Tesla's 2021 Model S

As of (very) recent, Tesla has released the redesign of their performance vehicle, the Model S. Upon visiting their website, you will see that the new Model S is the first thing that pops up.

If you are looking to buy a base Model S with just the Long Range option, no extra exterior/interior colors, no change in wheels, and without the Full Self-Driving Capability, it will cost you around $78,500 (without estimating it for after savings). What's great is that their Autopilot is not an extra feature that you need to pay for and is now included in every single new Tesla. What's different about Autopilot and their Full Self-Driving Capability (or FSDC, we'll call it) is that the FSDC allows for "auto lane change", "autopark", "auto summon", and "traffic light and stop sign control". It may seem like you're missing out on a lot by not buying this feature, but Tesla really is a tech company as much as it is a car company. They are constantly updating their software and the technology built into these vehicles and sooner or later so there might possibly be an FSDC update for all their cars. Additionally, according to their website, "autosteer on city streets" will be coming later this year if you purchase the extra $10,000 for the FSDC.

(All statistics are according to Tesla's website.) With the Long Range trim, you'll be getting an estimated 412 miles of range (which is amazing), 155 mph top speed, and a 3.1 second 0-60 mph speed. This trim (and the other trims) are AWD (all-wheel drive) but the Long Range is a dual motor. With the Plaid and Plaid+ trims, you'll be getting a tri-motor. With the Plaid trim, you'd be sacrificing range for a little more power. With an estimated range of 390 miles, you'd be able to achieve a top speed of 200 mph and an incredible 1.99 second 0-60 mph. However, with the Plaid+ trim, you'd actually be getting 520+ miles of range(!) with a 0-60 mph of less than 1.99 seconds. Even said by Elon Musk himself, this new Model S will be the first production car to reach from 0-60 mph in less than 2 seconds. According to Wikipedia, the fastest 0-60 mph acceleration (before the dethroning of the new Model S) is achieved in 2.1 seconds with the Porsche 918 Spyder.

While in previous Model S models (haha), it came with a screen that was oriented vertically but in the new 2021 Model S, the screen will be horizontal and 17 inches. From the released photos, it seems like the Model S has received a minor refresh on the inside with a tiny screen added for the backseats. Additionally, the steering wheel seems to have completely changed to one you may have seen on the Roadster. Additionally, it seems that they have completely removed the stalks to change gears and for turn signals. I'm assuming that all of this will be controlled from just the buttons on the wheel.

As a person who doesn't care all that much about performance and crazy 0-60 while driving (especially on residential roads), while impressive, I wouldn't buy it just for that. However, I do think that the 520 mile range is absolutely amazing especially considering it's an all-electric vehicle. I would even be happy with the Long Range trim with 412 miles of range. For someone who just wants to drive and not race with a Tesla, the Model 3 could be an alternative as it should do just fine while being their most affordable model. The Model 3 has seen lots of great updates in 2021 and that's not to say there won't be more for the other ones.