The new Tesla Model S comes with even more power

The case for buying a Tesla has weakened slightly after the company’s recent announcement of hefty price hikes and its withdrawal of free Supercharger services for future customers.

Thing is though, there’s no getting away from the fact that top-end Teslas go like banshees, and for some that consideration will override all others.

Bonkers performance is certainly going to be a key factor for potential customers of this latest Model S, the faster than ever P100D. Tesla performance can be enhanced by either software or hardware upgrades. In this case it’s both: the provision of a new 100kWh battery, and a software update that lifts the P100D’s standard Ludicrous Speed to a new level of Ludicrous Plus.

That’s the fastest of three power modes. Sport is quick, Ludicrous very quick, and Ludicrous Plus scarily quick. To select Ludicrous Plus, hold down the icon on the touchscreen to bring up your choice of ‘Yes, bring it on’ icon or ‘No, I want my Mommy’ icon.

Press ‘yes’, mash the throttle and you’re thrust into a freaky world of brain-scrambling acceleration. The torque pulsing through both ends of the car means you need to be ready on the steering wheel to correct any lateral drifting under maximum power. Using the full performance on public roads is difficult, as the response to pedal inputs is so instant and so mighty. The rate of progress tails off at higher speeds, but even in moderate use Ludicrous Plus mode will deliver supercar-humbling performance.

The Model S is categorised as a sports saloon, as you’d expect with a 0-60mph time of 2.4 seconds, but while the steering is nicely weighty in Sport mode there’s little feedback going into bends. You can’t disable the stability control either so there’s no chance of transferring all that power into some skiddy action.

The ride on the standard air suspension improves with speed though, and the Tesla tackles big waves and crests well, but the Porsche Panamera whips it on smaller potholes and crumblier minor or city roads.

The regenerative braking system boosts your relaxation levels as, with not much practice and some anticipation, you can almost avoid the brakes altogether while protecting the battery's range.

The range, low running costs and face-melting urge are big compensations for some of the low-rent interior bits and fits, and we’re pleased to see a long-overdue cubbyhole between the front seats, but juggling between the crazy and largely unusable performance and the range is likely to be your biggest quandary. On a 110-mile motorway run in near-zero temperatures we ate through around half of the battery’s capacity.

The fact that the new car comes with the potential of additional range – up to 381 miles from a full battery, and a likely real-world range comfortably exceeding 250 miles – will go some way towards rationalising the purchase.