Mundane stuff Teslas do well

[Mullermn]

It’s pretty clear that people get very irritated when ‘boring features’ that all cars have are done badly (wipers, auto lights, for two examples), but I thought it would be interesting to get a list of the boring stuff Teslas do really well. [This is obviously going to vary per person and is intended as a lightweight chat topic and not the start of any holy wars.]

My starters would be:
- Climate. Both ventilation and heated seats are two things I’d expect to be constantly tweaking in most cars but I never touch in the Y. It just keeps me comfortable.
- Navigation. Route finding has never upset me yet, and the UI and general usability is really good compared to most cars’ clunky satnavs.
- Driver profile management. I love how comprehensive this is, there’s very little to be manually reset when changing driver. The biggest issue is remembering to go to every profile and independently repeat config changes for those of us who are the admin nerd looking after other drivers.
- Auto signal cancel (the new feature). This is something I never realised I wanted but it’s an awesome ease of driving improvement.
- Phone as a key. I know some people have trouble with this but it’s been flawless for me and really makes life with the car simple.

Anyone got anything to add?

 

[boombap]

I agree with all of those (Except auto indicators which don't turn off on exiting roundabouts etc. for me)

The thing for me with Tesla that made me love the cars and recently bought a second, is that I just get in and drive and rarely need to tweak things at all. Turn on climate from app before I get in the car, get in warm car, drive, get out of car walk away.

The fact I can use the browser to pull up a page with live traffic cameras when I’m stuck to help me escape the jams is probably the other big win “feature” for me being in London.

I tend to find the things that others lose their minds over, like auto heated seats replacing the button, are the ones I appreciate the most. Some people want control, I just want to drive.

 

[M3P_2022]

It’s pretty clear that people get very irritated when ‘boring features’ that all cars have are done badly (wipers, auto lights, for two examples), but I thought it would be interesting to get a list of the boring stuff Teslas do really well. [This is obviously going to vary per person and is intended as a lightweight chat topic and not the start of any holy wars.]

My starters would be:
- Climate. Both ventilation and heated seats are two things I’d expect to be constantly tweaking in most cars but I never touch in the Y. It just keeps me comfortable.
- Navigation. Route finding has never upset me yet, and the UI and general usability is really good compared to most cars’ clunky satnavs.
- Driver profile management. I love how comprehensive this is, there’s very little to be manually reset when changing driver. The biggest issue is remembering to go to every profile and independently repeat config changes for those of us who are the admin nerd looking after other drivers.
- Auto signal cancel (the new feature). This is something I never realised I wanted but it’s an awesome ease of driving improvement.
- Phone as a key. I know some people have trouble with this but it’s been flawless for me and really makes life with the car simple.

Anyone got anything to add?

Agree with your points plus:

- Defrost (Been one of the best features in the recent cold snap)
- The unlock and drive car user experience (lost count of the times I have forgotten to press the start button on the other car)
- The phone app in general, it works and is useful unlike a certain German brands app
- OTA Updates (until one forces the removal of my USS)
- Having everything on one central screen, not to everyone’s taste but works for me, the naysayers will complain about having to drill through menus but I can honestly say that once I had the car setup I have rarely had to dig through menus to change, mirrors, steering wheel and others components that people seem to moan about

 

[Zilla91]

Drive. It drives really well and that’s why I (mostly) forgive all its other issues.

 

[Adopado]

Traction control. In all other cars I generally found traction control to be intrusive and at times a pain in the backside. The traction control on my RWD (SR+) Model 3 is spookily good!

 

[QuanTim]

We did our first drive to Europe today. “Boring” things that stood out:

As Zilla mentioned, it drives incredibly well. The firm suspension is made for those smooth long highways (not so much London potholes but that’s another story).

Autopilot. Not sure if considered boring but holy sheit it makes driving long distances a breeze. My next wish may be EAP but I do have a software update pending this evening which I’m hoping gives a free 30 day trial? Because I do think auto lane changes would make it even more dreamy.

Sound system. Goes without saying that it’s epic. I loaded up 10 gigs of music onto a usb stick just in case Spotify didn’t work in Europe (it does flawlessly). But made me realise the ux integrating of using usb drive is actually really good! Also being able to play FLAC files makes a difference to sound quality. I guess I should say that Spotify UX is great (honestly, who the hell says it’s bad? I don’t use Apple Music but I’m sure thats good too for those that use. Also seeing all the station logos is a nice new touch to have).

Navigation. East to read. Easy to enter destinations. Easy to add stops including charging stops. Don’t use it much around London but it’s so good on long road trips!

Charging. After 3 months, today was my first experience using a supercharger! Literally turn up, plug in then it’s fast charging in seconds. I did use a dud charger at the start though which I would’ve known if I had seen that it says on the screen which chargers are not in use - such a noob mistake. Preheating was epic though! In the wet and cold there was actual steam coming from under the car, felt pretty cool seeing it!

Auto indicators. I’ve said this before. Such a great feature. And actually, when you know you’re coming up to a roundabout, just keep your hand there to cancel and indicate in the opposite direction when needed. Otherwise, 99% of the time only ever having to do a soft press and it turns off itself is a dream.

Apple car play does Siri integration the best (obviously) but being able to pick up the phone, summon Siri then get the answers through the speakers is a nice to have.

Games. Sitting in the Eurotunnel and playing games for 35 mins straight was a nice way to spend the time. Also being able to bring and use my Xbox controller.

Space. It’s only me and my partner but we intentionally tried to cram as much into the car as we could. Sooooo much spare room it’s crazy. Everywhere in the car is basically a storage space.

Some more boring stuff:
Voice commands.
Changing from drive to reverse without stopping.
Cameras.
Sentry mode.
Viewing cameras on app.
Controlling things on app.
Climate keep, etc.
Heated seating.
Heated steering wheel.

There’s probably more. And I probably sound like a massive fan boy but having all these features and conveniences in one well packaged machine is quite a blessing to be honest. Actually amazed with the amount of “boring” stuff it can do well.

For “balance and fairness”, one thing that didn’t work well were the auto wipers. At times it would pass a lorry which would make it almost impossible to view anything whilst driving past. Only as we fully passed the lorry (and the mist cleared) would it then turn the wipers to the speed it needed to). I would say that it’s delayed by about a good 10 seconds either side of the need. So it turns to 3 when it was needed 10 seconds earlier. And it turns to lower speed when it should’ve done so 10 seconds earlier. This meant a lot more anticipating was needed that I should’ve.

 

[GRiLLA]

Lots to agree with above, my personal top 5

- Navigation and integration with charging networks. From what I've seen of other cars no one is even remotely close and Tesla is simply .
- The app works so well, and keeps getting better e.g. schedule charges, remote cameras etc
- Voice recognition works ridiculously well for selecting music
- Hold mode gives such a simple and smooth driving experience
- The first 20m after any traffic light

I would note that 3 out of 5 are new capabilities that didn't exist when I first bought a Model 3.

 

[DaveNN]

1) winding up corsa drivers, with the bean can sellotaped to the exhaust.
2) winding up the poverty spec 3 series drivers, with all the badges removed.
3) winding up the poverty spec 3 series drivers, with the Ebay M badges all over the shop.
4) winding up all Audi drivers
5) winding up all those queued up around the block, waiting their turn at the forecourt pumps.

 

[Dilly]

Certainly just get in and drive and get out and walk away is great.
pre heat and pre cool from the app is good too.

 

[dachshund]

One-pedal driving
The sound system is fantastic!
Being able to turn on climate remotely
I like the sound it makes accelerating
Visualization of nearby traffic
Visibility - so much glass

 

[yessuz]

It’s pretty clear that people get very irritated when ‘boring features’ that all cars have are done badly (wipers, auto lights, for two examples), but I thought it would be interesting to get a list of the boring stuff Teslas do really well. [This is obviously going to vary per person and is intended as a lightweight chat topic and not the start of any holy wars.]

My starters would be:
- Climate. Both ventilation and heated seats are two things I’d expect to be constantly tweaking in most cars but I never touch in the Y. It just keeps me comfortable.
- Navigation. Route finding has never upset me yet, and the UI and general usability is really good compared to most cars’ clunky satnavs.
- Driver profile management. I love how comprehensive this is, there’s very little to be manually reset when changing driver. The biggest issue is remembering to go to every profile and independently repeat config changes for those of us who are the admin nerd looking after other drivers.
- Auto signal cancel (the new feature). This is something I never realised I wanted but it’s an awesome ease of driving improvement.
- Phone as a key. I know some people have trouble with this but it’s been flawless for me and really makes life with the car simple.

Anyone got anything to add?

Navigation annoys me that I cannot change and keep the zoom level I want! It also annoys me that I cannot have it in the perspective like all other navigations do - flying behind car. Route finding is OK sometimes, sometimes it takes weird roads...

 

[MashinBenzin]

Things it does well -
once you’re in, just drive.
Speed of infotainment/lack of lag
Pre-heating
Interior Space and luggage space excellent for a smallish car

Things that disappoint:
Not always unlocking, meaning a sudden need to fish phone from the pocket and use unlock on the app.
The sound system, very overhyped.
Autopilot being inferior to other manufacturers’ systems

Some of these negatives for me may be positives for others if they’re a step up from your previous car

 

[candida]

1) winding up corsa drivers, with the bean can sellotaped to the exhaust.
2) winding up the poverty spec 3 series drivers, with all the badges removed.
3) winding up the poverty spec 3 series drivers, with the Ebay M badges all over the shop.
4) winding up all Audi drivers
5) winding up all those queued up around the block, waiting their turn at the forecourt pumps.

Plus, memorably, winding up a Ferrari 488 as I joined a motorway.

Also it’s roomy.

As this is a positive thread I’ll simply say my perception of the usefulness of the nav in particular is different from many others who have posted.

 

[WannabeOwner]

The traction control on my RWD (SR+) Model 3 is spookily good!

The P models are outstanding. My personal experience is that cooking-version Model-S (a number of loaners over the year) scrabble under load (my MY is like that too, but the M3 wasn't and I hear the MN3P is outstanding). Never had that with MSP - even a 90-degree-first-exit-left off a roundabout, in the wet. Just floor it. Wouldn't fancy that in an ICE with a laggy turbo!

winding up corsa drivers, with the bean can sellotaped to the exhaust.

Hehehe ... had one of the very first M3 in the country (ordered an unpopular colour from the distribution centre that was shifting the most cars ...)

Up the A1 approaching the Hatfield Galleria Tunnel (and tootling along at speed limit) a Scoobie pulled up alongside. Bright blue with yellow wheels and 4 lads inside; they of all people would have known what the car was. Got into the tunnel and they let rip with wastegate Bang-Crash and flames out of the exhaust, whilst we continued serenely alongside! Couldn't have asked for a better chance experience on our first outing

Not always unlocking, meaning a sudden need to fish phone from the pocket and use unlock on the app.

I have never had that. Just mention it in case it is something that can be solved? I've read of some makes of phone not unlocking the door if in back-pocket, and others that leave the car still unlocked when already half way across the car park. So might be down to phone model, or perhaps some config can be done to improve that?

 

[DaveNN]

The P models are outstanding. My personal experience is that cooking-version Model-S (a number of loaners over the year) scrabble under load (my MY is like that too, but the M3 wasn't and I hear the MN3P is outstanding). Never had that with MSP - even a 90-degree-first-exit-left off a roundabout, in the wet. Just floor it. Wouldn't fancy that in an ICE with a laggy turbo!



Hehehe ... had one of the very first M3 in the country (ordered an unpopular colour from the distribution centre that was shifting the most cars ...)

Up the A1 approaching the Hatfield Galleria Tunnel (and tootling along at speed limit) a Scoobie pulled up alongside. Bright blue with yellow wheels and 4 lads inside; they of all people would have known what the car was. Got into the tunnel and they let rip with wastegate Bang-Crash and flames out of the exhaust, whilst we continued serenely alongside! Couldn't have asked for a better chance experience on our first outing



I have never had that. Just mention it in case it is something that can be solved? I've read of some makes of phone not unlocking the door if in back-pocket, and others that leave the car still unlocked when already half way across the car park. So might be down to phone model, or perhaps some config can be done to improve that?

My abarth 595 created much mirth and merriment.
It's 0 -60 was not a lot under 7secs but the amount of sheer abuse I got off kiddiewinkles for having the temerity to not slow down, so I could be overtaken , was hilarious.

 

[GeorgeSymonds]

Drive train is great, but not ride comfort anymore. The MY is pretty bad compared to our other car.
While drive train is probably an EV thing, the performance/efficiency mix does seem really good with Tesla.
Supercharging simplicity
Preheat from the app
Servicing simplicity, although after nearly 7 years of ownership I'm still a little uncomfortable with the idea nothing is needed so I got our old MS checked every couple of years and will do with the MY if we still have it then.

The auto cancelling indicators thing I think they've made a mistake by overriding the soft touch 3 flash option. It now doesn't always cancel which is annoying when it could just have cancelled after 3 flashes regardless. As a result I've now disabled it. If it had only been auto cancel on the hard indicate it would have been much better for me

I think there's a fair bit of stuff thats now fairly common on other cars, certainly once you get to the 50k price point. We've had auto hold on our ICE since 2012, voice control seems to be marmite amongst people, our BMW one I'd say is easily as good and why do we need to press a button and not just say "Hey Tessie.."?

 

[DaveNN]

Plus, memorably, winding up a Ferrari 488 as I joined a motorway.

Also it’s roomy.

As this is a positive thread I’ll simply say my perception of the usefulness of the nav in particular is different from many others who have posted.

Yes..leaving a supposed sports car for dead is fun.
However, such drivers may not be that really bothered about racing...whereas Wayne in his Corsa ( gel reg plate, booster seat on the back seat...possibly for his girlfriend), is another matter.

 

[Mullermn]

Drive train is great, but not ride comfort anymore. The MY is pretty bad compared to our other car.
While drive train is probably an EV thing, the performance/efficiency mix does seem really good with Tesla.
Supercharging simplicity
Preheat from the app
Servicing simplicity, although after nearly 7 years of ownership I'm still a little uncomfortable with the idea nothing is needed so I got our old MS checked every couple of years and will do with the MY if we still have it then.

The auto cancelling indicators thing I think they've made a mistake by overriding the soft touch 3 flash option. It now doesn't always cancel which is annoying when it could just have cancelled after 3 flashes regardless. As a result I've now disabled it. If it had only been auto cancel on the hard indicate it would have been much better for me

I think there's a fair bit of stuff thats now fairly common on other cars, certainly once you get to the 50k price point. We've had auto hold on our ICE since 2012, voice control seems to be marmite amongst people, our BMW one I'd say is easily as good and why do we need to press a button and not just say "Hey Tessie.."?

I don’t want to undermine the positive tone of my own thread, but I will say there’s a good reason the voice control did not make my list.. ‘Turn on voice guidance’ = ‘Route cancelled’ being a highlight from the other day.

 

[Dilly]

Sitting next to a Corsa with full body kit, full of lads in back to front baseball caps, head banging to sound of too loud cRap music, at traffic lights is a particular joy.
It’s the thrill of hearing their large bore exhaust growling profusely as they edge forwards slipping the clutch at 9000rpm waiting for Amber only to become a distant image in my mirror. …and I only have an 3LR

 

[DaveNN]

Sitting next to a Corsa with full body kit, full of lads in back to front baseball caps, head banging to sound of too loud cRap music, at traffic lights is a particular joy.
It’s the thrill of hearing their large bore exhaust growling profusely as they edge forwards slipping the clutch at 9000rpm waiting for Amber only to become a distant image in my mirror. …and I only have an 3LR

Hope you do give them a lovely four finger waggly wave in the rear view mirror ....they love that.