Less range, but four-wheel drive
There is currently a gaping gap at Tesla between the most expensive Tesla Model Y and the cheapest Tesla Model S. Something is now being done about this in North America, in the form of a new ‘Standard Range’ version for the Model S. The Model X also benefits from it.
At Tesla, the range is expressly split into two ‘model families’. The Model 3 and Model Y are very similar and both operate in the Netherlands for (more than) around 50,000 euros, while more than a ton is always requested for the similar ‘set’ Model S and Model X. Part of the solution now seems to be coming in the form of new ‘Standard Range’ versions of the Model S and Model X. Compared to the regular, officially unnamed, ‘Long Range’ versions, you get less range and less power, but of course it costs less.
Range
Via Tesla’s Canadian website – long live the metric system – we learn a thing or two about these new versions. For the Model S, Tesla promises a range of 480 to 515 kilometers. For comparison: the Long Range is sold there with ‘604 to 652 kilometers’ and is registered with us with a WLTP range of 640 kilometers. That is quite similar, so count on a range of about 500 kilometers with a possible European version of the Tesla Model S Standard Range. With the Model X, the range is considerably smaller: 410 to 433 kilometers, compared to 531 to 560 kilometers for a Long Range in Canada.
Fast
Tesla does not mention power and battery capacity, but it is clear that the Standard Range versions ‘just’ have two electric motors and therefore four-wheel drive. They are also fast with that. The Model X Standard Range goes from 0 to 100 in 4.6 seconds, the Model S even in 3.8. The top speed in both cases is the same as that of the Long Range, which means 240 km / h for all models.
Prices
Then the price. The Tesla Model S Standard Range costs $ 121,990 in Canada, converted to 82,859 euros. This makes the car about 10.7 percent cheaper than a Long Range. If we extend that to the Netherlands, a Tesla Model S Standard Range would still cost around 96,000 euros. The regular version is also quite pricey here, at 107,490. For the sake of convenience, we don’t even count the delivery costs, because you actually have a Model S here for less than €108,493. The Model X Standard Range costs €83,594 in Canada, compared to €92,435 for the Long Range version.
Naming
Finally, let’s talk about naming. The fact that Tesla calls these new versions ‘Standard Range’ and allows the ‘Long Range’ to continue as a nameless starting point, deviates from the policy that is followed for the smaller models. With the Model 3, the addition ‘Standard Range (plus)’ was once actually deleted, and the rear-wheel drive basic version is therefore the version that does without a version name. There the range is successively ‘Model 3’, ‘Model 3 Long Range’ and ‘Model 3 Performance’, against ‘Model S Standard Range’, ‘Model S’ and ‘Model S Performance’ at the big brother.
Whether and when we can expect the Standard Range versions of the Model S and Model X in Europe is not yet known. In the past, much less expensive and faster versions were already available. For example, we knew the Model S as 60, 60D (from ‘Dual’, with two engines), 70 and 70D. Prices then started around 80,000 euros, although the availability of different versions was, as always with Tesla, strongly dependent on the period. A Tesla Model S 60 had a promised range of 400 kilometers and did the 0-100 sprint in 5.5 seconds.
– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl