After the whirlwind ride in the beta last weekend and then, an up close experience with the red signature beta at the Tesla Menlo Park store earlier today, here are my gripes with the Model S Beta that I honestly feel Tesla ought to address to keep me interested:
1) The interior was very lacking; it looked stark, spartan and hardly luxurious. To compare it to the competition (such as a BMW 5 or a Lexus GS), I didn't have the same sense that I was experiencing something special in the Model S Beta as I did when checking out the finished BMW or Lexus at their dealerships! Unlike the exterior which was excellent, the interior looked like it was just cobbled together without the same degree of attention to detail. To use a harsh word, it looked cheap!
2) The leather seats were very ordinary and not worthy of a $57k+ car. They weren't supportive enough in both the front and back. And, both the driver and the passenger seats ought to be 8-way adjustable.
3) The standout feature of the interior, the 17" touchscreen, looked sorely out of place. It looked like a bland computer monitor slapped in there; it didn't blend in into the dash like it did in the prototype. It had other problems such as heavy glare and poor off-angle viewing from the front passenger seat.
4) Where's the in-dash storage space? There ought to be a lot of it given the frunk right ahead.
5) My only gripe with the exterior is the wonky-looking chargeport door! It didn't blend in at all and stuck out like a sore thumb. At the least, the door (and its peer reflector on the passenger side) ought to be extended all the way to the top to make it more organic; here's a mockup:
View attachment 2964
UPDATE: Heard from a Tesla employee on 10/09 confirming that many of these concerns (such as the seats, the fit and finish) were already scheduled to be addressed and that, they are actively watching this forum and others for feedback such as this. So, bottomline, do take all my points above with a bag of salt :smile: I've updated my title to a more harmonious "Feedback and suggestions regarding the Model S Beta".
Doug, thanks for updating the thread title!
Made a follow-up post with more info from talking to the Tesla employee: Feedback and suggestions regarding the Model S Beta
1) The interior was very lacking; it looked stark, spartan and hardly luxurious. To compare it to the competition (such as a BMW 5 or a Lexus GS), I didn't have the same sense that I was experiencing something special in the Model S Beta as I did when checking out the finished BMW or Lexus at their dealerships! Unlike the exterior which was excellent, the interior looked like it was just cobbled together without the same degree of attention to detail. To use a harsh word, it looked cheap!
2) The leather seats were very ordinary and not worthy of a $57k+ car. They weren't supportive enough in both the front and back. And, both the driver and the passenger seats ought to be 8-way adjustable.
3) The standout feature of the interior, the 17" touchscreen, looked sorely out of place. It looked like a bland computer monitor slapped in there; it didn't blend in into the dash like it did in the prototype. It had other problems such as heavy glare and poor off-angle viewing from the front passenger seat.
4) Where's the in-dash storage space? There ought to be a lot of it given the frunk right ahead.
5) My only gripe with the exterior is the wonky-looking chargeport door! It didn't blend in at all and stuck out like a sore thumb. At the least, the door (and its peer reflector on the passenger side) ought to be extended all the way to the top to make it more organic; here's a mockup:
View attachment 2964
UPDATE: Heard from a Tesla employee on 10/09 confirming that many of these concerns (such as the seats, the fit and finish) were already scheduled to be addressed and that, they are actively watching this forum and others for feedback such as this. So, bottomline, do take all my points above with a bag of salt :smile: I've updated my title to a more harmonious "Feedback and suggestions regarding the Model S Beta".
Doug, thanks for updating the thread title!
Made a follow-up post with more info from talking to the Tesla employee: Feedback and suggestions regarding the Model S Beta
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