Once at the starting line, launch control is engaged by pressing the brake pedal all the way down with the left foot then pressing the accelerator to the floor with the right, MotorTrend says. Then the car goes into what Tesla calls the “cheetah stance,” dropping its front end low to the ground. When it’s time to go, the driver releases the brake pedal and the car takes off, according to the magazine. That sort of driving mode isn’t new to the Model S Plaid. It existed on prior high-performance Teslas as well, MotorTrend writer Christian Seabaugh said in an interview with CNN Business. The version on the Model S Plaid is actually an improvement, he said, because the process doesn’t need to be redone for each run as it did in other Tesla vehicles. Acceleration runs can be done repeatedly for as much as two hours, with little loss in performance. But this process isn’t typical. For instance, the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, which Porsche claims can go from zero to 60 in 2.6 seconds, does not require a minutes-long setup process. In this case, under conditions dictated by Tesla, the car MotorTrend tested rocketed from a stop to 60 miles per hour in just 1.98 seconds. It’s the quickest 0-60 time MotorTrend has ever achieved in a production car. But even with all of the car’s pre-acceleration checks and procedures, that wouldn’t happen on normal roads. MotorTrend usually conducts zero-to-60 tests on plain asphalt, the sort of surface most roads have. The tests are generally done on a drag strip, but starting from the finishing line end. That’s because the starting line end of a drag strip is coated in a special super-sticky material that gives the tires extra grip. That substance can be so sticky it’s hard to walk on without your shoes coming off. It’s not a surface most cars will ever set their tires on. The all electric Porsche Taycan Delia Baum