It’s true: Tesla’s high performance Model S P85D has an option to switch acceleration modes from “Sport” to “Insane.”
And yes, insane mode is powerful. On Jan. 28 CEO Elon Musk tweeted a link to one owner’s dash-cam video that captured his passengers’ reactions when they were shocked by the full acceleration of the Model S P85D:
So what does “insane mode” actually do?
A Tesla spokesperson told Quartz that it cranks the engine’s power from 416 to 691 horsepower, and torque from 443 to 687 lb-ft. That meant the P85D can go from a standstill to 60 miles per hour in 3.2 seconds. On Tesla’s online forums, one customer asked if insane mode would have a lock so he could prevent his 16-year-old son from using it when he borrows the car. The tenor of the responses: Why would you let your 16-year-old son drive your $120,000 car?
Maybe you’d have to be insane.