Tesla Model S

Tesla has cut the price of its entry-level Model S 75 EV, making the car its least expensive Tesla model that you can actually drive off the lot today. The car has seen a price drop of $5,000, making the base price $69,500.

Sometimes I have to wonder if Tesla only wants the folks who can afford to plunk down more money behind the wheel of the Model S. I guess we plebs can wait for the Model 3 to eventually land.

I think Tesla’s Model S is a pretty cool car, but there are some things that irk me about it. One of those irksome things is that the 60 kWh car has the same exact battery as the 75 kWh car.

It wasn’t that long ago that Tesla brought out the Model S P90D, which offers very impressive acceleration and range thanks to its 90 kWh battery pack. Now, Tesla has announced that its new top-of-the-line performance sedan – known as the Model S P100D –  will be getting a 100 kWh battery, capable of launching the 5-passenger car from a dead stop to 60 mph in just 2.5 seconds in Ludicrous mode, while also offering a range bump up to 315 miles, based on EPA standards.

This past weekend, driver Blake Fuller set a new Electric Production class record at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado. His Tesla Model S P90D wasn’t exactly stock, but it was very close to that.

Tesla seems to be aware that it might not be able to meet the insane demand for its Model 3 EV for several years. The company racked up nearly 400,000 reservations for the car, and most in the industry think Tesla will be hard pressed to build that many rides any time soon.

One of the biggest things I am looking forward to autonomous cars for is the ability to do long road trips and spend more time looking at the scenery rather than focusing on driving. The automotive market isn’t quite there yet with autonomous cars, even though Tesla does already have its cool Autopilot feature.

In the world of electric cars, most struggle to go 100 miles on a single charge. Tesla is on a completely different level with its Model S EV. Last year, the 2015 Model S AWD 90D was given an EPA rating of 285.3 miles of driving per charge on the highway.

One of the coolest things about the Tesla Model S is that the car is made to be upgradable with new firmware that brings new and cool features to the car down the road. One hacker has dug into the firmware of the Model S and found indications that Tesla may be working on a new version with a larger battery pack.

The Tesla Model S and Model X EVs might not look like performance vehicles on the surface – after all they are EVs designed for driving range and zero emissions. However, if you option a Tesla correctly, they turn out to be very impressive performers at the local drag strip.

Tesla wants fewer versions of its popular Tesla Model S EV to deal with and has opted to kill off the mid-range battery pack option. The 85 kWh battery pack has been discontinued leaving just the 70 and 90 kWh batteries as the only options to choose from.

Since Tesla doesn’t have a normal dealer network and ads on TV like most car companies, it relies on word of mouth and referrals from owners for sales. Each of those Tesla owners receives a special referral code and the top referrer could win some very nice prizes.

When I hear the name Brabus, I always expect to see some fancy interior work, lots of carbon fiber and aero bits, and some big power under the hood. When you tell me that Brabus has turned its hand to the Tesla Model S, and then show me a car that looks 99% stock, it’s a little confusing.