Motor Trend has a 17 minute comparison between two of the best American sedans available today. It’s absurd in every possible way, and a study of how these two cars are, by most measures, polar opposites.
There are some interesting points made, though:
- The Tesla now has geofencing. When I heard the host say so, I scratched my head, since it seemed an odd choice for a car. He sold me with his example story though: what if you have a steep driveway? Every time you approach home, you can have the Tesla’s air suspension raise to its highest setting, to prevent scraping the body on your steep driveway. It will do so automatically. So cool. (@ 5:00)
- The Tesla, in Insane Mode, “feels like a rollercoaster”. According to Tesla’s website, the P85D will accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 3.1 seconds. Interestingly, the Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster at Walt Disney World, a linear synchronous motor (think “launcher”) rollercoaster, accelerates from 0-57 in 2.8 seconds. That means the P85D, a car you can drive on the street, is as fast as a rollercoaster. A rollercoaster that sells pictures of your reaction to the intense acceleration. (@ 6:18)
- No spoilers, but the ending of the drag race was clearly about to change shortly after the quarter mile ended. (@ 15:30)
- “The Hellcat is a great big steak. With a martini. And cream spinach. And french fries. And another martini. And cigar. And cheesecake.” (@ 15:55)
I’m anxious to see how the new CTS-V stacks up against both of these sedans.