My 2016 P90D vs 2018 75D loaner.

[pdq]

While my early VIN 2016 P90D Model X is in for repairs to the HVAC box and front half shafts (second time),

2 sets of half shafts have failed in 45,000 miles?

What's that all about? A set should easily go past 100,000, possibly 200,000.

Are other X owners experiencing the same, or is it just your car that's allergic to half shafts?

 

[Dazureus]

It's a known issue I guess. Look at the treads about acceleration shudder. So far, I think there's no known permanent fix.

 

[DannyL26]

While my early VIN 2016 P90D Model X is in for repairs to the HVAC box and front half shafts (second time), Tesla Cleveland thankfully got me a Michigan fleet vehicle as a loaner. For those of you not familiar, Michigan doesn't have it's own service center, so vehicles requiring repairs that can't be handled by the mobile Rangers are shipped via flatbed trailer to the closest Tesla service center. For me that's in Cleveland OH, about 180 miles away. I've received a loaner for the three times I've had to have this done in the past, with the last time a Hertz car rental (RWD Jaguar) which was pretty horrible in the snow. The Cleveland service center has always been prompt with the exchange and excellent with providing timely updates to the process. It's always a pain when something goes wrong, but Cleveland has always been great.
Thankfully this time, they dropped off a 2018 75D Model X with about 1100 miles on the odo. It has a similar configuration to mine, with the winter and tow package. I don't keep abreast of all the latest changes, but this one has AP2. I didn't see navigate on autopilot and I don't know if it's because it hasn't been pushed to the Model X or if it's because this isn't HW 2.5+ or whatever, but I did see the release note for TeslaCam.
Having this loaner affords me the opportunity to compare how far the Model X development has come in the short two years since I purchased mine. I'm the kind of person to keep a vehicle for its full life so it's kind of mind boggling how quickly things have changed.

Exterior
Besides the AP2 cameras, no other changes are super obvious. Build quality is on par with mine, which is excellent. No issues with panel gaps or paint quality. I have the original Catalina white and the loaner is the black multicoat. There are some minor body changes in the mating surface of the Falcon Wing doors. I have some rubbing issues between the door and jamb towards the rear of the vehicle that has cause some paint to wear away. The body panel in the loaner has been reshaped with a flat landing to address this issue. The auto opening doors sound different when opening. There's a less harsh latching sound and the pusher sounds smoother, but this might be due to age differences; newer cars sound more solid. The trunk struts have a mechanical buzzing and pneumatic woosh, which it the same as mine, but I always wondered it the buzz was normal. The spoiler was fixed, which is too bad because I love my moving spoiler. I couldn't find any other exterior differences.

Interior
The front windshield is different. I always wear sunglasses with polarized lenses and it seems like Tesla changed something in the polarizing lamination, as I can see the purple and gold color of other cars front windshield, and some paints look like they have a color shifting effect as I drive by them. The double headlight glare from oncoming vehicles also wasn't apparent but I haven't had much time night driving.
I have the interior premium package on mine, which has Alcantara head and dash liners. The loaner doesn't have it on the dash, but it does have an Alcantara like material on the pilars and headliner so it looks like it's configured with the black premium package. I thought they moved away from Alcantara, so if it's different, it's very close in feel. Compared to my 2016, there's an additional wood panel on the center sliding door that mine doesn't have. The seats are non-perforated leather as the seat cooling option was removed. The falcon wing doors are operated with a push button switch, which is much better than my lever. I've read that I could switch this out.
The seat backs and sides are matte plastic compared to my shiny, which looks nice and probably wears better. The loaner is a 6 seater, compared to my 7, and they're still mounted on monopods. I can see the appeal of the 6 seater since it allows much easier access and legroom to the third row. My kids loved being able to climb back there without hopping over the seats and the rear visibility is much better without a middle headrest getting in the way. The third row seats operated the same as mine and didn't have any obvious differences. The sides of the trunk space was wider, removing the never-used rear shelf support and adding some kind of a plastic vent.

Driveability
Interestingly, the 90% charging level in the 75D was very close to my P90D at 209mi vs 213mi. The 100% charge was about 15 miles less at 220mi vs my 235mi. The 75D was quick, but noticeably slower under hard acceleration without the insane mode. the 75D just didn't have the same punch when accelerating at speed.
Coming from and being very comfortable with AP1, I was excited to try AP2. Also, being a software engineer that works on clusters, I was excited to see the differences in HMI and graphics. AP1 is great and I got what I paid for, but let me tell you, visually, it feels like low tech compared to AP2. First I'll talk about visuals, then go on to performance. IPC graphics are markedly different from AP1 to AP2. The displayed vehicle is smaller to allow for more vehicle display around the car. My AP1 can see about 6 cars in front of it in three lanes (two cars deep, 3 across. In the loaner, I experienced at least 4 cars deep in three lanes, with an impressive visual difference between passenger cars, SUVs, small trucks (box truck), and large tractor trailers. The spatial placement and identification of the surrounding vehicles was still a little buggy, often jumping around or switching types, but the actual detection of a vehicle was accurate and impressive. AP1 just displays the radar lines for blind spots and it's not obvious or attention grabbing. Having a big gray block appear on the IPC is a much better blind spot detection indicator that I wish I had. I'm jealous of the 360 detection and display of the AP2. The jittery display can be fixed in later iterations, but the actual detection appears solid.
From a driving perspective, I was disappointed I couldn't try navigate on AP. The performance of the AP2 with respect to lane placement and steering feels like it's at least on par with AP1. The additional visual provided during automatic lane changes, red lane markings if there's an obstacle, is a welcomed addition. Since this is lacking in my AP1, I sometimes don't know if an auto lane change isn't happening because of a percieved obstacle or some other mysterious reason. AP2 acceleration and deceleration is smooth, but acceleration from a stop is a bit slow (cautious?) I found myself disabling AP2 twice during my commute today because the car wasn't accelerating from a stop, as fast as the traffic in front of me. It's interesting to note the differences in lane detection between AP1 and AP2. In my AP1, lanes are detected and drawn statically. If they're visible and detected, they're shown on the cluster at a static width. I noticed the AP2 is actively drawing the lines, adjusting for lane width. Also, lane detection without line markings was much more prominent in the AP2. My AP1 will sometimes pick up the curb or road edge to use as a line marking, but AP2 did this much more often, like on my long driveway. I mention this because it highlights the power of Tesla's camera heavy approach, compared to Cadillac's super cruise or AP1, providing more flexibility than both.

I questioned if I was going to make this post since there are lots of other comparison accounts already posted, but I wanted to get one point across. Even at 45k miles on my 2016 Model X, it still feels new, years beyond other manufacturers 2018 offerings. In the two years of development and refinement, this 2018 Model X 75D makes my 2016 feel old. It's not just the 2 years of wear and tear, since my car is still in excellent condition. I think the peppiness of the new center stack MCU and the features and functionality of AP2 provide the strongest feeling of improvement and make my 2016 seem just a little lacking. It's been stated that Tesla doesn't really do traditional model year refreshes so it's interesting that while most things are the same, there's enough difference sense like this is a MY18 vehicle and mine is a MY16. It's crazy to think about what Tesla will implement in the next two years.

Thank you for sharing, I also have a 2016 X with AP1 and I'm always contemplating if I should sell my 2016 and buy a 2018 with AP2

 

[Dazureus]

Thank you for sharing, I also have a 2016 X with AP1 and I'm always contemplating if I should sell my 2016 and buy a 2018 with AP2

I'm still in possession of the 2018 5 seater Model X with Navigate on Autopilot and have used it a few times. I think if you have the financial means, it's a solid upgrade. The surround cameras and improved blind spot visualization on the cluster is really nice compared to the earlier AP implementations. AP2 driving w.r.t. similar functionalities in AP1 is the same. Lane placement, stop/starting, all felt the same. Navigate on Autopilot is a slight upgrade that I've found only works on freeways. The cluster has additional lines inside the lanes you're supposed to be in for your desired route. It will propmt you for lane changes into those lanes a mile out. You can initiate lane changes with just a half stalk movement (not locked, three blinker lever flip) but the turn signal and lane change will continue until completed. It will automatically turn on your signal and steer you onto freeway off ramps. It's a small step towards level 4 autonomy.

Outside of the upgraded AP, a later model year car is a pretty solid upgrade. Improved build quality and the noticeably faster center stack MCU make the car feel more polished. The changes to lane assistance and speaker balance during navigation are odd, but not show-stoppers. I love my ventilated seats during the summer. and would definitely miss them. The TeslaCam is nice, but doesn't (yet) support OSD gps location and speed.

 

[Pandamoanium]

I'm still in possession of the 2018 5 seater Model X with Navigate on Autopilot and have used it a few times. I think if you have the financial means, it's a solid upgrade. The surround cameras and improved blind spot visualization on the cluster is really nice compared to the earlier AP implementations. AP2 driving w.r.t. similar functionalities in AP1 is the same. Lane placement, stop/starting, all felt the same. Navigate on Autopilot is a slight upgrade that I've found only works on freeways. The cluster has additional lines inside the lanes you're supposed to be in for your desired route. It will propmt you for lane changes into those lanes a mile out. You can initiate lane changes with just a half stalk movement (not locked, three blinker lever flip) but the turn signal and lane change will continue until completed. It will automatically turn on your signal and steer you onto freeway off ramps. It's a small step towards level 4 autonomy.

Outside of the upgraded AP, a later model year car is a pretty solid upgrade. Improved build quality and the noticeably faster center stack MCU make the car feel more polished. The changes to lane assistance and speaker balance during navigation are odd, but not show-stoppers. I love my ventilated seats during the summer. and would definitely miss them. The TeslaCam is nice, but doesn't (yet) support OSD gps location and speed.

Would be a whole lot easier or tempting if they gave better trade-in offers when going direct. I'm nearing the point where I need to decide on that route or just getting the extended warranty. Just don't feel as though it'll be so amazing it'll blow us away.

 

[Dalesp]

I have the 90D. The amount of usable battery for charge is very similar to the 75D, it's why there were so many owners very upset about the whole thing. The 90 pack is closer in range to the 75 pack than the 100.

A fellow V1 P90D owner that is ridiculously upset about the marked diminished range on the P90D, which Tesla is in total denial about. This is the reason that I'm in active litigation with them about now. I wish more P90D owners would explore this option. Tesla will tell you that your P90D battery is performing as intended and any range issue is related to YOUR driving dynamics and environmental factors. They will not admit that we are shafted with this inferior battery. I have difficulty getting 200 miles on 100% driving like a normal person.

 

[Pandamoanium]

A fellow V1 P90D owner that is ridiculously upset about the marked diminished range on the P90D, which Tesla is in total denial about. This is the reason that I'm in active litigation with them about now. I wish more P90D owners would explore this option. Tesla will tell you that your P90D battery is performing as intended and any range issue is related to YOUR driving dynamics and environmental factors. They will not admit that we are shafted with this inferior battery. I have difficulty getting 200 miles on 100% driving like a normal person.

What was the listed range when you got the vehicle? We haven’t had any terrible degradation, but we have a 90D and not the performance. Admittedly Tesla kind of dropped the ball with this battery pack initially and I’m still a little unhappy about AP2 being offered a week or two right after we ordered. Our range that shows up is around the same, though I haven’t been keeping track of actual miles traveled. I’ve noticed though recently that the power usage is a low higher in general and I think it’s due to all the new updates and such.

 

[errorunknown]

Great comparison between the two. I'm actually planning on picking up a 2016 P90DL Model X this weekend for 67k from a dealer, but have been second guessing myself if I'm selling myself short by focusing on just the "P". This specific model is fully loaded with 34k miles, but is an early build with a 280 VIN.What do you think?

 

[Peteybabes]

Great comparison between the two. I'm actually planning on picking up a 2016 P90DL Model X this weekend for 67k from a dealer, but have been second guessing myself if I'm selling myself short by focusing on just the "P". This specific model is fully loaded with 34k miles, but is an early build with a 280 VIN.What do you think?

just my opinion here... i have a 2016 6600 VIN range P90D and it's been not the most reliable and with the degradation the 90D (85.8 total kWh & 81.8 usable kWh) packs you will really only be getting the acceleration and cooled seats rather than more range of the 75D (75 total kWh 72.4 kWh usable)

also if you have 22's on the P90D forget it for range (most i've got is 210 miles)

 

[errorunknown]

just my opinion here... i have a 2016 6600 VIN range P90D and it's been not the most reliable and with the degradation the 90D (85.8 total kWh & 81.8 usable kWh) packs you will really only be getting the acceleration and cooled seats rather than more range of the 75D (75 total kWh 72.4 kWh usable)

also if you have 22's on the P90D forget it for range (most i've got is 210 miles)

Luckily this one has 20” wheels so maybe the range won’t be so bad. Been looking at some inventory 75d for 80k before tax credit, so about 10k more than my p90d. Also had the crazy thought of going with an inventory awd model 3 for 46k...

 

[cyber3]

Luckily this one has 20” wheels so maybe the range won’t be so bad. Been looking at some inventory 75d for 80k before tax credit, so about 10k more than my p90d. Also had the crazy thought of going with an inventory awd model 3 for 46k...

Hey errorunknown, just curious which one you ended up going with. I’m in a similar boat as you now. Debating between AP1 P90DL with free supercharging or AP2 75D with AP2 but no free supercharging.

 

[adamtc4]

I can attest that the new automatic door latches are a dream compared to the old. My 2016 75D was having some issues with the latch and the SC replaced both front doors with the new 2017+ latches and they are so much quieter and works so smoothly.