2014 MS 85 Upgrading to 2017 100D

[Bluchip]

So I pulled the trigger last weekend and bought a new MS. For those of you who have upgraded from older models, I have a few questions:
1. Since I have never had autopilot anything, what would be your top tips on properly using AP 2.5?
2. How would you compare the sensor configuration with the older models? I am embarrassed to say how many scrapes I got backing into spaces, but I felt a little better after seeing how many other MS's needed the same type of body work.
3. Are you getting faster charging with the 100kw battery than the 85kw? I would think that that the battery would take more of a charge before it throttled back the charge rate.
Thanks for your help.

 

[bob_p]

We have a late 2012 S P85 and a new S 100D.

1. The current AP2.x software is still a work-in-progress. It works well on highways with clear lane markings on both sides of the lane. It can struggle a little if you're in the lane with exit/entry lanes - when you have only one lane line for a stretch, when the AP software loses confidence on where the lane is actually located and may move towards the entry/exit ramp until it requires both lane markers. As for driving in other conditions (areas with current/recent construction/lane changes, surface streets, ...), the software has more issues - and we usually don't enable it. But for extended periods when you're driving on a well-marked, limited access, highway it's an improvement over just using cruise control.
2. Our S P85 didn't have any parking sensors. Compared to other vehicles I've had that have had parking sensors, our S 100D works well when parking. It warns us when driving into our garage, noting the distance to the front wall - and then displaying STOP when we get within 12 inches. And we get warnings when there are objects behind or on either side of the car. So far, compared to our P85, the sensors on the S 100D are a significant improvement.
3. Our S P85 has dual chargers - and can support 80A charging - so at home, it charges faster than our S 100D (which only has the 48A charger; newer cars come standard with a 72A charger). For overnight charging, even charging at 30A should be fast enough to get a full (90%) charge in almost all cases - so home charging speed shouldn't be an issue. The big difference is in road trip charging - when you want to do a quick charge. The longer range of the S 100D is a significant benefit. For shorter road trips, it eliminates charging completely on our trips - for longer trips, we can go further before stopping for our first charge, and when we're there, charging is faster - since we can get more range before charging slows down at 80% of battery capacity.

Overall, our S 100D is a significant improvement over our S P85 - and we're satisfied that we waited long enough before purchasing our second Model S to get the S 100D with over 300 miles of rated range.

Though... We still have the same frustrations with Tesla's software. The many bugs and design flaws introduced in the 8.0 software last year still remain - and we don't seem to be any closer to getting the media player working.

 

[Bluchip]

Thanks, Bob.
The parking sensor issue was a main reason for the purchase. I have seen so many cars at the body shop with scrapes on the side and right rear quarter panel. My assumption was that the older rear sensors didn't pick up the obstacle before it was too late.
Sorry to hear about the software issues. I hope that Tesla isn't spending so much time on the Model 3 software that they don't pay attention to current S owners. I'm also hopeful that some of the production issues noted in other posts aren't part of my experience.
Thanks again.

 

[OBX John]

I can't answer the first two, but the supercharging on a good charger will stay at 116kW until the SOC reaches 50% at least, then a slow taper.

You'll notice a difference in the handling as well - it took me a while to get used to the torque steer, but I love the faster acceleration.