Is Tesla Behind

[AW9nineteen]

Do you think Tesla is somewhat behind in some of its features? The camera change for parking is welcome, but would be nice for a version of 360. The big thing that made me thing of this though is autopilot in traffic. There are a few cars out there that drive themselves without any intervention under 40mph.

Does anyone know why Tesla does allow this? I’d imagine is isn’t regulatory.

 

[SoCal Buzz]

“Behind” in a few, ahead in everything else...

 

[Tam]

...There are a few cars out there that drive themselves without any intervention under 40mph...

You mean the canceled one?

Audi gives up on Level 3 autonomous driver-assist system in A8

Waymo can drive itself but I don't want to move to Arizona just to enroll in their ride program and I can't buy its system for my own use in California.

 

[BigNick]

Waymo makes a car look like every crappy accessory from the JC Whitney catalog has been added to it. Ugly as sin, and only approved for use in a limited area.
I've never rode in one so I can't comment on any driving flaws (which it might or might not have).
Did I mention they're ugly as sin, and all that added crap has to affect aerodynamics and fuel efficiency.

 

[glide]

Well when you don’t have a heated steering wheel option in 2020, I would say you are “behind”.

 

[cucubits]

Do you think Tesla is somewhat behind in some of its features?

Yes, yes I do.
To name a few where they are behind almost any other current car:

- proper blind spot monitoring
- rear cross traffic alerts
- proper rain sensor for auto wipers
- 360 camera
- proper sound insulation
- overall build quality and fit&finish is very much behind any other car within the same price range.

On the other hand, yes, Tesla's autopilot, as buggy and unsafe as it is in some scenarios, is still ahead of other manufacturers who are trying to join in.

 

[Mike MY]

I’m a new MY owner. Love it, so I’m not complaining. I agree with cucubits on several things. It seems odd that Tesla does not have rear cross-traffic alert. Their blind spot monitoring needs an audible component. And as we all know, their fit and finish quality is lacking.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

I agree with cucubits, and would add that Tesla's level of luxury for their price point is SUPER behind. I've had mid-size rental cars that look nicer than my Model S on the inside. Hell, our base model Volvo is nicer than the S on the inside. It was excusable for the first few years while they got off the ground, but as much money as they're making now, it's time for a major overhaul.

Outside of straight line acceleration, Tesla is also pretty far behind in the performance department. It's all good and well to put a widebody kit, sticky tires, and some aero bits on an S and challenge Porsche around the Ring, but I can't buy one in that configuration, so.....

It also irritates me that Tesla's idea of "performance brakes" is just painting the calipers red....compare the brakes on the S Performance to the Taycan, and the MSP brakes look like bottlecaps.

And maybe it's just me, but I get pretty jealous that you can Drift a Taycan right out of the box, but not ANY Tesla. Can they not figure it out, or do they not trust us to have fun with our cars? I've had my S for almost 2 years, and to be honest, the lack of ability to slide it around is making it...boring.

If Tesla is going to divide up their model range into "Commuter" (3, Y) and "Luxury/Performance" (S, X) that's fine - but then actually make the latter two luxury vehicles that go, turn, and stop well. And then loosen up the reigns and let us have some fun with them.

I've always said that Tesla is a software company that happens to put wheels on their software....and the way they lock down their vehicles, it certainly feels like Tesla is the big IT Admin and we're just office lackeys wanting to get on netflix at work...

 

[roblab]

My brother paints cars. Sometimes the finish doesn't come out just right, some paints are hard to work with, etc., etc. He calls those jobs "fifty foot" paint jobs. Because you can't see the problems at fifty feet.

A lot of what I read here about "defects" would fit in that category. Most people would never worry about a slightly larger panel gap, and would never see it. But some like to get down on hands and knees, or even crawl under the car, and carry a long check list with them to prove the car is not good enough for them. That's sad.

Wifey has a Model 3, and you see our Model S there on the left. Both of them are the BEST CARS EVER. You don't have to be a "fan boy" to realize this. No other electric car comes close. And most of us never give it a thought. We're too busy leaving that Mercedes or Maserati or Rolls or Lexus back at the light while their owners stroke their leather dashboards. I guess it's all they have.

I grew up thinking cars were made for driving.

 

[InternetDude]

@cucubits just about nailed it there. I would add that Tesla lacks in the features of "good customer service" and "timely repair service" as well, in my experience they certainly are.

The Lexus LS that I traded my S off on has proper blind spot warnings in the mirrors, multiple 360 camera views, front & rear cross traffic alerts, heated & cooled seats, massaging seats, active noise canceling, exquisite build quality, lots of sound insulation, etc. Many more features that Tesla doesn't care about. And oh yeah I can phone the dealer service dept and talk to a human in a matter of seconds, and answer my questions and book me in if needed in a matter of 3 minutes.

Here's what I told the Lexus dealer earlier this week when I was there. Tesla seems pretty good with the tech stuff but not as good with the rest of the car stuff. Motors and chips/boards they are good. Door handles, trim, features, customer support, etc. they are lacking.

 

[Aggmeister2010]

My brother paints cars. Sometimes the finish doesn't come out just right, some paints are hard to work with, etc., etc. He calls those jobs "fifty foot" paint jobs. Because you can't see the problems at fifty feet.

A lot of what I read here about "defects" would fit in that category. Most people would never worry about a slightly larger panel gap, and would never see it. But some like to get down on hands and knees, or even crawl under the car, and carry a long check list with them to prove the car is not good enough for them. That's sad.

Wifey has a Model 3, and you see our Model S there on the left. Both of them are the BEST CARS EVER. You don't have to be a "fan boy" to realize this. No other electric car comes close. And most of us never give it a thought. We're too busy leaving that Mercedes or Maserati or Rolls or Lexus back at the light while their owners stroke their leather dashboards. I guess it's all they have.

I grew up thinking cars were made for driving.

Agreed regarding the "Defects" comment - with any mass produced product, there may be very small insignificant things that shouldn't make anyone raise an eyebrow. Tesla people seem to have gotten super picky about that kind of stuff, which is silly - but if my new $60k car showed up like this, I'd be rightfully pissed:

Some of the bigger quality issues (larger panel gaps, paint color mismatch between panels, etc) I would agree with you on if we were talking about cheap cars. I've bought base trim GM and Ford products that had some panel gap issues, never really thought much of it because the whole car was under $30k. But I wouldn't expect to have that same experience above the $60k mark.

I'd argue that before the Taycan, the S was the best electric car ever. And from a UI and Technology standpoint, it's still the best. But I stand by my comments regarding performance (beyond straight line acceleration) and level of luxury - they were already far behind their similarly priced competitors in luxury (BMW 750, Merc S, Audi A8, Cadillac CT6), and vehicles like the Taycan are leaping over them in the overall performance category now.

They still own the semi-autonomous tech market, and the Infrastructure market with AP and Superchargers, but they really need to work on their level of luxury and performance beyond straight line acceleration.

@cucubitsAnd oh yeah I can phone the dealer service dept and talk to a human in a matter of seconds, and answer my questions and book me in if needed in a matter of 3 minutes.

This is a big one too. And don't forget, Tesla is super trigger happy on voiding warranties.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Well when you don’t have a heated steering wheel option in 2020, I would say you are “behind”.

my 2018 MS 100D Has a heated steering wheel

 

[glide]

my 2018 MS 100D Has a heated steering wheel

Sorry, I did not notice this was the Model S forum.
But still...half the fleet doesn’t have it.

 

[brkaus]

It’s all trade offs in my opinion. It cuts a lot to put a batter and EV drivetrain in a car. Something has to go.

Sure, there are gaps. I’d love to see 360 Birdseye like our leaf. Many other items here too.

but that would increase the price and people would complain. Perhaps they need more trim levels?

And my Nissan purchasing and service experience have just sucked. I’ve mostly had good experience with Tesla service - if I could get someone on the phone it would be better.

 

[FatherTo1]

Ask any other manufacturer to match Tesla's range, performance, charging network, and price points then see what gets left out of their offerings. Tesla can sacrifice some profit and put in more content but then you'd risk sacrificing the health of the company as a whole.

Sure there are some creature comforts I miss coming from other high-end cars but I think it says a lot that people are willing to forego Bimmers, MB, Audi, and Lexus to get any model Tesla. It is just priorities.

Of the list of things missing on our S that were present on my Lexus LS 460, I miss the 19-speaker audio system the most (Tesla's Ultra Hi-Fi Sound System is a joke; the Model 3 audio system sounds better):

Heated and cooled seats (front and rear)
Swiveling headlights
Headlight washers
Automatic soft-close doors
Power rear and side-window sunshades
Chill box for drinks
4-zone climate control
19-speaker reference audio system
Reclining rear seats w/massage
Rear cross-traffic alert
Semi-aniline leather

I have zero regrets moving to the Model S. The S is more than comfortable enough, especially with the Raven air suspension. My wife, who normally doesn't pay attention to cars, has even commented on how comfortable it is riding in the Model S.

 

[TigerNinety]

I've never driven a Lexus or Mercedes or Maserati or, or, or....

It's brain dead obvious that my 2016 MS 75D doesn't have many of the luxuries of these cars (heck, my Toyota Highlander has ventilated seats, rear cross traffic warning, and side-view-mirror warnings).

But my Highlander is dead. It'll never be upgraded over the air.

If I complain to Elon that the side-view mirror system needs updating, maybe it'll happen. If the windshield wiper algorithm needs adjusting, maybe it'll happen. If I need to slice 10% of my 0-60 time with no mechanical updates...heck, maybe it'll happen!

Woe be to the true luxury market if Tesla hires one of their acolytes to implement a "true" luxury MS!

Todd

 

[EVortex]

No.

 

[Chaserr]

So far ahead. They have their reliability and long term safety problems but Tesla is unmatched when it comes to affordable EV range.

 

[AllThingsT]

Well when you don’t have a heated steering wheel option in 2020, I would say you are “behind”.

I don't understand the point of a heated steering wheel when you can just warm the car up ahead if time. I never get into a cold car all winter long. I have a heated steering wheel in my s but never use it.

 

[Hydrocarbon302]

My wife uses the heated steering wheel all the time in our Ford diesel during the winter. It’s because the steering wheel Heater is electric and takes just a couple mins to get warm! The Diesel engine...takes 20 miles to get warm and start blowing warm air.. I wish someone would put a electric heater in a vehicle.....oh wait... never mind.


It’s interesting that most of the features the Tesla models are lacking are relatively low hanging fruit for Tesla to add at anytime. Compared to Tesla’s auto pilot and battery/drive motor tech, that will be much more difficult for other manufacturers to match.