So way back when for Tesla #1 in 2014, I recall filling out my customer satisfaction survey and lamenting the fact that the Tesla had this gaping opening between the front seats. Anything you put there would shoot forward and backward like professional hockey players on freshly zambonied ice. Fast forward to the availability of the Premium Center Console. Having not yet felt secure enough in my manhood to own a purse, I jumped at the opportunity for a place to put all the little things I frequently needed close, yet secured.
Now enter the Integrated Center Console. The exact existence as an after-market product confused me at first. And even now, after seeing how many pieces are left over after installation, I'm a little sad about the wasted scraps. But it does solve a glaring issue that has been even more of an oversight than any center console could have been, and that is rear-cupholders. Yes folks, we have them now. And they are glorious, the best $600 cupholders a Tesla owner could have asked for.
There are additional improvements as well though. The floor is made of a removable piece of rubber for easy cleaning. The separators have a very tight fit, I found that the previous generation would find the dividers popping out of their notches every once in a while (I probably should have used a smaller cup). The sliding cover has improved in it's sexiness. The motion, is in fact, buttery sexy smooth. And the flip up cover is now held down via magnet so there is no longer the problem of passengers forcibly pulling up the cover and snapping the latch like they always did (the correct way to open was pushing down on the cover and letting it pop up).
Here are some direct comparison pictures. Notice how the opening of the Integrated Console is slightly smaller (about a full inch). This limits the size drink you can put in the forward cupholder.
Here are some interior shots. I'm not sure if the front has less room, but the rear does go all the way back.
In conclusion, the needs the Integrated Console meet are essentially the lack of a console (solved if you have a refreshed S) and the lack of rear-cupholders. So potentially, those that would benefit the most would be those without a center console already and a desire for rear-cupholders. But even those who already have a Premium Center Console will find plenty of buyers here on TMC that would top dollar because they have no need for the 2nd reason above. I would think those least likely to have an interest in this would be the refreshed S's in limbo that have the old console without cupholders. $1200 would be an even steeper price to pay just for that feature, so there is still the Premium Rear Console for around $600 that sacrifices the middle-rear seat for an armrest and cupholders. Which isn't that bad when you consider that with the rear-cupholders in use with the Integrated Console, the rear-middle seat is almost unusable for legroom. All that being said, I think this was a solid improvement on Tesla's part. The build-quality is up to par with the Premium Interior package and the usefulness overall meets the two deficiencies I outlined above. As always, it comes down to the cost for each individual and this one is pretty steep. But if you see the value, then it's a good purchase for you.
- SSD
- Drinks
- Driving Gloves
- Spare change for car wash/tolls
- Microfiber cloth for touchscreen
- Cell phone charger
- Tesla Scarf
- Random USB sticks
- Tesla Pen
- Tesla Notepad
- The console tended to be a just a little loose. It was always secured (no sliding around), but had just a tad bit of give when leaning on it. If you know how it is installed and how the layers of trim are attached, it makes perfect sense.
- The sliding cover did not impress me. The exact wording I used was, "the cover needs to slide buttery sexy smooth, like a Lexus cover would".
- The closed off space directly under the cell phone mount (see attached pictures), seemed like a great place to hide, or rather, store small items such as bags of things and/or your wallet. That way, if you accidentally left your windows down and someone poked around looking for valuables, you might be ok.
- Price was outrageous.
Now enter the Integrated Center Console. The exact existence as an after-market product confused me at first. And even now, after seeing how many pieces are left over after installation, I'm a little sad about the wasted scraps. But it does solve a glaring issue that has been even more of an oversight than any center console could have been, and that is rear-cupholders. Yes folks, we have them now. And they are glorious, the best $600 cupholders a Tesla owner could have asked for.
There are additional improvements as well though. The floor is made of a removable piece of rubber for easy cleaning. The separators have a very tight fit, I found that the previous generation would find the dividers popping out of their notches every once in a while (I probably should have used a smaller cup). The sliding cover has improved in it's sexiness. The motion, is in fact, buttery sexy smooth. And the flip up cover is now held down via magnet so there is no longer the problem of passengers forcibly pulling up the cover and snapping the latch like they always did (the correct way to open was pushing down on the cover and letting it pop up).
Here are some direct comparison pictures. Notice how the opening of the Integrated Console is slightly smaller (about a full inch). This limits the size drink you can put in the forward cupholder.
Here are some interior shots. I'm not sure if the front has less room, but the rear does go all the way back.
In conclusion, the needs the Integrated Console meet are essentially the lack of a console (solved if you have a refreshed S) and the lack of rear-cupholders. So potentially, those that would benefit the most would be those without a center console already and a desire for rear-cupholders. But even those who already have a Premium Center Console will find plenty of buyers here on TMC that would top dollar because they have no need for the 2nd reason above. I would think those least likely to have an interest in this would be the refreshed S's in limbo that have the old console without cupholders. $1200 would be an even steeper price to pay just for that feature, so there is still the Premium Rear Console for around $600 that sacrifices the middle-rear seat for an armrest and cupholders. Which isn't that bad when you consider that with the rear-cupholders in use with the Integrated Console, the rear-middle seat is almost unusable for legroom. All that being said, I think this was a solid improvement on Tesla's part. The build-quality is up to par with the Premium Interior package and the usefulness overall meets the two deficiencies I outlined above. As always, it comes down to the cost for each individual and this one is pretty steep. But if you see the value, then it's a good purchase for you.