Model Y, no blind spot warning?

[LasVegas2019]

People keep talking about the quality of materials in the cabin of the MY. I must have got a different interior than everyone else because mine is just ok. (Black). The seat leatherette is ok but not amazing. The gloss black finish on the console is a nightmare. Already showing many fine scratches after only two month. It will be an eyesore after 6 months and I am thinking about a solution such as an aftermarket applique. The carpet is Kia quality which is fine and the wood and aluminum is good. Some things I would expect on a $70k car that the MY is missing are cooled seats, better bluetooth connectivity and a more robust voice command system, Apple play, ability to change color of ambient light, a better blind spot system and XM radio. But I love my Y anyway in spite of its flaws.

 

[KRG21]

Audi A3, A4 and Mazda will match and beat Tesla on quality of materials and build quality easily.

Ok and those cars go 0-60 in 3.5 seconds too? Does ANY other vehicle offer that performance for $60k? People that buy these super-performance cars and expect luxury car finish out baffle me. My Current car cost $70k and has all the trimmings you could ever want. The trade off is I have a slow, generic 2.0T engine. A high performance EV and a ubiquitous 2.0L are not “comparably equipped”

Everyone complaining about a lack of luxury features that throws out comparisons completely ignoring performance definitely bought the wrong car.

I will agree that the lack of audible chime is a disappointment, but when I test drove, I was able to train myself to quickly glance at the screen before changing lanes. That clearly shows if there is a car in a blind spot.

 

[KRG21]

Any Honda or Toyota?

Any Honda or Toyota does 0-60 in 3.5 seconds for $35k? How about even for $60k?

Life is full of compromises. We must learn to make them. With Tesla, that compromise is features/finish out.

I’m not sure what it is with new Tesla owners. Maybe most come from lesser cars and expect the world at this price point. For myself...In switching to the Y, I’m getting into a vehicle that is $10k cheaper and significantly faster than what I have now. Oh, and also electric. Of course I expect there to be compromises.

 

[KRG21]

0-60 is totally irrelevant for 95% of the people. I am willing to bet that 95% of people might push it 2-3 times during total of their car ownership. Its irrelevant.

What is relevant is build quality, paint quality, noise in the cabin, baffling like on my Y, blind spot warning and other safety features.

That’s totally fine. I’m not here to tell anybody what should and should not be important to them. I’m just telling you if you value features and finish over performance you chose the wrong vehicle.

I’m willing to make excuses and overlook things because I decided I want a fast electric suv for $60k and I literally have no other options in the market. If I do, please let me know.

Im not relying on any blind spot warning system. It’s supplemental. I still look over my shoulder in all my cars. As a supplement, the 3D rendering seems acceptable...for me anyway. The car is semi-autonomous currently and has the tech to drive itself in the future. I’m fairly confident it’s probably better at accident avoidance than a Toyota with a sensor and a chime, even if it’s not as blatant.

 

[DDrawer]

I think KRG21's point was from the perspective of a performance vehicle. Like if you were to buy a GTR and then say, what is this super basic POS infotainment system in here, this car sucks. His point was that you are buying a performance car for less than it would cost to get the same performance from an ICE vehicle. That is one of the biggest perks and reasons I am going with Tesla honestly. BUT most buyers don't care about that at all, and maybe Tesla just hasn't made the slow boat luxury vehicle for those buyers just yet. Until then performance people and luxury people are all buying the same car from Tesla, and both sides expect the tops.

The confusion here could be that we are not use to the pricing of good EV drive trains (myself included). Like I said, I don't know the true values here, but what if it is something like this?

Cost of a $70k ICE vehicle = $30k for all the mechanical bits (engine, suspension, trans, etc) + $40k left over for luxury aspects.
Cost of a $70k EV = $50k for motors, batteries, converters, suspension, etc + $20k left over for luxury aspects.

Obviously those numbers might be extreme, but I don't think it is too far fetched to believe that the newer technology of the top notch electic propulsion system Tesla is offering might be more expensive to produce than the tried and true ICE versions of the past. And if that is the case, that is exactly why we would see lesser materials or creature comforts inside.

Doesn't account for bad assembly though, that certainly needs to be worked on.

 

[Iain]

The system works perfectly. It’s just a slightly different process. Turn your indicator on and look at your screen before your side mirror. You get a fantastic overview of what’s going on. If you attempt to turn into a car because you didn’t look, the car will make noise and turn away from the danger. It takes a few weeks of changing your old habit and you have a much better system.

 

[FreshPrince]

Tesla consistently gets highest marks for accident prevention systems as tested by government safety organizations in EU, USA and other countries. If I had to guess, blind spot detection as it's done by other carmakers, does not significantly contribute to accident prevention. EDIT: personally I would like for the red line to be bolder, but that actually applies to many other visual cues of Tesla interface.

 

[KRG21]

Yup. I’m not excusing bad build build quality and I’ll have them fix whatever is wrong with mine. The simplification and elimination of luxury I’m ok with though. I’ll miss cooled seats. But no longer a priority. I’ve always valued fun to drive over luxury, which explains why my current luxury vehicle is one of my least favorite I’ve owned.

 

[pt19713]

For me, the lack of a blind spot monitor (well, the kind people are accustomed to) doesn't bug me. It's not difficult to turn your head left/right actually look in the blind spot. I'd rather rely on my own perception instead of electronic devices to tell me if it's clear to merge.

Tesla still has it, it's just on the LCD instead of the side mirrors like everyone is used to having.

 

[MY-Y]

I put blind spot mirrors on my cars. I don't tend to notice a little light in the mirror, but do notice cars in a blind spot mirror. My Pacifica will beep if I turn on the signal with someone in my blind spot, but my $80k Ford truck just illuminates the little mirror light.

 

[FredMertz]

Any Honda or Toyota?

Did I miss Toyota & Honda releasing non-hybrid plug-ins?

Tough to call something comparable that doesn't have the single defining feature of a MY.

 

[FredMertz]

Subaru Forester touring models have all these features (aside from FSD) and more (heated steering wheel and blind spot monitors) for 35k.

Hmmm. What is one significant feature that a MY has that a Forester doesn't? Something that would make them not comparably equipped?

 

[KRG21]

Honestly. If people are laser focused on features/fit and finish and not concerned about performance/drivetrain I'm very curious what inspired them to buy a Tesla in the first place. It's absolutely clear that a Lexus or Audi aligns much better with their priorities. The M3 and MY are practical performance EVs, not luxury vehicles.

 

[Stuck4ger]

I've done a lot of SoCal LA driving and feel that checking my blind spot is a catch-22 situation. If I don't check it I will likely hit somebody in that blindspot within a week of driving. But if I do check it then I will probably rear end somebody within the next year because they slammed on their brakes while I was checking the blindspot. In the end I changed my side view mirrors so that they really show the blindspot without turning my head but I have to lean laterally towards them to see the side of my car (the view they taught in Driver's Ed). This works well but I know the Tesla will make me safer. If you don't think it has a blind spot warning then one of us is missing something.

 

[pt19713]

Honestly. If people are laser focused on features/fit and finish and not concerned about performance/drivetrain I'm very curious what inspired them to buy a Tesla in the first place. It's absolutely clear that a Lexus or Audi aligns much better with their priorities. The M3 and MY are practical performance EVs, not luxury vehicles.

Agreed. People that purchase Tesla vehicles are hopefully in the realization that they are going to give up a few of the finer things in life if they decide on a Tesla versus another vehicle in the same price range. I debated this and decided that having a slightly quieter interior, better leather seats, etc was something I'd give up for an electric vehicle. Not having to deal with oil changes and other fluid changes for the life of the vehicle was a big bonus. Also having an extra 3 MW/yr of electricity from my Tesla solar panels was another factor in my decision. All that wasted energy going back to the grid and my utility company is getting the most of the excess electricity I'm generating.

 

[tonyb99]

I've done a lot of SoCal LA driving and feel that checking my blind spot is a catch-22 situation. If I don't check it I will likely hit somebody in that blindspot within a week of driving. But if I do check it then I will probably rear end somebody within the next year because they slammed on their brakes while I was checking the blindspot. In the end I changed my side view mirrors so that they really show the blindspot without turning my head but I have to lean laterally towards them to see the side of my car (the view they taught in Driver's Ed). This works well but I know the Tesla will make me safer. If you don't think it has a blind spot warning then one of us is missing something.

They taught you wrong in Driver's Ed! Sit normally in the driver's seat. Adjust the side mirrors so that they start to show back and to the side where the rear view mirror leaves off.

 

[DDrawer]

They taught you wrong in Driver's Ed! Sit normally in the driver's seat. Adjust the side mirrors so that they start to show back and to the side where the rear view mirror leaves off.

I think you guys are saying the same thing. The side mirrors should show almost none of your car when you look at them from your driving position. If you see anymore than a tiny sliver of your car, they can go further out. Many people have side mirrors set too close in and they end up doing a lot of the same job as the rear view mirror.

 

[DBV1]

Agree on this. Wish they would add blind spot and also overhead cam view.

 

[Jtrader]

My 2017 Model S has it. Works great. Maybe they removed it from newer versions?

 

[Kuro Houou]

It’s a simple upgrade if Tesla decides to do it...

Since it currently turns the cars red in the blind spot when signal is on its fully aware..if thats the case simply add an audio warning along with the the red car warning..

If it had trouble identifiying and turning the cars red that would be a different situation...

Problem is, it doesn't turn red unless you have Autopilot on. If your just driving you get nothing.. I mean the time you really need it is when your just driving normal.. If autopilot is on, I just assume it knows what to do or not do at that point