Tesla Model S Dubbed 8th Quickest Car of the Decade

The Tesla Model S was dubbed the eighth Quickest Car of the Decade by trusted auto website Car and Driver. The all-electric full-sized sedan went up against big names in the auto industry like Lamborghini, Chevrolet, and Porsche and still managed to make the list. 

The best part is that the variant used in the ranking was not even the latest Model S--nor was it the quickest. So there’s hope for Tesla to get a higher spot on the site’s list of Quickest Cars of the Decade if someone is willing to lend Car and Driver the latest Model S on the market. 

Car and Driver ranked the 2015 Tesla Model S P90D the eighth quickest car of the decade. The site tested the S P90D variant because it couldn’t get a hold of the latest Model S. According to the article, “[Tesla] refuses to let us test them.” 

Credit: Tesla

So Car and Driver tested the Teslas they had access to, the fastest of which was the Model S P90D. However, it is unknown which variant of the 2015 Model S the site tested for its list. According to Car and Driver, the Model S P90D could do 0 to 60 in sub 3.0 seconds. When the site tested it, the all-electric full-sized Tesla sedan actually did 0 to 60 in 2.7 seconds, beating out the 2019 Porsche 911 GT3 RS by 0.1 seconds. 

Needless to say, the Porsche 911 GT3 RS was ninth on the list. The 2020 Chevrolet Corvette also ran 0 to 60 in 2.8 seconds and was placed in tenth place, probably due to its quarter-mile run. The Lamborghini Urus was ranked last after reaching 60mph in 3.1 seconds. 

So it seems that even Tesla's old models can outrun the latest vehicles in the luxury market. The same can be said for the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder, which was ranked number one on Car and Driver’s list. The Porsche 918 Spyder reached 60 mph in only 2.1 seconds, which the site stated was “unbelievably quick.” 

Credit: Tesla

For the best results, however, it would be interesting to see how the 2015 Porsche 918 Spyder stands against the 2020 Tesla Model S Performance in Ludicrous+ Mode. Pitting the two cars together would show how far all-electric cars have come since the Porsche 918 Spyder is a hybrid vehicle--or how far Tesla still needs to go to reach the legendary hypercar. Although, the 2020 Tesla Roadster might have more of a fighting chance against the prolific Porsche 918 Spyder with its 0-60 mpg time of 1.9 seconds.

The Model S has received a lot of love this year despite all the attention given to the Model 3 lately. Recently, Tesla’s full-size luxury sedan was recognized by Time magazine as one of the Best Gadgets of the Decade. Back in July, the Model S was named the Ultimate Car of the Year by Motor Trend—another trusted auto site.

Featured Image Credit: Tesla