goneskiian
Active Member
Just want to point out that we're the only ones calling them "Captain's chairs". Tesla has not used that term in describing the two seat second row. ;-)
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Soolim
Member
This is due to the seat belt being anchored at the seat back. Hence it is not reclinable nor foldable to meet safety requirement. Just my armchair design mind working:tongue: Seat belt needs to be securely anchored, the FWD presents the challenge.
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The Captain's chair is occupied by just one person in Tesla :biggrin:
SW2Fiddler
We Are Cognitive Dissidents
goneskiian
Active Member
Configured our Sig X about a week ago and got call yesterday from TSLA offering 6 seat option without charge. Also learned that while 2nd row seats can be moved forward to create more space, they do not fold down. Still, TSLA Rep said there's room enough for a bicycle so we're happy. Second option offered was elimination of the rear fitting for a trailer/luggage hitch if not needed. Otherwise this fitting apparently protrudes beyond rear bumper. We eliminated the fitting.
Soolim
Member
Interesting. I just check the configuration screen and it does not appear like they made that an option that is selectable in the interface. If someone picked the tow package (vs ski rack def hitch) then they wouldn't contact them.
This is my belief as well.
However, I have always thought it a little odd that the 3-seat second row seats are independently movable power seats that kids will be sitting in. How long before little Johnny moves the seat while his sister's arm is between gap of the backs of the two adjacent seats?
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Nope. There is no way this was a last minute add. Roadmap may have reprioritized the rollout, but they didn't just wake up and say 'oh hey, we better add captains' chairs to the mix'.
Sounds like little Johnny needs a lesson on touching seat controls. As a father of two, I don't see this being an issue. We don't set our kids free in the car as a playground (though I played in our family van a lot as a kid myself). That said, when things are used improperly, it's always time for "let me give you a lesson on how to use that properly."
They haven't added captains chairs, going by the available information, they've just removed the middle seat. I think this is a last minute reaction to the concerns raised here and elsewhere. Of course, if the reveal on the 29th shows they have actual captains chairs, then it hasn't been last minute.
Right now, I don't know to what degree one should trust the recent information from Tesla, so I'm just waiting for the reveal.
EarlyAdopter
Active Member
This.
The original 7 seat configuration listed independently moving middle row seats. So, given that, my take is the 6 seat option is simply Tesla not installing the middle seat. Everything else is the same, with maybe the exception of the floor carpet not having an extra cutout for the deleted middle seat's pedestal.
Quick, simple, smart response to market feedback.
You sound like a responsible parent, which is becoming more rare all the time. Many parents are looking for someone else to blame for their kids actions.
Not to mention, a company with deep pockets to blame if they are hurt...
MB SLs have been the same way for a while now too, so its doable. I think the pedestal design already creates enough engineering challenges for crash safety that adding the additional factor of another hinge might have been seat back and seat bottom might have been too much.
O
Oh, I don't have a dog in this race, I am #10,000 or so in line--if I am lucky I might be able to hide Easter Eggs in mine. However, marketing and communications is my day job--Tesla is a company I love and the self-inflicted wounds are painful to watch. Here you have a small number of customers who have made you an interest-free $40K loan (for two years longer than they anticipated) and are buying your most profitable model--if you cannot figure out how to treat them properly, you are going to struggle with the 20K other customers in line behind them.
To some degree, I agree (sound like Dr Seuss there). The haters are not gonna buy anyway, and the folks that are used to buying $100K+ are not going to care. However, Elon said the MX was benchmarked against the Audi Q7, which has a starting MSRP of $50K. The other cars in this segment that customers might cross shop are the BMW X5 xDrive ($57K) and MB GL 4Matic ($66K). When the market perception is that you are 100-150% more than comparable models, those buyers are not even going to bother to look, and while Tesla may eventually shed the rich-man's toy label for the MX, there are a whole segment of buyers that Tesla has lost for at least 2-3 years until they are back in the market for a new ride.
With the Roadster and even the Model S, Tesla was not on the radar--I am sure the number of people who could tell you the MRSP of a Model S in late-2012 would be quite small. That's not the case this time--Tesla is as click-baity a company as Apple and any moves (and missteps) are going to get magnified and propagated at light speed.
I misread this the first time -- indeed the convertible seats do have integrated belts on the FRONT seats. Excellent place for Tesla to look for engineering ideas (although maybe looking at convertibles for safety tips is a tenuous concept).
Mark Z
Active Member
With the advisor telling me repeatedly that the 2nd row is like a bench that moves together as one piece and the forum members viewing the "Independently operable" description, there are definitely two separate views. It doesn't help when Tesla Motors only shows Design Center views where the seats are always perfectly aligned if the seats can be adjusted separately. There is another possibility as well, that the side control may move all three seats together in alignment and some other method might be provided for moving separate seat sections forward and backward.
I have written a detailed question to both of my advisors who most likely will answer on Monday. My only frustration is the inability to go back and edit old posts several days later, if necessary, so I could correct any confusion on this issue. Keep reading this thread for the answer when we find out for sure.
UPDATE: This just in by email from my first advisor. (I won't show the proprietary text, the person doesn't have a definite answer anyway.) Conclusion: both the description and the single movement could be right and we get to wait for the real answer! IMHO, it's like the Emerald City, the Wizard will show all on Tuesday. May you all have safe travels on the yellow brick road to Fremont.
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Tesla is not telling their best customers that. Tesla gives their best customers the option of deferring until they can actually test drive and see every aspect of a car.
If you told Apple to defer your iPhone until after launch but still near the front of the queue, they'd just laugh at you and tell you to get at the back of the 2-4 week backorder queue after it actually launches.
CarlK
Active Member
I think Tesla even surprised itself that it could be perceived as such a high end car company. Talking to some people many do think Tesla is on a level higher than your ordinary Mercedes or BMW...and that's from owners of those cars too. It certainly surprised the hell of BMW, MB or Porsche, they never thought that could be possible. The Japanese, with all their engineering and manufacturing prowess, still could not break into the true high end market after tried very hard for more than two decades. Imo it's always a good thing when you can be accepted in as high end a market as you can. It's much easier for a high end brand to sell a less expansive car than the other way around. The only thing is Tesla should not forget the more affordable segment. It did revive the RWD S70 so that can be seen as a good sign.
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