Well, this is something you don’t see every day. According to a new report out of Consumer Reports, the Tesla Model S P85D, all-wheel-drive electric sedan, performed “better in our tests than any other car ever has, earning a perfect road-test score.”
Actually, it did better than that, scoring 103 points in a scoring system that, “by definition,” doesn’t go past 100.
Among the many reasons it scored so remarkably high, says the outlet: its “brutally quick” acceleration (the car soars from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 3.5 seconds); better braking and handling than the standard Model S (which also receives high marks from Consumer Reports); and its stunning energy efficiency. Consumer Reports notes the car gets the equivalent of 87 miles per gallon.
Of course, the car isn’t perfect, says the report. Its 200-plus mile range can be a concern on a long drive if a charging station isn’t nearby. (Consumer Reports clearly hasn’t heard of Bjørn Nyland, a programmer who recently drove 452.8 miles on a single charge in a P85D by cruising at 25 miles per hour.)
It’s also louder than the Model S, less opulent than other luxury vehicles, and too expensive for most of us, with a price tag of $127,820.
Still, Consumer Reports is calling it an “automotive milepost” and a “powerful statement of American startup ingenuity.”
That’s one enviable assessment — and it surely has the 12-year-old car company celebrating this morning.
