Tesla's Luxury Sedan Just Broke Consumer Reports' Rating Scale

By now, Tesla Motors has gained enough respect for its vehicles' design and performance standards that every new video of a Model S smoking a high-performance car in a drag race or glowing review is treated as the norm.

But when the all-wheel-drive Model S P85D luxury sedan faced Consumer Reports' road test, something truly remarkable (even for Tesla) actually happened: it broke the rating system and got the highest score of any car tested. Ever.   

The electric luxury sedan scored a 103 out of a possible 100, proving that it is both a damn nice car and that rating-based systems are completely arbitrary. The review cites the S P85D's instant acceleration from 0 to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds, its improved braking and handling from other Model S iterations, and something about "near-instant g-forces [that] can otherwise be achieved only by leaping off a building—literally."

But somehow a car that scores higher than a perfect score isn't quite perfect -- the Consumer Reports team was miffed that the luxury interior wasn't quite luxurious enough and posited that its limited electric range presents an issue if charging stations aren't prevalent. Thankfully, they're going to adjust their rating system going forward, with the Model S P85D serving as the highest possible ceiling... until someone else goes and breaks through it again.

Brett Williams is an editorial assistant and good gracious does he want a Tesla.

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