{"id":496,"date":"2025-05-21T11:50:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-21T11:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/?p=496"},"modified":"2025-05-30T10:19:16","modified_gmt":"2025-05-30T10:19:16","slug":"teslas-model-s-plaid-facelift-is-not-what-you-expected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/21\/teslas-model-s-plaid-facelift-is-not-what-you-expected\/","title":{"rendered":"Tesla\u2019s Model S Plaid Facelift Is Not What You Expected"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><img width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-post-image lazyload\" alt=\"\" style=\"margin-bottom: 15px\" loading=\"lazy\" data-src=\"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/TeslaMS-PLAID-1024x576-1.jpg\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-12 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:100%\">\n<ul>\n<li>Tesla is testing a facelifted Model S Plaid sedan at the Nurburgring.<\/li>\n<li>The flagship EV&rsquo;s subtle aero enhancements should improve downforce.<\/li>\n<li>Tesla was also testing a Model Y Performance at the same &rsquo;Ring session.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Tesla&rsquo;s engineers have been busy at the Nurburgring recently, and it&rsquo;s not just the Model Y Performance getting a facelift. The updated version of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/tesla-model-s\/\">Model S Plaid<\/a> was spotted, making a few laps around the track, with a fresh look that, frankly, doesn&rsquo;t seem all that groundbreaking.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"><\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;0f7e3106-c4d6-4db4-8135-c508879a76f8&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;82503191-e1d1-435a-874f-9c78a2a54a2f&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<p>The Plaid was once the quickest electric production car at the &rsquo;Ring, but it&rsquo;s had its thunder stolen recently by both the Weissach Pack-equipped Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, and Xiaomi&rsquo;s new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/xiaomi-su7\/\">SU7<\/a> Ultra. There&rsquo;s no way Tesla was going to take that lying down, and it&rsquo;s testing an updated Plaid that&rsquo;s sure to get a big upgrade over the existing car&rsquo;s 1,006 hp (1,020 PS \/ 750 kW) triple-motor powertrain.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Related: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2025\/05\/new-tesla-model-y-performance-breaks-cover-plaid-wheels-and-all\/\">New Tesla Model Y Performance Breaks Cover, Plaid Wheels And All<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The black sedan was spotted putting in some hot laps wearing a bikini camouflage wrap on its nose and tail, though the changes appear to be so minor it was almost a waste of time covering them up. Because if you were hoping Tesla was finally going to make some major visual changes to its ancient sedan, something along the lines of the Model Y Juniper facelift, as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/2025\/03\/2026-tesla-model-s-what-to-expect-from-the-facelift\/\">imagined in renderings<\/a> we&rsquo;ve published before, you&rsquo;re going to be disappointed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"taboola-mid-article-thumbnails-organic\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>Minor Updates, Bigger Expectations<\/strong><\/p>\n<section class=\"type:slideshow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><\/section>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Photos Baldauf \/ Carscoops<\/h4>\n<p>The sole change at the front appears to be a tiny lower lip spoiler mounted below the existing bumper. The headlights, DRLs graphic and bumper itself are seemingly identical to the ones on the current car. That means this new Plaid has the same basic face introduced when Tesla refreshed the original 2013 Model S for 2017, though it did some detail revisions in 2021 to help it fight against Porsche&rsquo;s newer Taycan.<\/p>\n<p>For the track work, however, it was rolling on a new design of alloy wheels that look like they might be bigger than the stock Plaid rims seen in the images of the car driving to and from the circuit. That could give the Plaid a bigger footprint to improve grip and traction, and to help push the rubber into the road Tesla has added a more aggressive diffuser below the rear bumper.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.carscoops.com\/tag\/tesla\/\">Tesla<\/a>&rsquo;s VP of Engineering, Lars Moravy, pretty much confirmed that Tesla would roll out a refreshed Model S this year, and while we weren&rsquo;t&nbsp; expecting an all-new car &ndash; though after 13 years, we deserve one &ndash; we were hoping for some bigger changes than it looks like Tesla will deliver.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<div id=\"bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n<section class=\"type:slideshow\"><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"lazy \" data-src=\"\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" alt=\"\" src=\"\" data-type=\"inarticle-image\" \/><\/section>\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Photos Baldauf \/ Carscoops<\/h4>\n<div class=\"ad-placement\">\n<div id=\"9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<div id=\"bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c\" class=\"_ap_apex_ad\"> <\/div>\n<p>\t\t\t\tvar adpushup = window.adpushup  = window.adpushup || {que:[]};<br \/>\n\t\t\t\tadpushup.que.push(function() {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\tif (adpushup.config.platform !== &#8220;DESKTOP&#8221;){<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;bb7964e9-07de-4b06-a83e-ead35079d53c&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t} else {<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\tadpushup.triggerAd(&#8220;9b1169d9-7a89-4971-a77f-1397f7588751&#8221;);<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t}<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t});<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Tesla is testing a facelifted Model S Plaid sedan at the Nurburgring. The flagship EV&rsquo;s subtle aero enhancements should improve downforce. Tesla was also testing a Model Y Performance at the same &rsquo;Ring session. Tesla&rsquo;s engineers have been busy at the Nurburgring recently, and it&rsquo;s not just the Model Y Performance getting a facelift. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":498,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=496"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":499,"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/496\/revisions\/499"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/498"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=496"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=496"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.midborodocuments.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=496"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}