The Spanish team of km77.com has taken Tesla’s ultimate electric saloon – the Model S Plaid – through an obstacle evasion test known as the moose test. The car blazed through it at 82 km/h (51 mph), an all-time best result in multiple respects.
The example tested had a standard racing yoke for steering and rode on 21-inch Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires. For starters, the driver took it through a slalom course that it completed in 21.8 seconds – the third-best result of all time only surpassed by the Porsche Taycan GTS (21.5 seconds) and the Alpine A110 S (21.6 seconds).
It then proceeded to make a clean moose test run at 82 km/h (51 mph), proving to be more agile than the Taycan with its best result of 78 km/h (48.5 mph). Only the lighter and more compact Model 3 and Model Y were 1 km/h (0.6 mph) faster than that in this test, and the Hyundai Ioniq 5 was on par with the Plaid.
The team pointed out that the maneuverability of the Tesla was greatly improved by its efficient regenerative brake system kicking in the moment the driver releases the accelerator pedal. The Porsche Taycan has it, too, but its efficiency it significantly lower, preventing it from being used for evading obstacles at higher speeds.