With Tesla’s new semi-autonomous autopilot feature, the automaker now introduces us to the new Ludicrous-enhanced 2015 Tesla Model S P90D.

Stop what you're doing right now. Stop texting. Get off YouTube, close Facebook, and pause for a moment so you can truly appreciate the times we're living in, a world where if you have the means you can go out and buy an American-made, 762-hp, all-wheel-drive electric car that's as capable of driving itself as it is smoking supercars off the line. That car is the new Ludicrous-enhanced 2015 Tesla Model S P90D.



As fabulous as Tesla's new semi-autonomous autopilot feature is, the 762-hp Model S P90D is a car that begs to be driven. The P90D starts life as an already-insane Model S P85D but with the P85D's 221-hp front and 470-hp rear (691 hp combined) motors swapped for a front motor that makes 259 hp and 244 lb-ft of torque and a rear motor that produces 503 hp and 469 lb-ft of torque. Total output is 762 hp and 731 lb-ft of torque.

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Opting for the $3,000 Range upgrade (a bit of a misnomer, but we'll circle back to that) exchanges the P85D's 85-kilowatt-hour battery for a 90-kW-hr battery. Voil. You've now got a P90D. Hold those horses, though; to get the most out of your P90D—and to get something less Insane and a little more Ludicrous—you've got to drop a cool $10,000 on the Ludicrous Speed upgrade. The upgrade adds a couple of pieces of hardware to the P90D, including main battery pack contacts made of Inconel (a "space-grade super alloy") that allows Tesla to increase the current flow rate from 1,300 to 1,500 amps, and an advanced new fuse for the 90-kW-hr battery. This fuse has its own electronics and a tiny lithium-ion battery built into it that allows Tesla to better bridge the gap between a Model S' normal operating current and max current. In plain English, it gives the motors access to more of the battery's power and does it faster, without risk of the fuse being blown. All Model S P90Ds with the Ludicrous Speed upgrade are marked with an underline on the car's rump, the badge reading "P90D" to make the otherwise unassuming electric car the ultimate sleeper.

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The Ludicrous Speed upgrade combined with the "Fast and Furious"-ready Model S P90D makes for some shocking acceleration numbers. With Ludicrous mode engaged and using the new launch control feature, 60 mph in the Tesla comes in a staggeringly quick 2.6 seconds with the driver experiencing a peak of 1.1 g up through 14 mph. Given the Model S P90D hangs with hypercars in acceleration from 0 to 60 mph, the list of cars the P90D beats to 60 mph is a long one, including everything from the vaunted Nissan GT-R to the big, bad Lamborghini Aventador and Bugatti Veyron. Only two cars that we've tested can outright beat the P90D to 60 mph: the Porsche 918 Spyder and Ferrari LaFerrari. As for the "other" hybrid hypercar, the McLaren P1, the Tesla ties it in a race to 60 mph.

Although the Tesla specializes in short sprints perfectly suited for metered freeway on-ramps, it's also a capable drag racer. With a full charge, the P90D reliably rips through the quarter mile in 10.9 seconds, hitting 122.7 mph. Those numbers make the EV the fastest four-door sedan we've ever tested, besting both the mighty 707-hp Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and the Audi RS 7 at the strip. The P90D is a supercar beater, too, beating the Porsche 911 Turbo S and Nissan GT-R NISMO (among others) through the quarter mile, though in sprints much longer than that, the Porsche will walk away as the Model S nears its 155 mph top speed.

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Straight-line speed is the Tesla's party trick, but its rabid fans will be happy to know that the Model S P90D can turn, too. Despite its portly 4,689-pound curb weight, the P90D laps the figure eight in 24.7 seconds, averaging 0.81 g. Steering feel is general pretty good, though you quickly become aware of the Tesla's weight after a few laps once the tires and brakes get hot. Even still, the Tesla's figure-eight time makes it the pure electric car we've ever lapped around our famous course of cones.

Out on the streets where 99 percent of Model S P90D owners will spend their time goading supercars into drag races, the P90D is addicting to drive. Crack on the accelerator, and the 731 lb-ft of instantly available torque gets the Tesla moving like a shot out of a cannon. Keep it buried, and you'll hit 100 mph in fewer than 7 seconds. The surge of horsepower and torque that the P90D makes is (no pun intended) electrifying; it responds instantaneously when you dip into the go pedal, which makes keeping your speed at the legal limit the ultimate exercise in self-restraint. Aside from the horsepower bonus, the P90D remains the Model S we know and love; the ride is luxury-car compliant despite the big wheel and tire package, and steering is still sharp for a vehicle that'll never be described as "light."

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Just about the only compromise P90D owners will make is with range. Tesla claims Model S vehicles with the 90-kW-hr battery have a 6 percent range improvement over 85-kW-hr-equipped models for a total of of claimed range. The EPA disagrees, however, rating the P90D the same as the P85D at 253 miles. As we experienced, if you seek to live up to the Ludicrous mode claims, you'll be lucky to approach the EPA's estimates. Your mileage may vary, as they say—and hey, Tesla's Superchargers are still free to use.

Truthfully, though, picking on the Model S P90D for its lack of efficiency is like complaining that a Prius is slow. It's completely missing the point. The P90D can run 10.9-second quarter miles right out of the Tesla showroom, and it offers up hypercar acceleration for around $130,000. The takeaway here shouldn't solely be that the Model S P90D is currently the quickest four-door on the market. Rather, the focus should be that it does it without burning a single ounce of gasoline. These are good times, indeed, friend. All right, back to your digital distractions. Anyone wanna Motor Trend on Demand and chill?

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