Highs and lows for Tesla Model S Plaid
Pikes Peak win cements prowess of $187K Model S, but safety issue rises and Aussies face long waitThe phenomenal new Tesla Model S Plaid has taken out the Exhibition class at the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in the US.
Still some 18 months away from Australia – based on current scheduling, which could push out to 2023 – the newly-anointed Plaid flagship is already being brandished as the fastest Tesla model to date.
And it seems there is plenty of merit to those claims.
The electric sedan, modified by Unplugged Performance and driven by well-known racer Randy Pobst, set a blistering 6:57.200 time on a shortened Pikes Peak layout.
That was good enough to take out the Exhibition class, as well as 10th overall on the layout, which was shortened by three miles (4.8km) due to ice at the top of the mountain.
Although Pobst’s time is still a minute off the all-time record held by the electric Volkswagen I.D R, it bodes well for patient Australian enthusiasts.
However, in news that will temper some of the excitement, concerns over the safety of the Model S Plaid have emerged overnight after a vehicle in the US caught fire while the driver was at the wheel, as reported here in the Washington Post. Investigations of the incident are ongoing.
Local pricing for the 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid was recently set at $186,990 plus on-road costs, crowning a two-variant line-up in Australia that is bookended by the Long Range variant set at $129,990 plus ORCs.
The updated Model S range was also set to include a stove-hot Model S Plaid+, however that vehicle has now been canned because the regular Plaid “is just so good”, according to Tesla boss Elon Musk.
While the Tesla Model S Plaid+ was touted as the world’s quickest production car when it was confirmed in January, capable of accelerating from 0-60mph (96km/h) in less than 1.99 seconds, the ‘regular’ Model S Plaid could still nab the title of world’s fastest production car.
Tesla claims the Model S Plaid can rip from 0-96km/h in under 2.0sec, with 0-100km/h achieved in 2.1sec. The Plaid is also claimed to be able to complete the quarter-mile (402m) run in 9.23sec, which isn’t as rapid as the Plaid+ that was said to reach the marker in less than 9.0sec.
Top speed for the Plaid, you ask? According to Tesla, a supercar-like 322km/h.
Straight-line speed isn’t the Plaid’s only claim to fame. It also features a driving range of up to 628km.
All told, the triple-motor Model S Plaid claims a 761kW power figure and weighs 2162kg.
Meanwhile, the dual-motor Tesla Model S Long Range offers a 652km range, a 0-100km/h time of 3.2sec and a top speed of 250km/h.
Standard features across both models include 19-inch wheels, multi-connection Bluetooth, wireless phone charging, three-zone climate control, built-in gaming computer, glass sunroof, powered tailgate and heated and ventilated seats.
Infotainment is once again facilitated by a large 17-inch centre screen, paired with a digital driver instrument cluster. Rear seat passengers, meanwhile, have their own 8.0-inch infotainment screen.
It looks as though the polarising yoke steering wheel – complete without a top section, conventional stalks or controls – will also be available in Australia. It is pictured on Tesla’s Australian configurator.
Meanwhile, there have again been minor price fluctuations recently for the Tesla Model 3 and Model X, according to the company’s configurator.
The Model 3 range now starts at $62,900 plus ORCs for the Standard Range Plus, moving up to $77,900 for the Long Range and $89,900 for the Performance. Tesla estimates a current delivery time of between three and 13 weeks.
The Model X will also be crowned by a flagship Plaid version next year, priced from $174,990 plus ORCs. The SUV line-up also includes a Model X Long Range, from $149,990.
Tesla says that Model X cars ordered today should arrive by the end of 2022.
Meanwhile, there is still no word on when the smaller Tesla Model Y SUV will arrive in Australia, more than two years after its initial reveal.
How much does the 2022 Tesla Model S, Model X and Model 3 cost?
Model S
Long Range – $129,990
Plaid – $186,990
Model X
Long Range – $149,990
Plaid – $174,990
Model 3
Standard Range Plus – $62,900
Long Range – $77,900
Performance – $89,900
* Prices exclude on-road costs
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