682bhp in ‘Insane mode’, the P85D is such an incredible feat of technology it’s impossible not to be amazed by it. The flagship Model S offers immense power, Mercedes-like levels of luxury, lots of space and the promise of more Tesla-dedicated ‘Supercharger’ charging points in the near future. The Tesla P85D really pushes the boundaries of electric car motoring and is arguably the first fully-electric car a petrolhead can get excited about without feeling guilty.

Tesla may be a small car company compared to the likes of Ford, Volkswagen or Toyota but it has big ideas. And one of those ideas of founder Elon Musk’s is to prove that electric cars can have supercar-rivaling performance and still deliver all the benefits of zero emissions motoring.

This is the latest product from that vision; the Tesla Model S P85D – an electric car that has 682bhp and can rocket to 60mph in 3.2 seconds. Supercar fans will notice the P85D is as quick to 60mph as a McLaren F1, a car which Musk stated was used as the benchmark when it came to fast acceleration times. And yet, the P85D has a theoretical range of 300 miles, seats five (or even seven if the two boot seats are specified) and has Mercedes-levels of luxury.

The secret to the P85D’s immense power lies with its dual motor technology. A 464bhp electric motor on the back axle powers the rear wheels while up front Tesla has added a smaller motor with 218bhp on the front axle to drive the front wheels.

It makes the P85D four-wheel drive and capable of traveling on all road conditions including snow and ice – just like an Audi RS6. Tesla’s system can adjust the torque between all four wheels 100 times per second thanks to its electric powertrain, giving superb levels of grip.

Hop in, pull down the Mercedes-derived column gear change selector to ‘D’ and you’re good to go – there’s no need to start the car as carrying the key fob in your pocket both opens the doors and switches the ignition on. Touch the throttle and you’re thrown back in your seat with the only noise being a high-pitched whistle from the electric motors.

Once you’ve had enough of that, it’s time to experience the neck-snapping acceleration. A few prods on the tablet screen in the centre of the dash and the driver can change the ride height, control how severe the brake regeneration is and tweak a multitude of other functions. It’s also here where you can switch the P85D’s acceleration from ‘Sport’ to ‘Insane’ mode.

Do that and you’re not only flung back into your seat but your neck snaps into the headrest as you ride on the twin electric motors’ full power. As you race to 60mph your body is put through 1g – such is the severity of the dual motors unleashing their arsenal.

The sensation is made all the more ‘insane’ by there being no engine noise to accompany it. While a Nissan GT-R can get to 60mph a few tenths quicker, that car’s wailing V6 and rapid-fire gearchanges make it very clear what’s happening. With the Tesla, though, there’s just an eerily quite cabin and uninterrupted acceleration courtesy of the single-speed gearbox.

Straight-line speed isn’t the Tesla’s only forte, though. Thanks to that four-wheel drive system that’s continually shuffling the power to whichever wheel that needs traction the most, the P85D handles well too. The car’s natural style is to stay flat through corners; carry too much speed into a bend and the front washes wide but it’s only natural for a car that weighs more than 2.2 tonnes. The steering is weighty – it can be made unnecessarily heavy in ‘Sport’ mode – and while it misses out on being the last word in precision, the P85D is a credible sports saloon.

Once you’ve stopped behaving like you’re insane, the P85D switches from supercar-baiting into a luxury car. Inside the P85D stands out from the crowd thanks to some neat design touches like the swooping aluminum door handles and, of course, the 17-inch touch screen. That screen acts very much as the ‘heart’ of the car as it controls all functions with impressive ease.

Standard equipment includes 19-inch wheels, red brake calipers and alcantara headlining, but there are a whole host of optional packs and extra equipment that can be added. A premium pack which adds ambient lighting and leather is priced at £2,900, while two rear-facing seats in the boot (turning the P85D into a seven-seater) come in at £2,100.

The most interesting option is the Tech package for £3,500. It comes with Tesla’s Autopilot system that uses a forward-looking camera, radar and 360-degree ultrasonic sensors to monitor the road. Lane-changing technology that lets you tap the indicator stalk to make the car automatically move lanes and automatic parking that lets the Tesla will park itself will both appear soon via automatic software updates to the car.

 

Tesla claims a range of 300 miles between fill-ups with overnight charging recommended. The company is rolling out more of its ‘Supercharger’ battery-replenishing stations across the UK that top up the batteries by more than 50 per cent in around 20 minutes. Tesla can also sell you a second onboard charger doubling the rate of charge for £1,250.

The P85D sits at the top of the Model S range and is priced at £79,080 after the £5,000 government grant. That’s nearly £14,000 more than the Tesla 85D dual-motor that still has 371bhp and gets to 60mph in 5.2 seconds, so potential buyers would have to value the extra grunt to justify the considerable price premium. That said, for those who want to brag they have the fastest-accelerating electric car in the world and have faith in the UK’s still-young charging infrastructure, the Tesla Model S P85D will be the very best car money can buy. 

 
Key specs

• Price: £79,080 (after £5,000 government grant)
• Engine: Dual electric motor
• Power: 682bhp
• Transmission: Single-speed auto, four-wheel drive
• 0-62mph/top speed: 3.2s/155mph
• Range: 300 miles (est)
• On sale: Now