It arrived! First impressions

[Gizmotoy]

Yes, the 21s look really nice, but the performance hits from them in terms of range and ride (and the extra cost) make going with the 19s a no-brainer. I do wish that there were something in between; for what the 21s cost, a nice set of BBS in 20" might be the ticket.

It's true. You can get a decent set of 20" cast wheels and matching tires for about the 21" upgrade cost, and it's probably a much better choice from a performance perspective. If you like the turbine design, though, go for it.


I also thought of one other annoyance while sitting here. I'm kind of tall. I also like vertical steering wheels. If you're tall and want a vertical steering wheel, you can't see the dash. The seat doesn't lower enough. Unfortunately, I have to tilt the wheel back to see the dash.

 

[doctrewho]

Congrats on delivery! I have to once again compliment you on your color choice.

 

[ojee99]

Are you on the tour tomorrow the 26th?
So am I, at 15:00. What time are you at?

After about an 7 week wait, I was able to take delivery of a new P85 this weekend in Fremont. I spent the weekend driving it, putting on a few hundred miles, and I promised a couple people I'd share my thoughts, so figured I might as well make a new thread. Most of you guys know all the good stuff. I'll concentrate on the negative stuff, though keep in mind relative to all the (unstated) positives, they're pretty minor.

Pros:

• The car is amazing. Acceleration is excellent, ride is good.
• Absolutely love the coils. Steering feel is not as nice as my Evo's, but it's not as bad as the S7 I drove. Transitions and off-camber turns felt great with this setup. Nothing like the air cars I drove at Santana Row.
• I like the 19" wheels even more upon closer inspection. Not a huge fan of the turbine style, so fortunately I really like the stock wheels.
• Textile seat covering is fantastic. So glad I went with that.
• UHFS system is WAY better than it gets credit for. I don't know if they changed the components at some point or what, but the complaints about anemic bass in particular are vastly incorrect. I didn't want to push it too hard during break-in, but it hits harder than the 10" Rockford Fosgate that came with my Evo. Perhaps a little pricey at $2500, but I'm glad I ordered it. I don't see any immediate reason to upgrade further. There are caveats, however...

Cons:

• UHFS system is incredibly sensitive to source quality. Comparing my Evo RF system side-by-side with the Model S on the same 192kbps MP3, the Evo sounded better. At 320kbps it was closer, but still slight edge to the RF system. Then I tried FLAC and HD Radio... there, the UHFS system excelled. Much more clear, far greater detail. Not sure why that's the case.
• Media browsing from USB is not great. No ALAC support, either, which is disappointing given the above. Not looking forward to re-encoding everything.
• The seats, beyond the coverings, could use improvement. They're not terrible, but they're not great either. The backs are roughly acceptable, but the bottom has no bolstering whatsoever. I got the textile, and even in those I was sliding around in the corners. I'm happy I didn't take leather or it would have been worse. I know it's an American car, but just a little shaping would have been nice.
• Factory delivery was not terribly impressive (This is to say nothing of the tour, which I have scheduled for tomorrow, have not yet taken, and am greatly looking forward to). They pull the car into one of those backyard tent things and talk to you there. I had kind of expected something similar to all the pictures I've seen where it's delivered in a room with nice lighting for pictures and testing. I don't know where those were, but this doesn't happen if you take factory delivery. Instead of Apple-like delivery, you get a backyard bar-b-q. I really wanted a shot with the big red Tesla wall in the background. Oh well.
• The employee giving my orientation was not terribly knowledgeable. I did lots of research so I knew most of the stuff, but of the few questions I asked, I later found out the answers I received were wrong.
• Behavior of the door locks is borked when charging. If the car's plugged in, it doesn't recognize me as I walk up, and pushing on the door handles does nothing. I have to manually unlock with the key. Only happens when charging, no idea why. Is this normal? I don't know.
• Today I walked away and it didn't lock automatically. I looked out the window (I'm really far away, maybe 100 yards or so) and the angle was just right so I could tell the handles had not retracted. Checked the app and it was still unlocked. Fortunately was able to lock via the app. Had otherwise been locking flawlessly all weekend. Not sure if I can trust it, now.
• Slacker is cool, but the quality leaves something to be desired. Nice in a pinch, but I'm not sure I can use it as a primary source.
• As of 5.8, the better quality TuneIn channels are limited to WiFi. Annoying. That's one of the things I verified when I ordered in September.
• I'm kind of tall (6'2"). I also like vertical steering wheels. If you're tall and want a vertical steering wheel, you can't see the dash. The seat doesn't lower enough. Unfortunately, I have to tilt the wheel back to see the dash. This has never been a problem before, and my last car didn't even have seat height adjustment! Very unusual.

I'll probably have some more impressions in a few days. Have another road trip scheduled for this weekend. Thanks to the guys here (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/24221-Scenic-drives-near-Fremont) I took a nice drive right after delivery, which was fun.

Amusing occurance: They wanted me to accept delivery of the car from the touchscreen. Cool! ... except the website didn't work. It would go anywhere but teslamotors.com. He had to run me through the reboot process, which didn't work. Eventually it just started working again. Will have to keep an eye on it, but I'm blaming it on the website for now.

I'm also still getting used to the size. I hurt it today, scratching the lower black part of the bumper a bit on something sticking up in front of a curb I didn't notice. :crying: Pretty minor, I doubt anyone would ever notice, but I'll know it's there. I wonder how much that piece is to replace? Looks expensive.


View attachment 36455

- - - Updated - - -

Are you on the tour tomorrow the 26th?
So am I, at 15:00. What time are you at?

After about an 7 week wait, I was able to take delivery of a new P85 this weekend in Fremont. I spent the weekend driving it, putting on a few hundred miles, and I promised a couple people I'd share my thoughts, so figured I might as well make a new thread. Most of you guys know all the good stuff. I'll concentrate on the negative stuff, though keep in mind relative to all the (unstated) positives, they're pretty minor.

Pros:

• The car is amazing. Acceleration is excellent, ride is good.
• Absolutely love the coils. Steering feel is not as nice as my Evo's, but it's not as bad as the S7 I drove. Transitions and off-camber turns felt great with this setup. Nothing like the air cars I drove at Santana Row.
• I like the 19" wheels even more upon closer inspection. Not a huge fan of the turbine style, so fortunately I really like the stock wheels.
• Textile seat covering is fantastic. So glad I went with that.
• UHFS system is WAY better than it gets credit for. I don't know if they changed the components at some point or what, but the complaints about anemic bass in particular are vastly incorrect. I didn't want to push it too hard during break-in, but it hits harder than the 10" Rockford Fosgate that came with my Evo. Perhaps a little pricey at $2500, but I'm glad I ordered it. I don't see any immediate reason to upgrade further. There are caveats, however...

Cons:

• UHFS system is incredibly sensitive to source quality. Comparing my Evo RF system side-by-side with the Model S on the same 192kbps MP3, the Evo sounded better. At 320kbps it was closer, but still slight edge to the RF system. Then I tried FLAC and HD Radio... there, the UHFS system excelled. Much more clear, far greater detail. Not sure why that's the case.
• Media browsing from USB is not great. No ALAC support, either, which is disappointing given the above. Not looking forward to re-encoding everything.
• The seats, beyond the coverings, could use improvement. They're not terrible, but they're not great either. The backs are roughly acceptable, but the bottom has no bolstering whatsoever. I got the textile, and even in those I was sliding around in the corners. I'm happy I didn't take leather or it would have been worse. I know it's an American car, but just a little shaping would have been nice.
• Factory delivery was not terribly impressive (This is to say nothing of the tour, which I have scheduled for tomorrow, have not yet taken, and am greatly looking forward to). They pull the car into one of those backyard tent things and talk to you there. I had kind of expected something similar to all the pictures I've seen where it's delivered in a room with nice lighting for pictures and testing. I don't know where those were, but this doesn't happen if you take factory delivery. Instead of Apple-like delivery, you get a backyard bar-b-q. I really wanted a shot with the big red Tesla wall in the background. Oh well.
• The employee giving my orientation was not terribly knowledgeable. I did lots of research so I knew most of the stuff, but of the few questions I asked, I later found out the answers I received were wrong.
• Behavior of the door locks is borked when charging. If the car's plugged in, it doesn't recognize me as I walk up, and pushing on the door handles does nothing. I have to manually unlock with the key. Only happens when charging, no idea why. Is this normal? I don't know.
• Today I walked away and it didn't lock automatically. I looked out the window (I'm really far away, maybe 100 yards or so) and the angle was just right so I could tell the handles had not retracted. Checked the app and it was still unlocked. Fortunately was able to lock via the app. Had otherwise been locking flawlessly all weekend. Not sure if I can trust it, now.
• Slacker is cool, but the quality leaves something to be desired. Nice in a pinch, but I'm not sure I can use it as a primary source.
• As of 5.8, the better quality TuneIn channels are limited to WiFi. Annoying. That's one of the things I verified when I ordered in September.
• I'm kind of tall (6'2"). I also like vertical steering wheels. If you're tall and want a vertical steering wheel, you can't see the dash. The seat doesn't lower enough. Unfortunately, I have to tilt the wheel back to see the dash. This has never been a problem before, and my last car didn't even have seat height adjustment! Very unusual.

I'll probably have some more impressions in a few days. Have another road trip scheduled for this weekend. Thanks to the guys here (http://www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/24221-Scenic-drives-near-Fremont) I took a nice drive right after delivery, which was fun.

Amusing occurance: They wanted me to accept delivery of the car from the touchscreen. Cool! ... except the website didn't work. It would go anywhere but teslamotors.com. He had to run me through the reboot process, which didn't work. Eventually it just started working again. Will have to keep an eye on it, but I'm blaming it on the website for now.

I'm also still getting used to the size. I hurt it today, scratching the lower black part of the bumper a bit on something sticking up in front of a curb I didn't notice. :crying: Pretty minor, I doubt anyone would ever notice, but I'll know it's there. I wonder how much that piece is to replace? Looks expensive.


View attachment 36455

 

[Gizmotoy]

Are you on the tour tomorrow the 26th?
So am I, at 15:00. What time are you at?

Same. 11/26, 3pm. See you there, then!

 

[staze]

Congrats Gizmotoy, she's a beauty!

 

[lloyds]

Grats on taking delivery! My 2nd MS is due towards the end of Dec, so I'm just as excited as I was for our first one!

 

[Gizmotoy]

Nav bugged out pretty bad last night. On my way home from work the map tiles didn't populate. I was just an arrow floating along Google's beige checkerboard of nothingness. I rebooted and it placed me on the map in the middle of nowhere. Rebooted again, and it came up in the right spot. Also had the "I refuse to acknowledge you when charging" issue again. Time to talk to ownership, I suppose. I was hoping it would just fix itself.

Also, lots of condensation in the rear reverse light. "That will go away." It hasn't. Still there 2 days later.

On the plus side, I get 267 miles on a range charge and 235 on normal, so the battery's good.

 

[Beckler]

Is that your picture on the first post? Most excellent picture! If you post a bigger version, I'd say it's desktop-worthy. My color choice would be between that one and white. Maybe I'll get the red S and white E. In my daydreams that is.

 

[Gizmotoy]

Is that your picture on the first post? Most excellent picture! If you post a bigger version, I'd say it's desktop-worthy. My color choice would be between that one and white. Maybe I'll get the red S and white E. In my daydreams that is.

It is, thanks! It was taken in the employee lot at the Tesla factory in Fremont, CA. If anyone wants to replicate it, just visit on a weekend as the sun is setting. The lot is packed when the factory is in full swing, so it has to be a weekend.

If you (or anyone else) wants a bigger version PM me your email address and I'll send you a copy.

 

[Caboom]

I picked up my P85 on Wednesday and i saw the tent outside with about 6 - 8 vehicles. I actually received mine inside the service center with the great lighting Tesla on the wall...chairs and a table.

The experience was what i expected, seamless, although i had the same issue with the website to receive delivery from the actual screen of the car...we just went on with the overview and then went back to the web and then it worked and i received car from website.

I can say that the only issue i have with the car after driving it back to LA from the Factory.

The seats could be a bit more form fitting i did feel like i was slipping around in the seat and i wish there was more support for the back.

Ok for the awesomeness of the car. i had my 8 year old nephew car freak in the back seat and he clocked 0 -60 in 4.8 secs and it was incredible. The car actually jumps.

I don't recommend this but i did get the car up to 115 on the 5 going south...no it wasn't fun and i totally don't recommend speeding. <grin>

The car handles superior to the Jag XJL that i had for the past 3 years and i have no regrets going all electric. It could have a few more luxury appointments but i am also into the minimalist vibe of the vehicle.

I took the tour the same time i picked up the car and i have to say the Nat Geo video gives you a much better perspective of the factory. The guy giving the tour wasn't even on the job for 6 months and he didn't have any details other than i'm sure what he learned from a basic script of what to say.

I did learn that the seats are mfd by an Australian co. that has set up shop in the actual Tesla factory to save on shipping and logistics costs... I asked if there were other sub contracting mfrs that were doing the same thing and the guide couldn't answer.

I had about 140 miles when i left San Jose this am. I stopped in Gilroy for 15 minutes and bumped the range up to 200 miles and made it to Harris Ranch with 40 miles. We had lunch and it was charging at 4 miles a minute. We had lunch and when we left we had 280 miles. Made it to Tejon Ranch with about 100mile range - stopped for a bio break, the kids got Yogurtland and i finally let the wife drive for the first time. We started the trip again after about 15 minutes with 168 mile range. I made it home to Beverly Hills with 70 miles left. I averaged over 80mph the majority of the trip.

All in All my first 36 hours have been fun and i put on 350 miles and they flew by.

Very satisfied with my first impression.

PS. The drivers side door needs to be adjusted the other doors close normally but the drivers side needs to be adjusted it doesn't close unless you really pull hard.

P85/Blue/Gray/Tech/Air/Parking/19" Wheels/Red brake cals
Oct 14th order date Nov 27th delivery