Every so often, a car comes along that is so good it re-defines what “good” is. Consumer Reports just found that the Tesla Model S P85D is just that car, as it scored an absolutely incredible 103 points on their 100-point scale.
And I wasn’t joking about the Tesla re-defining “good.” As CR puts it:
The Tesla initially scored 103 in the Consumer Reports’ Ratings system, which by definition doesn’t go past 100. The car set a new benchmark, so we had to make changes to our scoring to account for it.
With insane acceleration (subsequently topped by ludicrous acceleration), solid braking, handling, and of course, the Tesla’s all important “fuel” efficiency, you might even say that the Tesla is alright. And since CR is more obsessive than anyone in the business about quantifying what “good” is, for all you math-nerds out there this might just be the score you were looking for.
Of course, the car wasn’t totally perfect. The interior materials weren’t the best in the market, the ride is a bit stiff and loud compared to other Tesla trims, and road trips can be an issue if you stray off the Supercharger path. What’s more, CR hasn’t had the car long enough to really test out its long-term reliability, but reliability has been about average according to the publication’s own surveys.
But it’s hard to underestimate just how scary good the car is. It’s brutally fast, brutally efficient, and though CR’s writeup makes no mention of it, it’s got a frunk. And I’m pretty sure a frunk adds at least 50, maybe 60 points. Because it’s fun to say. Frunk.
FRUNK.
Contact the author at ballaban@jalopnik.com.
Public PGP key
PGP fingerprint: 0D03 F37B 4C96 021E 4292 7B12 E080 0D0B 5968 F14E