Considering the Tesla Model S 75D - Thoughts??

[singleview]

Howdy everyone...

After a bit of back and forth, I'm looking at the Tesla Model S 75D as a "sweet spot" for me for cost and range.

I'm hearing few things:

• That newer Tesla Model S models may be coming with cupholders for the rear passenger seats? Saw it somewhere on this forum.
• There is now a 2 year lease option.... never bought cars on lease before (only on loans)... not sure if this would be worth it.
• I'm hearing there's Autopilot 2.0 coming very soon... not sure if I pull the trigger now, if the vehicle will come with it, or if Tesla will charge for a retrofit.

Questions I'd love your thoughts on:

1. What do you think about the Tesla Model S 75D? (see attached screen grab) I'm looking at:
   1. All Wheel Drive = $5,000
   2. Autopilot = $2,500
   3. Premium upgrade package (should I get this????) = $3,000
   4. Subzero weather package (hey, I'm in Pittsburgh!) = $1,000
   5. High amperage charger upgrade = $1,500
2. Should I wait for the possible upgrades, or pull the trigger now?

Thanks for your suggestions!!!

View media item 115761

 

[Buddy]

Hello!
Since you mentioned reading the forum..search for the threads about charging a model s 60kw to 100%. After reading it all you may decide the 60D is worth it (or you may not). (To put r short, many believe the 60kw can be charged to 100% daily, where as the 75kw should be charged below 90%...)

Cup holders: Nothing from Tesla or any info leaks mention the model S getting rear cup holders. Owners want it but no reason to believe it's coming anytime soon.

Lease: I'm not informed on leases sorry.

Autopilot 2.0 - only rumors so far. Elon has spoken about advancements coming soon. (Weeks, months, a year??) whenever you buy the car, there will be a new update on the horizon.

1.All wheel drive: good choice if you can spend the cash. More power, faster, more range. Possible downside...more "whine" noise.
2. Autopilot: for me it was a must.
3. Premium upgrade package (PuP) - only real draw for this to me is the power lift gate but I opted out.
4. Subzero package: just know that the front seat heaters come standard. If you wanted heated rear seats and the rest of the things listed in the package heated that's just up to you. Ren we you can pre heat this cR in your closed garage or in the parking lot so it's toasty before even stepping inside the car.
5. High amp charger: unnecessary for most. Figure out if you're home long enough to charge without it. Speak with your DS or owner advisor in detail about this as it may not benefit you at all.


And lastly.... Pull the trigger now!

 

[alexvirital]

I just went through this when ultimately deciding on my 60. Fwiw, here's my thinking:

I went with 60 over 75, because the range difference really isn't huge. If you just want the longer range, then I totally understand, but remember that is something you can decide to do later if you want. If you see doing north of 200 miles between charges every week, maybe it is worth it for you.

AWD does give you more range, but as with the above, how much is that range ultimately worth to you? I dropped it between submitting the order and confirming, as, again, I just don't think it ends up worth it to me. However, AWD and SubZero? If you're worried about ice and snow, then okay. I've been up to Pittsburgh in the fall, but never in winter. I grew up in Boston; were I still there, I'd get Sub Zero and AWD. If you're getting a lot of snow, then I can see it.

High Amperage is really only worth it if you have to charge a lot every night. Again, you know this if it's for you. My home charger will be 50a so it's not worth it for me yet.

I don't think premium upgrades are worth it for the S. The X has air conditioned seats which I would pay 5k for alone, much less auto presenting doors. But the S's premium upgrades don't feel as necessary to me.

There are no official rear cup holders for the S in the fixed (current) center console.

AP 2.0 may be right around the corner. It might be in six months. You might be able to retrofit. You might not. My take is you gotta get on the upgrade treadmill someday, why not now?

Make sure to check signatures here and elsewhere - I'm sure that if you don't have one already, people would love to volunteer a referral code.

 

[singleview]

5. High amp charger: unnecessary for most. Figure out if you're home long enough to charge without it. Speak with your DS or owner advisor in detail about this as it may not benefit you at all.

Thank you for your awesome suggestions.

When you take the MS for a longer drive and use a Tesla Supercharger, I hear the high amp charger gets to you like 80% charge in 20-30 mins. Is that true?

What's your experience been? Are you happy with the range for the Model S 60 that you have?


[Still reading more on the 60D being chargeable to 100%... not sure what that does to battery life... thanks for the heads up though].

 

[alexvirital]

Thank you for your awesome suggestions.

When you take the MS for a longer drive and use a Tesla Supercharger, I hear the high amp charger gets to you like 80% charge in 20-30 mins. Is that true.

The superchargers bypass the onboard chargers. So getting them does not at all impact Supercharger speed.

 

[singleview]

The superchargers bypass the onboard chargers. So getting them does not at all impact Supercharger speed.

Gotcha. That's great info. Thank you.

Do you go for longer drives much? Are you happy with the range? Thanks again.

 

[alexvirital]

I'll let you know when I get out of production purgatory

I do go on long drives though; at least once a year to Boston and then all around the east coast and Ohio/TN Valley, etc. My Mazda could do about 400 miles to a tank, and we usually stopped halfway through so my passenger could stretch, bathroom, etc. As long as the 60 holds to just above 200 miles, I am very happy with that range. I don't do more than 60 miles a day normally, and it is usually closer to 40.

 

[Buddy]

Work commute for my wife: 60 miles round trip.

Regular beach trips: 180 miles round trip (supercharger along route)

Family visits: 180 miles one way. 2 supercharges along route.

So only time I'll be stopping to charge will be on road trips so I won't mind stopping once for 30 minutes.

A concern of mine is super charging stations being packed and having to wait before charging but Tesla is building more chargers all the time. You can google search supercharge info for a great zoo able map that shows superchargers both built and coming soon.

 

[singleview]

I am very happy with that range

Good point. And looks like with the Supercharger, 30 mins can get you 170 miles. (40 mins for 200 miles)

That's not bad. Model S | Tesla

 

[singleview]

A concern of mine is super charging stations being packed and having to wait before charging but Tesla is building more chargers all the time.

Thanks Buddy. I agree this is a concern for me too.... especially once the Model 3 flood the market!! Yikes! I know of folks in California who (on popular Supercharger stops, esp those close to some residential areas) have to wait their turn quite a bit for charging!

 

[bonaire]

Thanks Buddy. I agree this is a concern for me too.... especially once the Model 3 flood the market!! Yikes! I know of folks in California who (on popular Supercharger stops, esp those close to some residential areas) have to wait their turn quite a bit for charging!

You're in Pitt so not a lot of crowded superchargers. However, when two cars share one super charger (A/B) then you share that supercharger's total output. Whether 120KW or 135KW, you get a portion of it - if your level of charge is low and the other car is high, then you get more of the 120KW, let's say 80KW. 80KW @ 3 miles per kWh added, so about 110-120 miles in 30 minutes. 120KW would be roughly 170 miles. The lower the SoC in a battery, the faster the charge. So, arriving at the SC with "just a few miles left" has been some owners' style of distance travel. They will leave with enough miles plus a little more to make it to the next SC rather than go with a range-charge which tapers off speed at the top of the state of charge (SOC).

I am of the opinion that fairly few need the 75 or 90 kWh on board. Unless they drive fast (ie. 75+ on the highways) or they drive in cold climates for longer distances (winter shaves about 24-30% range). Since you are in Pitt - winter conditions should be on your mind too, unless you are wintering in Florida.

 

[singleview]

I am of the opinion that fairly few need the 75 or 90 kWh on board. Unless they drive fast (ie. 75+ on the highways) or they drive in cold climates for longer distances (winter shaves about 24-30% range). Since you are in Pitt - winter conditions should be on your mind too

Awesome suggestions - - thank you!!

 

[STbreaker]

Howdy everyone...

Questions I'd love your thoughts on:

1. What do you think about the Tesla Model S 75D? (see attached screen grab) I'm looking at:
   1. All Wheel Drive = $5,000
   2. Autopilot = $2,500
   3. Premium upgrade package (should I get this????) = $3,000
   4. Subzero weather package (hey, I'm in Pittsburgh!) = $1,000
   5. High amperage charger upgrade = $1,500
2. Should I wait for the possible upgrades, or pull the trigger now?

View media item 115761

Generally: I have a 70D and haven't thought twice about range. My daily commute is about 65 miles total and I don't drive any more than that on my days off. Since you're presumably starting every day with 200+ miles of range I doubt it will be a problem for most people. This becomes even more irrelevant if you have EV charging options at work (which I don't). If I was buying now, I would probably get a 60D rather than a 75D.

1. Options
1. Dual motors - Does give you a bit extra range and you will appreciate in winter. Definitely worth it
2. AP - One of the things that separates Tesla from other premium/luxury cars. I use it almost daily. A must have
3. PUP - I think the car costs so much that the little details it adds were important to making me feel like I actually have an $80K car. I don't think anything there is a must have, but only you know how much that stuff matters to you. Personally, I wouldn't buy one without it. (Plus imagine trying to explain to your spouse that the $80K car doesn't have a power liftgate when you see them in commercials for $15K cars. Avoiding that is worth the cost alone)
4. I live in MI and I decided against it. The front seats have heat standard and the heated wipers are actually just a heating element at the bottom of the windshield. Heated steering wheel is great, but I drive with gloves in the winter a lot anyway. So unless you have constant rear passengers, seems like a waste
5. The standard NEMA will charge the car at 25-30mi of range per hour. So I usually have to charge the car for 3 hours or so per night. I would hope you sleep at least that much daily so save your money here.

2. Upgrades - No one really knows when Tesla upgrades are coming. And since you're buying a computer on wheels, there is always a chance it will be "obsolete" a lot faster than you wanted. We also never know what options are going to be available for retrofit and which won't be or at what cost. Instead of waiting for this or that upgrade, you have to decide when the car has the features that you want available and just order it then.

 

[singleview]

Generally: I have a 70D and haven't thought twice about range. My daily commute is about 65 miles total and I don't drive any more than that on my days off. Since you're presumably starting every day with 200+ miles of range I doubt it will be a problem for most people. This becomes even more irrelevant if you have EV charging options at work (which I don't). If I was buying now, I would probably get a 60D rather than a 75D.

1. Options
1. Dual motors - Does give you a bit extra range and you will appreciate in winter. Definitely worth it
2. AP - One of the things that separates Tesla from other premium/luxury cars. I use it almost daily. A must have
3. PUP - I think the car costs so much that the little details it adds were important to making me feel like I actually have an $80K car. I don't think anything there is a must have, but only you know how much that stuff matters to you. Personally, I wouldn't buy one without it. (Plus imagine trying to explain to your spouse that the $80K car doesn't have a power liftgate when you see them in commercials for $15K cars. Avoiding that is worth the cost alone)
4. I live in MI and I decided against it. The front seats have heat standard and the heated wipers are actually just a heating element at the bottom of the windshield. Heated steering wheel is great, but I drive with gloves in the winter a lot anyway. So unless you have constant rear passengers, seems like a waste
5. The standard NEMA will charge the car at 25-30mi of range per hour. So I usually have to charge the car for 3 hours or so per night. I would hope you sleep at least that much daily so save your money here.

2. Upgrades - No one really knows when Tesla upgrades are coming. And since you're buying a computer on wheels, there is always a chance it will be "obsolete" a lot faster than you wanted. We also never know what options are going to be available for retrofit and which won't be or at what cost. Instead of waiting for this or that upgrade, you have to decide when the car has the features that you want available and just order it then.

Excellent responses - - - THANK YOU! You're the best.

 

[Boourns]

IMO, I think the 75 upgrade is worth the $8500 only when those ~40 miles will actually make a difference on a regular basis. For example, if your parents live 200 miles away and you visit them often, the 75 might be the difference you need to make it comfortably without stopping. Otherwise, for the generic road trip, the 60 is plenty to get you from supercharger to supercharger. And the $8500 you save will get you your AWD and AP.

 

[Rahul]

I pined over the 60 vs 75 decision. I've had the 75 for a couple weeks now and still think about whether it was the right decision. For me it came out to these things:

1. When I spoke to some other people with 60s, they mentioned on some occasions they had to drive near the speed limit or under to make it to the next SC. I just never want to be in a situation of range anxiety even it's a few times a year. I also don't want to have think about how I'm driving in terms of speed limit, not that I'm a lead foot. I mapped out some routes on evtripplanner.com and some routes showed it being a bit close w/ the 60. Of course, as the SC network builds up, this might become less relevant.
2. This was the clincher for me. If I was ever going to upgrade to the 75, I would rather have it rolled into the loan at today's low rate of 1.49% instead of having to pay out of pocket all at once.

Nonetheless, $7500 is a BIG chunk of change for an extra ~39 miles for range trips. It's only ~25 miles for daily driving since the 60 can be charged to 100%. If #1 is not a big deal to you I would go for the 60!

Good luck!

 

[alexvirital]

This was the clincher for me. If I was ever going to upgrade to the 75, I would rather have it rolled into the loan at today's low rate of 1.49% instead of having to pay out of pocket all at once.

That is definitely fair - for me, it was the opposite - because of the way my pay is structured at work, I'd rather have the ability to spend a bonus on it later, rather than have that rolled in to my overall payments.

 

[singleview]

Hi folks - -

So I did it! After much back and forth, and much more analysis than I thought I'd do (but knew I'd end up doing)... I ordered my Tesla Model S this afternoon. Thank you all for your help through the process!

Here's what I got:

Model S 75D, with the Panoramic roof, Titanium metallic paint, Black next gen seats, Figured ash wood decor, White Alcantara headliner, Autopilot and Premium upgrade package. I'll get the $7,500 federal and the $2,000 state tax credits - and in addition to the $1,000 referral bonus, and a special waiving of the $1,200 doc/destination fee. By the way, I heard on the forum last night that newer Teslas are getting a rear passenger integrated cupholder. This is not positively confirmed, but my Tesla guy here said that I will be pleasantly surprised (when I questioned him on this).

Super excited to welcome it home end of next month!

 

[Buddy]

Congrats to you! Keep browsing the forum as there is a wealth of knowledge here. Share your updates during this process to help other get a better idea of the timeline if you can.

Do you have an expected delivery time?

 

[Super_Popular]

How did you get the $1200 doc fee waived?