Tesla Model S Plaid Hands-On (Lucky Owner’s First Impressions)
Tesla delivered the first 25 Model S Plaid cars at the launch event. One of the owners shares his impressions of the new Tesla flagship.
Elon Musk has promised that the Tesla Model S Plaid would be the quickest production car ever made. That is a bold claim, but we expect nothing less from Musk. His cars may not be perfect but they have been revolutionary. Unfortunately, like almost everything else in 2021, the Model S Plaid has faced significant delays. However, the delays are now over and the first 25 Plaid versions of the Model S are now in customer hands. They were presented at the Tesla Plaid event held on June 10 near the Tesla factory in Fremont, California.
On our sister site Club Lexus there is a forum thread called “Pics of the Plaid Model S and opinion of an owner.” That thread is started by user Hameed. Hameed referenced the Tesla forum Tesla Motors Club. In that forum member Omar Sultan shared his experience on what it was like to be one of the first 25 people to take delivery of a Model S Plaid. He also posted a ton of pictures of his new car in his Smugmug gallery. He also provided some specific feedback on his new Tesla. So, what does he think of the Plaid?
He loves it of course. Well, most of it anyway. Predictably the most polarizing feature is the steering yoke. Sultan is calling it a work in progress and points out that it feels quite awkward as it is now. The other rather predictable aspect is the performance. It is mind blowing as expected. The Plaid can out accelerate a Formula One car to 60 mph. It would make Spaceball One proud. On top of that the new car feels a lot more premium. That is a good thing because the Model S Plaid will run you over $120K. For that price you don’t want to see paint blemishes and misaligned interior panels. Thankfully, those seem to be absent from the new car. Also absent is road noise. If not absent, it at least is greatly reduced compared to previous Model S.
Obviously, a mostly positive review. There is one thing though that has some people divided. That is the exterior styling of the car. There is nothing wrong with it, and the new plaid badge is very cool. However, the car has some serious improvements and upgrades compared to earlier Model S car. Yet, you would have be a Tesla fan of the highest order to be able to spot the difference between the new Plaid and say a 2017 Model S. When you buy the latest and greatest, you want to be able to tell that you are rolling in the latest and greatest. Some may not care, but for others it is a big deal.
Most importantly the Plaid is finally here and in owners hands. This was only the first batch of cars, but many more are on the way. Based on this early review from a real owner Tesla has really moved the bar with their latest flagship car. We can’t wait to get some time behind the yoke ourselves. Until that time, this is the best look yet that we have had of the Model S Plaid.
Photos: Club Lexus Forum; Omar Sultan