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Tesla

Tesla's fastest-ever Model S gets tested in Top Gear video

A family saloon that can go 200 MPH.
By Stan Schroeder  on 
Tesla Model S
Faster than it looks. Credit: Tesla

Tesla's fastest Model S can accelerate quickly, but with the recently revealed, optional track package, it also has a very decent top speed for what is essentially a family sedan: 200 miles per hour.

The track package for the Tesla Model S(opens in a new tab) Plaid includes ceramic brakes, which will set you back $15,000, and if you add an extra $5,000 you'll also get ultra-light wheels and track-ready tires.

Put all of that together, and you get a car that you can use to drive your kids to school and do some light shopping, and then hit the track where you can accelerate from 0-60mph in 1.99 seconds and drive at a top speed of 200 mph.

But how does it actually feel to drive it on the track? Top Gear's Tom Ford was one of the first to try it out, and he reported his findings on video (below).

While Ford never quite could reach the top speed as the track he was on wouldn't allow it, he did hit 190 mph with no problems whatsoever.

Note that we've already seen a Tesla Model S Plaid go 216 mph, but that required a bit of hacking, which is not something we'd recommend to, well, anyone.

For the details about the car's handling, a few lesser known changes compared to the old Model S, and the cool new to change power bias from rear to front and vice versa, check out the video. Suffice to say that while the Model S may not be the most exciting thing you can bring to the track, it certainly won't be the slowest car there.

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Stan is a Senior Editor at Mashable, where he has worked since 2007. He's got more battery-powered gadgets and band t-shirts than you. He writes about the next groundbreaking thing. Typically, this is a phone, a coin, or a car. His ultimate goal is to know something about everything.


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