Review
Tesla Model S P90D Ludicrous
We were introduced to the updated Tesla Model S through a test drive with the Model S P90D Ludicrous. This electric supercar has an almost extraterrestrial acceleration capacity and goes from 0 to 100 km/h in just 3 seconds.
Electric All Wheel Drive
The P90D Ludicrous has Electric All-Wheel drive with a weight distribution of 51% at the rear and 49% at the front. The car has two engines, a very powerful and sporty engine in the rear and an efficient engine in the front. The model S digitally and independently controls the coupling of the front and rear wheels, ensuring optimal grip under all conditions.
Charging
You can charge a Tesla Model S in different ways. During our test we used the supercharger in Antwerp and the one near Brussels. That went very smoothly and there was always room, even at busier times. Such a supercharger supplies direct current up to 120 kW. The advantage of direct current is that it fills the battery directly, allowing the battery to be charged very quickly. For example, a fast charging station provides up to 270 km of range in just 30 minutes. Once the battery is already reasonably charged (e.g. 75%), it will be considerably slower to charge the battery all the way to 100%. In general, and especially near the superchargers, you notice a certain sense of friendship among Tesla drivers. This is how we were often greeted when we crossed another Tesla on the road. Very nice.
In principle, the network of superchargers is mainly there to facilitate long-distance travel with a Tesla. There are more than 265 of these fast charging stations in Europe. When a destination is entered, the navigation system itself indicates where to charge and even for how long.
However, you can also charge a Tesla with a normal 230V socket. Charging will then be slower. To be able to charge quickly at home, you can opt for a Tesla Wall Connector. This is a charging point with a fixed cable that you can plug directly into the car and this allows you to charge faster. Depending on the network connection and the configuration of the car, you can charge at a pace of 42 km/h to 81 km/h.
In addition to the superchargers, there are also Desination Chargers. These are 11 or 22 kW Tesla Wall Connectors at hotels, restaurants and resorts.
The range of a fully charged Tesla Model S P90D Ludicrous is 509 km (according to NEDC). In practice the range is lower. The effective range depends largely on a number of factors such as driving style, battery age, temperature.
Ludicrous
You can now buy a Tesla Model S in different versions and price ranges. For example, the budget of the basic model S 60 is around 80,000 euros. We had a model S P90D Ludicrous. For this you need to set aside a budget of around 137,700 euros.
Then you get a Tesla where the rear engine has a power of 510 hp and the front engine has a power of 262 hp. The combined power is approximately 539 hp. The result is that in practice you have a lightning-fast supercar that goes from 0 to 100 km/h in about 3.0 seconds and where you can still comfortably sit with, for example, 5 people.
Actually, a budget of around 137,700 euros is very reasonable for such a 3-second supercar. For example, a BMW M6 Gran Coupé costs around 138,000 euros and goes to 100 in 4.2 seconds. A Mercedes S63 AMG goes in 4.4 sec. to 100 km/h and costs around 155,000 euros. Of course, an S-Class is much more luxurious than a Tesla, but in terms of acceleration power, the S P90D leaves the two for dead. With a brand like Porsche, we have to look carefully for a model that can provide approximately the same performance. For example, a Porsche 911 Turbo S Coupé reaches 100 km/h in 2.9 seconds, but then you already have a budget of around 207,000 euros and that is not a sedan with room for 5 adults (and possibly 2 children). ).
In terms of driving experience, driving a P90D Ludicrous is a unique experience. Full power is available from a standstill and if you fully press the accelerator pedal you are pressed firmly into the seat when the car launches. The only thing we miss is the brutal sporty sound of, for example, a V8 that produces a loud boom from the exhaust with every upshift. Instead, you get silence that is broken by a soft buzzing sound and rather limited wind and rolling noises.
Autopilot
Technically, a Tesla model S has the necessary hardware for fully self-driving control. Due to legislation in Belgium, unfortunately you cannot currently use all the Autopilot functionalities, such as fully autonomous driving. We are already looking forward to when this will be the case, because what the most recent version of Autopilot (+/- December 2016) can do is really impressive. The car can automatically adjust its speed to traffic conditions, change lanes autonomously, take entrances and exits from the motorway itself, leave the motorway itself and park itself when you have arrived at your destination.
Conclusion
We had been looking forward to driving a Tesla Model S for a long time and were therefore pleased that our test car was a very potent P90D Ludicrous. The power is available from a standstill and the car has phenomenal acceleration, even when restarting. The range of this supercar is more than sufficient for daily use and you can top up a lot of range in half an hour. The technology in the Model S is state of the art, especially when it comes to driver assistance systems, and we are looking forward to when we can drive fully autonomously with this car on our Belgian roads.
Johan De Haes
Test driver
