Interior is nice, however...

[passion4audio]

although I like the interior of the Model S, the craftsmanship and "fit and finish" don't seem to be quite to the level of some of the offerings from other manufacturers.

It would be neat if there was a factory option (other than the "Extended Leather") to bring the interior more on par with some of the top competitors.

What do you guys (and gals) think?

Here's Maserati:

 

[brianstorms]

Give Tesla a couple years, I'm sure they'll get 'round to upping the luxury accoutrements prolly around the same time they widen their product line with a more mass-market vehicle.

 

[jcaspar]

What is it you like about that interior? I think (hope as that's what I am getting!) that the Tesla with carbon fiber looks much better. I really don't like the orange leather seats.

 

[passion4audio]

Jcaspar, I agree with you about the color of the leather. If you look across the dash at the various things (speakers, buttons, "how" the parts fit together, the finishing, etc.) you might agree the Tesla's interior doesn't quite reach the quality of the Maserati.

Would I buy a Maserati instead? Absolutely NOT! As we know, the Tesla is ground-breaking, gorgeous and would blow the doors off the Maserati.

I'd just like to see the fit and finish take a step upwards.

 

[jcaspar]

Passion, my comments are only from the test drives. Won't have my car till Saturday so will be better able to assess. It seems the interior is probably the thing that most people find less than perfect. Coming from a 93 Chevy K2500 and Dodge Viper, it will probably seem luxurious to me!

 

[SwedishAdvocate]

In the Model S you can get the dash wrapped in leather. The dash on that Gass… *cough* *cough* hr hrm ...Masser, seems to be plastic above the wood trim… :wink:

 

[killer_model_s]

Hey Maseratti! The 80's called and they want their nav back!

 

[SeminoleFSU]

I agree the interior quality of the Model S isn't on par with the class of cars it's in... pretty far off actually

 

[Btrflyl8e]

I think that Maserati interior is so busy it could cause seizures or dizziness! No like!

 

[PeterK]

I agree with Brrianstorms that Tesla has and will continue to improve, e.g. everyone complained about the lack of parking sensors early on but they got to it a year after the first car off the line.

Maybe it's just me being spoiled by the simplicity of the Model S interior, but I look at that photo and rather than envy of the fit and finish all that comes to mind is "what clutter!"


[note: edited to credit the right Brian - Brianstorms, not Brianman]

 

[v12 to 12v]

Ahem. How many cupholders hast thou? And it still looks busy and cluttered?
I'm liking my Model S more and more each time I look at another car.

 

[Twiddler]

This is one of those "to each his/her own" threads, but I had the same concerns initially. I can say that after 9 months with the car, I am in love with the materials and fit/finish. I have probably been more distracted by the lacewood and how absolutely beautiful it is than the display itself! The utter simplicity of design, with wood and leather extending far along the dash, miniscule visible plastic (e.g. steering column, part of the doors), and interfaces between these surfaces, is much more favorable IMO to the BMW 5, audi A6, or mercedes E. Is it quite as posh as the A8 or S class, no, but it is also not as stodgy or busy. I feel that the car's interior matches the price point perfectly, and have now become a minimalist. Since there is no need to design around things like buttons, knobs, shifters, etc, there is very little form in excess of function. Plus it has just enough cup holders for my Tesla Kool-Aid!

 

[EarlyAdopter]

If you hadn't mentioned that was a Maserrati I would have guessed from looking that it was a Lexus. Ugh.

Could Tesla do better? Of course! Do they need to do better? I don't think so, and this is coming from someone who drove Audi's for the last 13 years.

 

[omarsultan]

Having lived with my MS for three months, my first reaction was that the interior was ridiculously cluttered - to the point of being distracting. I have had BMWs and MBs in the past and I don't have any complaints about fit an finish. I can see Tesla adding richer materials in the future, but I hope they do not move away from the current minimalist design ethic.

O

 

[jhs_7645]

Having lived with my MS for three months, my first reaction was that the interior was ridiculously cluttered - to the point of being distracting. I have had BMWs and MBs in the past and I don't have any complaints about fit an finish. I can see Tesla adding richer materials in the future, but I hope they do not move away from the current minimalist design ethic.

O

I had the same thought, after driving the Model S since January, I saw that cockpit and thought YIKES! Yes, the Model S doesn't have all the bells and whistles (and buttons), but after a while you'll find that you don't miss anything, and I think you'll eventually appreciate it.

 

[tdelta1000]

I like the color of the leather interior of the Maserati and that's it. I think we will see an upgrade of the interior on version 2.0 of the S.

 

[dsm363]

I like the color of the leather interior of the Maserati and that's it. I think we will see an upgrade of the interior on version 2.0 of the S.

Agreed. Goal #1 was to get the car out, have it work and sell cars. They've largely succeeded. I'm sure they could improve the interior so imagine in a few years we'd see that happen. Maybe after gen III launch.

 

[joshuaeven]

I prefer the MS interior to that cheesy (the wood!), dated (the buttons!!) design. I am glad Tesla decided to be more revolutionary with the interior and not just put out another cluttered mess.

 

[AnOutsider]

Love the simplicity of the MS interior, but I would agree that the quality of the materials could be improved. More supple leather for example.

 

[artsci]

although I like the interior of the Model S, the craftsmanship and "fit and finish" don't seem to be quite to the level of some of the offerings from other manufacturers.

It would be neat if there was a factory option (other than the "Extended Leather") to bring the interior more on par with some of the top competitors.

What do you guys (and gals) think?

Here's Maserati:

Why is it cars to be "luxury" have to have so much wood or phony wood? It seems to be a holdover from old British habits. IMHO wood is an awful material for cars and there's way too much of it in the Maserati. From my point of view it's totally faux. And there are way too many buttons. Also an old bad habit.