Tesla Model S P85D Roasts Predecessor In EV Drag Race

When you talk about torque, the instant shove of a performance EV like the Tesla Model S can't be ignored, but P85 owners used to being top of the tree may have some egg on their face if they take on a new P85D. The all-wheel-drive luxury sedan has already demonstrated its capabilities against a worthy – and traditionally-powered – challenger in the shape of the Lamborghini Aventador, but what about when old takes on new in an EV show-down? Thankfully we now know what that looks like, too.

The team over at DragTimes pitted old Tesla flagship versus new, and as you might expect all those extra horsepower and lb-ft of torque certainly give the P85D an edge.

In fact, while the RWD P85 brings 415 HP to the party, the AWD P85D steps that up to 691 HP. The measure of a drag race is how quickly you can get your power down to the road, of course, and it's there which the torque disparity shows its hand.

Dropping the Model S P85D onto a dyno, DragTimes found it mustered an outrageous 864 lb-ft. Contrast that with the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and its roughly 650 lb-ft of torque, and you've got some idea of the potential.

Of course, the P85D's party trick of slamming all that torque down at once – compared to a more progressive delivery from a traditional engine – doesn't help it when it's up against another Model S. Instead, the new car relies on simply out-powering its predecessor.

Whether most Model S owners get to flex the full strength of their electric drivetrain all that often is questionable, and it's perhaps the developing autopilot features which may have more of an impact on everyday use. Still, the next time someone tells you electric cars are dull, there's now more than enough evidence to prove them wrong.

SOURCE DragTimes [Thanks Carl!]