2018 Model S vs 2019 Model 3

[Pipps]

We need to buy a second Tesla for our family.

But as a long term 2019 Model 3 owner, I was really unimpressed with the 2018 Model S 75D that we hired this week.

Problems with this Model S compared to our own Model 3 were:

1. Handbrake delay to engage rather than instant.
2. Excessively light steering, regardless of setting.
3. Loose regenerative breaking, regardless of setting.
4. Poor quality window controls, constant "open" alerts.
5. Defective volume control dial on the steering wheel.
6. Sluggish, practically unusable UI on main screen.
7. Map orientation would not correct to North up.

The Model S is obviously a higher-end car, but it all just felt old and poorly implemented.

Are they really all this bad? Even the 2021 refresh Model S?

 

[vcor]

Never had any of those issues on my 2022 S. Even my prior 2016 S didn't have those problems, although with MCU1 UI was a bit sluggish, but no worse than any other makes at the time. I upgraded it to MCU2 and it added quite a bit of pep to the UI.

Sound like the 75D was a trashed car, perhaps from rental abuse, high mileage, and/or lack of maintenance.

 

[Pipps]

Thanks for your reply.

Is your 2022 Model S a refresh?

Does the handbrake automatically engage immediately?

 

[TLLMRRJ]

Thanks for your reply.

Is your 2022 Model S a refresh?

Does the handbrake automatically engage immediately?

The Refresh Model S feels a lot like the Model 3 in many ways, just bigger and heavier, and much quieter and smoother riding and double the price.

With the Refresh, I believe they moved a lot of the tech and systems from the Model 3/Y, so it's a very different car than the earlier Model S. And when I had a beat down loaner old Model S from Tesla, I thought it was going to completely disassemble on the highway. What a piece of junk. But abused cars often are.

 

[EVRider-FL]

I've owned two Model S's, a 2016 and 2018, and haven't experienced any of those issues. I have a 2023 S on the way. We also a 2018 Model 3.

I think the car you test drove was not representative.

 

[PCMc]

Regarding items

Items 1, 3 - Model S of this vintage has both front and rear induction motors versus Model 3 with a permanent magnet motor. One of the key differences is the PM motor being able to provide a braking torque at zero rotational speed which isn't really possible with an induction motor without a excessive heat build-up that's not good for durability. This is where this vintage Model S doesn't really allow what some call true single pedal driving. You ultimately need to press the brake pedal to bring to a complete stop.

This may be a part of what you call "loose" feel, but also need to recognize the S is a heavier car, so even with the exact amount of braking force, it will not decelerate as fast. That's simple physics of higher mass/heavier car.

Regarding what you term "handbrake", I'm guessing you may be referring to the brake hold feature? On the Model S, since it cannot do true single pedal driving/breaking, there is brake hold feature. WIth this after you come to a stop you firmly press the brake for a second, will see an "H" type of icon come on the dash, at which point the service brakes are engaged to hold the car even if you take your foot off the brake pedal. Soon as you step on the accelerator the brakes will disengage.

Coming from a Model 3, and likely not being accustomed to having to touch the brakes to stop, you may view having to set Hold mode as taking an extra delay, but as someone that has driven an S like this for almost 7 years, it becomes automatically really quickly and totally an unconscious action.

Item 2 - light steering.. There is a different driving dynamic between the S and the 3. If you read many early comparison reports from when Model 3 first introduced you'll find a couple comments where people describe the Model 3 as more "nimble", faster/crisper steering feel but at also harsher ride/stiffer suspension. Ultimately that's a combination of Model S larger, heavier, tuned more as a touring car versus Model 3 small, lighter, tuned with a "sportier" handling feel. Continues to be one of the reasons some prefer one over the other.

Item 4, 6, and 7 - I'd make sure to confirm if this car has MCU1 or MCU2. All of these can be symptoms of car with MCU1, especially if the eMMC chip has not been replaced and starting to have more and more "dead" memory addresses. If you don't already know how to confirm this, pull up the "more info" link on the main screen. If the infotainment processor lists NVidia Tegra it's MCU1, MCU2 will show Intel Atom. Issue with navigation map responsiveness ultimately become one of if not the key reason I decided to invest in paying for the MCU2 upgrade on my 2016 Model S. That's especially true if you have display set to satellite view.

Item 5 - defective volume control wheel is obvious just something broken on this car and needs to be repaired/fixed. Either ask that be fixed as condition of sale or negotiate appropriate price reduction.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[Pipps]

Would a Raven PMSR Model S drive more like a Model 3, in terms of regenerative breaking and single pedal driving?

Is there any reason why the Refresh Model S would feel even more like a Model 3, in terms of regenerative breaking and single pedal driving?

Thanks for the previous replies.

 

[PCMc]

A Raven Model S would be more like a Model 3 in terms of regenerative braking and single pedal driving. Exactly how close they are to each other is something I cannot tell you as I do not have direct back-to-back driving experience in each.

But there is no way to get past the impact of the greater mass (weight) of the Model S so the same level of regenerative braking (say 60 kW) will not not cause the same deceleration rate as a Model 3.

 

[jaga]

1. Map orientation would not correct to North up.

Not much more to add that everyone had already said, comparing the 2 is almost apples to oranges.
Did you try the orientation function on the upper right of the map? I haven't seen that problem yet.

 

[vcor]

I wonder if the car was in Creep mode? It really changes the feel when you're used to Creep off. With Creep on, you have to really press the break hard to activate brake hold.

Thanks for your reply.

Is your 2022 Model S a refresh?

Does the handbrake automatically engage immediately?

All 2022 cars are the Palladium new update (which I have). "Refresh" gets confusing as the term was used with the 2016 refresh. Palladium was introduced in 2021 and can get confusing. The 2021 LR+ and 2021 Performance were prior to Palladium. The 2021 LR and Plaid are Palladium as are all later years 2022/2023. When you see the design of the prior car and Palladium, it is like a totally new car. I suspect less than 10% carried over from the prior LR+/Performance models.

In all my Model S cars (old and new) when stopped, the parking brake is activated immediately if you select Park, unbuckle the driver's safety belt, or open the driver's door.

 

[dannycamps]

Is there any reason why the Refresh Model S would feel even more like a Model 3, in terms of regenerative breaking and single pedal driving?

The big change between the pre-Raven and Raven (and subsequent) builds of the Model is the change of motor type. The Raven and beyond motors are now the same as the ones used in the Model 3 and Y. This also allows the newer Model S cars access to the one-pedal drive mode where the car will regen down to a complete stop.

As for the MCU issues, I'm assuming that the '18 you were driving was built prior to March 2018 and has the older MCU 1 center screen which is SSLLOOOWWW. The MCU 2 (Intel Atom-based) is much more responsive.