The Model S 60 Is The New, Affordable Tesla With Optional D

With the Model 3 not arriving on our shores until much later in the year or potentially even early 2017, you’ll have to wait a while for an affordable Tesla. However, the unconventional car manufacturer has now made a more affordable entry point for its existing saloon: the Tesla Model S 60.

If that sounds familiar, you’re not going mad: Tesla has offered a ‘60’ before, however this time around, it’s quite a different beast. For starters it has the refreshed, Model X-inspired face that was revealed recently, but it’s also packing Autopilot hardware and a beefier battery. Tesla has stopped building 60kWh batteries, so the 60 instead gets a 75kWh battery, and the extra capacity can be ‘unlocked’ via a payable over-the-air update should you want a little more poke.

Leave it alone, and you still get a quick car: you’re looking at 377bhp and 325lb ft of torque, making 0-60mph possible in 5.5 seconds - a 0.4sec improvement on the old 60 - and giving a top speed of 130mph. Fancy all-wheel drive? You’ll be wanting the 60D, which comes with a 255bhp motor at each end of the car, dropping the 0-60mph time to 5.2 seconds. As far as range goes, the 60 manages 248 miles, and the 60D 253. With the 75kWh upgrade, that’ll go up to around 300.

Want one? The 60 is £53,400 (or £410 a month on PCP), while the 60D is £57,800 - or $66,000 and $71,000 if you live across the pond.