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Integrated Console Review/Comparison

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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.
  1. SSD
  2. Drinks
  3. Driving Gloves
  4. Spare change for car wash/tolls
  5. Microfiber cloth for touchscreen
  6. Cell phone charger
  7. Tesla Scarf
  8. Random USB sticks
  9. Tesla Pen
  10. Tesla Notepad
The Premium Center Console allowed me to comfortably stow all of the above items with ease. Tesla again sent me a survey, asking me about my recent purchase, and while I was happy to have a solution, I gave the following critiques:
  1. 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.
  2. 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".
  3. 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.
  4. Price was outrageous.
So all that being said, the end result of version 1 was a pretty useful, good looking, albeit expensive solution to a problem that should have never really existed. Now, I know it's a huge debate over if Tesla should have included a center console or not. And while each argument has validity, the overwhelming numbers on TMC suggest that women prefer the space open to place their purse, and men prefer to have something to store purse-like items in.

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).


IMG_20160630_163421.jpg
IMG_20160630_163442.jpg
IMG_20160630_163507.jpg

IMG_20160630_163556.jpg
IMG_20160630_164005.jpg
IMG_20160630_163958.jpg


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.

IMG_20160630_164538.jpg
IMG_20160630_164601.jpg



Here are some interior shots. I'm not sure if the front has less room, but the rear does go all the way back.

IMG_20160630_164248.jpg
IMG_20160630_164444.jpg



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.
 
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.
  1. SSD
  2. Drinks
  3. Driving Gloves
  4. Spare change for car wash/tolls
  5. Microfiber cloth for touchscreen
  6. Cell phone charger
  7. Tesla Scarf
  8. Random USB sticks
  9. Tesla Pen
  10. Tesla Notepad
The Premium Center Console allowed me to comfortably stow all of the above items with ease. Tesla again sent me a survey, asking me about my recent purchase, and while I was happy to have a solution, I gave the following critiques:
  1. 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.
  2. 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".
  3. 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.
  4. Price was outrageous.
So all that being said, the end result of version 1 was a pretty useful, good looking, albeit expensive solution to a problem that should have never really existed. Now, I know it's a huge debate over if Tesla should have included a center console or not. And while each argument has validity, the overwhelming numbers on TMC suggest that women prefer the space open to place their purse, and men prefer to have something to store purse-like items in.

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).


View attachment 183488 View attachment 183489 View attachment 183490
View attachment 183515 View attachment 183516 View attachment 183497

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.

View attachment 183510 View attachment 183511


Here are some interior shots. I'm not sure if the front has less room, but the rear does go all the way back.

View attachment 183508 View attachment 183509


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.
Excellent post, thank you! What concerns me most is you wear a Tesla scarf. :)
 
Thanks for the detailed write up.

Mine in on order, but who knows when It will arrive...

Mine was literally the first one ordered last Thursday. It arrived Tuesday at service center and was installed today. No communication from Tesla corporate beyond the initial order confirmation. Service center actually had to check on it from their end to see if it was included in their big weekly shipment.
 
Thanks for the detailed write up.

Mine in on order, but who knows when It will arrive...
Mine was literally the first one ordered last Thursday. It arrived Tuesday at service center and was installed today. No communication from Tesla corporate beyond the initial order confirmation. Service center actually had to check on it from their end to see if it was included in their big weekly shipment.
I ordered mine last week. I already scheduled an appointment to have it installed on August 8th, which the soonest appointment available. If I waited until it arrive to schedule the appointment, I probably would not have it until September.
 
So does the refreshed car not come with the rear cup holders? I'm confused.

This does look like a nice improvement over the original center console that I have.

As it stands now, no refreshed S that's been delivered has had rear cup holders..... yet. I believe that when stock runs out, this Integrated console will be standard equipment moving forward.
 
  • Informative
Reactions: Lyon
Quick question - it looks like the USB and lighter plug are inside the sliding compartment (?). I have a small usb adapter and usb cord running to the back seat for charging; does this mean you need to keep the door open to run them?
 
Quick question - it looks like the USB and lighter plug are inside the sliding compartment (?). I have a small usb adapter and usb cord running to the back seat for charging; does this mean you need to keep the door open to run them?

There is an ever so slight gap at the very back of the hatch. In my opinion, this gap was too large in the Premium Console, but it is perfect in the Integrated Console to allow only the thickness of a charging cable through.
 
I have some additional pictures after running the cell phone cable and installing the SSD. I removed just a tad bit of material so I could use my 90' flush mount USB adapters. This reduces strain on the cables and makes for a much cleaner look.
IMG_20160702_115049.jpg
IMG_20160702_114652.jpg




The rubber mat bottom of the console actually has channels under it that the cables can run up. I don't think that was a their intended use, but they are there. The rubber floor is super easy to remove and clean, so a big design improvement there as well.

IMG_20160702_114612.jpg



I may attempt to mount a USB C 3.0 cable in the docking area, but to be honest, it's not the best place for a phone in either console option. I much prefer the Scosche magnet mount to the right of the touch screen. It keeps your eyes up towards the road in case you do get a notification, but it's far enough away that you aren't constantly grabbing for it to use.
 
Can anyone explain why the updated Model S has the integrated console sans rear cup holders? But the retro fit ones have cup holders?

My guess is that they wanted to release the integrated console a lot sooner so they started building them. And then at some point saw the rear cup holders in the X and thought, why have two parts when we could have one. The console on the refreshed S ate currently them using up the inventory of one's without cup holders. That's just a guess on my part. Or these could have been for the X this whole time and they changed the design to include cup holders shortly before launch of the X. Who really knows.