When Tesla moves, it moves fast. Last Wednesday the company announced a major facelift for the Model S, which debuted as the company’s first sedan in 2012. Then Elon Musk tweeted, “Plaid Model S ships next month.”
This hot performer’s name derives from the famous spaceship chase in Mel Brook’s 1987 film Spaceballs, a favorite of Elon Musk’s and one previously referenced on Tesla products. In 2016, the S got a “ludicrous speed” mode.
So what’s the Plaid all about? Going way beyond ludicrous speed.
It’s a fearsome three-motor variant of the new Model S with a new and more compact battery architecture, priced at $119,990 and offering 1,020 horsepower. With the right tires, Musk said, it’s good for 200 miles per hour and a 1.99-second zero to 60 time. Terminal velocity in the quarter-mile is 155 mph.
Range is reportedly 390 miles, undoubtedly enhanced by a very low drag co-efficient of 0.208.
Another Musk tweet: “First production car ever to achieve zero to 60 mph in less than two seconds.” That appears to be true. The Rimac C Two, an electric hypercar made in Croatia, was supposed to be on the road last year with a 1.85-second zero to 60 time. Alas, the Rimac is delayed until sometime later in 2021.
There will now be three Model S versions. The Long Range, with two motors and all-wheel drive, starts at $79,990. The company is quoting 3.1 seconds to 60, 412-mile range and a 155 mph top speed. The ferocious Plaid is as described, but there’s also the $139,990 Plaid Plus (emphasis added), with 1,100 horsepower, zero to 60 in something less than two seconds, a quarter-mile in less than nine seconds, and 200 mph, one would imagine, plus.
But there’s more to the new Model S other than new high-performance models. The exterior—which, showing the prowess of designer Franz von Holzhausen, hasn’t dated—is largely unchanged, though there’s a new panoramic glass roof. Other tweaks include new wheel designs, an updated rear diffuser, and a modified front bumper.
The biggest changes are inside the Model S. The new steering wheel is a somewhat-sinister and futuristic rectangle, looking like the tiller from a Klingon Bird of Prey or another 1980s reference, the steering wheel from Knight Rider’s K.I.T.T.
There are no stalks—turn signals and lights are controlled by wheel-mounted touch buttons. The central screen has been turned around and is now horizontally mounted and 17 inches across. In the released image, it’s ready to show The Witcher, a Polish-American fantasy drama. And “it can play [the video game] Cyberpunk,” Musk tweeted.
The infotainment system boasts 10 teraflops of processing power and 22 speakers. Gaming is clearly enabled on the new Model S, perhaps a reflection of Musk’s enthusiasm, and there’s also plentiful wireless charging for devices.
The Model S has a second screen for the driver, and an eight-inch version for rear passengers, who also get a fold-down armrest. The rest of the interior design (with white, beige and black as color options) is more sober, with carbon fiber accents and the kind of wood trim you might expect to see in a European sedan.
In 2020 testing, the Model S could not compete with the Porsche Taycan in sustaining at-the-edge performance runs, but, in the Plaid, Tesla says to expect five times as many available quarter miles.
There’s also Plaid edition of the Model X SUV, with the same 1,020 horsepower. The Model X’s extra weight means it hits zero to 60 in 2.5 seconds with a 163 mph top speed and 340 miles of range. That might be a little slower than the S, but it’s still exotic car material. Both Plaid models need a track to fully exploit their performance.
It’s very likely that Tesla sees Porsche in the rear-view mirror, and the Plaid is intended as a knockout blow. It might also be a warning shot to other competitors, namely GM, who announced this week that they’re planning to go all EV by 2035 and have their own 1,000-hp EV pickup coming soon from Hummer.
Does anybody doubt that when Elon Musk plays Cyberpunk 2077, he plays to win?