I had my car in for service today and got an S85 loaner with 750 miles on it. My car is a 40 with upgraded stereo, pano roof and leather. The loaner had no pano roof, leather, standard sound, a center console and tech package with 19" Primacy tires. It was also fitted with the autopilot gear and parking sensors. With so many differences between an older vintage Model S and this one, I thought I'd share some of my impressions. So here goes...
First, the power was significantly better than my car, which is effectively a 60. I have driven the P85 a few times, and I'd say that is an equal leap over the S85 in terms of power. I know what most of you are thinking, "duh, of course there's more power", or maybe "I wonder if my car is ok in the parking lot". I'm here to tell you your car is probably in danger of being dinged at this very moment. The next thing I noticed was how much better the traction was on the loaner in the rain, even with 19" wheels. Maybe it's time to get some new tires for mine, which now resemble slicks.
Another immediate impression was the smell in the cabin, which smelled fresh. Not really new car smell, more like rear-view-mirror-christmas-tree-hanger fresh. I later found this to be due to the built in ionizer function. This reassured me that someone had not left a bag of Bath and Body Works products in the frunk, so I didn't look in there and kept driving.
As I said before, this loaner was equipped with a center console, in matching piano black. Presumably because some people are afraid of horizontal or woven patterns on their dash. The center console added a great deal of functionality, such as two cup holders that were adjustable, and a fixed lightning port where you can prop up your iphone and charge. The cup holders are sure to please a certain segment of this board (sorry, I never checked the sun visors).
Admittedly, I have not kept abreast of all the option combination changes of late. But I was saddened to see that standard leather no longer applies to the door cards or the arm rests, or the horn area of the steering wheel. The dashboard stitching and defroster vents were different as well. But the most annoying change for me was the new normalized steering wheel stalks. Gone are the days where your turn signal is on the bottom left. It even had one of those horrible blanks on it, like you would see on a car that didn't get all the options. Or basically any Mercedes that doesn't start with S. Don't you just want to know what might have been in that button's slot??? This car also lacked the premium interior lighting, which is basically like what we thought would happen after Y2K.
I never figured out how to operate the autopilot, presumably because it has not yet been activated over the air. I'm sure it's a great feature though. The parking sensors, something I have never wanted or needed in my life, are now mandatory in the future. The Navigation was also a huge improvement over my base Google Maps situation. Lane departure and speed warning signs in the dash were not really important enough to comment on.
Finally, the sound system. When I ordered my car I had never heard either system, but if I had there is no way I would ever choose the standard system. Turning it up to 11 is like a 6 on the sound studio setup, but with zero bass or depth of sound. Worth the extra money if you don't feel comfortable going aftermarket.
In conclusion, there are some really great options out there for the Model S, and there are many standard features from the olden days that are now options. Options that are probably worth the extra money, even if it means little Billy has to go to UCLA instead of Stanford.
First, the power was significantly better than my car, which is effectively a 60. I have driven the P85 a few times, and I'd say that is an equal leap over the S85 in terms of power. I know what most of you are thinking, "duh, of course there's more power", or maybe "I wonder if my car is ok in the parking lot". I'm here to tell you your car is probably in danger of being dinged at this very moment. The next thing I noticed was how much better the traction was on the loaner in the rain, even with 19" wheels. Maybe it's time to get some new tires for mine, which now resemble slicks.
Another immediate impression was the smell in the cabin, which smelled fresh. Not really new car smell, more like rear-view-mirror-christmas-tree-hanger fresh. I later found this to be due to the built in ionizer function. This reassured me that someone had not left a bag of Bath and Body Works products in the frunk, so I didn't look in there and kept driving.
As I said before, this loaner was equipped with a center console, in matching piano black. Presumably because some people are afraid of horizontal or woven patterns on their dash. The center console added a great deal of functionality, such as two cup holders that were adjustable, and a fixed lightning port where you can prop up your iphone and charge. The cup holders are sure to please a certain segment of this board (sorry, I never checked the sun visors).
Admittedly, I have not kept abreast of all the option combination changes of late. But I was saddened to see that standard leather no longer applies to the door cards or the arm rests, or the horn area of the steering wheel. The dashboard stitching and defroster vents were different as well. But the most annoying change for me was the new normalized steering wheel stalks. Gone are the days where your turn signal is on the bottom left. It even had one of those horrible blanks on it, like you would see on a car that didn't get all the options. Or basically any Mercedes that doesn't start with S. Don't you just want to know what might have been in that button's slot??? This car also lacked the premium interior lighting, which is basically like what we thought would happen after Y2K.
I never figured out how to operate the autopilot, presumably because it has not yet been activated over the air. I'm sure it's a great feature though. The parking sensors, something I have never wanted or needed in my life, are now mandatory in the future. The Navigation was also a huge improvement over my base Google Maps situation. Lane departure and speed warning signs in the dash were not really important enough to comment on.
Finally, the sound system. When I ordered my car I had never heard either system, but if I had there is no way I would ever choose the standard system. Turning it up to 11 is like a 6 on the sound studio setup, but with zero bass or depth of sound. Worth the extra money if you don't feel comfortable going aftermarket.
In conclusion, there are some really great options out there for the Model S, and there are many standard features from the olden days that are now options. Options that are probably worth the extra money, even if it means little Billy has to go to UCLA instead of Stanford.
