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(almost) 1k Mile report and comparason to Audi A6...

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I took delivery on 6/27 (Thu), drove the car to Portland OR (from Seattle area) on Friday and came back on Saturday. Now, it's been about a week and half and I have 980 miles on the car.

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Drive to Portland was bit nerve racking since it was the 1st time we drove the car and I was not sure 100% if we'd make it ok (though we knew we should on numbers and posting from others). Over all, I do love the car and is a very fine car. Being v1 (v2, if you count roadster), I think some of issues are understandable and acceptable.

My prior car is 2011 Audi A6 and here's how I feel comparing 2 cars..

A/C:
I feel that MS A/C is like on or off during auto mode. It's either full blast (noisy) or low/maintain mode. I think A6 does A/C better while in auto mode.

Radio:
XM:
I think MS has XM and A6 has Sirius. Yes they are the same company but I believe they still have different hardware. A6 has a way better reception and somewhat better sound quality.

FM:
It's about even with A6, though reception is a bit weaker than A6.

AM:
A6 is better in reception.


UI/control:
I have a mixed feeling about this. While A6 is no where near perfect and has a lot of buttons to push, I can change radio stations, switch FM/AM/Sat/USB/SD without looking at any screen or controls (I know where/what to push). I could also change radio stations, preset or not, from steering control as well (how do I do that in MS? I can change XM/FM/AM band but how do I channels via steering control?) I do like clean design of MS but I feel that I have to look and push right buttons to find what I need.

Nav/GPS:
MS wins hands down. I like how I can search much easier with MS with a bigger screen.

Road Noise:
Ok, MS does not have engine noise. but A6 is not that noisy and overall, A6 is very well insolated car. I think it's a toss between MS and A6. In some cases, A6 is quieter (but I have quiet tire there while MS has default Goodyear 19 inch).

Rear Arm rest/cup holder:
I think it's a design philosophy of MS but I wish it had rear arm rest and/or cup holder for rear passenger. not a deal breaker but it will make a life easier when you have a child in rear.

Phone/Bluetooth:
I have a Windows Phone 8 (Lumia 920). Voice call, BT music stream all works ok with one problem. It does not inform me of incoming SMS/Text message. If I have stereo set to stream from phone via BT, it does what it should. It tells me that I have a message and give me a option to read it. If I am on radio, for example, I have no indication that I have incoming text at all. Phone would buz (vibrate) but I can't hear that while music is playing loud. Incoming phone calls are fine. it does what it should. I am not sure if this is a car thing or WP8 thing.

Driving in general:
Aside from instant torque of MS, I think they are very similar in many ways. I did not get air & 21 (got 19 inch with standard suspension) & I actually do like how it handles on not so nice streets in my area with MS.

Over all, I love the car, like the space (interior and f/trunk) and performance. I love the fact that I don't need to pay for gas (I average 4-500$ per month). I'll see how much I ended up paying for electricity but I'd bet it would be cheaper than gas. I'm hoping that Phone/BT issues would be addressed by software on either Tesla or Microsoft in further. I don't think there's much Tesla can do for radio reception now. But I hope that they would improve those issues, along with others, in future cars.

tokuro
 
I love the fact that I don't need to pay for gas (I average 4-500$ per month).

2011 Audi Q5 owner here, so I can relate to the gas expense, but I was surprised it was "4-500$ per month."

What kid of gas mileage were you getting on the A6 and how many miles driven per month? I've routinely gotten about 11mpg city driving in the Q5 since I got the car, and spend about $320 a month on gas. In the three years I've owned the Q5 I've spent about $10k on gasoline. So the Model S is looking very attractive.

I also agree with your assessment of the UI. Audi may have a lot of buttons, but you learn your way around 'em quickly, and you can keep your eyes on the road while fiddling with most controls. I didn't find that to be true in the Model S test drive I did, nor when I was in the passenger seat of Model S observing the drivers dealing with the 17" screen.
 
Regarding the radio reception, I often stream NPR from my local station's app on my phone to my car, because it's higher quality than FM. And with the text messaging, you'll only get audio from the phone when you have the car set to AUX/Bluetooth audio (IE, play music from the phone, then you will hear calls/text tones from the phone). I always play music thru my phone so I can hear Waze app alerts for traffic, which I almost always have running on longer trips.

Also regarding the touchscreen vs. physical buttons, you will find over time, like using your phone, you develop muscle memory with touch screens the same way you do for physical buttons, so after a few weeks you can hit buttons without having to "read" them. Also, many controls are available via the right scroll wheel on the steering wheel, so you can use that to change climate control, audio source, speak directions for the nav, energy displays, etc.
 
I'm curious why you decided to get the twin chargers. Always interested in hearing folks' rationales for that, as I'm on the fence about getting 'em.

Since you asked... there are a lot of high power (90 amp) public chargers in my neck of the woods and I figured I might as well take advantage of that and "future-proof" the car at the same time. You'd need twin chargers if you want to utilize Tesla's HPWC at anything over 40 amps, so there's that too.
 
A/C:
I feel that MS A/C is like on or off during auto mode. It's either full blast (noisy) or low/maintain mode. I think A6 does A/C better while in auto mode.

I'm in the Seattle area too and took delivery the day after you. I agree that the auto function of the A/C is poor compared to Audi and BMW. In those cars, I typically set my car at 72 and even on the hottest days, it will adjust the temp and cool the car off quickly. With the Tesla, I'm constantly adjusting it down to 65 and slowing adjusting up as the car cools off.

I'm hoping Tesla engineers can program the auto a/c to better adjust for a more hands free experience. :)
 
How do I do that in MS? I can change XM/FM/AM band but how do I channels via steering control?

Use the forward/backward buttons on the left side steering controls to move between stations. Also, between steering wheel controls and voice, I find that I don't need to use the screen that much, unless I need to zoom and pan the map.

I think it's a design philosophy of MS but I wish it had rear arm rest and/or cup holder for rear passenger. not a deal breaker but it will make a life easier when you have a child in rear.

Watch for 3rd party annoucements during Teslive for rear seat cup holder info

It does not inform me of incoming SMS/Text message.

My Samsung S4 buzzes and interrupts the music for a brief moment. I actually found that annoying.

The AC auto mode seems to be working well for me since the 4.5 update. I was on a 2-day road trip to Vancouver BC this past weekend and didn't have issues. I kept it on auto mode and adjusted the temperature between 67 to 70 to get the right temp. And I only made adjustments once or twice in 30 minutes max.

- - - Updated - - -

Where did you charge in Portland?
 
I agree that the auto function of the A/C is poor compared to Audi and BMW. In those cars, I typically set my car at 72 and even on the hottest days, it will adjust the temp and cool the car off quickly. With the Tesla, I'm constantly adjusting it down to 65 and slowing adjusting up as the car cools off.

I'm hoping Tesla engineers can program the auto a/c to better adjust for a more hands free experience. :)

On an older software version, I would have agreed with you. In the last few software releases, I've found the climate control to be quite good. Set it and forget it. When you first turn it on, the fan will stay low for a minute until the cold air comes--then it will ramp up. Once the cabin approaches the set temperature, the fans will ramp down. I really haven't had a problem, even in 95-100 degF (and humid) weather here in Virginia.
 
Where did you charge in Portland?

We stayed at Heathman Hotel and they had parking service (valet parking). The hotel itself does not have partaking but they have other near by lot that they contract with. Parking guy told me that they let owner/driver of electric cars drive to that lot by themselves and plug in the car. The lot had blink chargers. I did not have to pay for the parking but I had to pay for blink charge. A friend who went to Portland with us at the same time had to pay for his non-electric car for the parking.

that parking lot is open to public as well and is this one below.
Southpark Garage - NPM​
914 SW Taylor
Portland, OR 97205​
 
I was seriously considering the A6 or A7 before I bought my Model S three weeks ago (my previous car was a Mercedes CL 500). One of the things I have grown to love is the absence of the wide center console found in Audis and most other upscale cars. I think the sleek, simplicity of design of the Model S is a tremendous differentiator--one that I did not appreciate during my test drives.

Now that I've grown used to the scroll buttons on the right and left side of the steering wheel--including the fan speed control on the right--I find that I rarely use the touch screen during 90% of my driving.
 
A/C:
I feel that MS A/C is like on or off during auto mode. It's either full blast (noisy) or low/maintain mode. I think A6 does A/C better while in auto mode.

I was annoyed by the sound of the A/C as well (especially in recycle-air instead of fresh-air mode - really loud). I put the car in Range Mode and it limits the fan speed to... uh, 7(?) I think and it is much quieter and less annoying.
 
Use the forward/backward buttons on the left side steering controls to move between stations. Also, between steering wheel controls and voice, I find that I don't need to use the screen that much, unless I need to zoom and pan the map.

Unless you have a different software version than mine, the forward / backward buttons on the left side steering controls does NOT go thru the radio station presets, so you have to go to big UI to switch thru your favorites..
 
I was annoyed by the sound of the A/C as well (especially in recycle-air instead of fresh-air mode - really loud). I put the car in Range Mode and it limits the fan speed to... uh, 7(?) I think and it is much quieter and less annoying.
I found this works well for me as well... Fan is so much quieter yet no issues with comfort even with days in the high 90's. My super dark tint helps, too.
 
I agree. Switch to "range mode" under car settings - the HVAC system is still quite effective, but it doesn't "try as hard". I.e. it still aims to get to the set point but doesn't max the compressor and fan speeds in order to accomplish it. More economical for long trips, I'm sure, but I use it as my default strictly to keep the AC less noisy.
I find with the pano roof opened to vent, and the AC on the auto setting while in range mode the car cools down quite nicely. Using the cellphone app, I've seen internal temp drop from 121 down to 82 within 5-10 mins or so.
 
I was annoyed by the sound of the A/C as well (especially in recycle-air instead of fresh-air mode - really loud). I put the car in Range Mode and it limits the fan speed to... uh, 7(?) I think and it is much quieter and less annoying.

thx for the tip. I tried out range mode and I like how A/C works now but it's rather cool AM today. I'll have another test this afternoon.