I'm going to be ordering a model s in the near future and I'm on the fence about a few features Set on Red multi-coat Panoramic roof Tan leather 19" inch tires Super charger enabled Not sure 60kw or 80 kw ( technically the 60 will never run out between super charger locations). Tech package ( is there anything really that amazing that I will be missing without it).
I would get the Tech package, all the cool features are in it and you will really notice it when you get a loaner!
Ditto on the tech package. The futuristic coolness of the car is significantly enhanced by having it, in my opinion. I would get the 85, too. There's no reasonable way to upgrade from the 60 if you want to later and you'll love the car so much that you'll look for excuses to drive it, near and far. And you've made the perfect color choice. (Not that I'm biased.)
I'd love the 85 and it's only an extra 100$ a month is t to bad but my wife is looking for any reason to stop me lol. And as for the tech package I'm actually a little unclear of a few points , what does the following do Electrochromatic mirrors Power lift gate Oh and do heated seats come with the standard leather package or do I need performance?
1. mirrors dim in bright light 2. the hatch opens with a touch of a button (from touchscreen or key fob) and can be set to open to a certain height (so not to hit garage ceiling, things hanging from the ceiling or garage door). Otherwise you would have to open the hatch manually. 3. I have heated front seats, and I have textile seats. 4. If you can afford it, go with the S85. I've found that I drive a lot more with this car than previous cars.. and I want to drive farther... so the range would help out tremendously.
In my opinion, the most important features of the tech are: 1) User profiles. This is a must have if you're not the only driver, or need an "exit" profile. 2) Electro-chromatic mirrors. This is really nice especially on the side-view mirrors at night. 3) Nav. Probably more important for resale value IMO. Disclaimer - I don't have tech, and I don't miss it. You can get around without nav, and the voice command "where is..." works without it. Worst case use a store-bought GPS or smartphone. - - - Updated - - - Some have complained about lack of "side bolsters." I find that I do slide a little in the loaners with leather as compared to my textile, which tend to keep me fairly planted.
Agree. You and the wife are going to want to drive it, that alone makes tech a must. If you can get the 85, do it. The whole family will be happier to not have to choose alternate transportation.
Personally, I thought I could do without the Tech package, but my wife insisted on it. She likes bells and whistles. Now that I have it, I am VERY thankful that I got it. I have never had leather seats in a car until this one, but if there is one thing I could have saved money on it would be the seats. If I were to order again I think I would get cloth rather than leather. Concerning 60 v. 85... you are right in that you can get from SC to SC with a 60, but quite honestly, I got the P85 after really gut wrenching this out. Here's the deal. If you are buying a car and want to keep it until the next hottest thing (Model X??) comes out, then I'd say go with the 60. But if, like me, you intend to keep this for 100K or even 200K miles wouldn't you be kicking yourself every day for not getting what you really wanted to begin with? But then, who knows? Maybe someday there will be a 60 to 110 upgrade???
I would definitely get the 85. Here is the break down of my take on the range of my 85. The quoted range is 300 miles on some of the specs sheets, but this is bogus because to get that, you have to drive 55 mph. The quoted range for 85 on the configuration page is 265. This is more realistic but not really, and here's why...Except for occasional trips, you are not supposed to charge your battery to 100% all the time. This will shorten the life of the battery. You are supposed to charge to 90% which works out to be about 238-241 miles. For the purpose of discussion, let's say it's 241. Next, you're not supposed to drive your battery down to zero as this is bad for your battery as well. So let's say, you drive it down to 10% which is about 40, let's say 41 to keep the math simple. 241 minus 41 leaves you with a rated range of 200. But this is not realistic either. Under real driving conditions, 200 rated miles gets me about 170 to 180 real odometer miles. Keep in mind that I'm not a particularly aggressive driver either. On the freeway, I usually do 75 mph, at the most. If you are okay with the range of the 60, then go for it and save some money. For me, the flexibility of the added range of the 85 is crucial.
I would get both the 85 and the tech package. If the 85 is not in your budget, there will be Superchargers in Lansing, Jackson, Bay City, and Muskegon by the end of this year (in addition the existing St. Joes location). And 3 or 4 more in 2015. Send me a Private Message if you have any Michigan-Specific questions.
The 265 range is for 65MPH. At 85 you will get much lower range around 200 miles. There is a great graph on Your Questions Answered | Tesla Motors.
If you lived in southern CA or FL, you'd be fine with the 60kWh battery. But if you intend to drive the car in the northern winters at highway speeds, you will need the 85kWh battery to have a margin of safety while spanning the Superchargers, particularly when the temps drop below zero F. I've driven my P85 at -15F. The car drives perfectly at that temperature, but the range is reduced significantly.
Thanks for all the input! I'm trying to keep the tab around $1000 so if I can I would rather upgrade the tech package before the 85 I don't think I'll have to much range anxiety the way I drive
Pretty sure he meant kwh, not mph. ;-) - - - Updated - - - I would upgrade to 85kwh and tech package. If the $ are tight, then reconsider color and roof. Not sure how much value you'd get from the sunroof in MI, unless you want it for the roof rack holders.
haha, I definitely miss read it... I agree, if I had to limit the cost to a minimum, I would put 85kWh battery and Tech package above leather seats, sunroof and MC paint. The Model S is a blast to drive, but if you have to worry about range, it's not as much fun. Who wants to accelerate gently and drive in the slow lane in such an amazing car? I don't drive fast, but I accelerate "briskly" and drive with the flow of traffic (which is almost never 65 MPH).
Yeah I did a similar analysis and arrived at much the same conclusions, which helped in my decision to go with the 85 kWh over the 60. Minimizing any range anxiety is huge, even if you rarely take road trips and...I have a feeling that I will increase my road trip frequency once I take possession of this car.