G35 to Model S?

[TyrionMidEarth]

Hi,

I have a 2005 6-speed Infiniti G35 coupe right now and I am intrigued by the Model S.

My first impression was that Model S is too big and too heavy. Plus I never wanted to buy a car with more than 2 doors.

However, I am now fairly interested in the Model S and feel like I can't wait for a smaller EV with a decent range, which is likely 3-4 years away.

Since there is no Tesla store in Atlanta, I have to either wait for a test drive event or go to South Florida. Does anyone have an opinion if the experience is better at a store than an event? One thing I would like to do is to test drive a regular S85 since I can't justify the cost of the P85 to the wife. I have heard that test drive events usually feature a P85.

Still wondering about colors and options. Is the HPWC worth it? It seems like getting twin chargers is a good idea due to the cost difference with installing them later and also to relieve some range anxiety, but what about the wall connector?

 

[ckessel]

You're unlikely to want the twin chargers. Twin Chargers: Why?
There are folks for whom it makes sense, but in general you're either charging overnight or you'll be supercharging.

Most test drive cars do seem to be Perfs, so not sure what you can do about that unless you can find a local to let you test drive. Whether it's a store or event doesn't make much difference.

It is a big car. It doesn't really drive like a big car, but it's an adjustment coming from smaller sport vehicles.

 

[wts13]

FWIW, the Test Drive event I went to in Hawthorne had both P85's and S85's available. Perhaps not true for all though, they might just have more cars available at the Tesla facility.

 

[Doug_G]

I used to have a G37. The Model S blows the doors off it. You will not regret switching!

HPWC is not necessary; 40A is plenty for overnight charging. Twin chargers depend on whether there is high power charging infrastructure available. Here in Canada there is quite a bit (and no Superchargers yet), so I recommend it. Down there the decision might go the other way on both counts.

Regular 85 will have significantly better acceleration than your G35. Performance adds a boost at low speeds (up to about 40 mph).

 

[ElSupreme]

I agree with Doug_G. The G35 is a smaller and lighter car, but driving the Model S is better.

Around Atlanta you wont find any >40A charging, so I wouldn't get the HPWC and twin chargers unless you need to charge rapidly at home. Or you have an inside line about a bunch of 80A chargers getting installed around Atlanta (and tell me about it if you do know).

I have driven a few G35 (coupe and sedan) and the Model S is a league above it. I does feel heavy at times, and it is a big car. But it drives lighter and smaller than it really is.

As for driving one. I ended up flying to Ft. Lauderdale for a day. Flight was $80, rental was $20, and gas was about $12 (as I drove around a little bit finding a place to eat). Finalized my order in the showroom. I don't think you would get a whole lot more out of a showroom visit, versus a drive event.

And I would recommend poking into the Marietta Service Center location, as you would at least be able to see a few colors, the pano roof. They won't let you sit in one, or ride around in one, but I have seen someone get a quick demo by an owner outside the center once. I wouldn't count on that though.

 

[TyrionMidEarth]

I talked to the Dania Beach store and they said they have both P85 and S85 for test drives. It seems that at test drive events, they only have a P85.

That's a cheap flight, ElSupreme. But since my wife and daughter also want to see the Model S, we might have to drive down. Let's see if there's an event in Atlanta in the near future. I couldn't get in on the one last weekend.

I am very range-anxious. My commute is very short but I do like to drive up to the north Georgia mountains on weekends when the weather's nice.

I haven't found a way to search for >50A charging stations. So no idea if there are any in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida or the Carolinas, but I have heard there are some on the Pacific coast. I am just hoping that the twin chargers would be a good idea in case we do get 70-80A stations in the future, especially since it's $1500 now versus $3600 later.

 

[ckessel]

I am very range-anxious. My commute is very short but I do like to drive up to the north Georgia mountains on weekends when the weather's nice.

I haven't found a way to search for >50A charging stations. So no idea if there are any in Georgia, Tennessee, Florida or the Carolinas, but I have heard there are some on the Pacific coast. I am just hoping that the twin chargers would be a good idea in case we do get 70-80A stations in the future, especially since it's $1500 now versus $3600 later.

Well, it's your money and to be honest it sounds like you've decided on the twin chargers before you asked, but I'm not sure how the twin chargers would help range anxiety. If you're driving into the boonies, there aren't going to be any 70A chargers and probably never will be in our lifetimes. The range anxiety factor will be battery size, not charging speed.

And even if you've got 40A charging, if you're visiting up in the mountains for several hours then you'll almost certainly recover nearly all the range you lost getting there.

Are you a 1 or 2 car family? If you're a 2 car family, you can always use the gas car for really long road trips.

 

[TyrionMidEarth]

Yes, I am leaning towards getting the twin chargers but not decided yet. It's hard to predict the future of EV chargers.

While long trips could be done in the wife's Prius, the mountains call for the fun of a powerful car!

I am also wondering about 19" or 21" tires. In HOTlanta, I guess I can survive with summer performance tires. But how fast you they wear out?

 

[VolkerP]

Do get the twins as there is a substantial penalty to add them later. No one can predict where high power L2 charging infrastructure will be in 4 years, but I bet most premium mountain resorts will add them to their site.

Here is a tale of one Oregon owner who already has buyers remorse on skipping the supercharger option. He started a thread the very day the ribbons are cut off the first supercharger in is state.
Process of adding supercharging to an S60 after delivery

 

[ckessel]

Do get the twins as there is a substantial penalty to add them later. No one can predict where high power L2 charging infrastructure will be in 4 years, but I bet most premium mountain resorts will add them to their site.

Here is a tale of one Oregon owner who already has buyers remorse on skipping the supercharger option. He started a thread the very day the ribbons are cut off the first supercharger in is state.
Process of adding supercharging to an S60 after delivery

Oh, that reminds me, I meant to add that the more super chargers become available the less relevant twin chargers will be.

 

[TyrionMidEarth]

Is the Model S really 86.2 inches wide? My garage door is only 93 inches. That would be a close call every day.

 

[purplewalt]

Is the Model S really 86.2 inches wide? My garage door is only 93 inches. That would be a close call every day.

Body width is 77.3" wide, mirrors can be manually folded in.
I am moving, er, HAVE MOVED from a BMW 135 i to my MS, so parking is a bit different.
(No more Compact parking spaces for me.)
BTW, you have a really narrow garage door @ 7'-9" wide.
You might also want to check the length of your garage vs the MS.


I just got a 240V 40 Amp outlet installed in my garage: makes most of any range anxiety disappear.
I do back my MS into my garage, using the rear camera and the two mirrors to accurately park for the night.
Supercharger Stations, as they are unveiled, will allow for trips further and further from home.
Two more had their Grand Opening/Ribbon cutting yesterday, many more on the horizon.

I strongly suggest visiting a Gallery, where you can see the actual samples and hopefully have a chance to sit in the car, become familiar with the size and space of it.

I bought my 85 without ever having ridden in or driven one.
And a month later am still convinced it is the best car I have ever owned or driven.

It is a large vehicle, yet nimble in traffic.
It will scoot when you want it to, handles great.

Originally i thought I should also get the twin chargers, and as I use the car more and more, cannot justify why or how I would really need them.
Most of my daily commute is about 11 miles a day, occasionally go to Clients offices, still have plenty of reserve at the end of the day.

 

[TyrionMidEarth]

I have a 20' x 20' 2-car 2-door garage. I think the Model S will fit lengthwise, though I might not be able to open the trunk with the garage closed.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I know I'm late to the party, but here's my 2 cents. First, don't confuse twin chargers with supercharging capability. I do not have twin chargers, but added supercharging recently when they opened the Ft Myers superchargers. All it took was a phone call to request and give them my credit card info. It cost me $2500 instead of the $2000 had I configured with it initially. Twin chargers to me are just not necessary. Superchargers bypass your onboard chargers, so unless you have some frequent need to charge fast at home after using a lot of battery, twin chargers are totally unnecessary. Most normal days I use about 50 miles of range. My 14-50 takes less than 2 hours to put me back to full standard charge.

RV parks are the best fallback since most have 50amp sites and I'm sure are fairly common in GA as they are in FL.

So depending on your individual needs, I'd save the cost of twin chargers and use that money for something else!

I also had a 2005 Infiniti G35 Coupe... and all I've had is smaller 2 door "sporty" cars for years. The Model S does not feel big at all.

 

[brianman]

Superchargers bypass your onboard chargers, so unless you have some frequent need to charge fast at home after using a lot of battery, they are totally unnecessary.

This sentence confuses me. While technically "they" resolves to onboard chargers it's easy to read this as "Superchargers...are totally unnecessary." And, in fact, that's how I read it the first couple times.

 

[Btrflyl8e]

This sentence confuses me. While technically "they" resolves to onboard chargers it's easy to read this as "Superchargers...are totally unnecessary." And, in fact, that's how I read it the first couple times.

You're right! I just reread it myself and it was a poorly crafted sentence. I have edited for clarity, thanks! What a difference a couple of words makes...