When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Good to hear since we have one, and honestly the front never looked great IMO. The Germans always have great design in the front, and in comparison I always thought the proportions of the 3 just didn't look right straight on. It looked a little awkward from some other angles because the roof can look a little bulbous until we got the windows tinted, which visually made the roofline appear lower. Now it looks great from all angles except front on.
The Y exaggerates the least appealing aspects of the 3, but with the big performance tires and a darker color I think it looks good.
I've not seen the refreshed S, but seeing all the previous vehicles in person on a regular basis I think the sedans look much better than the SUVs, and S is by far the best looking.
I saw a Taycan for the first time recently and it has that really nice Porsche look. I really like the lights even though some seemingly don't. At the same time I've always thought Porsches also look a little weird, so at what point is the weird 3/Y an iconic design that can't be changed too much.
I think the Audi Etron GT is even better with the great looking front. I also prefer the Audi interior too.
Some of the in-depth detail about the Plaid's performance. The trap speed on the car is unbelievable. This would crush a Taycan Turbo S pretty easily as it also runs away from the 911 Turbo S. It also provides 1.3g of force at full acceleration which sound pretty painful. Such a performance bargain too.
Testing the Tesla Model S Plaid: Milestones, Records, and Other Geeky Factoids
After testing the record-breaking Model S Plaid, we fired up our software to dive even deeper into the data. What we found is absolutely fascinating.
Hey, have you heard? The 2021.5/2022 Tesla Model S Plaid can run a sub-2.0-second 0-60-mph time on a prepped raceway surface. Well, sort of. The way we gather acceleration data uses the same launch methodology as the NHRA, drag racing's sanctioning body. The official timer starts after 1 foot of forward progress—a.k.a. rollout—so that the car has fully broken the light beam at a competition drag strip's start line. (We factor in this rollout via software when testing without a beam, which is most of the time.) The thing is, on a prepped surface so sticky with resin that it nearly pulls off your shoes, with three electric motors driving all four wheels, and 1,050 lb-ft of torque at your disposal, a lot can happen not only in one foot, but also within the length of a car on its way to 60 mph, and beyond. We'll get to that in a bit.
While we were looking at this car's data, we compared its record-breaking run to the quickest pass we made in the exact same Tesla Model S Plaid on a plain asphalt surface. Did Tesla really need the resin-based compound called TrackBite (formerly known as VHT) to break the 2.0-second barrier?
We plotted together the two acceleration runs side by side and found very little difference in time-to-speed curves. Take a look: The red line is on the prepped raceway and the yellow is on plain asphalt. There's almost precisely a tenth of a second between them all the way from the start to the finish. Why don't the arcs begin at zero and zero in the lower left corner? That's the 1-foot rollout showing up. As the timer started, the car was already moving at about 6 mph in the first foot after launching on the prepared surface, and about 5 mph on unprepped asphalt.
Satisfying Resolution
We routinely report times rounded "to the tenth" (0.1) of a second because our data recorder runs at 20Hz, dropping a data "breadcrumb" 20 times per second. This means, for instance, that in two seconds, we have 40 data points to work with. Luckily, computers are excellent at filling the spaces between these data points, so we used the 0.01 resolution in this case. Yes, on that sticky, race-prepped surface, the 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid indeed reached 60 mph in 1.98 sec (2.0 seconds rounded). It registered 2.07 seconds (2.1 rounded) on plain asphalt.
The asphalt run was sufficient for the Plaid to become the quickest (0-60 mph) and fastest (quarter-mile) production car MotorTrend has ever tested. In fact, we'll record the asphalt run as the car's official entry in our database because we don't test on prepped surfaces. Performance being equal, the raceway launch solely provided enough initial grip to duck under two seconds to 60 mph and remain 0.1 second ahead of the asphalt run for the entire "race."
And for those who are wondering what the Tesla Model S Plaid's 0-60 time is on unprepped asphalt, without the 1-foot rollout, without drag mode, without launch control, without pedal overlap—so, just "slap-n-go"—the unadulterated 0-60 time is 2.45 seconds.
Time Slows Down
We wanted to slow the clock way down and take a closer look at this epic 1.98-second 0-60 time and the 9.25-second, 156.2-mph quarter-mile run millisecond by millisecond. So, we cracked open our laptop and fired up some software to take snapshots of particular interest along the 1,320-foot path. We'll focus on the run on the prepped surface, but the below data points would be very, very similar on unprepped pavement.
After setting up launch control and eventually releasing the brake pedal while at a standstill, the driver almost instantly experiences 1.00 g in longitudinal acceleration. In other words, the force pushing his head and torso into the seatback in that instant is the same as if he were lying on his back and attempting to perform a sit up from the floor. Go try that right now. No really, try it.
Welcome back. Fifteen-hundredths (0.15) of a second later, the car travels 1 foot, timing begins, and it's already going 5.9 mph. The g load jumps to 1.23.
The length of the Tesla Model S Plaid is 197.7 inches (about 16.5 feet). By the time the car's rear bumper is where its front bumper began, it's already traveling 24.8 mph at 1.24 g.
Five feet further, the tires really dig in and a peak g force of 1.30 occurs at 28.4 mph, and the force doesn't fall below 1.20 g until 50.4 mph.
Sixty mph arrives in the aforementioned 1.98 seconds, and the car is still pulling 1.11 g—and is just 98 feet from where it started. Yes, the entire sub-2.0-second drama occurs in less than 100 feet.
Interestingly, on regular asphalt, the car needs 104 feet and 2.38 seconds to stop from 60 mph, averaging 1.16 g in the opposite direction. We don't dive into detail like this often, but this might be another first: a car that accelerates from 0-60 mph in a shorter time and distance than it achieves 60-0 mph.
For the first time since the brake pedal was released, the longitudinal g load drops below 1.00 at 68.1 mph.
So, occupants of the Plaid experience in excess of 1.00 g for nearly three full seconds. It's in those three ticks you hear the most screaming from passengers. After that, it's wide-eyed silence until the finish line, at which point the incredulous swearing and uncontrollable laughing begin.
In just 4.17 seconds and 360 feet from where it started—not even a third of the way to the quarter-mile finish line—the Model S Plaid cracks 100 mph, still shoving the driver back with 0.66 g of force.
Five seconds later, it accelerates across the finish line in an elapsed time of 9.25 seconds traveling at 152.6 mph and exerting 0.36 g.
For you drag racers out there, here are some other stats:
60-foot time = 1.69 sec
330-foot time = 4.16 sec
1/8th mile = 6.19 sec @ 122.8 mph
60-130 mph time: 4.711 sec
It's not often we test such an exceptional car or go into this level of detail, but when records fall, we can't help but to geek out on the minute milestones that made it possible. The 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid's accelerative performance is, for now, incomparable.
While we just said it's incomparable, here is the Plaid's performance data put into context with results we've achieved with several other vehicles of note we've tested:
They have actually grown on me a lot. Dare I say I actually like the looks of the Model 3 now?
I really love the looks of the Model X and the falcon doors are just super cool although not practical imo.
That car in performance trim really has awesome stance especially from the back.
The Model 3 and Y would look much less goofy if they had the nice front bumper/grill that Model S and X have.
I do really like the CyberTruck styling- hopefully production version is close to concept.
I really like the looks of this, I would purchase over an LS any day of the week. I don’t need this insane speed, but would be nice to try it just once.
I hope Lexus can build something like this someday. I want this in a refined and reliable full size SUV.
I guess it’s just cooler to say it’s 0-60 in less than 2 seconds just for bragging rights. Sad thing is it really isn’t necessary because even on an unprepped track or just on the street nothing can touch this car, literally nothing. Even without warning it up, etc. nothing will touch it and I don’t think on a mass produced car anything ever will. It’s too dangerous to have millions of people running around in 9 second cars even though I love it.
that's the video version of the article ezz posted above only with a stupid click bait title.
I saw a guy with graphs and all kinds of formulas, etc. behind him. Looked pretty complicated.
It can't be the same thing as that fanboy (but I'll admit, somewhat informative) article. "The grin on your face blah blah blah from this Plaid will last for days..."
Like launching a 911 Turbo S that does 0-60 in 2.3s makes people depressed and frown??
I saw a guy with graphs and all kinds of formulas, etc. behind him. Looked pretty complicated.
It can't be the same thing as that fanboy (but I'll admit, somewhat informative) article. "The grin on your face blah blah blah from this Plaid will last for days..."
Like launching a 911 Turbo S that does 0-60 in 2.3s makes people depressed and frown??
Anything faster than a Turbo S is ridiculous. This is much faster than a Turbo S as it traps 15mph faster in the quarter mile. It can't even run legally on many drag strips in the US as it breaks the 10s barrier and doesn't have a roll cage. I'm thinking some of these drag strips need to revise their rules.
I'm waiting for the Roadster 2. It will make every other super car obsolete.
Heck, the Plaid already does that, at a fraction of the price.
We have had a Mid Range Model 3 since Dec 2018. When the Model 3 with the new batteries comes out, I am a Performance Model buyer.
Toy? Of course. What isn't?
As far as the "big guys", Tesla is 10 years and billions of real world miles worth of data ahead of everyone. Heck, the 10 year old S puts the gorgeous Taycan to shame.
Porsche claimed over 400 mile range during development. They missed by a country mile.
Remember, Tesla is a pure play EV company. Other car companies have to allocate scarce resources between ICE and EV development and support.
The direct sales model and zero advertising saves tremendous cost.
And Tesla has the charging network. I can go from Silicon Valley to LA on a single stop at Kettleman.
Elon is whack. And he changed the world. All the other carmakers are trying to sound like him; to imitate him. Amazing.
Remember, Tesla is a pure play EV company. Other car companies have to allocate scarce resources between ICE and EV development and support.
The direct sales model and zero advertising saves tremendous cost.
ng.
$$$ ‘resources favor the other car companies. Tesla is at a disadvantage
