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Opportunity Console - New Photos, Poll

This is how I'd like my Model S configured

  • No console, keep it open

    Votes: 84 14.3%
  • Somewhere for bits and bobs

    Votes: 343 58.2%
  • My phone needs a home

    Votes: 303 51.4%
  • Give me somewhere for the 'big-gulp'

    Votes: 158 26.8%
  • Forget seat 5, give me more in the back

    Votes: 110 18.7%

  • Total voters
    589
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I guess I will stop posting to this thread to save my enthusiasm for the car. For me and I assume a lot of others, the interior of the car is just going to have to be a giant sized compromise. Fortunately most of us have more than one vehicle.
It appears Tesla has made enough of the faithful happy. It is a business after all. I think it is interesting however that many of the people who are most impressed with the "Opportunity Console" were also happy with the original options.
 
I guess I will stop posting to this thread to save my enthusiasm for the car. For me and I assume a lot of others, the interior of the car is just going to have to be a giant sized compromise. Fortunately most of us have more than one vehicle.
It appears Tesla has made enough of the faithful happy. It is a business after all. I think it is interesting however that many of the people who are most impressed with the "Opportunity Console" were also happy with the original options.

Interesting that you read more into it than just 'I liked it'. I did like it. My purse dropped right into the perfect space, instead of taking up some of the passenger foot room or being tucked behind the driver's seat.

We all have different tastes. We probably have a different aesthetic in how we've furnished our homes, too. I'm not reading more into the comments of the people who didn't like it, other than 'they didn't like it as it was'. I think it's great that there will be different options available (and likely more and more as time goes by).
 
How often do you guys fold down seats? I do it maybe, uh, I could probably count the number of times on both hands in the last 8 years in my current car(s).

More often than most people. One of the favorite features of my Dodge Magnum was the fact that it was big enough that I actually fit my 50 gallon water heater in (in the box) without any trouble. It seems like my wife and I are always doing some home improvements, but not enough to buy a truck. Right now I have to beg, borrow and steal friends vehicles to get things home the 5 miles it is from Home Depot/Menards/Lowes. If only Dodge knew how to make transmissions :cursing:, I would still have that car.
 
Bonnie, I guess I am puzzled. I do not know what I am "reading into", I am quite literal by nature. My message was not a response to your post, nor was it commentary on the people who do the like the interior.
My point was that the Opportunity gave Tesla a chance to make a different segment of reservation holders happy, but instead made the same segment happy again.
 
I think the added storage options may have made the people already happy with the interior even happier but it also seems to have helped with the people who thought the storage was simply unacceptable. Some people still aren't happy with it but that's just the way it goes. I'm sure Tesla will try and refine the interior over time.
 
Bonnie, I guess I am puzzled. I do not know what I am "reading into", I am quite literal by nature. My message was not a response to your post, nor was it commentary on the people who do the like the interior.
My point was that the Opportunity gave Tesla a chance to make a different segment of reservation holders happy, but instead made the same segment happy again.

Apologies. I misinterpreted your comment. It was the word 'faithful' - I took that to mean that 'the faithful would be happy with whatever Tesla provided'.
 
I think the added storage options may have made the people already happy with the interior even happier but it also seems to have helped with the people who thought the storage was simply unacceptable. Some people still aren't happy with it but that's just the way it goes. I'm sure Tesla will try and refine the interior over time.

I am reasonably happy with two exceptions:

1. I'm concerned about the extra cost it will add based on the parcel shelf's ridiculous price.

2. It shouldn't have been an after-thought. I really like the idea of having the rear console fold up from the seat bottom.
 
I'm obviously in the minority here, but if they made NO changes to the interior I saw yesterday, I'd be thrilled.

I was looking through pictures, not having seen the Model S in person, and I kind of miss the old 74 Impala big open spaces. That car felt like you had all the room you ever wanted and more. Now it's not a fair comparison because they intended for people to sit in between the driver and passenger. However, my Buick Regals (early 90's) also had that room to breath (unlike my 98 Regal). So that being said, I like the idea of the open middle in the front, but wonder about the lack of small storage spaces in the back. I would probably get the center console for the back that I've seen in pictures and just deal with detaching it to fold the seats down. Of course, all of that is assuming I buy a Model S before version 5.0 is out.

*edit* The "just deal with" sounded harsh and I was not intending to. I couldn't think of a better way to state it. :smile:
 
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For the record (and the Tesla readers), I like the back seat console a lot. I think the "chin" compartment below the screen is a double win. It is functional and has better aesthetics than before. I could take or leave the glass/sunglasses add on.
 
We could probably split views into several different camps, as we have distinctive needs. There's those who carry "stuff" and those who like their cars pure and hate "stuff" in their cars, there's people who envisage happily throwing their laptops/backpacks/handbags in the open center console and there's those with kids who have some real storage needs.....the lists could go on and on. I think that the potential modular approach is good and Tesla has shown they can design beautiful things (IMO).

Now I've owned plenty of cars that had useful storage and plenty that were completely useless. To be honset, I've had different needs at different times of my adult life so if Tesla can give us good options and choice, I don't mind paying for customization.
 
+1 NigelM -- I think it is nice that we didn't have to wait for V2.0 to be surprised by what the high overlords of design at big company (tm) decided was the appropriate thing for a center console. Tesla is showing agile company characteristics and it is nice to see, warts and all.

I think the designs shown could work just fine for my wife and I. Her daily driving just needs a spot for garage door (Homelink should handle that), purse, and... that's it. Maybe someplace for a drink on weekends. If I borrow the car for business trip then I'll need a spot for laptop and/or backpack, passengers (1-2), any presentation materials (trunk) and some drinks. The back seat console addon fits that bill, tho I'm pretty sure there will be fighting to ride shotgun and play with the screen at first.

A more traditional style armrest with storage underneath would be preferable, but that might be a V2.0 change. The current designs are better than previous, but I'm in the camp of wanting just a bit more stuff under the screen while keeping open space in between the seats.
 
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IMO, the front storage area is a fail, unless there are other modular elements that have not been introduced as yet (I was under the impression that all prototype elements would be presented this weekend, but obviously, that's not the case). From the photos, the revised front 'console' area offers relatively little improvement over the beta. The cubbies are better than nothing, but that's not the criterion I'd use when judging the interior. There is no hidden storage space whatsoever, meaning that sun glasses, change, ID cars, keys, etc. will be visible upon entry to the car—a sloppy look for a premium car. I'm hoping that TM will provide at least one closed module that fits into the large space that currently contains anti-slip strips. It could be similar to the rear seat storage box, allowing the driver to place small items out of site. Even better would be a full replacement center console (for those who want one) that has two or more closed storage boxes and is integrated into the center dashboard space. The top cubbie could stay, but the rest would be replaced by the full console.
I think if Tesla has shown anything it's that they listen and at least attempt to address most concerns and usually do a decent job. Hopefully they are able to work on the interior in the future to make it more feature rich but I'm fairly happy with the way it is and the add-ons they are working on.
That's exactly how I feel.
I'm hoping that they continue to work on new center console options that can be retrofitted as a replacement later.
I agree with dsm and Larry. Tesla has tried (and continues to try) to address customer concerns in this area. We don't have information on pricing, so it's premature to worry about that too much yet. Remember, some of us said "we just want a good answer from the factory and are willing to pay reasonably for it"; we should be true to our word.


That said, I think Tesla's best move here is two-pronged.

First, continue to do what they are already doing. Iterate, show the public some options that they're considering (or have locked in). Ask for feedback, and incorporate it. So "kudos" on that.

Second, and I think this is more important, engage some of the more ardent and enthusiastic folks on the forum (Soflauthor for sure) in private communications. Pretend Sofl had 50 calls/emails to an Ownership Advocate asking specific questions on the interior and offering respectful suggestions. Wouldn't someone up the management chain react to that by engaging more directly on the topic? Why should a bunch of calls/emails be required to trigger that? George has mentioned that they watch this forum as a customer feedback channel, and specifically asked for it in this case. Sometimes the best way to get quality feedback is focus on the best feedback providers, and give them a more direct channel for communication -- better bandwidth and lower latency.
 
Having only seen photos - I personally don't need the treat console but it is a good temporary solution. Fold down (or up) like in Lexus would be infinitely better.
Front console? Big fail. I need dedicated sunglass storage (covered). The chin cubby can still remain, a large central covered storage area can easily be provided, AND the whole can be surface finished like the current iteration providing exactly what Tesla is trying to achieve with a place for purse storage. The console would simply be a little deeper. Cup holders are a waste of space for me and could be converted to parking ticket or similar holders.
Like in my current B class Merc, I would like to see wine bottle storage moulded into into the door liner. It works exceptionally well and is regularly used. This can easily be extended into a door pocket which is also regularly used on both my cars.
No back of front seat storage? BIG FAIL.
 
It seems pretty clear that the non-essential interior features were the last thing on Tesla's long list of stuff to design (that's what happens when you build a car from the ground up - so glad they didn't neglect things like the power train and the brakes). So things like consoles, cupholders and other elements of the interior never got enough attention in the rush to bring the car to market (anyone notice there's not a single interior shot in the Model S gallery?). Even after the October 1 event when people complained about these things, Tesla still had other more critical things to work on.

I think it's pure genius that George Blankenship headed off all the negativity at the pass by saying (paraphrasing) "we've got a console - but we need your feedback - this is your opportunity to help design it." So everyone is focused on "helping" rather than "badmouthing." Bottom line is Tesla right now has a blank sheet of paper and they might not have something for Model S owners for 6-12 months - which is probably good enough for most people.

I think one thing to realize is that Tesla is working with some "limitations" that other automakers don't face. (1) They've got that massive screen which encompasses almost all the controls of the car. It's already probably a little bit too low on the bottom for reaching down to change the temperature etc (which is why they are raising the screen up in the Model X). So there's nowhere to put any cupholders in the center stack without blocking the screen - that's why you see cupholders appearing on the floor - which is way too low. (2) they've got that massive panoramic roof which they must design for - so there's no place to put sunglass holders etc up by the windshield. (3) They've decided to highlight the fact that there is no transmission tunnel by not having a traditional center console (along with the fact there is no shifter or parking brake) - so there's no place to put cupholders between the front of the seats and the dashboard.

So here's my "worst to first" suggestion for how Tesla can take the lead in interior storage space, cupholders, et cetera. Probably going to have to wait for Model S 1.5.

The only vehicles on the road today (I know of) without transmission tunnels and traditional center consoles are minivans. Beneath the screen there should be three storage compartments stacked down to the ground. One should be a shelf - with two USB ports / power outlets, another should be a shelf with a front "door" that lifts up like a garage door (thinking about my old Honda here) and the bottom one should be a drawer that slides out. Keep the "fences" that corral the space from the dash console to the seats for purses and other large loose objects. The console that is between the seats should do only three things (1) it should function as an armrest (like it does currently) (2) it should supply A/C to the rear seats and (3) it should open up to be a small refrigerator! - this is something you don't find on most sedans and something that should be easy enough to accomplish given this massive power supply you have in the form of the battery. [Note that minivans put their cupholders between the seats and then they attach armrests to the seats themselves which is not as nice or as functional as traditional armrests.]

But what about the cupholders? That is the best part. I think they need to design cupholders that work very similarly to the door handles. Have metal ring-style cupholders that come out when you push them (motorized?). Then allow the driver to select heating or cooling and the metal will heat or cool your beverage for you. You can even give metal thermal Tesla logo-ed travel mugs. You don't want cupholders in the doors and for the driver you can't put them between the steering wheel and the center stack. But I think they would fit by the A-pillars on each side of the dashboard. They also can extend from the console between the seats to serve the rear passengers.

Put some map pockets in the doors and some pockets on the back of the front seats and call it a day. The refrigerator and heating/cooling metal cupholders make Tesla a winner in interior functionality.
 
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It seems pretty clear that the non-essential interior features were the last thing on Tesla's long list of stuff to design (that's what happens when you build a car from the ground up -

Umm..but on the flip side they DID build it from the ground up and had the opportunity to design better interior storage from the get go. It's not as if they were limited as they were with the Lotus to Roadster adaptation. I think Tesla just had a major oversight here. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt, since they did succeed in so many other ways with the Model S. But they did sort of drop the ball here. And also to their credit, it's clear they recognize that a majority of people would like to see more interior storage (even if they are content with it as it is), and they are doing some things to try and address that. Personally I am displeased enough with the interior that I may very well wait for a Model S refresh that has better integrated interior storage that wasn't done as an afterthought. It sucks to have to wait even more than the 2 years I already have since my reservation, but I'd rather be patient and get something I'm not going to regret.