The Week in Tesla News: Model S Rocks the ’Ring, Model 3 Aces Crash Tests, Dog Mode Defended
Tesla has finished testing at the world-famous Nurburgring — for now, at least — and reports are promising. There’s no official time yet, but that’s OK, because it turns out that after piling on Tesla for not following protocol when attempting to best the so-called “Green Hell,” Porsche didn’t conduct an official timed run. The Taycan’s time is still impressive, but it’s not part of the Nurburgring record books.
Related: Which 2019 Electric Cars Have the Greatest Range?
Tesla’s smaller sedan, the Model 3, made its own headlines this week after acing the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s intensive crash tests, while the luxury-electric car brand’s Dog Mode elsewhere saved a dog owner from animal cruelty charges.
Lord of the ’Ring?
Tesla’s current round of testing at the Nurburgring is over, and hand-timed laps indicate that the Model S lapped the course about 20 seconds faster than the time Porsche reported for the Taycan Turbo.
There are a few things still at play here: The Teslas hitting the track were reportedly not production models, but instead next-gen prototypes or custom limited-run creations. There are a lot of questions about tires, too, as spy photographers captured the cars with extremely aggressive tires that likely wouldn’t be standard equipment. Porsche reported that the Taycan Turbo had factory-available running gear, so it’s imperative that Tesla do the same for any time to ultimately hold weight. But, if the hand-timers are to be believed, the Model S will have no problem snatching the crown.
Testing also produced a video of a Model S broken down on the track while a number of Porsche cars (including a Taycan) passed it. These things happen, and the Nurburgring is particularly hard on cars (but it’s still kinda funny).
Tesla’s Top Safety Triumph
The Model 3 picked up Tesla’s first-ever IIHS safety award — which also happened to be the agency’s highest crashworthiness designation, Top Safety Pick Plus — with standard equipment. IIHS allows for a vehicle to earn an award with optional equipment, such as more expensive headlights or an available front crash prevention system, but in this case, nothing on the Model 3 was extra.
The Audi e-tron and California-only Hyundai Nexo are the only other non-internal-combustion-engine vehicles to earn Top Safety Pick Plus status for 2019.
Dog Mode Has Its Day … in Court
An Irish court found a man did not break animal welfare laws after he left his dog inside his Model S with the windows closed during a summer heatwave — because he had enabled Dog Mode to ensure that the climate control was set to a comfortable temperature for his pet.
A bystander had seen the dog and rightly been worried that a pet left in a car might be in distress, which prompted her to call the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. A DSCPA inspector and a police officer arrived on scene but were unconvinced by the owner’s assurances that the dog was fine and that the climate control was keeping the animal comfortable. At trial, a technical expert from Tesla testified about the car’s Dog Mode, and the owner was ultimately cleared of any wrongdoing (though he did apologize for being rude to the police and bystanders during the incident).
More From Cars.com:
- Shop for a Tesla Model S
- Shop for a Tesla Model X
- The Week in Tesla News: Going to Plaid, Lapping Laguna Seca and Free Supercharging for Model 3 Returns?
- The Week in Tesla News: Model S to Put a Ring on It, Tesla Truck Teased, Tesla Car Insurance
- The Week in Tesla News: Hurricane Dorian, Tesla Roadster Circles the Sun, Model 3 Goes Vegan, Tesla App Woes and More
Cars.com’s Editorial department is your source for automotive news and reviews. In line with Cars.com’s long-standing ethics policy, editors and reviewers don’t accept gifts or free trips from automakers. The Editorial department is independent of Cars.com’s advertising, sales and sponsored content departments.
