Gripes about the Beta interior

[onlinespending]

OK, one more, of the interior of the White car:
View attachment 4727

One thing I don't like is that even if you opt for the tan or light colored interior, there's still an overwhelming amount of black to the interior. If I get go with a light interior, I don't want it to be black with a hint of light colors as it is now. The center console is black, the doors are mostly black, the floors are black. Sigh.

BMW 3-series for comparison. Much better look IMHO. A light colored interior is predominantly light with hints of black, not the other way around as it is with the Model S.

 

[Mycroft]

Darn, still no pockets on the doors. Well, as the great Jagger once said, I guess you can't always get what you want.

 

[Norbert]

However on the BMW pics the leg room looks really narrow, such that you can barely move.

 

[Zextraterrestrial]

Darn, still no pockets on the doors. Well, as the great Jagger once said, I guess you can't always get what you want.

No pocket and the armrest looks pretty minimal. No place to hold onto? I kind of like having something solid to grip being a passenger in a sporty car.

 

[ElSupreme]

No pocket and the armrest looks pretty minimal. No place to hold onto? I kind of like having something solid to grip being a passenger in a sporty car.

I agree with this statement. And not just for 'sporty' cars. Any car I drive with a passenger needs "Uh-Oh" or "Oh *sugar*" grab handles.

 

[onlinespending]

However on the BMW pics the leg room looks really narrow, such that you can barely move.

Could be, but that's beside the point I'm trying to bring up. I really hope this is simply a case of Tesla not having molded portions of the interior with a color other than black yet. It certainly seems as if they have only swapped out the color for the leather upholstered sections of the interior leaving the rest black. Just look at the bottom of the seats still in black. Looks very odd.

This is actually a big deal for me if they do not change this. It almost makes me want to go with a black interior to get a uniform, consistent look, though I really do not want a black interior with a dark exterior. Anyone that really has their heart set on a light interior is likely to be disappointed by Tesla's odd interpretation of interior colors, since it's certainly not the conventional use of interior colors and how most people have come to expect a light interior to be. As it is, it's pretty much a black interior with light accents and seats.

 

[smoothoperator]

Could be, but that's beside the point I'm trying to bring up. I really hope this is simply a case of Tesla not having molded portions of the interior with a color other than black yet. It certainly seems as if they have only swapped out the color for the leather upholstered sections of the interior leaving the rest black. Just look at the bottom of the seats still in black. Looks very odd.

This is actually a big deal for me if they do not change this. It almost makes me want to go with a black interior to get a uniform, consistent look, though I really do not want a black interior with a dark exterior. Anyone that really has their heart set on a light interior is likely to be disappointed by Tesla's odd interpretation of interior colors, since it's certainly not the conventional use of interior colors and how most people have come to expect a light interior to be. As it is, it's pretty much a black interior with light accents and seats.

Its a huge cost savings if they are able to use the same colored pieces in all production vehicles.

 

[onlinespending]

Its a huge cost savings if they are able to use the same colored pieces in all production vehicles.

Define huge. I agree that it will save them a bit, but so would not including a lot of the things they are in the car. Tesla needs to be careful of falling into the trap of cutting corners so much so in an effort to save a bit of money here and there, that it ends up putting out a sub-standard product. I understand not including such things as Adaptive Cruise Control, as there is a technical complexity and reliability concern associated with it. But cutting corners on cosmetic things and being cheap on the interior is no way to earn the heart of potential buyers. People willing to buy a car at this price point can tell the difference between good and poor quality. I would gladly pay a bit more for a true, conventional light interior instead of this half-assed effort that they currently are offering. It's weak IMHO.

 

[smoothoperator]

Define huge. I agree that it will save them a bit, but so would not including a lot of the things they are in the car. Tesla needs to be careful of falling into the trap of cutting corners so much so in an effort to save a bit of money here and there, that it ends up putting out a sub-standard product. I understand not including such things as Adaptive Cruise Control, as there is a technical complexity and reliability concern associated with it. But cutting corners on cosmetic things and being cheap on the interior is no way to earn the heart of potential buyers. People willing to buy a car at this price point can tell the difference between good and poor quality. I would gladly pay a bit more for a true, conventional light interior instead of this half-assed effort that they currently are offering. It's weak IMHO.

I agree completely...

From a cost perspective...the only dyed parts from the picture that I saw, were the seat cushions, arm rest pad, door panel inserts & lower dash. If the rest of the interior trim can be produced in black, that has to be a significant cost savings for Tesla.

These dyed parts are not that expensive to produce, but the molded parts in black have to be quite pricey to produce.

In the aftermarket you can get the seat cushions, arm rest pad, door panel inserts all reupholstered for ~$1,000 on most any car in leather. This is definitely not a 100k car interior.

 

[Todd Burch]

So with the exception of the glove compartment, there will be no place to store sunglasses, wallet, phone, etc. in the car, that I can see. Not even a door pocket.

Hmm. Really disappointed in the interior. It's like they were so excited about maximizing cabin space that they forgot about utility. Sad...I've been active on this site almost daily for 2.5 years since my reservation and I find that a lot of the initial appeal of the car is wearing off because of the lackluster interior.

I'm surprised they can hit homeruns with the exterior and drivetrain, then be so far off the mark with the interior.

Can someone who's there sit down in the car and give some thoughtful feedback on the cabin? Where do I put things? Something to make me feel better!!

Sorry Tesla...I'm not going to put down $75K+ on a car and then pay extra for "accessory" interior storage compartments that were standard even on my $14k Saturn. That pushes nickel and diming too far.

Much as I hate to say it, I have a bad feeling that I can see the reviews now: excellent exterior looks, excellent drivetrain, excellent performance, and a complete failure on the interior.

Maybe I just need my expectations adjusted? Maybe this is just a new cabin paradigm and I'll find that I like it better than the old? I hope.

In the newest interior, are there cupholders for the rear passengers?

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I can see a silver lining to the lack of storage options; my wife will definitely not put orange and banana peels in the dash

Need to carry around a 'doggy bag' for the misc trash and empty it daily!

 

[onlinespending]

- I'm not a big fan of the two-toned look, which is only avoided by getting black leather. For example, the back of the front seats is black no matter what main leather color you get, so two toned seats. But the black leather makes for a very dark interior. I'll be deciding between tan leather and black leather.
- The silver exterior looks very attractive. Considerably better looking than it appears on the website.

Sigh. Looks like those that had their heart set on a conventional light interior will have to settle for this dual-tone garbage. It is disappointing because as excited as I am about this car, I hate feeling like I'd be settling for something that I truly don't like (and it's not as if I have some odd tastes, just looking for a traditional light interior that is predominantly light and not dual-toned). And at this price point it's a bitter pill to swallow having to settle.

It's been nearly half a year since the Beta unveiling, and they sadly made little to no improvements with the interior, nor did they address any of the commonly held complaints by people (the lack of pockets in the doors, lack of anything in the center console, etc.). Not encumbered by a tranny, they had a lot of room to innovate with the center console, but only put in a plain barrier between the front seats. It lacks style and functionality and is a total fail IMHO.

And yes I agree that the chrome trim below the doors is an eye sore. It disrupts the nice line established by the bottom of the exterior. This is a case of overzealous use of flashy accents that has the opposite and unintended consequence of detracting from the aesthetics of the car.

 

[tomanik]

Oh...and where are the USB ports in the front? Under the touchscreen, or on the front side of the armrests? Do I plug in my phone and lay it on the center console floor?!?

At least you won't loose your phone as it slides around on the floor of the car given its tethered to a USB port

 

[Mycroft]

The Container Store and other places have very nice baskets, lined with washable material that will be perfect to set on the floor in the center area. I'm sure there are even kind that have pockets for phones & such.

 

[jerry33]

Without sensible storage the Model S is so much less appealing.

 

[Doug_G]

I'm apparently in a minority here, but I think that large storage "bin" between the front seats will be very useful! Some kind of storage organizer in the space might be useful, but I can think of several things that will "live" in there that have no place to go right now.

 

[smoothoperator]

I'm apparently in a minority here, but I think that large storage "bin" between the front seats will be very useful! Some kind of storage organizer in the space might be useful, but I can think of several things that will "live" in there that have no place to go right now.

I wonder how contents in this type of storage bin will fare in an accident.

 

[bonnie]

Probably the same way as the stuff I leave scattered about a vehicle. Purse on the passenger seat, phone on the center console, spare bottles of water tucked here and there. Camera lying on the floor.

There IS a frunk, if that really is a concern.

 

[Doug_G]

Actually I suspect it's a better place for them. When you slam the brakes (or slam into something) things tend to fly off the seats. Down there they'll just fly a few inches into the firewall (if we still call it that) and stay there.

 

[ckessel]

Actually I suspect it's a better place for them. When you slam the brakes (or slam into something) things tend to fly off the seats. Down there they'll just fly a few inches into the firewall (if we still call it that) and stay there.

That's fighting human nature though, which is always a losing battle. People are going come to the car, open the door, slide in, throw their XYZ item into a bin, and take off. Very few are going to be willing to retrain themselves to open the frunk each time to place in the items. It's a better, from a design viewpoint, to create something that works with human nature. The center space may work well for it, I'll just have to see it in person.