Features I had to give up when I bought a Tesla

[mswlogo]

*Blind Spot monitoring

I'm sure I'll get flamed and flogged for bringing this up, but I have had this discussion many times. If done correctly, most cars do *not* have any blind spots (rear view.... A pillar is a different story). There is an actual SAE standard for adjusting your mirrors that apparently no one knows about or was ever taught in driving school.

Here is an article from 2010 talking about it:

How To: Adjust Your Mirrors to Avoid Blind Spots

I've followed the SAE adjustments on many of my vehicles and it's amazing how *poof* the blind spots are gone. I wouldn't consider buying a car that can't adjust its mirrors appropriately. I've sat in cars in dealerships and if their mirrors can't go out far enough, I move on to the next car. First thing I did when I sat in a Tesla at the mall was see if the mirrors could be adjusted correctly.

I ride a Honda CBR motorcycle, so believe me I'm sensitive to people not seeing me. But I'd rather people learn how to use their mirrors properly than some light that may or may not come on.

You can't be looking in all directions at once. And things can happen in a fraction of a second when not looking in the correct direction that you didn't expect. You can do everything "right" and still get burned. And sometimes, on occasion, humans make errors.

And no, I don't want just a stupid light to blink like my Chevy Volt Blind Spot (useless). I want a Chime if my blinker is on and something is potentially in my path for any period of time I have that blinker on like my Jeep did (or most other brands do). The whole point of the Chime is you might not be looking at your sideview the moment something might be a problem. You might be checking in front because it's a construction site and lanes are being merged for example and it's a game of chicken everyone merging. I'd like something watching the side view while I'm watching the Cop directing traffic or other cars cutting in front.

Rear Cross Path and a good implementation of Blind Spot just gives you "more eyes on the road", which never hurts. Unfortunately I was only given one set of eyes and they are kind of linked together. If I have a passenger, they are automatically given a job. When I backup, I ask my wife to watch the back up camera while I watch the mirrors. It never hurts to have more eyes. *sugar* happens.

 

[TadleyD]

I love my new Model S, and it has been the most fun I've had in a car since I was a teenager. But I'm still learning to live without a few things my previous car offered (Lexus RX350 loaded with options).

1) Bird's Eye View Camera -- Without a doubt, this is the number one feature I'd love to get back with the Tesla, a car that is ironically loaded with cameras, but they're poorly positioned for a composite bird's eye view that makes parking such a breeze. My wife says this is the single feature she can no longer live without. She will never buy another car without it. I have little hope that this will ever be fixed in my Model S because of camera limitations (rear view cam is okay, side views are poor, and front view is practically unusable for parking via Bird's Eye View).

2) Audio Buffer -- It was nice to be able to take a telephone call and have the radio automatically buffer audio silently, so that I can return to whatever news report, talk show, etc., that was interrupted by the call, without missing a syllable. I miss that. Maybe it's feasible as a future software upgrade for Tesla, but I imagine hardware limitations might be too difficult to overcome with a software only change.

3) Driver Accessible Storage -- Despite a lot of interior room in the Model S, and ample vehicle width, I have far less storage space for maps, sunglasses, pens, etc. The doors lack any storage space at all, and the center console isn't very efficient for storage despite it's huge size. I'm still trying to optimize interior storage space in this car.

4) Destination Assist -- It was nice to be able to press a button in the Lexus, and have a live person take my call, find an address for me, and enter that destination directly into my nav system via the cell network, without ever taking my eyes off the road. That can be a lifesaver when there isn't time to fumble with the nav system searching for an address. However, I've found that the Tesla web interface is so darn quick and easy compared to the Lexus, that I don't think I'll have much trouble adapting. Entering just a few characters in the Tesla often gets a web address right away, that I can easily tap for navigation. So I think this will only get better in the Tesla and I won't miss Destination Assist much in the long run.

These four things I still miss occasionally, but I have a dozen other things that I absolutely love in the Tesla, so I'm not complaining.

A very timely post as I’m awaiting delivery of my first Tesla (P3D+) after 10 years of owning Lexus. I‘ve have had 3 x RX350’s over that time and each one was great. The quality, features, comfort and luxury of Lexus is better than all the competition in my opinion. The customer service is also fantastic (Tesla please take note!). My latest RX350 (2017) is so comfy that’s it like driving your favourite lounge chair around. The HUD is a new addition in this model that I find really useful.

So why a Tesla you may ask? A couple of reasons.
1. Kids getting older. No longer have a need to transport prams, kids car seats, etc
2. There are now enough charging stations around to make an EV viable.
3. Model 3 is at a similar price point to my RX350 (Model S/X are out of my price range)
4. Model 3 is fun and futuristic, and once I get solar and a powerwall battery I’ll be driving “for free” - after spending about $AUD125K on getting it all setup ;-)
5. You only live once. Gotta mix things up and enjoy the ride...!

 

[KCKD GAS]

A very timely post as I’m awaiting delivery of my first Tesla (P3D+) after 10 years of owning Lexus. I‘ve have had 3 x RX350’s over that time and each one was great. The quality, features, comfort and luxury of Lexus is better than all the competition in my opinion. The customer service is also fantastic (Tesla please take note!). My latest RX350 (2017) is so comfy that’s it like driving your favourite lounge chair around. The HUD is a new addition in this model that I find really useful.

I agree will your assessment of the Lexus RX 350. My wife still drives ours. We've had HUD in the RX 350 for several years and I love that feature too, particularly when the next navigation turn pops up with a mini-map in the HUD. I also like that the current speed is displayed right next to the Speed Limit sign, projected on the windshield. It took a while to get used to a HUD, but overall I like it very much.

 

[Mehdi]

What I miss most on my Model S P100D (March 2018 build) is having actual maps when I travel outside cell coverage. All I get now is a big blank gray screen! Why can't the maps be stored in memory? At least give us an option to store the immediate region or the travel route to flash drive.

 

[Futuresystem]

HUD and reading text messages aloud are features I miss from my 2015 Chevy Sports Sedan

Siri will do that (read texts) for me in my Model 3!

 

[Futuresystem]

*Blind Spot monitoring

I'm sure I'll get flamed and flogged for bringing this up, but I have had this discussion many times. If done correctly, most cars do *not* have any blind spots (rear view.... A pillar is a different story). There is an actual SAE standard for adjusting your mirrors that apparently no one knows about or was ever taught in driving school.

Here is an article from 2010 talking about it:

How To: Adjust Your Mirrors to Avoid Blind Spots

I've followed the SAE adjustments on many of my vehicles and it's amazing how *poof* the blind spots are gone. I wouldn't consider buying a car that can't adjust its mirrors appropriately. I've sat in cars in dealerships and if their mirrors can't go out far enough, I move on to the next car. First thing I did when I sat in a Tesla at the mall was see if the mirrors could be adjusted correctly.

I ride a Honda CBR motorcycle, so believe me I'm sensitive to people not seeing me. But I'd rather people learn how to use their mirrors properly than some light that may or may not come on.

Agree WRT mirror adjustment. However on my Model 3 the mirror won’t adjust far enough outwards, rather disappointing. I have bought a small blind spot mirror which makes it acceptable, but still it is one of the very few things which I find disappointing in our Model 3.
It’s a truly fabulous car in most respects, but the drivers side rear view mirror is a fail IMHO, at least for our RHD 3, not sure how you guys go driving from the other side. (However many people don’t know how to adjust a mirror properly anyway, so wouldn’t know this.)

 

[Vestniek]

I traded in my Lexus and have no regrets, especially about the bird’s eye view for parking. My Tesla offers to park itself, in either parallel or slant spaces, as long as I cruise by an empty space slowly. As soon as I pause and put it in reverse, it offers “self parking.” And it does a fine job of it.

 

[tccartier]

Totally agree sun visors in the MS are terrible and useless.

I don't understand, the sun visors in my Model S work just fine. the only way I can think that they may be inadequate is for those drivers that recline so far back they're almost laying down while they're driving. Then I could see where it might be an issue but seating position has more to do with sun visor effectiveness than anything else.

 

[Rudedog]

Wah! Wah! Wah! My old car used to wipe my ass ... when's Tesla gonna do that?!?

 

[AdamMacDon]

HUD, massage/ventilated seats and 360 top down cam are what I miss the most, but with time I'm hopeful they'll rework the Model S to include them.

 

[Zeronet]

Tip - If you know where you're going BEFORE you get into your Tesla, look it up on your phone using Google Maps or Apple Maps, One of my fav features!

Using my brain to perform this exercise is absolutely my favorite feature (of my brain, that is).

We are all either getting older, or, if we are fortunate, will be eventually. We need to keep this universal device in top working order. This is one of the reasons I will not get a smart phone. If I can't operate in the world without forgetting where I am going, then maybe I need more practice. But the primary reason is that I am retired, and having been a slave to an all-consuming 24/7 job, I associate being connected with still being on-the-job. It's wonderful to enjoy the world around me without having the check back in to the digital rat-race.

That being said, having the Tesla satellite map always right in front of me in case I need a quick update is very reassuring. That and the oral "navigate to Tesla supercharger" that really helps my wife with her direction-finding and battery range anxieties.