Tesla’s refreshed Model S and Model X spied in road tests

According to recent sightings, Tesla has been working on new versions of its Model S and Model X vehicles, with upgrades to the interior, exterior, and camera hardware. 

A regular reader of The Driven and EV enthusiast, Rob, shared news from Notateslapp on X, that updated versions of both cars from Tesla are in the works, and due to be released imminently.

These changes now add new colours on the outside, including Glacier blue, which has been spotted being on test vehicles around California.

The other key change is a new grill at the front along with a front bumper camera. This camera will help with visibility for drivers and is speculated to also improve Autopilot functionality.

We have seen this camera on the latest version of the Model Y and previously being featured on the Cybertruck as well, which like the Model S and Model X is a larger vehicle in Tesla’s line up.

Other recent sightings are from another part of the world, showing a performance version of the Model S being tested in Germany.

A test vehicle was spotted being tested in Nürburgring by Insideev, at the famous race track, with upgraded rear spoiler and bodywork to help with aerodynamics.

This test vehicle also features new wheels and a more aggressive all-around styling, which shows that Tesla engineers have been examining how to get more from the top-spec tri-motor Plaid edition of the car.

It’s not the first time that the Tesla Model S has been around the track. In 2023, a production version of the Model S Plaid with an official factory track pack set the fastest lap time at that time for a four door sedan around this famous track in Germany.

This was done in under 8 minutes with an official time of 7 minutes and 25 seconds. That’s on a track with a length of just shy of 21 km.

Porsche did end up beating Tesla with a production version of the Taycan but with a catch, the car was a special track edition of the Taycan with the two rear seats removed to save weight.

The latest updates to the Tesla Model S and Model X come at an interesting time for the company which is due to launch multiple affordable models in the coming months. 

Although we are unlikely ever to see these models in Australia after the right-hand-drive program was cancelled, it’s still good to see Tesla’s efforts in improving what was already so many years ahead of its time.