Tesla’s 691HP Model S P85D Absolutely Trounces Last Year’s P85 In Drag Race
Last year’s “hotness” is this year’s “so what.” The Tesla Motors P85 is an impressive electric vehicle, having scored 99 out of a possible 100 points in Consumer Reports’ testing. The electric vehicle is gorgeous, can seat up to 7 people (as long as two of them are small children), comes equipped with 415hp, and can dash to 60 mph in just 4.2 seconds.
But that was then, this is now. We’ve already told you about the new Model S P85D, which features two electric motors — one mounted in the rear of the vehicle and one mounted up front. The two motors together generate an impressive 691hp and 687 ft-lbs of peak torque according to Tesla — but don’t believe them, they’re completely full of it.
2015 Tesla Motors P85D (Source: Drag Times)
Drag Times put a P85D on the dyno and found that the vehicle is actually laying down a mind-blowing 864 ft-lbs at the wheels. Yes, you read that correctly — eight hundred and sixty-four foot-pounds! And the folks at Drag Times were able to reach that figure on multiple runs.
And to think, Tesla hasn’t even opened up the full potential of the P85D yet… there is still more to come:
The P85D top speed is currently electronically-limited to 130 mph. In the coming months, we will be able to upgrade the car free of charge to enable a 155 mph top speed. This free update will be available for the lifetime of the car (not limited to the first owner). Additionally, an over-the-air firmware upgrade to the power electronics will improve P85D performance at high speed above what anyone outside Tesla has experienced to date. In other words, the car will be better than you experienced. This free upgrade will be rolled out in the next few months, once full validation is complete.
While you let that all sink in for a bit, take a look at this. Drag Times followed up their dyno run with a drag race between the older, rear-wheel drive P85 and the all-wheel P85D:
The combination of all-wheel drive and the 687 ft-lbs 864 ft-lbs of torque allowed the P85D to thoroughly embarrass its older sibling off the line. Instrumented testing showed that the P85D hit 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds — and that’s coming from a vehicle that weighs 4,900 lbs.
Tesla is a game changer in the automotive space and this Model S P85D just reinforces this notion. And to think that performance will get even better with a free software update just makes us grin from ear to ear.
