Overview & Reviews

Instead of typical yearly changes like other automakers, Tesla runs updates throughout the year, especially when it comes to software and electronics. The biggest non-software addition however, is the new P85D. Released late in the 2014 model year, the P85D (P stands for performance, D for dual-motor, all-wheel drive) replaces the standard P85. Also is available is the 85D which also comes with all-wheel drive, but less power.

• Potential reliability issues.
• Lacks the convenience, familiarity and luxury polish of similarly priced sedans

User Reviews:

Showing 1 through 10 of 10.00

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  So far so good..... - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Armand Mintanciyan - April 30 - 12:32 pm

  I went from a 2013 Mercedes SL550 to the 2015 Tesla P90D Ludicrous. I purchased (Dec 2015) all the options except for the extra seats and the winter package. Wish there was more options for exterior color, seat color, and trim. I chose Obsidian Black exterior , Black next gen seats, and piano black trim with white Alcantara Headliner. I was hesitant until I got the car but having driving in the car a few weeks now I am glad I chose the color combination I did. I used to have Lunar Blue for the SL550 and burl wood trim and tan interior. I miss the wood/leather steering wheel (not available in Tesla). Right before I committed to the car news came out about potential reliability issues. This did not help my nerves. No major issues (one minor one) but again only a few weeks driving. The car is a beast. Super performance. Much better acceleration that the SL550 and much better transmission (Ludicrous mode). Smooth as silk. Alot more trunk space then the SL550. Have had the car only a few weeks so I cannot compare reliability at this point. So far so good. Things that I have notices as negatives from the SL550: 1. Headlights. In the SL550 when I made turns the headlights turned with the car. Doesnt seem that the P90D does this. 2. Windshield wipers look alittle "cheap" compared to the SL550. In fairness there have been pretty strong storms the last few days and they seemed to work well. 3. Sirius radio reception. I have been having problems with this. In the SL550 never had a problem with the Sirius radio. Have an appointment to have it looked at. 4. Front center console. I think this should have been standard in the P90D. I ordered this. Had a 220V outlet installed in the garage. No issues charging. Have the car charge at 11pm at night with my tiered electric rates. Takes about 3 hours for a 60 mile round trip. Would I do it all over again. Absolutely. This car is awesome.

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  Love/Hate relationship with a 3 months old car - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By V500 - May 30 - 12:30 pm

  Too many quality issues - our heating system did not work in our brand new car - we had to take it to the dealership twice (not a fun experience!!). We took the car for our Ski trip - the snow chains literally cut the car - we haven’t found other cars having this issue. As per Tesla this happened because we did not use Tesla recommended snow chains but the Tesla recommended snow chains were out of stock. There was really no other option. Repair/Dealership issues - Tesla takes too much time for any repairs because it takes too long for service centers to get parts and also service centers are really busy because there are so many issues with Tesla cars. Also from our experience the service centers guys don’t care much - you are locked in once you have bought the car as there is no competition (Tesla only sends parts to their own service centers). The service centers also have a long waiting line for loaner cars - again because they have too much work because of all the car issues. Battery Range Issues - Don’t believe the range that Tesla advertises or shows in the car. It never gives you as much miles as advertised and in our experience it could dropped down to as little as 55-60% of the listed range (happened to us because we had to go through a traffic jam) Interior Design Issues - In the interior the storage space is an issue - there is no storage on the doors (which other cars have). They have a big space next to the control screen but it is difficult to use as there are no compartments (Tesla sells you a console for $600 for that). The cup holders in the car are placed at a very inconvenient place - it is very difficult to put the cups there or take cups out Big car with Good acceleration/Good for the Environment - Very nice cosmetic features which includes a nice screen with all controls, handles etc. It has a very good acceleration and fun to drive car. It looks good from outside and it is good for environment. It is also pretty big with a lot of storage space (Frunk provides additional storage) Overall it is a good car but if you are switching from a regular Gas car - you will definitely feel some pain on long trips and also with the current quality issues you probably need an extra car at home to drive around while your car is at the service center!

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  Best vehicle Ive owned - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Nicholas Devaud - December 29 - 5:59 am

  1. Driving an all electric vehicle takes a little adjusting as compared to gasoline. Once you get there, youll never want a traditional gasoline/ICE car again. 2. Damage/repairs- an important factor in decision that is often not factored. This car has mostly aluminum vs steel constructions. It keeps car light, but it can cost more to repair. I would also caution buying if you are far (>75miles) from a service center. Services and repairs could be a hassle. 3. If you hate or cant adjust to new things - this car is not for you. 4. Safety. My wife was recently hit by another driver who ran through a red light (estimated impacted was about 40-50mph). The Tesla was declared a total loss, but my wife survived the accident. In most other cars, Im not sure she would have survived such an impact. 5. No more dirty fuel (assuming your local utility provides you with clean energy) 6. Proactive service. The car communicates back with Tesla all the time. If it thinks theres a problem, Tesla service will proactively contact you to pick-up the car to have it checked and provide you with a loaner. When my wife was in accident, the first news of that accident I received was from Tesla service. 7. Remote monitoring. If you have kids... you can see where they are, how fast they are driving, lock/unlock car, pre-cool/heat the car before you use it, etc... 8. Charging - Its really easy at home and free while you travel out of your city using their supercharger network. By the time you finish your meal, the battery (which will give you realistically at least 240 miles range vs 265 EPA range) is nearly full again. We drive about 1,500 miles/month and electic bill is up about 30-40 / mth 9. No pesky dealerships, no negotiating. Buy online. Ask for help from sales or service centers. Just great modern service. Seems like most reviews complain about minor things in their cars. Ive always found Tesla very accommodating to fix defects and make their customers happy. About me - Ive owned Lexus, Toyota, Nissan, Audi in past. I liked most of my cars, but never truly loved them. Tesla team - you guys are awesome.

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  Best Care I have ever owned! - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Bazerkly - January 18 - 10:43 pm

  The Tesla is like no other car. Nothing comes close! Its the only True EV.........

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  Zapped and Glad - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By hmp10 - December 10 - 5:32 am

  Im a "car guy" and have owned 3 Audi R8s, a Mercedes SL55 AMG, a Corvette, and a Jaguar. I traded in an R8 V10 Spyder for this car and havent looked back. This Tesla is significantly faster, just as sure-footed, far more practical (at least for local driving) and, in its own way, just as cool. It is also has the structural solidity of a bank vault and the handling tautness and tactile feel of the best cars I have owned. I thought I would miss the roar of the V10. Instead, I find the barely audible whine and whoosh of the electric drive train just as appealing. I thought I would miss the manual gear shifting of the R8. Instead, I find the eerie silkiness of the Tesla drivetrain addictive to the point that driving my internal-combustion cars is now vaguely annoying. I thought the regenerative braking would take some getting used to. It took me about 30 seconds to adapt, and I now find it one of the best features of electric driving. I thought the 17-inch screen would be distracting. Instead, I find it the best driver interface I have ever seen in a car. My biggest worry in buying the car was range. Unfortunately, this is not a car I would take on a long road trip, as the supercharger network still requires too much bobbing and weaving off ideal routes to keep the car charged. However, there is no amount of local driving that has left me anywhere near the end of the battery range. I picked the car up at a dealer on the east coast of Florida and drove it home to the west coast. I was driving well above the speed on which the range claims are based, I did some hard acceleration runs (this car requires no break-in), and I made a couple of detours for errands. The car still had 103 miles of indicated range remaining when I got home. Since then I have used the car for long days of running errands and lengthy pleasure drives and have yet to return home with less than 138 miles of indicated range remaining. The downsides: Its absurd to build a car with so little interior storage space, despite there obviously being room. (This is the one area where Elon Musks attempts to be stylistically chic backfire.) Fortunately, EVannex makes a center console that matches the interior perfectly and helps with storage. But I still miss door pockets. On the other hand, the front and rear trunks offer immense trunk space for things you dont need to reach while driving. Despite the cars large exterior dimensions, the rear seat is a bit cramped and difficult of entry and exit for adults. Also, the rear seat backs (at least in the Executive Seating option) are not raked back quite enough due to the low roof line. However, the upgraded Recaro front seats and the front seat accommodations in general are absolutely best in class. Reliability and Service: In 6 months of ownership the car has only needed service once, due to the failure of the door handles to retract. I called Tesla service at 9:30 p.m. the evening it happened and, to my surprise, got an answer. I was a bit aggravated at the prospect of having to take the car 100 miles to the nearest service shop. But then I found out that Tesla had a service tech who works out of a truck in my town and who keeps a supply of parts in a local storage unit. He was at my house before 9:00 a.m. the next morning and fixed the problem right in my driveway. In short, it was most convenient and quickest repair Ive ever had done on a car. (It also turned out that the service tech was Buddy, the mechanic who worked on my R8 at the Audi dealer. He had just moved to Tesla and was loving it.) Since then there have been a few software glitches with the car, seemingly related to bugs in updates. However, they have all disappeared of their own accord, probably as a result of correction downloads that came in overnight when the car is programmed to receive automatic updates. Would I buy a Tesla again? In a second . . . as long as its not my only car (at least until there are more superchargers).

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  Best are have ever had! (And Ive had everything.) - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Collin - August 27 - 1:45 pm

  We have owned everything. In the past 5 years, we have owned: 2010 BMW 335i convertible (would never recommend...) 2011 Audi: R8 V-10 Spyder 2011 Mercedes 300c 2012 A8 W-12 2012 Rolls Royce Ghost EWB 2012 Nisan Versa 2013 Ford Focus 2013 Audi S5 cabriolet 2013 Audi A5 Cabriolet 2013 Mercedes SL 550 2014 Mercedes SL 550 2014 Audi A5 hard top 2015 Chevy Camaro 2015 Tesla 85 D 2015 Bentley Flying Spur 2015 Dodge Ram 1500 Bog horn 2016 Dodge Ram 3500 Longhorn We buy a lot of cars... Build quality, delivery and performance have exceeded my expectations with Tesla. I would definitely buy another one.

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  Think Twice - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Darma Wright - September 11 - 6:21 pm

  Software glitches galore. Key "fob" is not the answer to getting into the car. Owner gets two. One never worked; the other does occasionally. Getting stranded outside the vehicle is common. Navigation also needs to be reinvented. Re-booting needed to "correct" (partially) some problems. Waking vehicle from deep sleep takes hours. Charging at home with 50 AMP connection is SLOW. Estimate an hour 38 minutes after a 50 mile drive

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  I bought P85D for speed but love the Eco aspect - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Kim Frioli - August 24 - 6:45 am

  I love sports cars and was raised with big block classics like 1968 Chevy Chevelles, etc. I was looking for my next vehicle when my Bmw lease was up and I looked at the gamut of sports cars. However, one test drive in the Tesla on "insane mode" and I was sold. I absolutely love it. Fast (got my first speeding ticket in 10 years), sleek, quiet, comfortable and filled with great electronics, it makes me supremely happy every morning as I hop in for my commute. The fact that it saves me thousands of dollars in gas costs, has cheaper insurance rates and is 100 percent Electric is just the cherry on top. I immediately invested in Tesla stock, FYI. Thats how much I love this car.

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  GO FULLY ELECTRIC!!! - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By Derrick A. - November 21 - 1:50 am

  Take advantage of the newly introduced leasing program from Tesla. My first EV and its pretty good thus far. Of course there are exceptions such as key fob issues, finger prints on all materials are very common. eg.. door handles, interior doors and glove box. The bottom line is if you can afford it, get it! I opted for the 70D received on 09/28/15 and installed an 240/50 amp outlet facing my driveway. BYE BYE GAS STATIONS...... In time i will outline a more extensive review.

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  Worst Car I Have Ever Owned - 2015 Tesla Model S
  By GA - February 4 - 3:55 pm

  I rue the day I believed the hype and ordered this vehicle. It has been a problem since day one, and not a week goes by that something doesnt go wrong. The resale market doesnt exist without a huge write-off, far worse than any other vehicle Ive owned. I have had 3 batteries replaced, my charging unit has been repaired multiple times and the list goes on and on. I live in a condo, and when the faulty battery died, Tesla did not send a repairman but told me to get AAA out to jump the car (as it turns out, the battery was incapable of holding a charge). When AAA arrived, since there is no WiFi in the basement garage, Tesla could not troubleshoot the issue. The repairman initially couldnt locate the battery to jump it, and had to walk upstairs multiple times to get a cell signal so he could call Tesla for further instructions. I missed an entire morning of meetings due to the faulty battery issue. Even with multiple problems with my car, Tesla has never provided me with a loaner car, and I have missed countless meetings, had to carpool with friends, etc. due to the ongoing problems with my vehicle The Navigation system insists on such neat tricks as guiding me to drive onto a freeway off ramp when trying to enter the freeway. In addition, daily it suggests I make left turns onto streets with No Left Turn posted signs and when I make the legal right turn, it instructs me back to continue to make illegal left turns. I have never had a more dangerous GPS system in any car. For a car that is supposed to be so technologically advanced, why cant it tell me which tire has low air pressure, and what the pressure is? I have this feature on every rental car, including low cost vehicles. Other cars have automatic high beams, the Tesla does not. I do not have lane change warning sounds, front beeps should I get too close to an unseen obstacle while parking, etc., etc. I have 5,000 contacts in my smartphone, but that is too many for my Tesla to upload so I cannot place phone calls from the car computer directly, but have to use my smartphone instead. Why is there no cargo storage in the car doors, or behind the seats for the back seat passengers? Why does the A/C work so poorly? Why are there no lighted make-up mirrors in the visors? Why does the car computer tell me I have a 230 mile range but Ive never been able to get more than 140 actual miles from a charge? My radio reception is much worse for local stations than in any car Ive ever owned. By far. If anyone wants to take the car off my hands, Ill give you a great deal.