The Car That Broke the Ratings System at Consumer Reports

In the past several years, groundbreaking vehicle maker, Tesla, has made a name for itself as a company to watch for the future of vehicle technology. From fully electric engines to innovative on-board interfaces, Tesla continues to generate some of the most exciting headlines in the automotive industry.

Recently, Tesla made another one that astonished quite a few of us—not just those in the ground transportation industry, but automobile consumers in general.

Consumer Reports, the historically trusted publication acting as a neutral authority on product quality, turned heads this summer when it announced that Tesla’s latest, the 2015 Tesla Model S P85D, not only got a perfect score during the review process, but actually broke the ratings system, scoring an unprecedented 103 out of a 100-point rating scale—a first in Consumer Reports history. The publication has since adjusted its rating scale to accommodate the groundbreaking score.

Obviously, Consumer Reports had little but praise for the Model S P85D. Reviewers raved about the car’s impressive stats, which include an acceleration rate of zero to sixty in 3.5 seconds and an efficiency rate equivalent to 87 miles per gallon. Reviewers confirmed that the Model S P85D is the fastest car they have ever tested, and praised the smooth, powerful driving experience, delivered by 686 pound-feet of thrust and two motors—one front, one rear—with a combined horsepower of 691. The vehicle’s streamlined, aerodynamic design contributes to powerful performance as well as sleek, stylish travel.

There are several other reasons to love the Model S P85D. The vehicle’s fully electric engine is just one of a suite of attributes that makes the Model S P85D a perfect fusion of efficiency and luxury. The car holds a five-star safety rating from the NHTSA , and boasts steel-reinforced aluminum pillars for extra structural integrity, plus eight strategically placed airbags.

In addition to impeccable safety features, the Model S P85D is equipped with driver-friendly features, like a 17-inch touchscreen that puts all the conveniences of a tablet computer at the driver’s fingertips, including navigation, entertainment and Bluetooth phone calls. Drivers can also enjoy autopilot lane changing and parking, automated climate control, and remote start, which we think are likely to raise the bar for driver experiences across the board.

As always, we welcome your thoughts on the Model S P85D. Do you think it delivers a luxury experience? Is it something you’d like to see in EmpireCLS’s luxury fleet? Drop us a line at sales@empirecls.com.