Need to drive OC to SD multiple times next week. 1 month FSD subscription worth it?

[f308gt4]

2020 M3P. I will need to make the trip from Orange County, CA to San Diego four times next week (80 miles each way). For a couple reasons not relevant here, I would prefer to make the drive each day rather than stay at a hotel.

There will be traffic, so I assume it will be about 2 hours each way.

I am wondering if it is worth subscribing to FSD for 1 month prior to my trip. It looks like its about $200 to subscribe for 1 month. Do you think the additional features of FSD over the autopilot that I already have will make the trip easier?

Looking for some opinions, thoughts, advice.

Thanks!

 

[ucmndd]

It it worth $200 to have the car automatically change lanes when you press the stalk? Because that’s really the only meaningful difference we’re talking about (and it’s basically worthless in traffic).

In other words: no.

 

[ElectricIAC]

2020 M3P. I will need to make the trip from Orange County, CA to San Diego four times next week (80 miles each way). For a couple reasons not relevant here, I would prefer to make the drive each day rather than stay at a hotel.

There will be traffic, so I assume it will be about 2 hours each way.

I am wondering if it is worth subscribing to FSD for 1 month prior to my trip. It looks like its about $200 to subscribe for 1 month. Do you think the additional features of FSD over the autopilot that I already have will make the trip easier?

Looking for some opinions, thoughts, advice.

Thanks!

No.

 

[Tam]

...will make the trip easier?...

Not very significantly or zero.

That's because FSD is meant for City Streets and you'll be on a long-distance road rip on the highway most of the time.

The part that FSD makes your trip easier is:

1) Navigation on Autopilot: It changes lanes without me thinking: As a result, I have turned it off most of the time, like 99% because its decision-making is irrational. So it might make your driving 1% easier.

2) Auto Lane Change: It's helpful if you change lanes a lot on the highway (Navigation on Autopilot does. Yes, a lot! That's why I turned it off). It's not perfected so I still have to do it on my own a lot so it may make your drive easier but not a lot!

The part that makes your drive easier in City Streets:

1) Autopark/Summon: I seldom use these features because of their poor performance. I used them in the beginning to experiment but have not used them for a few years.

2) Traffic Light and Stop Sign Controls: It still violates the law so I have to override it (it stops at greenlights and sometimes blows through stop signs).

Thus, the $200 is worth the craving needs for experimentation but it is not worthy of a consumer product.

 

[SDRick]

I do miss the chime when the light turns green.
That's worth a little bit to me but certainly not $200 per month.

 

[ucmndd]

The part that FSD makes your trip easier is:

1) Navigation on Autopilot: It changes lanes without me thinking: As a result, I have turned it off most of the time, like 99% because its decision-making is irrational. So it might make your driving 1%

Agreed. Navigate on Autopilot in even moderately heavy traffic is the exact opposite of making anything easier. It raises my stress level by about 10x because not only do you have to do all the normal paying attention parts of driving, you have to constantly babysit the car to make sure it doesn’t do something brain dead stupid or dangerous.

Plain Jane autopilot is the best in traffic. Follow the car in front of me and don’t hit it. No lane changing or funny business unless I tell you to.

 

[EVRider-FL]

That's because FSD is meant for City Streets and you'll be on a long-distance road rip on the highway most of the time.

Only FSD Beta is meant for city streets. That’s not what the OP will get by subscribing.

 

[jjrandorin]

Agreed. Navigate on Autopilot in even moderately heavy traffic is the exact opposite of making anything easier. It raises my stress level by about 10x because not only do you have to do all the normal paying attention parts of driving, you have to constantly babysit the car to make sure it doesn’t do something brain dead stupid or dangerous.

Plain Jane autopilot is the best in traffic. Follow the car in front of me and don’t hit it. No lane changing or funny business unless I tell you to.

I have FSD on my model 3, but basically only use autopilot, and then, only in traffic. Autopilot works really well in traffic in the exact circumstance you mentioned, especially in heavy traffic.

In just about any other circumstance, for me, its easier to drive myself.

I also agree fully with your position on the thread question posed by the OP. Unless the OP simply wants to try FSD out on longer drives, because their normal drives are not that long, in an " will this make the drive easier" point of view, I also think the answer is "no". Autopilot (with or without autosteer) will work fine on that commute, especially if there is traffic, which there likely will be. Depending on where in OC the OP is, where in SD they are going, and when they need to be there, this could easily be a 1 hour 20 minute drive, or a 3 hour drive.

 

[pipp]

Plain Jane autopilot is the best in traffic. Follow the car in front of me and don’t hit it. No lane changing or funny business unless I tell you to.

That seems like it might be perfect for that 30-40 mile stretch on the 5 before downtown San Diego, where the traffic burps along in fits and starts…

 

[f308gt4]

Thanks everyone for your input! Looks like i don’t need to spend the $200.

 

[rpiotro]

Only you can decide! It's only $200. Try it for a month. You know what they say about opinions. They are like a**ho***. Everyone has one and they all stink.