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Brief but hilarious article on RHD Model S from Engadget...

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Mayhemm

Mayhemm

Model S P85+ "Lola"
Nov 9, 2012
1,966
32
Saskatchewan, Canada
#1
Came across this tonight.

Engadget UK | What it's like to drive a Tesla Model S

It's fairly short in length but overwhelmingly positive and quite funny. A snippet:

The hi-vis men at the gate have their backs to me and don't hear me coming, even when my front bumper is almost nudging against their heels. Window down: "Hello gents, would you mind?" Startled, they clear the way and I press the metal for the first time.
Click to expand...

As is typical, wade into the quagmire of comments at your own risk.
 
#3
Vexar said:
Seems to me they should have reversed the control stalks on the steering wheel, based on his commentary about Right hand drive. Is that correct?
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Tesla uses Mercedes parts. MB doesn't swap the controls. Some cars do, others don't (I've driven RHD cars in UK and Australia and experienced both). Flipped controls took a little getting used to, but felt natural enough after a couple days...
 
#4
ZBB said:
Tesla uses Mercedes parts. MB doesn't swap the controls. Some cars do, others don't (I've driven RHD cars in UK and Australia and experienced both). Flipped controls took a little getting used to, but felt natural enough after a couple days...
Click to expand...

Hi - speaking from England (P85+ on order), I can say that UK (and other right hand drive cars) used to have the indicator stalk on the right. I guess it was so you could still change down a gear to turn whilst indicating at the same time. Gradually over the years though, this has died out as manufacturer's like to standardise global production. For instance our 1996 Impreza Turbo had the indicator on the right (in both senses!) side, but when we switched it for a '98 model, Subaru had moved it to the left.

I think that what this guy actually means is that he's not used to a column-mount gear selector at all. They're just unheard of over here. I've owned a lot of lovely old yank tanks over the years so it's normal to me. So when I bought my AMG last year and it had this same stalk, I really liked it. Best place for the gear selector if you ask me. Pleased that Tesla have done the same thing.
 
#5
Batwick said:
I think that what this guy actually means is that he's not used to a column-mount gear selector at all. They're just unheard of over here. I've owned a lot of lovely old yank tanks over the years so it's normal to me. So when I bought my AMG last year and it had this same stalk, I really liked it. Best place for the gear selector if you ask me. Pleased that Tesla have done the same thing.
Click to expand...

Yes, Tesla found themselves in a bit of a fix when it came to the shifter. Model S has no transaxle hump, so they could not put the shifter on the floor between the front seats, as most modern vehicles do. Mercedes was probably the only big-name automaker with a modern-day column shifter. Fortunately, they were already a Tesla shareholder, so getting the parts was not difficult. Unfortunately, the Mercedes layout diverges from the rest of the industry in several ways that take some getting used to (reversing the cruise control and indicator stalks, for example)
 
#8
Mayhemm said:
Yes, Tesla found themselves in a bit of a fix when it came to the shifter. Model S has no transaxle hump, so they could not put the shifter on the floor between the front seats, as most modern vehicles do. Mercedes was probably the only big-name automaker with a modern-day column shifter. Fortunately, they were already a Tesla shareholder, so getting the parts was not difficult. Unfortunately, the Mercedes layout diverges from the rest of the industry in several ways that take some getting used to (reversing the cruise control and indicator stalks, for example)
Click to expand...

Yes, I turned up for my S test drive in my 2012 ML63, and was very thrown by the S having the indicator and cruise controls swapped vertically. I think the salesman thought I was a right klutz as I kept operating the cruise by mistake!
 
#9
@Batwick, I think almost everyone driving an S for the first time gets confused about the location of the turn signal and cruise control stalks, except Mercedes drivers. After 7 months I still get confused switching between my S and my Porsche.

The obvious solution is to ditch the Porsche and buy another Tesla. I'm working on that...
 
#11
Batwick said:
Yes, I turned up for my S test drive in my 2012 ML63, and was very thrown by the S having the indicator and cruise controls swapped vertically. I think the salesman thought I was a right klutz as I kept operating the cruise by mistake!
Click to expand...
Mayhemm said:
@Batwick Since you're coming from a Mercedes, wouldn't the layout be familiar to you?
Click to expand...
On a whim I did a web search, which led to:

Did entire world change turn signal stalk for 2013? - MBWorld.org Forums
I have noticed that most Mercedes in the US have swapped the turn signal swap position with the cruise control position for 2013.
Click to expand...
It is a global change, they are switching the positions everywhere.
Click to expand...
 
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