The Original Bad Boy EV - My Tesla Model S P85D Review 

Typically, just after filming - Tesla released an update for the car which finally included waypoints. However, this news came to me a bit too late!

“Reasonably unremarkable saloon-hatch cross-type-thing” I think Elon will be in touch to use that phrase in their marketing 😂

I think this is the only honest Tesla review I’ve ever seen over the years. You presented the marmite arguments so simply with actual details and research about the company through the years. Very refreshing and shows up the top gear(both new and old) anti-electric push as well as the toxic Tesla fanboys.

I'd like to applaud you, James, on the way you're comfortable with your body image and can shrug off the trolls. Oh, and your dedication to supporting the baking industry in these uncertain times. ;)

12:35 I consider myself a tech-savvy person as I've been into computers since the mid 80's. I've also been into cars since about the same time. With that said, I absolutely hate touch controls in cars. I think they are detrimental to road safety and there should be legislation in place to make sure certain things have physical buttons/knobs, ie. windscreen wipers, heating and cooling controls etc.

The emissions you don’t get from the back of the car are generally outweighed by the emissions coming from the front of the owners.

Shoddy build quality persists: panel fit, paint quality, door handles, tail lights. The biggest issue is the Apple-like aggressive stance against third party repair.

I hate Tesla for being anti right to repair and unless they change their attitude towards it, they'll still be the next Apple and John Deere... I believe Louis Rossman even mentioned this issue in one of his RTR videos.

My S did the same thing with that door rubber. Sometimes if I got out at the wrong angle and brushed it the wrong way it would dislodge it and prevent the door from closing. Of course my friends found this hilarious. Me not so much on a car which cost £88k.

The reason for not being able to use the "E" was in fact that Ford objected to them using it.

Great review, unbiased summary. Yes, Tesla fanboys can be crazy! A note of caution: not all Teslas with free supercharging have it transferred to new owners.

Tried the model 3. I need a few basic buttons. It felt half finished so I order the Ionic 5. Much nicer inside. Btw, Matt, they may have released all their copyrights, but if you buy a fully ‘loaded’ Tesla second hand, Tesla remove all the extras when you register the car. You never own their software when you buy the car second hand. You have to pay for the upgrades yourself. It’s legal but IMO a horrible tactic. How much money does Musk need? Greed. If you buy an optioned Audi, you keep the options. A bloke from Audi doesn’t come round your house and delete the sat nav and unscrew the reversing camera. And if you try to keep your upgrades against Tesla’s will, they send an over the air update stopping you charging your car. The fact is, even when you buy a Tesla, you don’t really own it. They do.

You are so fair James. This is is another one of your bread and butter reviews. TOP QUALITY

4:59 Jay doing his best to tell us about the improved build quality and cuts to a shot of poorly aligned window glass

Great video James about Model S. The review that would be interesting is there a fellow in the UK who took his model S to a coach builder and had them it modified to an Estate some years ago. As always I love you videos, please continue to drive these fantastic cars we see every week!

Fair review in my opinion, having driven quite a few myself the biggest issue I had with Teslas is they just feel like white "domestic" goods to me, no soul or character, serves a purpose like the most basic ikea furniture. Not the only modern cars to suffer with this though.

I've an 8-year old Renault Twizy (adore it!) and the battery has barely degraded at all... they last really well!

I consider tesla drivers to be the BMW drivers of the electric car world.

Great review as always. Very objective. I had a Model S for 5 years. When you're buying those cars, you're buying the technology and not the luxury.

Good review, and as a Model 3 owner, I would have had no issue hearing more complaints. Tesla's are faulted, my car struggles to hold corners as well as my friend's '08 C300 when we head out for a weekend drive. Plus, it loses range extremely quickly when being romped on. Still, all Tesla's are quiet, comfortable cars with lots of technology. Another note, if you can afford to go for a new S, the long range variant is nearly identical through the quarter mile as the old P85D and P90D. For most people, saving that 60k over the Plaid and getting that kind of performance is worth it. Especially considering the substantial interior upgrades and fit/finish upgrades over the older ones.

Im a Tesla model S owner since 6 years and have free supercharger that will follow the car for the rest of its ”life”, even if I sell it. The owner know if the free supercharger follows the car to the new owner or not, so just ask the owner and he will tell you. You are doing a great job, and I agree with you on 99% of all you said in the video :-) Thank you!

As the owner of a P85D for the last 4.5 years I have to say this was one of the most fair and accurate reports on the car that I have seen. I am a performance driver with a lot of track experience and a history a very fast cars, the last of which was an E39 supercharged (after market) M5, and, with that in mind, the only thing I take exception to is how you describe the way the car performs on the twisty bits. I have done Targa Tasmania in an E36 M3R (10th outright), which was staggeringly good in the handling department, and, after driving my P85D through some very challenging twisty roads, I was thoroughly impressed and exhilarated with the performance. I am 67 years old and have never owned a new car that I was excited to drive after the first 6 months or so. Sure, I still had some exhilarating times in them, but they eventually just became the daily driver. I can honestly say that I still get a buzz EVERY time I drive the P85D out of the garage and onto the street, it is simply that good. There are many things that Tesla can improve, but keep in mind that the company is still only around 13 years old and they will continue to improve as the years go by. The only other thing you failed to mention was the over the air updates, which have improved the car significantly over the 4.5 years I have owned it, including the way points update you mention at the top of the comments. There have been heaps of incremental improvements, the first of which for me was the introduction of easy entry for improved entry and exiting of the vehicle. I am also a little fond of cake and this was very appreciated as it was not there when I purchased the car. How many other cars actually improve with age? I forgot to mention that I have ordered a new PLAID but it will not be available in Australia until near the end of 2022.

Say what you like about Tesla, whether they're amazing or leave a lot to desire, we can all agree Tesla fanboys are the worst people in the car world.

A big problem I have with EVs are the subsidies. They're substantial in the UK yet EVs are only bought by people who frankly don't need the subsidy.

Subtracting the 1ft roll out (more like 4-60mph) is one of those frustrating marketing fudges of the numbers so they look better than they really are. Either way, the new plaids doing sub 2.5s 0-62mph is nonetheless still phenomenal! Great review as always. Thanks James!

Great balanced review. As a life long petrol head having owned maybe 80+ cars over the years. 6 in the last 2.5 years. I recently got a Tesla Model 3 Performance. The Long Range the obvious sensible purchase and even the RWD with new LiFE battery has incredible efficiency. Personally I love the performance and would have always wondered if I had bought the other. Either way went full appliance mode. White on white. The car is a marvel, not missing the sound either. Loving the quiet. Has actually taken me back to my youth somewhat. Have enjoyed shopping for accessories, simple things that yes should or could have come with it like the silicon cup insert. Done over 1000 miles in 4 weeks. Cost for electricity has been hardly anything on my house bill. Have used the superchargers twice. £10 on first occasion and £8.50 on the second. Charged fast and flawlessly. No messing about with 6 different apps to find they don’t work. Just grab the cable and plug in. Cannot be simpler. For me was a key reason for a Tesla. That along with Autopilot for Motorways and many A roads. Didn’t upgrade to any Autopilot extras or FSD. Journeys are just so relaxing and never feels like you’ve done the journey. Starting to think FSD when it’s ready in a couple of years could be worth it eventually. Basically loving the car.

“E” was actually a name reserved by ford many years before. Hence the reason for MachE

This is a fair and balanced review of this car in my opinion.

Hey Jay, that was quite a tidy review and very fair, despite expectations from your title card. :) I sold a 944t and my wife's Prius to buy a Model 3LR and for family duty here in Canada, it has been pretty perfect. The thing I really miss is being able to turn a corner fast and driving fun, and I regard the car as overpriced, but on the whole, an excellent choice. The reason I'd avoid Tesla is not owners - we're no more or less oblivious or hateful than any other owner out there - but the company's position against right to repair, and the cult of Elon the Sod. Technical service has been very good but the many issues we have had have not been fully addressed by customer service, that kind of thing. If I were in the market now I would wait or got for a major manufacturer e.g. Hyundai or Kia atm.

My neighbour has one and he absolutely loves it. However he has discovered one potentially massive problem, if he has a crash in it, part prices are huge and parts hard to get, so he could be without his car for months.

I just discovered the channel and it has quickly become my favorite. I watched 3 videos in a row. Happy new year :D

Great honest and balanced review James - You presented the good and the bad - Still not my cup of tea but they will inject a bit of fun in there hopefully !

I agree, subtracting the first foot is as honest as dry weights.

Imagine if the government decided to ban football and insist everyone one watch American football instead - as a football and petrol car fan that’s how I feel about electric cars and Tesla in particular.

Thanks, very entertaining. Found this video after buying a nine year-old 2012 Signature and you're spot on. Approaching 2,000 miles this car is dealing growing on me.

Damn, you changed my viewpoint! I won’t rush out and buy one. I had a loan of a Taycan for a few days; impressive! Not even from an EV standpoint; it’s just a great car! It sort of made me want to rush out and try an Audi A8!

It's Ford that have dibs on "E". It's not about the letter it's about the whole name "Model E"

Thanks James! One thing I didn't hear was issues getting service and repairs which I've heard can be a major problem.

The running 100 yards comment is fruckn hilarious..🤣🤣🤣..Great Review as usual

I’m glad you pulled all the stops out with my favourite shirt to jazz it up a bit! As let’s be honest the Tesla is just a boring Tupperware on wheels with a large battery and uneccessary iPad. AKA a Dutch taxi 🚕 However .. my mate at RR loved all of it! 🤷🏻

How do you find out someone drives a Tesla? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.

1 foot of rollout results in 0.3 second reduction in the 0 to 60. A lot more than I had realised. However it is the norm in the USA, but not outside of USA. That is why manufacturers quote different 0 to 60 times for the same model on their country specific websites.

Shame it doesn't have physical buttons for HVAC. Always enjoyed that you have different shirts for car reviews. Terrible to hear that the company disables things on the car when they sell it again. Nice video. Keep up the good work.

All of this was very accurate. I’ve owned/own 4 Teslas in total. One small point to make however…. The center can have American sized cup holders down below in that open area. It was an option that I’ve had in two of mine which also had other storage. Great video.

Talk to someone about how your smartphone battery life isn't as good as it used to be one or two years later. Everybody will say, yes, that's what old batteries do. Talk to an EV owner about that: No no, it cannot happen, in ten years it will have the same range and do another 10 years. Why don't they realize that both are Li-Ion batteries, of the same chemical kind and same technology.

Fuck the haters James. If they don't like the way you look, they don't have to watch your videos! Please don't take any notice whatsoever and carry on doing what you're doing

I'm a petrol head and a Tesla owner (P100D) as well. So glad you gave it a fair shake, loved the video!

I have a question ⁉️ how does this channel not have 10x the subs? Great vids, awesome presentation and an honest Impartial viewpoint. I absolutely love it.

Tesla owners are worse than Macintosh users in the 1990s

Correction: first country to have a pilot program to allow non Teslas to charge at Tesla superchargers is the Netherlands not Norway

This is the first review of an EV I have ever watched, mainly because we will all have to start thinking about electric cars soon, and far too soon for me. I am a certified petrolhead, with a near mint condition 2002 BMW Z3, a Porsche 987.1, a 1977 Escort Ghia, and a 1969, Landrover SIIA. As such I still found this interesting, but admittedly started thinking what a Porsche Cayman with an electric engine, 0-60 in three seconds might be like. At least it should corner well. Thanks for this it was very interesting.

The worst thing about them is that buying one is akin to joining a cult. I’m not a fan of the way they look inside or out, but your average Tesla driver puts me off far more! 😂

I drove this on release here in Hong Kong. at the time HK Gov were waiving the 110% car tax, which made this thing a complete bargain. anyway, it is a knockout car. loved it. quick, comfy. and so smooth. it was an eye opener in many ways. a classic. great review sir.

Norway gives tax breaks to Tesla buyers, and they are very common over there, they are not a rich man's environmental lifestyle statement/toy as in other countries. I met a grizzled trawler captain with a rusty and battered model S ! Norway has abundant hydo-electric power unlike the UK, so it makes a lot more sense..leccy literally falls out of the sky over there..

Very enjoyable video, just thinking about your recent video featuring a Bentley and how far the motor car has come.

Good review. I have a 2016 P90D that has been upgraded to a P100D, in itself quite remarkable. It is a family car, a sports car and with so much space in the back that I lug furniture in it. So it does everything pretty well and is also safe. The Superchargers make it and other Teslas much, much less hassle than other EVs. The continuous upgrades mean that I have no reason to change and after about 5 years it has 5% battery degradation, which has now flattened out for the last 2-3 years. So second hand they are a very good buy and especially the 2016/17 ones with free supercharging, an absolute bargain. The product was and remains very good, but service and repairs have always been a problem, so the bet is really on how long Tesla will support the earlier cars - so far it has been fine and I have no reason or desire to upgrade what is still an outstanding vehicle.

I’d go for the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo over a Plaid any day, looks stunning and I love the sound.

I hate the thought of going electric, and would shy away from watching anything linked to them. But I decided to give this a whirl. I found it most enjoyable. Still wouldn't want one, but I did enjoy your review. Honest and interesting. Thanks. Happy new year.

Totally with you on the one foot roll out. This means the measure is about 7-60mph.

fair review - my parents have had their '14 S for 3 years / 80k miles (has 125k miles on it) and its been very good to us, no reliability issues apart from the doorhandles and the old MCU display went. massive boot for carrying anything you like. range about 210mi at the moment. id like to think they're your average Tesla owner, not on twitter shouting down anyone who doesn't like it. only downside id say is it now supercharges a bit slower than when we first got it so road trips do take a little longer than they did.

Great review. Nice to see someone giving an honest opinion of a model S Tesla. Without fearing the inevitable fan club backlash over the smallest criticism.. It's an ok, expensive, poor build, not that practicable, fast saloon car... However, it was also a huge wake up call for the OEM's to get their act together.

If I could afford it, I'd get the Tycan GTS Sport Tourismo. It's a sexy and sleek electric wagon that's fast and has Porsche's advanced handling system. Plus its still built like a Porsche inside and out

Nice review JayEmm. Truly is the bad boy EV. One small remark. In 2019 the Model 3 was the best selling car in The Netherlands. And by a long shot (more than double that of the nr. 2). And also in the Netherlands some of the superchargers are open to third party cars. But perhaps that was not the case when reviewing.

Thanks for a very good review (and I'm a Tesla fan due to their safety, clean air mission and groundbreaking vehicles). BTW, if you really want to see rudeness, read one of the diesel car forums.

James, a bit of fact correction: I believe Tesla are trialling use of their charging network by other manufactuer's EVs in the Netherlands, not Norway.

If I lived in a super sunny place (Cali) and had an extra.....$20k? To install solar panels and power packs to my house on top of the $40k for the model 3 then yes, this is the only way I would own an electric car.

One thing to note : Cold weather. Same situation with some phones too, but basically you leave it in the cold for too long and the batteries die.

I have owned 2 Model S’s over the last 7 years (this month), just for context. I think this review is pretty spot on. I think rep for Tesla fanboys come from the amount of vitriol pumped at them by Tesla haters, making a vocal minority on both sides, dominating the internet comment threads. I love EV’s and have wanted one since I was 9 (now 56), Tesla was just the first to make in practical and fun. The supercharger network was what sold them to me and is probably still the thing which would make me choose them again, but frankly I am just happy that there are now loads of EV’s to choose from. I think most people who drive Tesla’s are the same - it’s weird defining yourself by what car you drive.

Probably the biggest number of manchild i've seen on the internet were Elon's fanboys (idk how many of them are Tesla owners)

The worst thing about Tesla drivers, collectively, is they aren't car people....and there you have it✅️

I was lucky enough to have a model 3 for work a few months back for a couple of days. The screen is horrific, far too big and like you said the build quality was awful. Seats were nice mind. Hats off to them they’ve delivered this as their first real mass market car you can’t help but think in just a few years they’ll be on par with the big boys in terms of build quality.

Great review, answered all my questions.

As and American Model 3P owner I have to say great review James! I have a few explanations for you. First, If you want to enjoy your cakes, you do you. With respect to the 1 foot rollout thing, I understand your puzzlement, but there is an explanation. It goes to sanctioned drag racing here in the states. At an official drag race there are sensors which the cars trip to start the actual timing of each car, and they are typically ~1 foot in front of the vehicle. Over time, most manufacturers and car magazines defaulted to using this methodology when it came to listing the 0-60 times of cars because of the popularity of drag racing here. Tesla does it as well with their PERFORMANCE (they do NOT with their non-performance models) models today as a marketing thing. Not defending it, merely explaining it. You are far from the only person to take issue with the practice.

Is there a petition anywhere to stop the ban of petrol and diesel cars

Hi .... the best Tesla review i saw until today ... thx for the video :)

Own a 2018 Model 3 Performance. About 30k miles on it now and it's been flawless. Like digital cameras these cars are going to get better and better. The next 10 - 20 years will be fun.

I've got a 2015 Model S. I thought the review was fair. I wish there were more buttons rather than having to go through the touch screen for most functions. Even though I'm in the 6th year of ownership I still have to wait until I'm stopped before I can take my eyes of the road to use that touch screen. Something I love that never seems to get mentioned is the way the cruise control keeps the speed as set even going downhill (probably most EV would do the same, my mates old Japanese spec Leaf does not). I also love the lack of drama i.e. flooring the accelerator pedal does not result in wheel spin i.e. the traction control is amazingly good.

Someone parked a tesla next to my car last week. I had time to see the panel gaps stories for myself. Nothing lines up, including the chrome trim bits, shocking build quality for that sort of price. Also just saw the video of that guy who blown up his Tesla, otherwise it would cost the price of a new car to replace the batteries.

I believe the foot roll out is an historic drag racing thing. The origins of drag racing was measuring speed through the 1/4 mile and the winner crossed the line first. So timing lights were designed for the front wheel to block the light " is staged) and start the clocks when the beam was made again (is your front wheel had cleared it. This gives you a roll out ,were you are moving but the clocks haven't started.

Good review as always, but just a pity you didn’t share your opinion on the Auto Pilot system as in was it upgraded throughout its lifespan and how well does it perform?

Tesla owners: all the arrogance of an Audi owner, the self righteousness of a cyclist and the messianic fervour of an Apple product owner.

I have a 2019 US model after having had a 2014 and can say that the build quality is much, much improved in what is sort of known as the second generation model S. The plastics are better and the interior is better executed overall with more storage bins. Why do I have second one? In a crash these cars are about as safe as an iron clad sphere: a semi trailer slid across a road in front of me when I was doing just under 50mph. I suffered a bruised left hand.

One of the best reviews if not the best review I seen. I’m currently looking at buying a Model S and to date I’ve only driven cars that belong to someone else. I do enjoy the S on long trips and it doesn’t feel as big as I expected. You’re right about all the Plaid 1.99 seconds nonsense too. And given the insane performance of that model, you have to wonder why they bothered. But while we are on that subject, I’ve driven quite a few EVs now, and it strikes me that they are quicker off the mark, out of bends etc than the 0-60 would suggest. ie a 110 bhp Zoe, is much quicker than the official figures suggest. Or is it that it is fairly fool proof/simple to extract the best from even humble EVs than it is an ICE car? I’m thinking manufacturers, abused even the cooking models just to post the 10.5 second 0-60 in a way most owners would not. Therefore the factory figures for your Focus, 1.9 Audi etc are rather optimistic?

I love cake and cars, too. Keep up the awesome work.

Tesla fanboys aren't car-guys, they're tech-guys. To them, Teslas are mobile iPads. If you like cars, you like driving. If you like driving, you'd want to drive your car yourself.

They are a good item. Good at what they are meant to do but with no style. A bit like apple. If your iPhone breaks and you get another, within 30 mins it’s your iPhone again. No real soul, just an object. Not a bad thing but the opposite of days gone by where there was an emotional connection with things.

Sounds about right. Probably the best review I've ever heard on a Tesla.

“Merc had dips on E?” Not really, it was FORD that threatened legal action against Tesla if they went forward with their plan to name their high volume car “Model E.” Great video though, very easy and fun to watch. Lots of info on the older Model S. As an owner of a 2015 Model S, the info is very complete and accurate in my experience.

One of the main reason I hate Tesla as a brand is because of the toxic owners and supporters of the brand, they are just the worst people.

Reliability - Do these things break down, and if so, what goes wrong? As I've gotten a bit older, I've come around from enjoying the ultimate driving machine to valuing the luxury of reliability.

Really interesting to hear a petrolhead, like myself, review this model! I’m currently in the market for P85D so this was very helpful! IToo many fanboy reviews and reviews made by people with no knowledge of cars.😉

Great review and keep up the great work

The anonymous styling, comparatively low rent interior & poor build quality whilst they have the audacity to charge what they do for them are the major stumbling points for me.

One of the main points holding me back from buying an EV is the all one colour front, the black piece on this does the appearance wonders. Another point is I quite regularly do 300+ mile trips with the AC, radio and headlights on. I do this without stopping. Can an EV achieve this? My dinosaur burner (Hyundai Elantra turbo) comfortably gets 470 miles from one 50 litre tank.

Interesting difference between the US and UK interiors. The ski slope is a big deep bin with movable dividers and sliding covers in every S I've seen over here.

No argument points with you James. A well put together review. I do wish my Y had as nice of a ride as the P85D on the air suspension. Rather enjoy it overall though and suspect you’ll start seeing them soon. Cheers from the other side of the pond.

Having driven a few EV's now, I so get it. That instant acceleration is so addictive.

I respect Tesla for making EV a serious product rather than what the milkman trundles around on at 5am, but I can't replace my current car with a full EV until they achieve 350+ per charge in all weathers at all times of the year. I do about 1,500 miles a week and often find myself with no where to charge (Industrial and commercial construction environments). The closest to being able to do what I need is a Honda Insight or Toyota Prius, which whilst nice, are a bit pricey for a halfway step. I also baulk at such poor quality fit and finish for such a large chuck of cash. I'm not taken in by this odd borderline cultish obsession with the South African fellow, and fail to see why it has a "premium" tag associated with it. Because of that, I suspect i'll find myself either in a Kia e-Niro or a Honda Insight much sooner than I will a tesla.

Hi James. Happy new year to you. I remember commenting on a RU-vid video and someone called me "a Karen." I replied "Thank you, at least you didn't call me a Tesla owner because then, I would have been offended."

My Wife has had a 2016 P85 performance on 21"s for 3 years and 50,000. Bought PS4s tyres and wiper blades, that's it. Performance is way faster than my M5 and Aston Vantage and charging and servicing has been free. Still on original disks and pads. The Supercharger network is amazing (except in the IOW) but easy to drive free to Rome or Munich... 😏 New software is excellent (with waypoints) and I honestly can't fault it. No rattles, 220m range, £288 full comp with LV... Hard to fault...