Talk Morgan Forums Community Vehicle Talk (non-Morgan) P85D

Had a ride in one last Christmas when I stayed with friends in Westlake village ca. Very impressive if somewhat unnerving , instant power and no noise. Sadly they would not let me drive it.... I cannot think why not .... Might have been something to do with putting a two inch bend on the chassis of the mog they are very very popular out there.


Enjo y Pete

Insane mode is the first grade of battery splatter you can use but with the P85D you now get Ludicrous Mode which is even funnier and faster. Ludicrous mode is a £4000 upgrade so I am not certain if they were referring to the speed or the price !

For those interested and in the Reading area they offered me a test drive in the Green Park area on Tuesday of next week. If you are around it might be worth visiting. It is a surprising car, very much next generation. Several of our US staff have them and love them after 1-2 years, always a good test.

The name comes from the Mel Brooks comedy movie "Spaceballs" in which a spaceship goes so fast -- after being set to "Ludicrous Speed" -- that it warps starlight into a plaid pattern.
Tesla isn't stopping with "Ludicrous Mode," either. A next-generation Tesla Roadster sports car, due out in four years, will have a mode called "Maximum Plaid."

I might wait for Maximum Plaid. You have to admire his chutzpah, is that the right word ?

Great looking car and like others very interested to hear your real world thoughts.

@aeroman, wish I could afford 2x £90k cars in the same household!! Even if I did, I am afraid the Plus 8 would most likely be a garage queen.

@Alistair- the ludicrous mode for existing P85D owners is half price at £5000+labour, only to those the cars have already gone into production, anyone else would have to pay full price £10k+90KW battery@£2.5k, total £12500!!

As for driving impressions? All I can say is do believe what all the motoring publications said about the car, its a game changer!!

It makes all other ICE cars feels like a steam engine regardless of what make!!
One just couldn't imagine what Tesla could do in 10 years time!!(providing they are still going?)

Ok, lets talk about the car, the interiors quality is no match for Merc, BMW or Audi, probably more VW, but the alcantara headlining and dashboard does makes up for the rather plain looking interior .
The frameless lightweight aluminium doors sounded very average when you shut the door, it didn't have that reassuring thud that you get with the german machine

As for driving itself, it's simply incredible, eerily quite under 30mph, at 70mph subdue road noise and very little windnoise, its a very relaxing car to drive, instant power and torque at your disposal!!

The ride is very smooth, and it corners flatly, probably due to most of the weight is at the floor pan, low centre of gravity

No waiting for the engine to spool up and hit the power band, no gear changes, the Tesla is probably the fastest real world car there is, the power to punch from 0mph is simply astonishing, dare I say no car would beat it off the line from the light.

Not that I am into the traffic light grand prix scene, but it is certainly very handy, especially when 2 lanes merged into a single lane, or try entering into a busy roundabout.

Hope I didn't bored anyone with my write up!

Nice looking saloon, but it's the price that limits the mass market appeal. Looks similar to a £40k or £50k jag or Audi.

Read Tesla are hoping to launch a car around £30k ish in the future.

I cannot help but think electric cars, as impressive as they are, are not the final solution but a mere stepping stone. Think of vinyl records as petrol, tape as deisel and the Telstra as a CD. What will be the MP3?

I still think it will be hydrogen one day.

And......There's a number of afficiados returning to vinyl!

The Tesla certainly is impressive although I don't like the over large central display panel on the dash.....it's not exactly subtle. It'll be interesting in 20 or 30 years time to see where we are at with automotive power. Unless we invest in nuclear energy I just can't see how we can sustain an big increase in electric vehicles. Green energy sources certainly won't be sufficient to supply it.

I don't dispute that we should build more nuclear power stations, but the major problem at the moment is persuading investors to get involved. Demand for electricity has dropped quite markedly, and the wholesale price is very low at the moment. Some say it's due to the massive uptake of LED lighting and the spread of solar panels.

A few solar panels on the garage roof, a high-tech storage battery or two, and many people will be able to run electric cars by charging them overnight with energy they have collected during the day.

I vote for Internal Combustion V8 - powered by hydrogen!