D For Dual: The Next Tesla Model S
After a week of intense speculation, Tesla finally uncovered the meaning behind their cryptic announcement of a new D moniker. We are sad that it was not the wagon version of the Model S we hoped for, but we nonetheless guessed right: D stands for Dual, which means that the car is now all-wheel drive. But there is more.
First of all, the AWD option will be available on all versions of the Model S (60D, 85D and P85D). To power the front wheels, a 188-horsepower motor is used. In the top of the line P85D, the total horsepower is rated at 691 and 687 pound-feet of torque. This enables the D to hit 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds, a full second faster than the already quick RWD P85. The car also runs the quarter mile in 11.8 seconds. As a quick comparison, the fastest production sedan in the world, the Dodge Charger Hellcat goes from 0 to 100 in 3.7 seconds on its factory tires. The new Tesla can then closely follow it, and without sipping a drop of fuel!
Even better, there is another addition to the Model S. Starting 2 weeks ago all cars built feature a semi-autonomous driver’s aid computer: the vehicle scans the road around it (in 360 degrees), detects and reads speed limit signs and alerts the driver if they wander out of their lane. It can even change lanes by itself: just engage the turn signal, and the computer will dutifully drift to its new position if there is no one in the way.