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Considering test driving one of these....any suggestions / advice welcome!

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I'm intrigued. Never really considered EV before, but have started to think in terms of at least a hybrid to replace my '95 Riviera. Back in the day, the Riviera was quite a special car, so I'd like to replace it with something special as well. I know little about these, especially all things charging related. I love the exterior design of these cars! So many newer cars have these ugly front grilles. Thanks for any thoughts.....
 
I have no doubt! Biggest concerns: 1) No apple car play (I know this appears to be is a point of contention) 2) concern over charging stations relative to long distance road trips, etc. 3) learning curve in general (as you say - I'd have a whole generation of technological advancement to catch up on)
 
Do you take a lot of road trips? Want a spacious interior? Then Model S Long Range (LR) is probably a good fit. Air suspension is like riding a flying carpet. Acceleration that would leave a Grand National in the dust. Closest thing to your Riviera. Except quieter, way faster off the line and more tightly controlled suspension.

Want a tossable, sporty ride that’s easier to park? Then Model 3 Dual Motor “Stealth” Performance is your ticket. 0 to 60 in a hair less than 3 seconds.

Charging is different than buying gasoline. Have an electrician install a Tesla HPWC (HPWC). Plug your car in every night and you’ll be fine.

Put a distant destination into the GPS, and the car will automatically route you to a Tesla Supercharger when it’s time to recharge. Use PlugShare.com to find chargers around your destination.

Incidentally, if you buy a Model S, the Supercharger stops will cost you $0.00. Certainly less than you pay for a fill-up on a road trip in your Buick.
 
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I have no doubt! Biggest concerns: 1) No apple car play (I know this appears to be is a point of contention) 2) concern over charging stations relative to long distance road trips, etc. 3) learning curve in general (as you say - I'd have a whole generation of technological advancement to catch up on)

The lack of CarPlay was a big grief of mine until 6 months ago. Recent Spotify integration in the US along with now SMS integration has made the infotainment system much mode like-able. I also use the Tesla Waze web app in the browser to achieve Waze like functionality. The built in navigation is really good. When I first got my first Tesla in 2017, the navigation was awful and has since improved tremendously. You’ll see some here complain how the UI took a step backwards in functionality with version 9 and now 10, but feature wise it’s improved a lot. This doesn’t count the unnecessary fart noises, entertainment options and games which are marketing tools for the most part although some like it.

Is it as good as CarPlay? Damn near close now.

As far as range, I don’t take a lot of road trips. Only did one in 3 years and we stopped once at a Supercharger and the hotel we stayed at had a Chargepoint. Range anxiety is something you get over. You plan ahead and you are fine.

Learning curve varies as well per individual. It depends on how technical you are and your willingness to learn and adapt.
 
Is it as good as CarPlay? Damn near close now.
I’ll respectfully disagree with this I was so excited to hear about Spotify and Messages integration, but the lack of group messaging support (a BT protocol support issue and not Tesla) and lack of third party messaging support in messaging is disappointing. The Spotify integration is a good step forward, with only a few niggles like losing your place when you exit the car to get a drink of something.

Native CP or AA integration allows all the apps on your phone to be displayed and synced. Listen to a podcast, sure...do it in your car or mobile and your progress is updated. Waze support or whatever app you use, sure. It will be desired to be supported first since the larger population has access to CP or AA.

Perhaps if and when Tesla delivers in their SDK as promised a few years ago, this will get better, but I find myself missing CP every time I get into my wife’s truck. It’s just so much easier to find what I want. I don’t ever expect support in a Tesla so SDK support is my best hope.
 
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I’ll respectfully disagree with this I was so excited to hear about Spotify and Messages integration, but the lack of group messaging support (a BT protocol support issue and not Tesla) and lack of third party messaging support in messaging is disappointing. The Spotify integration is a good step forward, with only a few niggles like losing your place when you exit the car to get a drink of something.

Native CP or AA integration allows all the apps on your phone to be displayed and synced. Listen to a podcast, sure...do it in your car or mobile and your progress is updated. Waze support or whatever app you use, sure. It will be desired to be supported first since the larger population has access to CP or AA.

Perhaps if and when Tesla delivers in their SDK as promised a few years ago, this will get better, but I find myself missing CP every time I get into my wife’s truck. It’s just so much easier to find what I want. I don’t ever expect support in a Tesla so SDK support is my best hope.

I didn’t realize about the group messaging feature. One advantage though is you can read the SMS messages on your screen while CarPlay has to announce them. I realize this isn’t safe when driving though so you should wait till you are stopped or using AP.

It’s bearable compared to what it was 6 months ago when we were stuck with Slacker and Siri via Bluetooth which was unreliable. I think it’s good enough considering all of the other advantages a Tesla offers and will get better with more updates. Before, I actually would see why some people would not choose a Tesla based on the infotainment system but now I can’t see people making that decision.
 
Most interesting info...thanks so much. Have to keep researching all this....but, of course, that's no substitute for actually looking at / driving one. Too bad there are no dealers real close to me.

Let's continue for a moment with a few basics. Coming from my experience with only having driven cars manufactured in the 70s, 80s, and 90s - how does one do the following on a Tesla (or something like the Jaguar I-Pace for that matter - another vehicle I'm interested in checking out): turn on the headlights, heater / defroster / a/c, cruise control, turn signals, etc. Are there no longer manually operated dash controls for stuff like that? I initially was introduced to Tesla by looking at model 3 videos - where it looks as though virtually everything is done on the screen. Close to 50 years of driving much older cars WILL indeed necessitate a paradigm shift regardless of what I buy!
 
I have no doubt! Biggest concerns:

1) No apple car play (I know this appears to be is a point of contention)
2) concern over charging stations relative to long distance road trips, etc.
3) learning curve in general (as you say - I'd have a whole generation of technological advancement to catch up on)

Concern #1, totally with you on that, but I think that'll be fixed.

Concern #2 would appear to be all but dead, given the Model S Long Range's 373-mile range, and the continuing build-out of Tesla's supercharger network. I think in most parts of the US, you'd almost have to *try* to get stranded.

Concern #3 isn't that big a deal. It feels alien at first, but you quickly get the hang of it. There's little that's crushingly unintuitive, except maybe for the very old and/or technology-adverse folks.

.
 
If you are still driving a '95 Riv (which was an interesting car for sure) ANY modern car today is going to blow your mind. A Tesla even more so.

Assuming you live someplace where you can install a home 240v charger, then there is very little downside to owning a Tesla. Get on the Tesla website or better yet, A Better Route Planner, and see how trips are handled. Also, download the plug share app and check out charging options where you want to go. But unless it's a long trip, you won't need to. I do 100 miles a day, minimum, frequently more, and set my daily charge to 85%. Never worry about running out of juice whatsoever.
 
Needsdecaf...(love the username :) So with the 240v charger - what would be needed in the way of electrical work? We're going to be upgrading our original (1972) panel - but plan was to still have it be 100 amps. Sufficient? Any specific issues I should be aware of with regards to having home charging capability installed?
 
I'm intrigued. Never really considered EV before, but have started to think in terms of at least a hybrid to replace my '95 Riviera. Back in the day, the Riviera was quite a special car, so I'd like to replace it with something special as well. I know little about these, especially all things charging related. I love the exterior design of these cars! So many newer cars have these ugly front grilles. Thanks for any thoughts.....

Moving from a '95 Riviera to any other car today is going to be a HUGE undertaking.
Moving from a '95 Riviera to a Tesla may just be too much for a human to handle.
 
Reading this thread makes me feel that I've stepped into an alternative universe.

I find it hard to understand how one can base such an important and expensive decision of purchasing a car on the car's compatibility with Apple Car Play/Android Auto.

So what exactly are you buying the car for - none of the other factors are important such as the almost zero maintenance, the instantaneous throttle response, the smooth and precise power delivery of an EV drive train, the peace and quiet, abundance of superchargers for Tesla to enable long distance driving etc? All of that is not important?

Please enlighten this old fart as it boggles my mind honestly.
 
... how does one do the following on a Tesla (or something like the Jaguar I-Pace for that matter - another vehicle I'm interested in checking out): turn on the headlights, heater / defroster / a/c, cruise control, turn signals, etc. Are there no longer manually operated dash controls for stuff like that?

Headlights - automatic, work really well in my experience including auto-dimming high beams. There's a menu in the screen if you want/need to control lights manually, one tap takes you to that menu so it's not hidden deep in the menus.

Heater/defrost - there's a thumbwheel on the steering wheel that you can set up to do different things. Mine is set up to control fan speed, so just rotating the thumbwheel will activate the HVAC system to whatever it's set at. Most people use the Auto settings to control temperature and where the air is blowing from, and for fan speeds as well. I prefer to set those things myself, but the option is there to do it either way. No need to take your hands off the wheel. For the defrost, there's a "button" location you tap on the screen to turn on the rear defrost, and a different one that turns on the windshield defog on the first tap and defrost on the second tap. You do have to take your eyes off the road for that one, but I find that no different than my last car.

Cruise - stalk on the steering wheel activates cruise/autopilot, and deactivates it. Pretty simple learning curve for that one.

Turn signals - just like any other car you've ever driven.

Most stuff is controlled through the screen, but a lot of stuff you only have to set up once and then generally don't touch again. The car saves your setup to your profile, and you can have multiple profiles for different drivers, so mirrors/seats/etc. adjust as you select the different profiles.

Try one out, I bet you'll like it. Even the one-pedal (ish) driving feels very natural to most people with just a few minutes of seat time.

Good luck with your decision-making!