P85 not much faster than S85???

No modes, except perhaps lower state of charge.

They are both fast compared to most cars as has been stated in other threads.

I think one could switch between "normal", "sport" and "insane" mode in P85D...

The S 85 and P85 do not have "modes". The P accelerates faster at the lower end of the 0-60 range than the non-P. You will likely only notice this if you floor the "Go" pedal. You will not notice it in typical driving.

The P85D is so much more powerful that Tesla decided to include driving "modes" or whatever they call them.

The standard 60 and 85 accelerate faster than most ICE cars because of the instant torque. To most people they are "insane" when you floor it. The P85D is truly "insane" by all accounts. Most would say it's overkill for public roads. Only you can decide what matters most to you. If I was buying again I would go with the S85D.

Not sure with all the variables about test drives, but we own a P85 and an S85 and it's easy to feel the difference if you are looking for it. If you're not (my wife), you wouldn't know or really care.

preilly44 said:

Hello all,

My wife and I test drove an S85 a couple weeks ago (planning on buying an S85D). We loved it. Then we decided to splurge for a P85D. After reading about how fast the P85D was I started having concerns for it being too fast as a daily driver for my wife (especially in the winter). So we test drove a P85 last night and it didn't seem any faster than the S85. Does the P85 have different modes that would have made it feel slower (much like the P85D has normal/sport/insane)? I didn't think about this until after our test drive was over and we both said it didn't feel any faster.

If it was is a mode that would make it feel slower the test drive was pointless.

Thanks in advance!

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You can currently order either a NEW

S60
S85
S85D
P85D

Tesla no longer manufactures either the P85 or the P85+.
However, a some current owners are upgrading to the new P85D and their cars are available on the aftermarket -- those would be either S85, P85 or P85+.
Since those cars have been titled, you cannot apply for the Federal tax rebate.

And Tesla is selling all of their inventory/loaner cars, with some stunning discounts.
--THOSE cars, with several thousand miles, are still eligible for the Federal tax rebate (as they have never been titled).

I am in the same boat with ecarfan: if I were to reorder another new car, it would be the S85D, mostly due to the extra mileage range.
S85D will become available for delivery in February.

P85D are available for standard production, so you would still have to wait, as Tesla builds each car specifically for its owner.
Several Options are strongly encouraged for the S85D (Tech package, air suspension, 21" wheels next gen seats), and the next gen seats are only available on the P85D.
(And I would love to test sit in the next gen seats).

One more thing:
Loaners have speed limiters on them, so an enthusiastic driver cannot go more than 80 mph during their use.

If you did a test drive, it was a P85, because there are only a couple of P85D test cars (my understanding is both on the West Coast), and they are not allowing people to test drive them, only test RIDE them.
And a P85D (3.2 sec.) is about a full second faster in the 0-60 mph than the P85 (4.2 seconds).
For further comparison purposes:
S85 (5.4 seconds)
S85D (5.2 seconds)

Hope that gives you some food for thought.

Maybe because I have driven my P85 for nearly 2 years now, but the S85 loaner I got was noticeably slower. Almost felt sluggish/heavy, especially <35mph. Freeway driving/passing was basically the same.

One of the great things about this car is that it is really easy to drive. The accelerator pedal is mapped really well, which makes it easy (but requires deliberate action) to go fast, and easy to go slow. I would have no concerns about the daily driving usability of a P85D. That is the area where this car excels. It is not like other high power ICE vehicles where they can sometimes feel out of control for a novice or inexperienced driver. It seems like the different modes will help with this as well if you are concerned.

The S85 and P85 have the same motor and reduction gear. The difference is in the inverter that converts DC power from the battery into the 3-phase AC power to drive the motor. The 'P' inverter can deliver more power to the motor, and this is particularly noticeable from a standing start.

The P85 is decidedly faster than an S85. We test drove an S85 and were thoroughly not impressed with the acceleration as it accelerated like any other premium car over $60K. Now the P85 was fast and that's what sold on a Tesla. We would have been happy with the acceleration of a P85 if only it had AWD but since AWD is a must for us we decided to go for a P85D. For an extra $20K we consider it a bargain especially considering that the price difference is really more like only $10K because you will get about half of that back when you sell the car.

If you are on the fence get the P85D for the extra $10K and if it is anything like the P85 you will be able to easily control the acceleration.

To me both S and P feel the same when driving away from a traffic light (without flooring it), but when you check the speedometer, the one in the P just shows a higher number after the same amount of time... Only when you floor it, the P tends to shake it's tail while de S doesn't...

MsElectric said:

The P85 is decidedly faster than an S85. We test drove an S85 and were thoroughly not impressed with the acceleration as it accelerated like any other premium car over $60K. Now the P85 was fast and that's what sold on a Tesla. We would have been happy with the acceleration of a P85 if only it had AWD but since AWD is a must for us we decided to go for a P85D. For an extra $20K we consider it a bargain especially considering that the price difference is really more like only $10K because you will get about half of that back when you sell the car.

If you are on the fence get the P85D for the extra $10K and if it is anything like the P85 you will be able to easily control the acceleration.

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"accelerated like any other premium car over $60K?" No sir. With the instant torque, even the S60 accelerates differently than any other car over 60K unless you get into super car territory...and really I think you are mixing up fast with acceleration...in any case preilly44, since the P85D does have different modes, why not splurge like you were planning and keep it in normal mode for daily driving and turn on insane for fun? Seems like you had the answer all along...

Perhaps driving a P85+ spoiled me, but I found S85 loaner cars to be sluggish.

I received my new P85 on Sept 29th of this year, loved it. I gave it back to Tesla last Monday and they put me in a S85. I found the S85 to be a bit, a bit not much slower from a stop than the P85. But over 20 mph or so I didn't really see that much of a difference in gumption. For this reason I am not going to spend the money on a P85D....until used ones are being sold.

PlanB said:

I received my new P85 on Sept 29th of this year, loved it. I gave it back to Tesla last Monday and they put me in a S85.

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Why did you make that change?

ecarfan said:

Why did you make that change?

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AWD! wooooohooooo

Okay. So meant you replaced your P85 with an 85D. Your post said "they put me in an S85".

ecarfan said:

Okay. So meant you replaced your P85 with an 85D. Your post said "they put me in an S85".

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No, they did put me in a S85 loaner for a few days until I could buy a POS car to drive until my D arrives.

Dchint said:

"accelerated like any other premium car over $60K?" No sir. With the instant torque, even the S60 accelerates differently than any other car over 60K unless you get into super car territory...and really I think you are mixing up fast with acceleration...in any case preilly44, since the P85D does have different modes, why not splurge like you were planning and keep it in normal mode for daily driving and turn on insane for fun? Seems like you had the answer all along...

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My other car is a 2007 Lexus LS460L Exec Class. It has the exact same 0-60 time spec as my S85. However, there is no comparison in the actual acceleration feel. The S85 is so much faster at the start. It may get to 60 in the same time, but the feeling of acceleration is all with the S85. BTW, without tax credits, both cars are almost exactly the same price.

Are you kidding? I have a 60 and just bought a 2013 P85. that car JUMPS! and if you punch it from the start, the rear will shutter and the front feels like it comes off the road. It is LIGHTNIG fast. BUT it uses a lot more electricity than the 60. I cannot get my Wh/mil under around 340. I know part of it is the 21s and I am changing them to the 19s and hope it improves the milage. It reduces range by at least 15%. TOday I drove 84 miles and lost 105 miles of range at roughly 72 mph highway.