I’m in the position that I get to choose between the two. I really like the looks and obviously the performance potential of the S Plaid. But I’ve read about some concerning quality issues, such as recurring half shaft vibrations, the yolk steering, paying for hardware upgrades to realize performance potential, software bugs, etc. I like the Y because it’s easy to get in and out of, great storage capacity, and obviously about half the price of the S. I am also seeing less and less complaints about quality issues with the Y. Sure, a few have complained about things that need to be fixed when new, but Tesla seems to be handling most of them without much fuss.
My wife won’t help me decide. She gets a Model Y LR. Can anyone here offer any additional insight?
I mean the most important question is money. I would imagine if the MYP and MS Plaid were the exact same price many of us would have the Plaid. It is the quickest/fastest production vehicle ever made. You will simply not pull up beside another car that is capable of out accelerating it.
So if you are truly in a position where a $70K price difference doesn't matter. The simple answer is to get the Plaid.
The more price matters, the more MYP or even the regular MSLR becomes a much better answer. Because the reality is outside of a dragstrip there is practically no place where you can ever use the full acceleration of the Plaid on a public street or highway without the very real risk of a horrible accident or felony level reckless driving charges. IMO the only sane reason to get the Plaid is.. 1) you actually hit the dragstrip.. or 2) honestly to tell other people you now own what is the fastest production vehicle ever made. Because if its actually uses that much power on a regular street, it seems practically impossible. It's just not possible to use the full 1100hp power on any given street, road, etc. Furthermore IMO the only reason the Plaid even exists.. is because Porsche's Taycan Turbo S was able to immediately take away the crown from the P100D Ludicrous and it hurt Elon personally.
If you are talking about actually being able to use as much power as realistically possible on a given street, road, etc.. then both the MYP and MSLR will still completely over-deliver on all expectations. At 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, the MYP is probably faster than 99.99% of all vehicles ever sold. At 0-60 in 3.0 seconds.. the MSLR is probably faster than 99.999% of all vehicles ever sold. Either one is still so incredibly fast (quick) that I cannot imagine you being disappointed at all with the actual performance.
As for which vehicle will be easier to get in, get out, load cargo, storage capacity, hauling, and all-out utility. The Y is going to be the easy answer there. For the same reason, SUVs & Pickup trucks have grossly outsold sedans in America.. It's hard to bet the crossover style SUV form factor for actual utility in everyday driving.
That said as other people pointed out.. the MSLR will be a much more luxurious experience. The ventilated seats, dual-screen, adjustable suspension, less cabin noise, better sound system, radar are going to make the MSLR significantly more pleasant to daily drive. The MYP is a very stiff and unrefined suspension. It will literally jar your teeth over some bumps and potholes.
TL: DR.. skip the Plaid completely.
Get the Model Y Performance if you care more about utility & hauling.
Get the Model S Long Range if you care more about luxury and refinement.