hjles

My friend just took delivery on a Tesla P85D.

So, I went for a drive...the acceleration in 'insane mode' is something to be experienced.

It felt like I was on one of those amusement park rides where the bottom drops out and you free fall. My stomach bumped into my spleen, and I might have peed myself a little.

But, after a few times flooring it I noticed something missing. No engine noise! It almost felt a little cold and clinical. Just a faint whine and the rush of the wind, pinned to your seat, watch out for unsecured objects in the cabin.

Seriously, if you get the chance, drive one. I still prefer my car (2014 c4s cab) but the Tesla gave me something to think about.

Wondering if anyone else has had the chance to drive one?

Axxlrod

My father has a P85+, which is the sport model they discontinued for the P85D.

And his car is insanely fast. Can't wait to try out the D model.

I must say though, I do miss the exhaust sound. To me, the aural pleasure is just as important as the performance. With the absence of exhaust/engine sound, you are left to focus on tire and wind noise.

I do love what Elon is doing though.

chuck911

Today you miss the familiar sounds and vibrations of the old fossil burner. But give it a while. Eventually this will completely reverse to where you wonder how anyone ever put up with all that racket. Look how fast PDK became the norm- and that was something people could at least try feeble arguments of skill on. With this we're talking something nobody wants, noise. And yeah I know lots of guys just love noise. All the PSE love letters, I've read 'em. But watch how fast that changes when after a while these same guys get tired of everyone responding to their awesome PSE accelerations with the same annoyance now reserved for a screaming coffee can rice burner. Keep in mind all those interviews where the Porsche guy talks about how you can drive the 918 silently through your neighborhood on electric. So the silent Porsche, its coming.

STG

You want 0-60 in 3.3 sec jump into a GT3.

More exciting is it not??

3.7 sec - Carrera S

I'm not giving into it!! If I want the sound of wind, I'll sit under a tree.

I loath Tesla and anything electric. I know I'm a dinosaur and don't want to face the future!

No thank you Musk. Something about this guy freaks me out.

"Appearing at Nvidia’s annual developers conference, the South-African–born inventor said that when self-driving vehicles become the norm, regular cars will be made illegal. “In the distant future people may outlaw driving cars because it’s too dangerous,” Musk said. “You can’t have a person driving a two-ton death machine.” Musk agreed that self-driving cars will eventually become as outdated as elevator operators but that the shift to autonomous vehicles would take a long time to come to fruition."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...318-story.html

http://www.infowars.com/elon-musk-se...in-the-future/

http://www.worldcarfans.com/11503189...ally-be-banned

STG

What next, silence the dangerous humans?

After all, they drive 2 ton death machines....

What's this world coming to? All in just the last 20 some years.

If I want to read about Tesla, I'll go to their forum. Please spare us here OP ....

chuckbdc

Chucker, I can do near silence through my neighborhood and still have snap crackle and pop when I push the button.

Anyone with a 918 can just floor the throttle convert silence to bliss aimed at the heavens and a foot or two behind your head.

So I think its likely Porsche's e911 will have have iPSE do a lightning bolt when floored and sparks on overrun.

Rocket_boy

Hope I'm six feet under when the electric car is the norm and a mandated robot drives me around because it's "safer". What a tragic loss it will all be.

In the mean time hail to the Prius, Leaf and Tesla drivers for dumping a bunch of batteries into the environment, burning fossil fuels to recharge them, and driving down oil prices with any reduction in demand for it,.....it makes it so much easier for me to buy that nasty gas to power my indulgent sports car with the loud exhaust. All hail to the noise......

trysixty

Don't forget those ecars avoid paying a fair share of federal/state gas taxes to fund all those bureaucrats sleeping in their cubical. Plus they are a major hazard to bicyclists, runners and horseback riders/dog walkers when on rural roads with minimal shoulders. I always downshift and let the PSE explode with excess unburned hydrocarbons as a "safety" act

Tapeworm

I picked up a P85D, fully loaded, to replace my wife's Audi S4. I still have my 2013 C4S. The Tesla will out accelerate the 991 easily, it's not even in the same ballpark. Sure a GT3 might be able to get close, but you would have to launch it and it would be screaming - the Tesla is silent, you could (and I do regularly) 0-60 in 3s away from every stop light when you are daily driving and no one would notice (apart from the very surprised other drivers).

The 991 is much more intimate, handles and feels much better, but really is let down in daily driving by and engine that needs more than 3000rpm to be evern moderately fast and more than 5000rpm to be quick. In typical daily driving, I just don't often get into the 'fun zone' in the 991, but with a Tesla, you are always there. Above ~70mph, the Tesla is just fast - although because it only has one gear, it's still quick. I would not take the P85D to a track, it would do ok, but it's heavy and not designed for it, the 991 obviously beats it completely there. The steering is numb in the Tesla, but because the weight is all very low, it handles daily driving and fast curvy roads very well. It would not surprise me if the center of gravity was a few inches lower than a 911.

When you get back into the 991, the thing I most notice is everything vibrates, the car feels alive. It's not so much the sound, it's the vibration. I love 911's, I'm looking forward to the 992 to see if they can pull off a decent turbo implementation that feels like an NA car, but have the torque to make the car more enjoyable in regular daily driving at under 3000rpm.

I like all cars, we had a Leaf and I really like the Tesla, 911s get under your skin though, I can't see me ever not wanting one....

EatAtJoes

at that rate your battery is probably gone in an hour?

With a manual I think this would be a non issue

freeman

I do not own a Tesla but I have stepped out of my 991 into a Tesla. A dramatic change in sensory experience. No torque in a Tesla. It just goes. Whiplash when pulling away from every stop. Both fit a niche.

G-MASSA

Peak torque at zero RPM! The sensory focus is acceleration because the tesla is devoid of much else in the "feel" department. (And the interior leaves a lot to be desired for me.) After I stepped out of the tesla I finally "got it". Electric is definitely the future. The traction control capabilities of having a motor at each wheel means it can just claw at the absolute limit of traction and adjust instantly like no mechanical system can. We are not there yet, but when we have found a more cost effective and lighter power storage or generation system we will remember Musk for his vision, infrastructure development, and investment. I don't think a mainstream OEM could invest this much this far ahead of profitability.

Wasn't a believer till after the drive.

Tapeworm

EatAtJoes - actually, battery is pretty much a non issue, we have not yet even come close to even half charge in the 1st 800 miles or so - and at home on 240v, 40A, it charges it almost 30mph, so it's pretty much like always having a full tank of gas....

A manual doesn't solve any problems in a Porsche, I previously had a Boxster Spyder and just got tired of having to keep the revs around 4,000rpm constantly, just to have decent acceleration. The 991 is torquier, but you still need to be above 3,000 and ideally 5,000 before its 'sporty'. Sure, in a pdk, I can slam my foot to the floor at any time and be in the lowest gear, but you also look like an *** driving around with the engine reving it's nuts off on a street.... Unfortunately, 99% of my driving is a commute on regular streets with traffic.

Different cars are good at different things, the Tesla is a very, very good DD - and *very fast*.

I greatly admire how 'well honed' a 911 is, it's 50 years of engineering refinement of an almost perfect 2+2 sports car. A model S is a awesome v1.0 electric car, it's amazing that it's as good as it is for a low volume, new car company. Is it the future? Yep.

EatAtJoes

The weight is also a problem, the Tesla is like 4,700 pounds. A similarly sized BMW 5 series comes in at 3700 pounds.

niche

My wife just bought a Tesla. The weight is a non-issue. The car is just an awesome daily driver. I don't get why anyone would buy a regular sedan, anymore. I love our Porsches, but now they are just toys to me... for daily use and work Tesla is just better. I don't miss the noise and that's coming from someone who drives a ruf sans muffler.