Tesla's Model S Plaid is the fastest production car available and arguably Tesla's best, but there are a few other options that could be its best too.
Tesla may now have the fastest production car available with its Model S Plaid, but is it as good overall as some of the other Teslas available? The answer, of course, depends a little bit on what a person is looking for in a car. However, there are several Teslas models that make a very strong case for being the best that the company has to offer.
At an event to mark the start of deliveries for the Model S Plaid, company CEO Elon Musk said: "There is something quite important to the future of sustainable energy, which is: we've got to show that an electric car is the best car, hands down." It is partly this need to prove the viability of electric vehicles (EVs) that has driven Tesla to produce such highly specced cars.
The highest specced of all is the Model S Plaid. Not only is its 0-60 mpg time of 1.99 seconds faster than that of a Bugatti Chiron, with it topping out at 200 mph and giving 390 miles of range between full charges, but it's also a five-door sedan with a comfortable interior and cutting edge infotainment features. Tesla has also put its high-performance Plaid powertrain in one of its Model X variants. Its 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds, top speed of 155 mph, and range of 360 miles are all lower than those in the Model S Plaid, but some will prefer the Model X Plaid for its better spaciousness and seating versatility. There's also an argument to be made for the Model 3 because, although it doesn't have the performance and interior kit-out of the two Plaid variants, it's the most affordable Tesla available, starting at $39,990 compared to $129,990 and $119,990 of the Model S Plaid and the Model X Plaid, respectively. Indeed, the Model 3 was always Tesla's goal as it sought to bring high-quality EVs to the masses.
The crazy thing about the Model S Plaid in this discussion is that it wasn't even meant to be the best Model S. Only recently, Tesla canceled the Model S Plaid Plus, which would have had slightly better acceleration than the Plaid and longer range. But if these Model S variants seem next-level, some of Tesla's upcoming vehicles are straight out of science fiction.
The second-generation Tesla Roadster, for example, which is now expected in 2022, will be offered with a 'SpaceX package.' Named after Musk's spaceflight company, the option will include air thrusters that will apparently give the Roadster mind-bending 0-60 mph acceleration of 1.1 seconds, a top speed of 250+ mph, and a range of 620 miles. No production car in history comes close to acceleration like that.
