Tesla Model S Review (2019)

The Tesla Model S is the first bespoke creation from the electric car stable of PayPal creator Elon Musk. Its body structure is chiefly aluminium, with steel used only to add strength in key areas. Tesla says the resultant stiffness has allowed it to bestow the car with good dynamics despite its size and weight (more than two tonnes), even on 21-inch wheels. The fledgling upstart from Palo Alto in the US, only incorporated in 2003, would not even have been a blip on the radar. But within a decade, Tesla has gone from CEO Elon Musk鈥檚 brainchild to deadly serious player in the unpredictable business of building - and selling - zero-emission cars. Following the now-defunct Roadster, the Model S is the first prong in a plug-in trident of a plan that includes a smaller saloon and a crossover SUV in the not too distant future. On paper, the Model S is ideally placed to take sizeable bites out of the market share of Audi, BMW, Jaguar and Mercedes-Benz.

Audi looks set to amp up its electric car family with a high performance version of the e-tron SUV. The new model will likely wear the S badge; with the Audi e-tron S taking its place in the brand鈥檚 range of hot SUVs between the SQ5 and SQ7. Though the lower section of the car鈥檚 bodywork is covered in camouflage, the changes to the overall design aren鈥檛 likely to be radical. Falling in line with the other S-badged Audis, the minor detail changes should include contrasting silver door mirrors, red brake calipers and small revisions to the bumper and grille designs. We haven鈥檛 got close enough to the interior yet to see any detail, but the upgrades are likely to be similarly subtle. Expect sports seats trimmed in quilted leather, a flat-bottomed sports steering wheel and small flashes of carbon fibre trim. The extra speed could see the range drop relative to the standard e-tron, though. The 95kWh battery gives a WLTP-certified range of 248 miles, and a slight reduction in that figure should see the e-tron S achieve a similar range to the Tesla Model X Standard Range. However, the Model X manages those figures with a smaller battery.

An all-electric Audi RS 3 has set a new world record, though unofficially. Abt posted video of the attempt to YouTube on Tuesday. Daniel Abt is part of the Audi Sport Abt Formula E team. The car was an Audi RS 4 modified by the Schaeffler Group to produce a staggering 1,200 horsepower. That's instant horsepower, too, since this is a fully electric four-door. Gone is the entertaining 2.5-liter turbocharged inline 5-cylinder engine. It's been replaced by not one, but four Formula E electric motors. Each one produces 295 hp. Using a clean stretch of flat tarmac, Abt pulled the RS 3 up to the starting line. Instead of selecting a forward gear, he put the car into reverse and made several runs before he set the final record. He started out slowly, hitting 100 mph on his first run, but eventually smoked the tires as he headed toward the record books.

This is, after all, a car built to embarrass any so-called supercar that lines up next to it. Abt has used this RS 3 to demonstrate straight-line speed in the past, as he's taken down Porsches, Lamborghinis, and Audis, often while fighting for traction yet still winning races. An electric car is an ideal candidate for a record run in reverse. Transmission gearing limits the speed of internal combustion engine cars to 10 or maybe 15 mph in reverse and those speeds can be terrifying. Abt was quite nervous to go so fast backwards, but he did it anyway. In fact, he drag raced a Porsche 911 GT2 RS prior to making his fastest runs. In a run up to 178 kph (almost 111 mph), the RS 3 beat the Porsche, with the Audi running backward and the Porsche forward. Prior to Abt's attempt at the record, it stood at an even 100 mph.

Now it's 130 mph. During Abt's final two runs, the danger of driving that fast in reverse became apparent. The car spun out when he got on the brake both times. Still, in the last attempt, he set the record at 209.7 kph, or 130.3 mph. Abt noted that this is an unofficial record, and it's not clear if it's entered into any official record book. Top-speed records usually have to be repeated in both directions, but Abt didn't make that attempt. He was so jittery after the last run and subsequent spin-out that he had to get out of the car. This might seem like an easy record to break. But some folks have trouble backing up at 5 mph, never mind 130 mph. The physics of the car change when the steerable wheels move to the back. Keeping it stable at that speed is difficult and Daniel Abt did a great job of setting what is at least an unofficial record with his modified Audi.