Help I had cpo for a week and wife hates it

[SHAWNSUNNYVALE]

Hey Guys,
I need some ideas. When I test drove the Tesla i brought my kids and father in law which sold my wife. It took a few months before I found a cpo 2014 model s 85 with ap1) Loving the car, the kids love the car. The wife does not.
1. It is too low (I don[t have the suspension package, she used to driving a SUV and she short)
2. No door handle inside the car to grab on to get in and out.

I am hoping once i get her behind the wheel she will find more comfortable getting in and out. But also wonder i can add some inside door handles, that she can use.
Any suggestion?

 

[KJD]

You could always just trade it in for a Model X instead.

 

[TexasEV]

Isn't driving an EV a little more important than the height or the inside door handles?

 

[BluestarE3]

1. It is too low (I don[t have the suspension package, she used to driving a SUV and she short)

Just curious, since my wife and I are of average height: I'd always assumed it was easier for a short person to get in and out of a low car than with a tall SUV where one would have to climb up and down. And vice versa for a tall person who would have to do contortions to get in and out of a low car. Not true?

 

[Jason S]

For #1 -- retraining on how one gets in/out of the car. Lots of people put a foot in and kinda sideways slide into a seat. For the Model S need to turn facing away from the car, sit down, then pivot legs in. I think it is a good habit for all cars.
#2, there is a handle on the door, just grab that. And retraining on how to get out; pivot then stand. Grab the door if you need to.

The superlative safety ratings the car gets also cause the entry/exit problem. The A & B beams block injury but also block ease of entry/exit.

 

[Derek Kessler]

My mother is the same way... short, prefers tall SUVs over sedans, and demands a grab handle to get into any car. And a full-size center armrest. Really limits the vehicles she finds acceptable.

It might just be a matter of her getting comfortable with the car. When you're used to being high up in an SUV, low cards can be really disconcerting.

 

[Swift]

Loving the car, the kids love the car. The wife does not.
Any suggestion?

Plenty of CPO wives out there. Might be time to upgrade/trade.

 

[mbhforum]

My wife hated my car during the test drive and for the first couple of weeks while she was getting nauseous from it. Now she loves the car and takes it on weekends when I am not driving it. She says it's just so fun to drive and loves the fact she doesn't have to fill up her QX60(and she got that 3 weeks before I got my MS).

 

[SMAlset]

OP I felt the same way about the MS when my husband took me to the showroom to see what he had ordered. Very low to the ground and really missed the door bar. We did order the SAS on ours so that might help me. When we did the test drive, I kind of tried not to comment. Hubby really wanted me to be comfortable in it because we had a Toyota Camry that I absolutely hated riding in because it bothered my back. He was so excited having ordered the car I didn't want to be a downer so the best I could say at the time was that it was more a sport car than luxury-featured car. We did get the perfed seats in our PUP package and I find them really comfortable, that being a bigger concern for me.

I've only been in the car a few times since we got it (had it wrapped in the meantime) and I'm adjusting to how I enter and exit the vehicle (Jason S is right on -- it's a recommended way for people to enter and exit to prevent back injuries). I think I also use my hand to grab the upper roof doorframe of the car when exiting if that makes sense in place of the grab bar...not ideal but helps. I wish Tesla made this an option at least. In any event its a really sexy car and I'm sure I'll adjust over time and hopefully OP your wife will too.

 

[Indpowr]

1. Trade the wife in
2. Trade/sell the car
3. Keep it for you and safety and buy her a cheap large SUV. Win/win

 

[jimmyz80]

Why did your father in law sell your wife? That seems a bit harsh....

 

[BerTX]

Also possible it isn't really the entry/exit that is bothering her, that's just the reason she gives you.

 

[CHG-ON]

Trade the wife.

 

[ABC2D]

Isn't driving an EV a little more important than the height or the inside door handles?

Not to everyone. Convenience features are important too otherwise you could drive a golf cart, an EV.

 

[davidc18]

Good luck.

 

[bro1999]

Hey Guys,
I need some ideas. When I test drove the Tesla i brought my kids and father in law which sold my wife. It took a few months before I found a cpo 2014 model s 85 with ap1) Loving the car, the kids love the car. The wife does not.
1. It is too low (I don[t have the suspension package, she used to driving a SUV and she short)
2. No door handle inside the car to grab on to get in and out.

I am hoping once i get her behind the wheel she will find more comfortable getting in and out. But also wonder i can add some inside door handles, that she can use.
Any suggestion?

Trade in the S for a Bolt. It sits much higher than an S, and getting in/out is a breeze, and even has a grab handle in the front passenger side.

That, or let your wife get a Bolt if you can't bear to give up the S.

 

[jb007gd]

Do you trade off cars that often? My wife and I rarely drive each other's cars.
If you must, I'd go for an X if it's in the budget!

 

[gavine]

My sister in law judges a car on how well she can see out the back window. That's ALL she cares about. Amazing. My other sister in law only cares about the color. Once, I got a new car and it was the same color as my old car. She said "what's the point of getting a new car if it's the same color?". I'll never understand.

 

[bonaire]

Isn't driving an EV a little more important than the height or the inside door handles?

Depends what a person's values are. Comfort and convenience is a huge factor across the population.

 

[croman]

SAS won't really affect height enough compared to springs. You can get aftermarket grab handles. Model S is not the easiest to get in and out. Most don't want to get out.