Features I had to give up when I bought a Tesla

[rkmvca]

Definitely agree on 1 and 3! #2, I hardly ever listen to radio so it's not an issue. The Tesla will pause streaming media or bluetooth media from the phone. #4, as many have mentioned, you can dictate the location and it'll find it.

The thing that I would really like is a HUD! There is a ton of information and the screen below that would be handy to have in the Line of Sight!

 

[flickroll]

Quality control...

 

[Brass Guy]

I am also a Lexus convert. The main thing I miss is a sun visor that works. The Tesla visor is pitifully inadequate.

I thought so too when I first got my car (6+years ago!) Try raising the seat, it made all the difference.

 

[CounsellorTroy]

On balance the features you gained far exceed those left in ICE and with the continuing software updates, they keep growing. The only changes made to an ICE vehicle after purchase is because of recall as the manufacturers want to incentivize future purchases of vehicles and not reward its customers with constant innovation. Tesla has shown how it has broken the existing manufacturing to sales norms of the automotive industry, which again is why despite their touted efforts to bring more EV to our roads will occur much slower than forecast. Until the other auto manufacturers embrace the differences in EV's instead of trying to shoe horn EV's into their existing business models, they will not be effective competitors to the younger, newer, direct to consumer more nimble approach developed by Tesla. Rather, their business model is based on maintenance and replacement to keep their franchise dealerships in business. With very few replaceable parts, that business model ceases to be viable. In the meantime, i will enjoy my regularly improving "X" (especially the navigation system) and would only consider an upgrade when I can go more than 450 miles on a charge in the winter.

 

[ToddRLockwood]

#2 and #4 do exist on your Model S.

My 2016 MS does a great job of ducking the volume during phone calls. Is your phone linked properly? You should leave the Tesla app running in the background on your phone. This will allow your phone to share calendar items with the Tesla. If a calendar item includes an address, you can just tap it on the touchscreen, and the Tesla will begin navigating to it.

There are a number of commands you can give verbally, by holding down the talk button (upper button on the right side of the steering wheel). Make sure that your smartphone is properly linked to your Tesla, not only with Bluetooth, but also make sure the Tesla app has access to your contacts app. You should be able to display your contacts list on the car’s touchscreen. Once that’s working, you’ll be able to use the voice command: “Call [name]” or “Navigate to” [name]. You can also say: “Navigate to” [address].

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.

 

[Mary Starfnbu]

Several of you commented on missing "blind spot" monitoring. I'm 5'2" and visibility is crucial for me. I bought a pair of Suma Performance convex side mirrors and they make a world of difference. They take a little getting used to, but the rear and side visibility is terrific. You see not only the side of your car, but two lanes on each side. sumaperformance.com

 

[inder123]

I am also a Lexus convert. The main thing I miss is a sun visor that works. The Tesla visor is pitifully inadequate.

Agree. On Model X, the visors are just too small for front, and don't telescope for the side. Very annoying.

 

[Bridor]

I do not understand why people like HUD so much. I have it in my Jaguar i-Pace and have it turned off. I tried it for a day and hated it. I am happy if they give it as an option for those who like it - just allow me to disable it.

Brent

 

[Dondix]

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.

I gave up my Lexus also. The only thing I really miss is being able to lock the doors when I'm inside alone in a parking lot. Being a woman, I prefer to have that safety feature.

 

[JEB246]

I gave up my Lexus also. The only thing I really miss is being able to lock the doors when I'm inside alone in a parking lot. Being a woman, I prefer to have that safety feature.

On my model S in the upper left of the main screen is a padlock icon. Click it to lock the doors. I also set the doors to unlock just the drivers side door. A second click on the key fob will unlock all of the doors.

 

[KCKD GAS]

#2 and #4 do exist on your Model S.

My 2016 MS does a great job of ducking the volume during phone calls. Is your phone linked properly? You should leave the Tesla app running in the background on your phone. This will allow your phone to share calendar items with the Tesla. If a calendar item includes an address, you can just tap it on the touchscreen, and the Tesla will begin navigating to it.

There are a number of commands you can give verbally, by holding down the talk button (upper button on the right side of the steering wheel). Make sure that your smartphone is properly linked to your Tesla, not only with Bluetooth, but also make sure the Tesla app has access to your contacts app. You should be able to display your contacts list on the car’s touchscreen. Once that’s working, you’ll be able to use the voice command: “Call [name]” or “Navigate to” [name]. You can also say: “Navigate to” [address].

#2 and #4 do exist on your Model S.

My 2016 MS does a great job of ducking the volume during phone calls. Is your phone linked properly? You should leave the Tesla app running in the background on your phone. This will allow your phone to share calendar items with the Tesla. If a calendar item includes an address, you can just tap it on the touchscreen, and the Tesla will begin navigating to it.

There are a number of commands you can give verbally, by holding down the talk button (upper button on the right side of the steering wheel). Make sure that your smartphone is properly linked to your Tesla, not only with Bluetooth, but also make sure the Tesla app has access to your contacts app. You should be able to display your contacts list on the car’s touchscreen. Once that’s working, you’ll be able to use the voice command: “Call [name]” or “Navigate to” [name]. You can also say: “Navigate to” [address].

#2 and #4 do exist on your Model S.

My 2016 MS does a great job of ducking the volume during phone calls. Is your phone linked properly? You should leave the Tesla app running in the background on your phone. This will allow your phone to share calendar items with the Tesla. If a calendar item includes an address, you can just tap it on the touchscreen, and the Tesla will begin navigating to it.

There are a number of commands you can give verbally, by holding down the talk button (upper button on the right side of the steering wheel). Make sure that your smartphone is properly linked to your Tesla, not only with Bluetooth, but also make sure the Tesla app has access to your contacts app. You should be able to display your contacts list on the car’s touchscreen. Once that’s working, you’ll be able to use the voice command: “Call [name]” or “Navigate to” [name]. You can also say: “Navigate to” [address].

Yes, I do have my phone linked and it works fine ducking the volume, sharing calendar, contacts etc. All that works great. But that isn't the same thing as buffering the audio from the Tesla entertainment system. In my Lexus, I could pause the radio broadcast during a call, and then resume the broadcast from the point in time before I answered the call. It effectively time-shifts the radio program so you don't miss anything that happened while you're on the phone. Tesla doesn't have that feature for the radio. Yes, it suspends some recorded music playback, but not live radio content.

I do agree there are a lot of ways to enter Navigation commands with Tesla. But when driving through an unfamiliar city, looking for landmarks, street signs, etc, sometimes it's just easier to talk to an operator so one doesn't have to work the screens. I had voice input to my Lexus nav system also, but it was very unreliable and very frustrating. With the Destination Assist operator you can correct any misunderstandings quick and easy. But I do agree that the Tesla voice to nav function works far better than the Lexus, and much more like Google which provides a close match to what it thinks you really want, even when you don't know the complete address, which is extremely helpful (almost like talking to a real person like Destination Assist).

 

[CarlV]

I have been thinking about these features, and if Tesla is intending, as they say, to roll out city driving, then they will have to support this functionality in autopilot (if nowhere else), because you have to be able to see, evaluate, and respond to bikers and pedestrians on all sides of the vehicle in city driving mode that you simply don't have to worry about in highway driving mode.

This is a ModelS topic thread and the ModelS has blind spot monitors on the dash above the steering wheel to show all cars around you not just those in your blind spot. Way more advanced than Lexus or any ICE car I have been in (wife has 2016 RX350) it also shows curbs and shrubbery that is in proximity so maybe you need to ask for these features to be added to the Model 3?

 

[CarlV]

I am also a Lexus convert. The main thing I miss is a sun visor that works. The Tesla visor is pitifully inadequate.

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

 

[Uncle Paul]

HUD and Birds Eye cameras are something not needed on an autonomous vehicle. Perhaps that is why Tesla has not added them, and instead is focusing on vehicle automation.

ie. no need for birds eye if the car has sensors that will allow it to park for you.

 

[KCKD GAS]

HUD and Birds Eye cameras are something not needed on an autonomous vehicle. Perhaps that is why Tesla has not added them, and instead is focusing on vehicle automation.

ie. no need for birds eye if the car has sensors that will allow it to park for you.

True enough. But we don't really have autonomy yet. For me, I am half-terrified while I'm monitoring AutoPark, because I just can't swivel my head fast enough to see what is happening. With a Birds Eye View, it's trivially easy to see how you'll fit on all sides at once, like watching a movie of your car from above. In my Lexus, the Bird's Eye View was so good, I didn't even have to look out the window, or use any mirrors.

 

[JasontheBeaver]

1. HUD (got used to it in my Mazda. it was awesome).

I had this feature 25 years ago on my 1995 Pontiac Bonneville and thought, "now THIS is the future of keeping our eyes on the road!!"
I just never caught on and I'm not sure why, it's a fantastic safety feature.

 

[JimDog]

*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.

 

[mswlogo]

I never listen to the Radio any more. I use TuneIn radio which will buffer over a call. I don't do sports and I know a lot of live sports are not Streamed for free on TuneIn radio. As mentioned the voice activated Navigation works pretty darn good.

I miss rear cross path too. Huge omission. I do hope they eventually come up with something via camera's (won't be as good as radar) but might be enough.

 

[MorrisonHiker]

I gave up a factory cassette deck and a cargo floor that converted to a picnic table.

On my model S in the upper left of the main screen is a padlock icon. Click it to lock the doors. I also set the doors to unlock just the drivers side door. A second click on the key fob will unlock all of the doors.

You can also double-tap the park button to extend the door handles.

 

[CarlV]

Yes, I do have my phone linked and it works fine ducking the volume, sharing calendar, contacts etc. All that works great. But that isn't the same thing as buffering the audio from the Tesla entertainment system.

My MS does pause the playback on the 'stations' I am listening to when I make or receive a call on my linked phone. I do not listen to 'live radio' as the music I prefer is not radio worthy and is streamed via the internet. It seems you want a DVR style function on the live stream of the radio broadcast frequencies? I can understand why Tesla doesn't need this but also why you may want it as a feature. Were you then able to fast-forward on the radio playback in your ICE implementation of that featureset?