I got my new 70D (limited 75 kwh battery; lease) on July 18. Hopefully one or two people find this helpful, although I think most people who want a Tesla pretty much have their minds made up.
The delivery experience -- Was fine. I went to the Dedham, MA, location and was surprised to be the only person in there (along with my brother). When someone came to the front of the store, it took about 30 minutes for my car to be prepped, which was fine. After that my brother and I sat in the car playing around with things and someone would poke their head in to see if we had any questions. The reality is you are going to learn (retain information) about the car by sitting in it on your own and exploring and actually living with it. It is all personal preference, but I really enjoyed being left alone, for the most part, trying to learn about the car and ask questions only when needed. I know I could have asked to be totally walked through the car if I wanted -- I'm glad I had the option.
Fit, finish, interior, exterior -- For my car are close to perfect. There is one bit of plastic on the back, lower, left side of the driver's seat that is not as flush as it could be with the seat. It is acceptable to me, but you do need to look over the car on delivery and point out anything unacceptable to you (I never thought of doing this with my previous cars). The interior is impressively clean and minimal, which I love. I chose next gen grey seats, black alcantara headliner, pano roof, and carbon fiber trim. If you are unsure of what exterior paint and interior combination you want, you need to see the exterior/interior combination you want in person to truly know what you like. The photos online, and even the samples in the stores, do not reflect a finished car. The touch screen does get finger prints on it quickly, but I am sure there are numerous screen protectors for this.
My two wishes would be that I could lower the driver and front passenger seats more to the ground. I am only 6'1 and feel like I am sitting too high up (sometimes). Secondly, I'd love to have the nav map showing in the dashboard display even when I do not have a destination plugged into the nav.
Driving the car -- Is outstanding. The two most impressive features of the car, in terms of driving, are 1) the complete lack of body roll combined with how comfortable the car is on the road, and 2) driving with one pedal. Most cars now have a few different driving modes, and usually if you want a soft suspension and more comfort traveling down the road then you have to select "comfort" and then deal with body roll and delayed acceleration... and that is fine mostly unless you suddenly get the urge that you want to enjoy a little bit of speed or enjoy a corner or need to get into traffic quickly. I cannot get over how tight the car feels without sacrificing any comfort on bumpy roads or when taking the car through the corners. I have the standard coil suspension and 19s.
Most people should already appreciate this or at least have some concept of it, but instant acceleration greatly improves the driving experience. When you want to accelerate, you accelerate. The second gained by not waiting for the car to downshift and go through the rev range is awesome for daily driving. If I were on a track, I'd want a manual transmission and to hear the engine and the revs build, but that is not where any of us spend the majority of our time. Tesla has made the perfect car for daily driving (short or long drives) in terms of comfort and usability/practicality (so much room and trunk space!), while blending performance aspects that are absolutely usable (yet still comfortable) in the real world.
The 60 or 75 kwh battery (D or not) are both fast enough for everyone reading this forum. Make your decision based on range and/or driving condition needs (RWD or AWD) only. The real world acceleration is more than you'll ever need for merging into traffic or passing a car or just a bit of excitement. If you want to drive fast, as in speed and treat public roads as your own personal track, then I can't help you because your brain cells just aren't there or your ego is in the way. I took both my BMWs as well as my sport bikes (GSX-R750 and 848 EVO) to the track when I wanted to do that stuff -- where speeding is both legal, safe, and you become a better driver/rider -- public roads aren't your track. I'm not saying don't get a P90 if that is what you want and can afford (I'd have the 90D for max range if I could), but am just trying to help anyone focused on battery size for the wrong reason...
Battery and range -- I have not used a supercharger yet because I haven't taken a long trip. My daily driving can be from 20 miles a day to 60 miles a day. I plug into a NEMA 10-30 outlet using a discontinued Tesla adapter and get 16-19 miles of range per hour. I am going to Vermont (225 miles) towards the end of the month and am looking forward to how that experience goes/feels (using one of the NH superchargers). My one piece of advice (entirely subjective, just like the rest of this post) is to always charge your car to 90% if for no other reason than if there is an emergency, the more range you have the more options you have. There is no reason not to always leave yourself with a "full tank." This is my mindset, and I hope there never is an emergency where this mindset helps me, but I'd rather be prepared. No, you don't do this with gas powered cars because going to the gas station takes 5 minutes. I will say I absolutely (and almost weirdly) love charging my car and not having to go to a gas station. I never forget to plug in, but this may be because I am 27 and used to plugging everything in.
Autopilot -- Shut down any thoughts you have about this car driving you flawlessly down the road. Ok... that may not be entirely accurate. You need to consider the roads you drive on. Before you spend the $3,000 (or is it $2,500 before delivery... I don't remember), consider where you live and where you drive. Autopilot needs perfect roads if you want to be able to relax at all, period. Otherwise it is just a neat feature to use while still being on high alert. I am north of Boston, our roads are not perfect and in no way picturesque. Half of my commute is windy through town, the other half is on a road where autopilot is far too all over the road to be enjoyable (this road is single lane, wide, and decently marked). I am so glad I did not pay for autopilot and instead have been using the 30 day free trial, because it is clearly not usable or worth the cost for me and where I live. The traffic aware cruise control is a wonderful feature that I wish I could have on its own. If money were no object to me, I would happily pay for autopilot simply for the TACC feature.
Comments/complaints/quirks -- HVAC... The A/C is plenty strong. I have seen a few posts about this. We have had 90 degree days and the car is more than fine. Can't wait to try the cold weather package when winter is here. I take advantage of turning the AC on before I get to the car when I know it has been baking in the sun, but again this is really something I am used to doing in a sense because of my age and it just feels totally normal to me.
The pano roof and upgraded speakers are absolute musts if you are on the fence about them. If you don't want them, then you don't want them, but if you are on the fence... absolutely go for it. The pano roof (in any car) makes the interior feel much more open, and the sunroof is one of the coolest I have ever seen. If you enjoy listening to music even in the slightest, there is nothing like a good sound system. I use +3 (bass), 0 (mid), -3 (treble) for equalizer settings and couldn't be happier with having upgraded.
19 inch wheels... this was a tough one for me. I told myself I'd never get base wheels again because the wheels make such a big difference in how the car looks (if you care). I was worried I'd be taking a $90,000 car and making it look... not so nice. I made this mistake with my first BMW. Again, go see in person (I didn't do this), but the 19 inch wheels do not in anyway (for me) take away from the look of the car. They do not look small or out of place or cheap or anything like that. Again, if money were no object for me, I'd have gotten 21s (not sure how this would have changed ride quality though). I really was worried I'd be disappointed in the 19s and I absolutely am not.
Overall -- The best overall car I've ever driven in terms of a car that you can live with and use daily. You really get 100% out of every feature this car has, from the tech, to the battery, to how it drives, really nothing goes to waste. Add onto that the fact that you're supporting the (hopefully) shift to EV (which is absolutely worth something). You truly do get what you pay for.
The delivery experience -- Was fine. I went to the Dedham, MA, location and was surprised to be the only person in there (along with my brother). When someone came to the front of the store, it took about 30 minutes for my car to be prepped, which was fine. After that my brother and I sat in the car playing around with things and someone would poke their head in to see if we had any questions. The reality is you are going to learn (retain information) about the car by sitting in it on your own and exploring and actually living with it. It is all personal preference, but I really enjoyed being left alone, for the most part, trying to learn about the car and ask questions only when needed. I know I could have asked to be totally walked through the car if I wanted -- I'm glad I had the option.
Fit, finish, interior, exterior -- For my car are close to perfect. There is one bit of plastic on the back, lower, left side of the driver's seat that is not as flush as it could be with the seat. It is acceptable to me, but you do need to look over the car on delivery and point out anything unacceptable to you (I never thought of doing this with my previous cars). The interior is impressively clean and minimal, which I love. I chose next gen grey seats, black alcantara headliner, pano roof, and carbon fiber trim. If you are unsure of what exterior paint and interior combination you want, you need to see the exterior/interior combination you want in person to truly know what you like. The photos online, and even the samples in the stores, do not reflect a finished car. The touch screen does get finger prints on it quickly, but I am sure there are numerous screen protectors for this.
My two wishes would be that I could lower the driver and front passenger seats more to the ground. I am only 6'1 and feel like I am sitting too high up (sometimes). Secondly, I'd love to have the nav map showing in the dashboard display even when I do not have a destination plugged into the nav.
Driving the car -- Is outstanding. The two most impressive features of the car, in terms of driving, are 1) the complete lack of body roll combined with how comfortable the car is on the road, and 2) driving with one pedal. Most cars now have a few different driving modes, and usually if you want a soft suspension and more comfort traveling down the road then you have to select "comfort" and then deal with body roll and delayed acceleration... and that is fine mostly unless you suddenly get the urge that you want to enjoy a little bit of speed or enjoy a corner or need to get into traffic quickly. I cannot get over how tight the car feels without sacrificing any comfort on bumpy roads or when taking the car through the corners. I have the standard coil suspension and 19s.
Most people should already appreciate this or at least have some concept of it, but instant acceleration greatly improves the driving experience. When you want to accelerate, you accelerate. The second gained by not waiting for the car to downshift and go through the rev range is awesome for daily driving. If I were on a track, I'd want a manual transmission and to hear the engine and the revs build, but that is not where any of us spend the majority of our time. Tesla has made the perfect car for daily driving (short or long drives) in terms of comfort and usability/practicality (so much room and trunk space!), while blending performance aspects that are absolutely usable (yet still comfortable) in the real world.
The 60 or 75 kwh battery (D or not) are both fast enough for everyone reading this forum. Make your decision based on range and/or driving condition needs (RWD or AWD) only. The real world acceleration is more than you'll ever need for merging into traffic or passing a car or just a bit of excitement. If you want to drive fast, as in speed and treat public roads as your own personal track, then I can't help you because your brain cells just aren't there or your ego is in the way. I took both my BMWs as well as my sport bikes (GSX-R750 and 848 EVO) to the track when I wanted to do that stuff -- where speeding is both legal, safe, and you become a better driver/rider -- public roads aren't your track. I'm not saying don't get a P90 if that is what you want and can afford (I'd have the 90D for max range if I could), but am just trying to help anyone focused on battery size for the wrong reason...
Battery and range -- I have not used a supercharger yet because I haven't taken a long trip. My daily driving can be from 20 miles a day to 60 miles a day. I plug into a NEMA 10-30 outlet using a discontinued Tesla adapter and get 16-19 miles of range per hour. I am going to Vermont (225 miles) towards the end of the month and am looking forward to how that experience goes/feels (using one of the NH superchargers). My one piece of advice (entirely subjective, just like the rest of this post) is to always charge your car to 90% if for no other reason than if there is an emergency, the more range you have the more options you have. There is no reason not to always leave yourself with a "full tank." This is my mindset, and I hope there never is an emergency where this mindset helps me, but I'd rather be prepared. No, you don't do this with gas powered cars because going to the gas station takes 5 minutes. I will say I absolutely (and almost weirdly) love charging my car and not having to go to a gas station. I never forget to plug in, but this may be because I am 27 and used to plugging everything in.
Autopilot -- Shut down any thoughts you have about this car driving you flawlessly down the road. Ok... that may not be entirely accurate. You need to consider the roads you drive on. Before you spend the $3,000 (or is it $2,500 before delivery... I don't remember), consider where you live and where you drive. Autopilot needs perfect roads if you want to be able to relax at all, period. Otherwise it is just a neat feature to use while still being on high alert. I am north of Boston, our roads are not perfect and in no way picturesque. Half of my commute is windy through town, the other half is on a road where autopilot is far too all over the road to be enjoyable (this road is single lane, wide, and decently marked). I am so glad I did not pay for autopilot and instead have been using the 30 day free trial, because it is clearly not usable or worth the cost for me and where I live. The traffic aware cruise control is a wonderful feature that I wish I could have on its own. If money were no object to me, I would happily pay for autopilot simply for the TACC feature.
Comments/complaints/quirks -- HVAC... The A/C is plenty strong. I have seen a few posts about this. We have had 90 degree days and the car is more than fine. Can't wait to try the cold weather package when winter is here. I take advantage of turning the AC on before I get to the car when I know it has been baking in the sun, but again this is really something I am used to doing in a sense because of my age and it just feels totally normal to me.
The pano roof and upgraded speakers are absolute musts if you are on the fence about them. If you don't want them, then you don't want them, but if you are on the fence... absolutely go for it. The pano roof (in any car) makes the interior feel much more open, and the sunroof is one of the coolest I have ever seen. If you enjoy listening to music even in the slightest, there is nothing like a good sound system. I use +3 (bass), 0 (mid), -3 (treble) for equalizer settings and couldn't be happier with having upgraded.
19 inch wheels... this was a tough one for me. I told myself I'd never get base wheels again because the wheels make such a big difference in how the car looks (if you care). I was worried I'd be taking a $90,000 car and making it look... not so nice. I made this mistake with my first BMW. Again, go see in person (I didn't do this), but the 19 inch wheels do not in anyway (for me) take away from the look of the car. They do not look small or out of place or cheap or anything like that. Again, if money were no object for me, I'd have gotten 21s (not sure how this would have changed ride quality though). I really was worried I'd be disappointed in the 19s and I absolutely am not.
Overall -- The best overall car I've ever driven in terms of a car that you can live with and use daily. You really get 100% out of every feature this car has, from the tech, to the battery, to how it drives, really nothing goes to waste. Add onto that the fact that you're supporting the (hopefully) shift to EV (which is absolutely worth something). You truly do get what you pay for.
