First Day Thoughts: #1 -- You Don't Need the P85. The 85 is more than Plenty.

[jasonlk]

We picked up our P85 Model S today at the Menlo Park showroom. It took all of 15 minutes and was very simple.

Off to our first roadtrip tomorrow.

First day learnings and minor mistakes in ordering:

• The P85 is insanely, utterly, shockingly fast. Amazing grin on my face. But -- the regular 85 would have been more than enough. While that's fun, the max performance is utterly unuseable in the real world. I like to go fast. But the regular 85 would have been more than enough. If you order the regular 85, that's 100% fine. If I got a second Tesla for some reason, that's the way I'd go.
• I would have been unhappy with the 60 kWh. I didn't need the P85. But having driven it just one day, it's clear the 85 is a better deal than the 60. It's just enough range to eliminate any range anxiety driving around the Bay Area. Less than that, combined with a lot of HVAC and some strong acceleration, would have produced some range anxiety, at least for me.
• I ordered the HPC and highly doubt I need it. It seemed like a good idea but now I see it's a waste of $1,500. The standard 240 charging overnight is plenty. I really doubt I needed the twin chargers either.
• I ordered the parcel shelf and the 3d row seat which was a waste. They aren't compatible. Ah well. Will sell the parcel shelf if it ever comes in.
• The Premium stereo is horrible. Not sure it's worth it. Going back into our Lexus GS450h, the one thing that was clear was the Lexus Mark Levison stereo was 10x better than the Tesla Premium Stereo.
• Sensory Overload from the Screen. Slacker radio totally rocks. The nav rocks. But it's a lot when we are already connected 24x7x365.
• Tesla is Still a Start-Up. On one hand, Tesla employees are charming and super enthused about the product -- like a start-up. They were genuinely excited I was there to pick up the car. On the other hand, they are still learning -- like a start-up. No one had any idea when the car was ready. The Android app doesn't seem to work, or is flaky vs. iOS app. It was almost impossible to email or reach anyone during the purchasing process. The trade-in thing is goofy. Most of it is great. Some of it feels like an internet start-up.

First day learnings. Tomorrow, Supercharging in Gilroy. Fingers crossed.

 

[steve841]

You Don't Need the P85.


Of course not, but we didn't need to visit the moon either. It's because we can! :biggrin:

 

[jasonlk]

Agreed. I just didn't realize the performance was so insane, and the torque and power are so instant, that the extra performance -- it's unuseable. I've driven just about everything. This is a first.

 

[steve841]

Agreed. I just didn't realize the performance was so insane, and the torque and power are so instant, that the extra performance -- it's unuseable. I've driven just about everything. This is a first.

Amen. I've fire walled mine only handful or thirty times.....and yes, it is insane.

 

[Al Sherman]

Agreed. I just didn't realize the performance was so insane, and the torque and power are so instant, that the extra performance -- it's unuseable. I've driven just about everything. This is a first.

Wow! This is a first. Car guys complaining that their new car is TOO fast. That's gotta be pretty fast.:smile:

 

[LagunaDallas]

Agreed on all counts! P85 is unnecessary but I work too hard not to splurge on it. I also would've felt too much range anxiety with a 60, glad I passed on the HPWC, would like my parcel shelf to arrive ASAP, and think the stereo could be better. Slacker radio is beyond fantastic!!

 

[FlasherZ]

It's not too fast. I find myself wanting to hit 100 mph about 2 seconds faster.

 

[andrewket]

We picked up our P85 Model S today at the Menlo Park showroom. It took all of 15 minutes and was very simple.

Off to our first roadtrip tomorrow.

First day learnings and minor mistakes in ordering:

[*]I ordered the parcel shelf and the 3d row seat which was a waste. They aren't compatible. Ah well. Will sell the parcel shelf if it ever comes in.

I ordered both as well. Can you not use the parcel shelf when the seats are down?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[montgom626]

Always need more power! I would buy the P85+ if TESLA offered it. ;-)

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

It's not too fast. I find myself wanting to hit 100 mph about 2 seconds faster.

Yes :biggrin:
But the first 45 is good enough

 

[DriverOne]

Nice summary! I'm happy with the 60 and actually consider it overkill for most of my driving. I've never had the remaining range drop under 90 miles. The 60 is also plenty fast enough!

Your comment about the sound system was interesting. I got the regular sound system and have found it no more than adequate - I wasn't expecting much more though. Sad to hear that the premium one is also lacking.

Slacker is nice, so is TuneIn, though I have trouble getting some stations e.g. BBC World Service just spins and spins.

 

[Sparky]

• The P85 is insanely, utterly, shockingly fast. Amazing grin on my face. But -- the regular 85 would have been more than enough. While that's fun, the max performance is utterly unuseable in the real world. I like to go fast. But the regular 85 would have been more than enough. If you order the regular 85, that's 100% fine. If I got a second Tesla for some reason, that's the way I'd go.
• I would have been unhappy with the 60 kWh. I didn't need the P85. But having driven it just one day, it's clear the 85 is a better deal than the 60. It's just enough range to eliminate any range anxiety driving around the Bay Area. Less than that, combined with a lot of HVAC and some strong acceleration, would have produced some range anxiety, at least for me.
• I ordered the HPC and highly doubt I need it. It seemed like a good idea but now I see it's a waste of $1,500. The standard 240 charging overnight is plenty. I really doubt I needed the twin chargers either.
• I ordered the parcel shelf and the 3d row seat which was a waste. They aren't compatible. Ah well. Will sell the parcel shelf if it ever comes in.
• The Premium stereo is horrible. Not sure it's worth it. Going back into our Lexus GS450h, the one thing that was clear was the Lexus Mark Levison stereo was 10x better than the Tesla Premium Stereo.

Thanks.
I jumped to the 85 based on the idea that I wanted "quick" and the occasional need to make an LA to Santa Cruz run.
If it works out, I can dump 2 cars instead of just 1.
Totally agree about the HPC and the twin chargers, at least for my driving scenario.
Didn't order the parcel shelf. In my other cars it always seems like it's in the way.
Horrible stereo! Noooo. I just ordered the premium sound... oh well it's only about 1% of the total. Can you delineate "10x better" for the Mark Levinson? I'd like to know.

 

[Todd Burch]

I'll trade my 85 for your P85 .

I have the Sound Studio and I agree, it needs a lot of work. Mids and trebles seem fine, but the bass tends to rattle, even at volume levels around 6 on certain songs. The sound image is very driver-centric. Doesn't feel very centered in the car. Regardless, by far the best drivetrain on the planet.

 

[Joyrider]

It's not too fast. I find myself wanting to hit 100 mph about 2 seconds faster.

Hope you don't find yourself wanting to get your licence back two months faster...lol!

 

[Mr X]

You Don't Need the P85.


Of course not, but we didn't need to visit the moon either. It's because we can! :biggrin:

there was no possible way to visit the moon 40 years ago, if we really did go then how come millions of people say we didnt?

 

[Kaivball]

You can never have too much power.

 

[Joyrider]

there was no possible way to visit the moon 40 years ago, if we really did go then how come millions of people say we didnt?

Ha ha...
That remins me of the billboard Republicans did after Barry Goldwater had been thumped running for President: "How Can 25 Million Americans Be Wrong?":biggrin:

 

[artsci]

Now you tell us

 

[Johan]

there was no possible way to visit the moon 40 years ago, if we really did go then how come millions of people say we didnt?

Dude c'mon, that conspiracy theory has been pulverized by solid evidence over and over.

Thanks for the review. I'll get the P anyway though, too good of a deal not to. I'm also thinking resale value.

About the sound system: since sound quality seems only adequate with both versions, the question for me becomes: are there any features you get with the upgraded system that you don't get with the standard version?

 

[Kauai]

Three quick thoughts:

1.Speed: Don't lend your car to celebrity friends. Long history here of celebs, getting behind wheel of exotic car X, flooring it, and trashing car. With the insane speed of the PS this is likely a kinetic impactor event, somewhat like the meteor impact in Russia Seriosly, after a couple of weeks anxiety you'll get used to the power and work it safely into you commute. A tip here, nothing can be loose in the cabin and the pano roof and windows should remain mostly closed, and point the car straight at NOTHING before flooring it. My daughters have learned a bit about acceleration, inertia and cabin airflow dynamics in PS+kid seats after the past few months...

2.HPWC/ extra charger: I don't think the big value is daily use, it is in handling urgency and F-ups. On a daily basis it allows you to keep your charging cable in the car without unplugging and coiling every day. With the grubby hands and extra time this entails. This is mostly convenience. Though as a busy parent I appreciate convenience. If you are distracted by the kids and forget to plugin or have a power outage. HPWC let's you charge on abbreviated timeline. If you have lots of travel during day but want to charge quickly for a Tahoe or Napa drive the same night HPWC is key. If you are god knows where and forced to charge with the spouse and kids in the car and god willing near a 40amp plus charger, you will be so happy to have the second charger and only have to deal with the family "fun" half as long. These are infrequently situations but for me seemed mitigated by HPWC/ second charger.

3. Parcel Shelf. Yeah this doesn't seem so useful with car seats. We opted to buy a second Tesla without car seats to fully take advantage of this fine feature... Oh wait you can't add cars seats after order!?"$"@ So we "upgraded" the second Tesla to car seats. Turns out my wife and i are " both" parents hahaha. We did find this cool tip someone posted on the forum on how to store the parcel shelf behind the car seats, in case you are sans kids and shopping in a sketchy neighborhood hahahahaha...

My wife also insisted on performance for her car despite experiencing the roller coaster fun ride in my PS. YMMV