Tesla announced late Thursday that its latest refresh of the Model S and X, its two oldest vehicles dating back to 2012 and 2015, respectively, is now available in the U.S. Given the age of both cars, you’d imagine the company would have numerous opportunities to punch them up. Instead, they’re roundly $5,000 more expensive across the board, and the Model S Plaid in particular has had its top speed reduced by 50 mph. What?
This evolution of Tesla’s flagships has been a long time coming, and in some small ways, it is an improvement. Exterior styling has been slightly tweaked; wind and road noise have been reduced alongside an enhancement to the company’s Active Noise Cancelation tech; updated suspension should deliver a smoother ride; and there’s now “dynamic” lighting in the cabin, for the people into that sort of thing. The Model X, in particular, now offers 2.5 cubic feet more room for third-row passengers and/or cargo.
Tesla’s also quoting a range improvement on the Model S Long Range, though you’d probably be hard pressed to notice it in normal driving. The sedan can now travel five miles further than before, up to 410 miles. Meanwhile, three out of four Lucid Air trim levels still perform better, especially the Grand Touring spec with its astonishing 512-mile range. The S Plaid can also now go up to 368 miles on a full charge, an increase of 20 miles. The battery architecture in both the S and X is still 400 volts.
But it’s the more performance-minded tweaks to the Plaid versions of both cars that are the hardest to take. The $107,800 Model S Plaid now tops out at 149 mph, when its predecessor maxed out at 200 mph. It’s also 26 pounds heavier than it used to be, though, in fairness, that’s nothing compared to the weight the Model X Plaid has put on. The SUV is 186 pounds heavier than before, for a total of 5,434 pounds. At least it got to keep its 163-mph top speed.
While Tesla seems insistent on not replacing its most expensive vehicles with true next-generation successors, it’s still got to make them competitive. This just isn’t it. Rivals have not only caught up but flown past in recent years, and while the new S and X are slightly better in the details, a $5,000 hike for incrementally better NVH, a few more miles of range, and a couple extra feet of legroom don’t go far enough. All the while, its cars continue to pile up on dealer lots.
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Backed by a decade of covering cars and consumer tech, Adam Ismail is The Drive’s News Editor, focused on curating and producing the site’s slate of daily stories.
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