Model S user's perspective on Model 3 screen

[wayner]

I have now had my Tesla Model S for 2.5 years. In that time it is not uncommon for me to have to reboot the main centre screen of the car. The good thing is that rebooting that screen does not render the car undriveable - the main instrument cluster is still working and you can reboot the centre screen driving down the highway.

Now consider the Model 3 that doesn't have a separate instrument cluster, just the centre screen. What happens when you need to reboot this screen to fix an issue with LTE connectivity, or issues with the media player, or maps not updating or...

I sure hope Tesla provided a way to reset some of the infotainment, etc functionality.

 

[sandpiper]

Rebooting driver console in the S doesn't render the car undriveable. I don't know why it would be any different in the 3.

Okay, you don't know your speed for a few seconds, but that's no big deal.

 

[rpo]

When I got my first S, both screens liked to reboot while driving on their own during the first month I had it. Besides not knowing my speed and the A/C shutting off, it was no big deal.

 

[wayner]

Yeah - you may be right. I have not had to reboot the dash screen while driving so I wasn't sure if this created other issues or not.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Tesla's official recommendation is to always pull over and to have your foot on the brake whenever rebooting the screen. You should not do it while driving. Even though many do, it's probably wiser to pull over safely.

 

[scottm]

Other computers (drive control) in the car are responsible for the mission critical tasks of operating the vehicle on the road.. You can't reboot these systems from the driver's seat ... so no fear of "loss of control" or "loss of responsiveness" ... the car will drive. Even signal lamps will blink for signaling - when there are no dash indicators or sounds inside the car to tell you.

Vehicle speed is not the most important thing to display to people while driving. The airbag status indicator was mandated as always on display while driving.

The airbag display in my Subaru is not part of any other console, it's standalone, and is being monitored as a closed-loop so the airbag systems knows if the correct status appears on this display. If it's not, the car will throw an airbag service code.

If Tesla can't show the airbag status while driving, that may be where they're crossing the line of law. There was a time (version) ago with model S software.. when rebooting the center console caused the airbag status indicator to "migrate" to the instrument cluster while the stack rebooted. When the stack came back up, the airbag indicator migrated back to the center console. That tells you it's an important thing to always show. Haven't checked lately if it does this anymore, if it doesn't maybe the law changed.. or maybe software developers are "forgetting" certain regulations.. or deem the screen real estate more important for other things now... little car icons.

 

[four-walling]

Rebooting driver console in the S doesn't render the car undriveable. I don't know why it would be any different in the 3.

Okay, you don't know your speed for a few seconds, but that's no big deal.

When the officer asks, "do you know how fast you were going?", you can honestly answer.

 

[scottm]

My model S doesn't constantly show airbag status anywhere anymore. Hm..
Not instrument cluster, not center stack.

It was some (maybe all) variants of version 6.2 where I noticed the airbag symbol always being displayed on center stack, and migrated to instrument cluster when rebooting stack...

Laws must have changed, or maybe software is now homologated to countries where it matters and those that don't. Canada must be in a "doesn't matter" place about showing airbags.

 

[milleron]

Actually, I bought my Model S specifically because of the Model 3 screen. I disliked having all info on a center-stack screen so much that I let my Model 3 reservation go. Now that the 3 is out, and now that there are good hd videos of the dash, I still have no regrets. I hope for Tesla's sake that it doesn't affect sales, but I suspect that most who say that they're "perfectly ok" with this single screen are simply indulging in sour-grapes rationalization. I, personally, think it's ridiculous, but I'll also admit that mine is probably not the majority opinion.

 

[AmpedRealtor]

Actually, I bought my Model S specifically because of the Model 3 screen. I disliked having all info on a center-stack screen so much that I let my Model 3 reservation go. Now that the 3 is out, and now that there are good hd videos of the dash, I still have no regrets. I hope for Tesla's sake that it doesn't affect sales, but I suspect that most who say that they're "perfectly ok" with this single screen are simply indulging in sour-grapes rationalization. I, personally, think it's ridiculous, but I'll also admit that mine is probably not the majority opinion.

I'm with you on this. I think one center screen and no instrument cluster is crazy. I buy cars that I enjoy driving, and that includes the enjoyment of having driver-oriented screens and controls. I don't see how I'm going to enjoy driving when none of the controls in the vehicle are centered around the driver. Model 3 is a socialist-mobile! lol j/k

 

[bob_p]

A number of lower priced cars have shifted to having the "dashboard" in the middle. Tesla has a better solution, by putting this onto a widescreen touch screen, providing much more than the standard dashboard data.

Though we will need to do a Model 3 test drive to verify it will be acceptable (before we finalize our order).

 

[Seawind300]

The lack of driver display is the sole reason I bought a Model S. I watched the 3 launch about a year ago and started looking for the right S for me. Can't bring my self to the single screen..... does it not have a HUD for the speed?

Mike

 

[rxlawdude]

I think there are still unknowns, given the rather skimpy information from existing M3 owners. We may see some additional things not immediately apparent: for one, does the M3 premium package include XM radio. We know for sure it does not, but the same can't be said for this.

At the Tesla Owner's social today in Dana Point, I was talking with a Tesla employee about the M3. She got her configuration email but was putting it off because she has a leased car through next year. Estimated delivery on her configuration was October, so I'm expecting the first wave of regular owners' invites will be happening soon.

 

[bob_p]

They may have fixed the browser in the M3. The console display doesn't appear to have a browser icon - so if they don't offer it on the console - customers can't complain how bad the browser is...

 

[Snowstorm]

They may have fixed the browser in the M3. The console display doesn't appear to have a browser icon - so if they don't offer it on the console - customers can't complain how bad the browser is...

Browser is useful not for web browsing, but as a gateway to arbitrary content that can be rendered as a web page. Tesla will never make all the functions and widgets everyone want in the car, but a browser allows someone else to do it and show up on the big screen as a web page. It is useful.