2015 Tesla Model S P85D Road Test | Edmunds.com

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,316
edited March 2015 in Tesla
image2015 Tesla Model S P85D Road Test | Edmunds.com

Edmunds tests the 691-horsepower, all-wheel-drive 2015 Tesla Model S P85D.

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Comments

  • throwbackthrowback Member Posts: 445
    I'm surprised they dropped the P85. I certainly would take the extra range and lighter weight over the added grip of AWD. And I live in the North east.
  • scottnsc2scottnsc2 Member Posts: 29
    edited March 2015
    I work at a small hospital and we already have 3 doctors driving Teslas, and 2 more at the attorneys' office down the street. I'd say their marketing department is doing something right to get that much attention from buyers with the income to afford these cars. Sure wish I did......
  • sharpendsharpend Member Posts: 177
    throwback said:

    I'm surprised they dropped the P85. I certainly would take the extra range and lighter weight over the added grip of AWD. And I live in the North east.

    Also, the front trunk is quite a bit bigger with the P85 versus the P85D.

  • kev_in_socalkev_in_socal Member Posts: 3
    Good for Tesla to produce such a refined and speedy performance sedan. However, I imagine the upcoming model x will be even heavier and less aerodynamic. I would hate to see the range go down so will be curious to see those performance numbers when available. Also, it makes me wonder what sort of range Tesla could come up with if they de-emphasized performance for economy, but I guess that might be the goal for model 3.
  • worked3worked3 Member Posts: 4
    Okay Edmunds, purchase the P85D for a long term test and you will have my devoted attention, as you did with the Model S.
  • quidycatquidycat Member Posts: 12
    driving range still too short and battery charging time is unacceptable. and price is way too high
  • meteor10meteor10 Member Posts: 59
    To my mind as a potential customer i need more range, price is rather ok.
  • mr_carsmr_cars Member Posts: 1
    I have a 70-80 mile range Smart ED right now and it has way more than i need for my 52 miles of daily driving. 250+ miles of range is literally unlimited. Anyone that says the range isnt enough clearly doesnt drive electric nor keeps track of how far they actually travel because the range of the Tesla is way more than plenty and is extremely practical.

    There is no issue with charging times whatsoever. I only charge at home and at night. I have NEVER used a public charging station nor have I ever needed to and i have NEVER ran out of charge. You would have to be a complete dumb*ss to run out of range or purposely do it because there is no possible way you can legitly run out.

    Model S greatest car ever made, cant wait till i get mine soon!
  • 6sptl6sptl Member Posts: 27
    It drives me bananas when people say that a theoretical 250 mile range is sufficient for anything other than putting around a city is adequate for a car. First of all 250 miles takes for granted that you don't accelerate hard (forget using insane mode more than once a trip if ever), don't run the AC or heater etc. Ergo driven like a normal car cross your fingers for 75% of that range after that its out of action FOR 8 HOURS. Even with a so called superchrager its out of commission for 30 min and then you still have only half the range (hope for a lot of down hills!!!) . You cant fool thermodynamics, this car has 1/4 the energy of a gas tank ergo it can only do 1/4 of the work. Contrary to a gas car which can be refueled essentially instantly this vehicle leaves you stranded for what is essentially a lifetime before its up and running again. It may serve as symbol of pseudo environmentalism for the few that can afford it to putter around their house and can afford a real car for anything other than commuting.
  • meteor10meteor10 Member Posts: 59
    mr_cars said:

    I have a 70-80 mile range Smart ED right now and it has way more than i need for my 52 miles of daily driving. 250+ miles of range is literally unlimited. Anyone that says the range isnt enough clearly doesnt drive electric nor keeps track of how far they actually travel because the range of the Tesla is way more than plenty and is extremely practical.

    There is no issue with charging times whatsoever. I only charge at home and at night. I have NEVER used a public charging station nor have I ever needed to and i have NEVER ran out of charge. You would have to be a complete dumb*ss to run out of range or purposely do it because there is no possible way you can legitly run out.

    Model S greatest car ever made, cant wait till i get mine soon!

    and when you need to go to another city in CIS for example, which is 300+ km away and has NO superchargers on the road in the whole country?

    therefore, this car is the best choice if you drive in the city or nearby.
  • mpyles1mpyles1 Member Posts: 91
    Americans drive an average of 13,476 miles a year, with men driving more (16,550) than women (10,142). Let's take the higher figure of 16,550 miles per year. That averages out to 45 miles a day.

    While a Tesla presents challenges for long-distance trips that make the car a dodgy proposition for people who do not also have an ICE (internal combustion engine) car, its range is more than adequate for the great majority of driving the great majority of us do -- even assuming that its real range is only about 75% of the advertised range, or 190 miles a day.

    In fact, I have ordered a Tesla P85D because my daily driving will soon average MORE than it currently does as I am building a house about 12 miles further out into the countryside than my current house. I want the benefit of the lower energy costs of recharging a battery compared to filling a gas tank for my daily errands and socializing. (My local electric company has not raised its rates in six years, while gas prices have bounced all over the place. At my current electric rate and current local gas prices, I will drive the Tesla for the equivalent of paying about $1.26 a gallon for gas.)

    Before ordering the car I checked the mileage from my new house to the furtherest away semi-local place I have driven in the past four years. It was 39 miles. I could make that trip, detouring to pick up friends, doing some visiting, and hitting a few stores more or less along the way and still have plenty of mileage left in a day. And that's assuming I didn't return home amidst all this running around (which I often do), where I could add another 29 miles of range for every hour I have the car plugged in to my garage. And that's even without investing in the dual charger that would double that charging rate.

    I tried and tried and could not come up with a scenario where the Tesla's "true" range would be inadequate for me on anything other than a long road trip. As it happens, there are Tesla Superchargers along the interstate routes I have traveled on my past six long-distance trips. So I could actually manage those trips well enough in the Tesla if I didn't mind a 30-40 minute recharging stop every couple of hours. If I want more flexibility than that, I will have my ICE minivan on hand.

    All the much-discussed "range anxiety" of owning a Tesla would probably not trouble nearly as many people if they would sit down and really analyze their driving.

    Then, if they actually went for a test drive and experienced the intoxicating dynamics of driving a well-engineered, high-powered electric car, they'd be hooked. And you're hearing this from someone who is trading in a 2011 Audi R8 V10 Spyder for this car.
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