Tesla’s completely refreshed $140K Model S can go 520 miles on a single charge

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Tesla released its fourth-quarter earnings (and FY2020 results) Wednesday, showing that 2020 was a bumper year for its profits. It seems 2021 will be on to a good start as well, as Tesla announced the long-awaited Model S refresh, bringing a new interior and an impressive 520-mile range.

On the outside, Tesla has tweaked the front bumper, the rear diffuser and now giving buyers a choice of 19-inch and 21-inch wheel designs. All of the exterior trim is now in black, presumably to save costs as the Model Y uses the same trim pieces, and the paint choices are the same, with white being the only choice that doesn’t require an additional fee.

Inside, the Model S is drastically different. The central infotainment screen is now a 17-inch, horizontal orientation, with a 12.3-inch digital gauge sitting in front of the driver. That screen is “basically a gaming computer,” according to Tesla, with ten teraflops of processing power. For comparison’s sake, the Xbox Series X console has 12 teraflops of power.

Let’s talk about the yoke-style steering wheel for a minute. It doesn’t have the usual control “stalks” that allows you to control your lights or music, instead, all of those functions are now controlled by touch buttons on the wheel. It’s maybe a good thing that Tesla owners have Autopilot as a standard feature since getting used to the new controls will probably have people taking their eyes off the road.

You can now get the Model S in three trim packages: Long Range, which costs $79,990, two motors, all-wheel drive, a 3.1-second 0-to-60 mph time, 155-mph top speed, and a 412-mile range. 

Plaid, which costs $119,990, has three motors with “carbon-sleeved rotors” and torque vectoring, 1,020 horsepower with a 1.99 second 0-to-60 mph time, 200 mph top speed, and 390-mile range. 

If you really want the best, you want the Plaid Plus trim, which will ding your bank account to the tune of $139,990. That gets you 1,100 hp, 0-to-60 in under 2 seconds, 200 mph top speed, and has a 520-mile range. For speed, this puppy can do a quarter-mile in less than 9 seconds. 

You can preorder the Model S refresh now, with Tesla aiming for delivery of the Long Range and Plaid trims starting sometime in March. Plaid Plus fans will have to wait until later in the year for their car.

Have any thoughts on the new Model S refresh? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

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Joe Rice-Jones

Maker, meme-r, and unabashed geek with nearly half a decade of blogging experience at KnowTechie, SlashGear and XDA Developers. If it runs on electricity (or even if it doesn't), Joe probably has one around his office somewhere, with particular focus in gadgetry and handheld gaming. Shoot him an email at joe@knowtechie.com.