Depending on your height, and if you have air suspension, it may help to raise the suspension height (for tall folks) or lower it (for shorter people). My Easy Exit profile plus the Extra High suspension setting makes egress/ingress much easier...but I still tend to hit my head on the top of the door opening.
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Laumb
smrtass.
I had a guy In a wheelchair with non functioning legs enter and exit my Model S without any signs of trouble.
Conclusion: the problem is not a lack of a handle - its our flimsy legs.
Conclusion: the problem is not a lack of a handle - its our flimsy legs.
MartinAustin
Active Member
Please respect the individuality of the OP. He is spending a lot of money on a car and has a good point, and when I get my car in 2 days I'm not looking forward to living without grab handles or explaining to people why there aren't any. You get them in a Hyundai Elantra and almost EVERY other car up from that price level - ESPECIALLY sedans. Grab handles are not some hi-tech magic, they're very basic. Customers should get what they want.
I saw the recent interview where Elon explained why there are no coat hooks in the Model S. He implied that it was under his direction that there be no coat hooks - in order to make the cabin look visually cleaner (which it does, don't get me wrong... but at the expense of climbing out easily???). A victory for Form over Function, you might say. At least we can say it wasn't some really dumb accident. So, it's probable that he also banned grab handles. Some of this I don't agree with, but hey, I agree with everything else he has thought up so far. </understatement>
Here's the interior of the Audi S8, a "sports sedan" where apparently Audi figured out how to include grab handles - or, is willing to include them even if they clutter up the visuals. Tesla was unable to do this.
It should be noted that sales of the A8 and S8 are horrible these days... maybe Elon is right and people don't like grab handles after all?
Here's the interior of the Hyundai Veloster, which I had the pleasure of riding along during a test-drive last week. It has nowhere near the sideways skidpad performance of the Model S... but look at those grab handles!!! <drools> If passengers in that car ever get flung around by a driver that is happily demonstrating how low to the ground it is, they have something to hold onto. Tesla Model S passengers don't have the same luxury.
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jcaspar
Member
That Audi interior is so cluttered and busy that the handles go unnoticed in that sea of buttons, knobs and clashing design elements. Funny that cars like that look positively cramp compared to the Model S.
I agree with many others on this thread, that getting in and out of the thing is a major functional requirement. And although my wife and I are not overweight by any means, we are 65, and clearly not as limber as we used to be. I hope that Tesla did not intend to exclude customers who may not be as small or as limber from enjoying a car as spacious and as fun to drive as the Model S. The car has more interior space than my wife's Lexus 460.
I have installed the exit profile for the driver's side, and purchased the door jamb handle tool from Amazon. Both work well.
Mr. Musk is about 40, and presumably does not have these agility issues, but the installation of a grab bar would seem to be a given in a sport sedan of this quality and of this aspiration in the market for high end vehicles. And I would not even suggest that at some level the ability to possess the resources required to purchase this car is likely somewhat proportional to age.
I am glad I started the thread, and will look forward to other responses in how users have adopted to this wonderful vehicle and its everyday use.
I also have the EXIT profile and use it every time, I also make sure my B pillar is clean when I wash the car as I have a very bad back and terrible knees, I put my left forearm on the B pillar as a bit of a push and never have a problem. I'm sure the forward position of the pillar is for impact containment so as I am in the safest car on the road I make allowances and enjoy the other FUN STUFF.
Electric Machete
P#3820
I'm 40 years old, 6'4" and about 185 lbs and I don't have any difficulty getting into or out of the car. Perhaps raising the suspension when you park may help? The car is low to the ground, but I don't notice much of a difference between the Model S and the BMW 335i I used to drive. Perhaps the Model S is not ideally suited to your needs. Did you consider waiting on the Model X. It seems that it will have most of what the Model S has to offer, but it should ride higher since it's an SUV.
I sold a 2002 BMW 540i to get the Tesla, and enjoy the Tesla immensely. I neither need nor care for the SUV box configuration (have a 4dr. jeep wrangler for my offroad/hunting truck). I don't have the adjustable suspension in my Tesla.
I don't have any back issues, and don't have a problem leaning over to get in. The problem is that the vertical distance between the roof and the seat is just too modest for comfortable ingress and egress. The Exit profile has been helpful for me, but not for the passenger side where the wife sits.
And I am certainly able to get in and out, and I do it multiple times every day. The issue is not whether I can, the issue is whether it is a pleasant experience, as it so much else about the Tesla.
Just would have thought it would be a more comfortable experience for a car that cost this much, and when the simply addition of a grab bar might solve much of the problem.
Back in July I first test drove the Model S. I am 6'-4" and was a little over 240lb at the time with a bad back. My biggest complaint was the difficult entry/exit. I had more or less given up, but I decided to lose weight and get into better shape. Also at the suggestion of a few owners I chatted with they said to get the Air Ride and raise to max height to get in and out. The extra couple of inches of lift really help. I have only lost about 12 Lb but I have been walking 2-3 miles a day for three months at a 4mph clip and feel better than I have in years.
I recently spent some time at the Showroom and found that I could get in and out in a reasonable manner now with the help of the air ride set to max height (I would love to see and option for the car to raise to this height when put in park)
Anyway I ordered one a few days ago and decide I could live with the issue...
I recently spent some time at the Showroom and found that I could get in and out in a reasonable manner now with the help of the air ride set to max height (I would love to see and option for the car to raise to this height when put in park)
Anyway I ordered one a few days ago and decide I could live with the issue...
ThosEM
Space Weatherman
It helps me to back in butt first and then swivel. Same issue with my BMW 328ic. I'm 65, 186 cm and 85 kg. Once you get over the humiliation of going side saddle it's not so hard...
This insanity needs to stop. It never ceases to amaze me how entitled people feel. The car never had grab handles, ever. No one was promised grab handles, folding mirrors, collision avoidance, all wheel drive, parking sensors, unlimited free access to store location chargers, hyperloop mods or whatever else we feel we should get for free.
If we were to suggest this as an upgrade/option for future cars or even a retrofit for the current car that's one thing, but for every single "I wish my car had..." thread we have, there's always a group of folks who want it for free. That simply is no way to run a company and shouldn't be held against them if they don't do it.
bareyb
Active Member
I actually created a thread about this:
Hi Gang,
Just a public service announcement for those of you who are experiencing premature seat pillar wear from sliding across them when you get into your car (see pic). This is also extremely helpful if you have a bad back as I often do. I actually discovered this method after my back surgery a number of years ago when I had a Corvette. It'll help keep those pesky scuff marks from your shoes off the door sills too. It's a win-win-win!
Anyway, it's been a lifesaver for me when my back hurts and it's got the added benefit of saving wear and tear on your seats and seat pillars. Hopefully it may help some other folks too. Here it is:
1. Turn your back to the open door and sit your butt in the driver's seat sideways leaving both feet planted firmly on the ground outside the car.
2. Then lift your feet up and over the door sill, and swivel around in the seat until you are facing front.
3. You get out of the car the same way, only in reverse (swivel sideways, place feet on ground outside the car and stand straight up).
4. Voila! Try it. You'll like it. You'll never go back to the old ways again.
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bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
Good point, but with that aside would you like to see overhead grab handles in the X you're buying?
wcalvin
Member
bonnie
I play a nice person on twitter.
It's a non-issue for me, but that doesn't mean it isn't for others. Either way is fine with me. I have grab handles in my Jeep, but don't use them. (Now that I've said that, I'm trying to remember if I do have grab handles in the Jeep. I do, right?)
My earlier comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, since getting in and out of the Roadster is somewhat of a challenge for many. More than once, I've instructed passengers on the finer points of entry and exit.
My earlier comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek, since getting in and out of the Roadster is somewhat of a challenge for many. More than once, I've instructed passengers on the finer points of entry and exit.
Zapped
Model S - PURE EV
Only ever used the grab bar to give the driver a message... "your driving is dangerous".
I just learned that an 81-year old dear friend of my family, someone who has about the most unfortunate body shape of anyone who does have use of his lower limbs, has purchased 2 Roadsters, 2 Model S's, and has an order for the X (sold one Roadster, so current garage total is 3...). I remember his entering and exiting his 911 twentyfive years ago, and marvelling that he could do that then. So I guess if he has conquered entering and exiting a Model S (to say nothing of those Roadsters!!!!), then I'm not one to complain about the lack of a grab bar.
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