Something just didn't add up, at least not on the surface. The lighter, more aerodynamic Tesla Model S P90D was only beating the Model X P90D by just a hair in speed, so the benchmarkers over at Drag Times got to the bottom of it and found that the bulkier electric vehicle is more powerful of the pair.
The Model X is about 600 pounds heavier than the Model S, but the two cars are built with nigh identical power plants. The Model S' zero to 60 time of 2.8 seconds is 0.3 seconds faster than that of the Model X, but Drag Times learned that the two cars are "pretty much even after launch."
"Our thoughts were that the Model X was making power to make up for it's weight penalty and after some more testing we found this to be true," Drag Times says.
So the team used the PowerTools app to take a look at the amount of power the pair, both running in Ludicrous Mode, was outputting from zero to 125 mph. The Model X delivered a maximum power output of 491 kW and the Model S churned out 451 kW.
"Converting this to HP results in a 55 HP advantage for the Model X over the Model S," Drag Times says. "Both cars were charged to 100 percent with Max Battery Power enabled and ready before the runs."
Curiously, the team notes that the Model S cars in the wild haven't been able to hit the 10.9-second in a quarter of a mile Tesla promised, while car enthusiasts have been able to push the Model X to beat the vehicle's stated 11.7-second quarter mile.
While the Model S may not be putting out as much power as the Model X, Drag Times says it has heard reports that Model S cars using the latest firmware, newer than what its car had, have been recording power outputs of up to 67 HP more than older P90D cars.
So, the Model S may be just one over-the-air update from becoming a significantly faster car, though the folks at Porsche may not be impressed.
Last week, a Porsche product manager, in touting the company's all electric Mission E, claimed that Tesla's Ludicrous Mode is just a "facade" because of how quickly it drains the car's battery. In just two launches in Ludicrous mode, the cars' batteries are completely drained, the product manager asserted.
