Ludicrous Mode on the Model X P100D: What It Is and When We Use It

Ludicrous mode is the name Tesla gave to the most aggressive acceleration setting on its high-performance models, and in the 2017 Model X P100D it turns a seven-seat family SUV into something that reaches 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds. That number is not marketing: it is the same sprint time as a great many two-seat supercars, produced by a car with falcon-wing doors and three rows of seating. Here is what the setting actually does, and how we choose when to use it on a Drive Tribe chauffeur booking.

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By Elie Arzoumlian, electric car expert at Drive Tribe

What Ludicrous Mode Actually Is

Ludicrous mode is a battery and drivetrain calibration, not a separate engine map bolted on as an afterthought. In a Tesla, the power delivery is governed by software, and the software has to balance three competing demands at once: how much current the battery pack can safely release, how hot the pack and the motors are, and how much torque the drivetrain can put down without destroying grip or hardware.

Tesla's performance ladder has run through several names over the years. Insane mode came first on the dual-motor cars, then Ludicrous mode arrived as the next step up, and later models went further again with names like Plaid. In the 2017 Model X P100D, Ludicrous is the top rung: 568 kW and 967 Nm across two motors and all four wheels, and a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 3.1 seconds.

The important thing to understand is that Ludicrous is not a permanent state. It is a mode you select, and the car will only deliver the full figure when conditions allow. Battery temperature, state of charge, and how recently the car has already been pushed all feed into what the software will actually give you.

Why It Is Called Ludicrous

The name is a joke that got out of hand. Tesla's naming for these modes has always leaned on a certain deadpan humour, and Ludicrous was chosen precisely because it sounds absurd for a family SUV. The joke lands because it is accurate: this is a 2017 seven-seater that will still embarrass a lot of cars at the lights.

The Numbers Behind the Setting

On paper, the Model X P100D makes 568 kW and 967 Nm. Torque is the figure that matters most off the line. Electric motors produce their maximum torque from a standstill, which is why a Tesla does not need to build revs before it goes. There is no gearbox to kick down, no turbo to spool, and no wait for a power band.

The result is 0-100 km/h in 3.1 seconds, in a car that weighs considerably more than a sports sedan because it carries a large battery pack, all-wheel drive hardware, and seven seats. Range is quoted at 465 km.

What All-Wheel Drive Does for the Launch

The P100D is all-wheel drive, with a motor at each axle. That matters enormously for a hard launch. With two driven axles, the car can put torque into the ground through four contact patches instead of two, which reduces wheelspin and keeps the car tracking straight. A rear-drive car with this much torque would simply light up the tyres.

Even so, the software still has to manage the moment of launch carefully. Tesla's traction control intervenes constantly, and what you feel from the driver's seat is not a violent snap but a very hard, very smooth push. That smoothness is the signature of the car.

When We Actually Use It

This is the part most articles skip. The honest answer is that we do not use Ludicrous mode on every booking, and on plenty of bookings we never use it at all. Our Model X is a chauffeur-only car. A Drive Tribe driver is always at the wheel. That changes the calculation completely, because the person deciding whether to press the setting is not the person enjoying the sensation.

When a passenger has specifically asked for it, and the road and traffic conditions make it sensible, we will use it. The best candidates are clear, straight stretches of road with good sightlines and no pedestrians. In Sydney terms, that means a clean run onto a motorway on-ramp rather than a suburban street in Merrylands.

When we do not use it: in traffic, in school zones, in car parks, on wet roads, in the wet at night, on any road with pedestrians close by, and on any occasion where a guest has not asked for it. The default setting for a chauffeur booking is smooth and unhurried, because that is what most passengers actually want from a chauffeured car.

The Passenger Briefing

When a guest does want the full acceleration run, we brief them first. We tell them to keep their head back against the headrest, to expect a strong push in the chest, and to know that it will be over in about three seconds. We also make sure nothing loose is sitting on a seat or in a cupholder.

When I have driven it with a passenger who asked for the demonstration, the reaction is almost always the same: a laugh, then a request to do it again. The 967 Nm figure does the talking. Nobody who has experienced it once describes it as exaggerated.

Why the Model X Is a Strange Candidate for This

Everything about the Model X argues against it being a fast car. It is tall. It is heavy. It has seven seats. It has falcon-wing rear doors, which are a piece of theatre rather than a performance feature. And yet it will reach 100 km/h in 3.1 seconds.

That contradiction is exactly why the car works so well for weddings, photoshoots, and guest transport. It is comfortable and practical enough to be a genuine family vehicle, and it has a party trick that no one expects from something with this silhouette. If you want the full picture of how it drives day to day, our Tesla Model X P100D Review: The Family SUV That Beats Supercars off the Line covers it properly.

The doors are their own subject. They open upward and outward, they need clearance above and beside the car, and guests never stop asking about them. We have written a separate explainer on Falcon Wing Doors: How They Work and Why Guests Never Forget Them because the questions come up on almost every booking.

Ludicrous Mode and the Chauffeur Experience

Because the Model X P100D is chauffeur-only, there is no minimum driver age to worry about for the passenger. A Drive Tribe driver handles the car. That is a meaningful difference from our self-drive cars, where age rules apply: the Model 3 Performance requires a minimum driver age of 20, and the Model Y requires 25.

If you want to be the one driving, the Model X is not the car for that. If you want to be the one being driven, it is the only car in our fleet that offers this combination of seven seats, falcon-wing doors, and this level of acceleration with someone else at the wheel.

Weddings are the most common booking for it, and the acceleration is rarely the point. Guests want the arrival, the doors, and the photographs. Our piece on Arriving at a Wedding in a Tesla Model X: The Chauffeured Option goes through how that day usually runs.

Photoshoots and Content Work

The car also gets booked for shoots. Static shots are straightforward, and the falcon-wing doors give a photographer something no other SUV in the fleet can offer. If you are planning that kind of booking, Teslas for Photoshoots and Content in Sydney: Which Model Photographs Best compares the options across the fleet.

For moving shots, Ludicrous mode is generally irrelevant. A camera car cannot keep pace with a 3.1-second launch, and what actually looks good on film is a smooth, steady pull away from a standstill, not a maximum-effort run.

What Affects Whether You Get the Full Figure

Tesla's performance figures come with conditions attached, and it is worth being straight about that. The headline number is achievable, but not always and not instantly. Three factors matter most.

• State of charge. A battery near full delivers more power than one that is nearly empty. This is true of every electric performance car, and it is why a demonstration run is best planned earlier in a booking rather than at the end of a long day.
• Battery temperature. A cold pack cannot release current as freely as a warm one. On a winter morning in Sydney, the first hard launch of the day will not feel as strong as the third.
• Repeated use. Run after run, the software will pull power back to protect the hardware. This is normal and it is deliberate. It is also why we do not simply repeat the launch over and over for a passenger who is enjoying it.

None of this is a flaw. It is the trade-off that comes with a battery pack that also has to deliver 465 km of range and survive years of use.

Ludicrous Versus the Rest of the Ladder

If you are trying to place Ludicrous mode in context, the simplest way is to think of it as the top setting available on this particular car, above the standard and sport-style calibrations. Later Tesla performance models moved the bar again, but for a 2017 P100D, Ludicrous is the maximum the car will give you.

It is also worth noting that the setting is not the only thing that makes the car quick. Even in a gentler mode, the instant torque and all-wheel drive mean it moves away from a standstill faster than almost anything else on the road. Ludicrous simply removes the last of the restraint.

Practical Questions We Get Asked

The most common question is whether the passenger will feel unwell. In our experience, no, provided they keep their head against the headrest and are expecting it. The second most common is whether it is safe. On a suitable road, with a driver who knows the car, at legal speeds, it is simply brisk acceleration rather than anything reckless. We do not exceed speed limits, and we do not use the setting anywhere it would be inappropriate.

The third is whether it damages the car. It does not. The car is designed for it, and the software protects itself. We would not offer the demonstration otherwise.

If you have other questions about how our Tesla bookings work, our Tesla Rental Sydney FAQ: The 25 Questions We Get Every Week is the fastest place to find an answer, and the Tesla hire Sydney hub lists every car in the fleet with its full specifications.

Booking the Model X

The Model X P100D is based at Merrylands and is available as a chauffeured booking. It can be delivered anywhere in Sydney, or you can arrange collection from Merrylands. Full specifications, the rate, the bond, and every applicable fee are shown on the car's page and in the booking total before you pay, so there are no surprises at the end.

If you want to arrange a booking, or you simply want to ask whether a Ludicrous demonstration is possible for your occasion, get in touch and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot do.