Tesla‘s latest over-the-air software update for Model S and Model X Performance trims (v.2020.12.5) is chock-full of new features. Most notably, though, the electric car and crossover benefit from improvements to the Launch Mode function, which includes a new “cheetah stance” feature that uses the front air springs to automatically lower the front end before the car accelerates from a stop.
What exactly does a cheetah stance look like? Look no further than the video below posted to the YouTube channel DragTimes to see for yourself. Host Brooks Weisblat managed to get hold of a Tesla Model S Performance with the new software update and put the car’s reworked Launch Mode (and cheetah crouch) function to the test.
Weisblat notes that—along with lowering the Model S Performance’s front end—the updated Launch Mode stays on longer (“about 15 seconds” from “like four seconds”) before disengaging if no actions are taken by the driver. More importantly, though, the Performance trim’s powertrain now makes more power (by Weisblat’s calculations, the car produces an extra 40-plus peak ponies) and reportedly offers more repeatable acceleration performance.
All those changes make a noticeable difference to the Model S Performance’s straight-line acceleration, too, and Weisblat shares that the car now accelerates to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds—nearly a tenth of a second quicker than it did before the update. It’s also quicker through the quarter mile, with Weisblat recording a time of 10.5 seconds and a trap speed of 128 mph—gains of approximately 0.2 second and 3 mph. That’s wicked quick, although a pre-update Model S Performance managed a 2.3-second rip to 60 mph in our testing. The data Weisblat collected, therefore, is more of a reference point for what to expect from the car’s improvements—about a tenth of a second in the run to 60 mph.
As an aside, we should point out that Weisblat attains some speeds that seem far too high for the public roads on which he appears to be conducting these tests. For what it’s worth, Weisblat acknowledges the current Coronavirus situation means his local drag strip is closed for the time being; however, that’s still no excuse for hitting triple-digit speeds on public roads (and filming it, no less!).
The takeaway? Don’t do what Weisblat does, but know that the Model S Performance is better off with the latest over-the-air software update. Given the Model X Performance benefits from the same enhancements, we expect the high-powered Tesla crossover SUV to see equally impressive gains to its straight-line acceleration performance.
