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I took delivery of a showroom/demo "new" inventory Pearl White P90D with AP 2.0 on 03/28/2017 (model 3 reveal day). I've spent a lot of time reading about Tesla's and the whole Autopilot 2.0 transition, additionally I was a bit worried about the model 3 reveal and how it would feel when purchasing my S.
Pre-Delivery: I wasn't impressed with my delivery specialist or the pre-delivery process. After I placed my order I never really got a clear picture for when I would be getting my car, they assigned me to a person who was out on vacation, then was slammed when he got back, so e-mails where not answered. No information, until finally I get a call to schedule delivery (1 week 5 days after ordering (car was in next city over).
Delivery: Very much appreciated the delivery process for the most part. The car was in pristine condition, it had 1,000 miles on it but looked brand new, I was determined to make them fix every problem I found, yeah no problems noted, no scuffs, no chips, just an inventory car with 1,000 miles that looked like it rolled off the factory that day. (Van Nuys detailers must be really good). The only problem at delivery was my third party loan with USAA, they require the dealer to fax them the information to get paid, Tesla Van Nuys had no fax machine... So we drove over in an X to the local Office Depot to fax it... I was also surprised but never at delivery was there any mention of extra products they could sell us, it was just a personal intro to our car, no push for the warranty/maintenance.
The Car: OMG. I have owned a 2011 Leaf, 2013 Volt, 2016 Leaf, and this car was a serious upgrade. Even at a 90D it is so stinking fast for someone like me who has been in a 12sec 0-60 leaf for 6 years. I find the ride to be great, the seats are good with lots of adjustment, I love the driver profiles for mirror / seat positioning, the pano roof is surprisingly quiet when open. I love the car at night with the led lights in the handles, and the Abstract Ocean puddle upgrades are a nice upgrade. I am very impressed, and the pearl white with black pano roof just looks terrific.
Autopilot 2.0: Very apprehensive based on what I have been reading on this forum. Wife and I had a talk and agreed to the basic premise that the car will try to kill you and to treat AP with that mentality. Maybe it is because of that, but I am blown away by AP 2.0. I find TACC to be so good that it is pretty much my primary means of getting around on the freeway, I just let the car handle the acceleration/deceleration while keeping my foot on the brake in case I need to stop. Autosteer is very good if you avoid the right hand lane where there is merging. We drove down to San Diego from LA and back, AP 2.0 made the whole trip super easy.
I just keep my left hand on the wheel lightly, and instead of worrying about speed TACC takes care of it and I just get to decide if Autosteer is doing what I want, if it is I let it do its thing, if it isn't I just grip the wheel a little tighter and keep it where I want the car, usually disengaging Autosteer. I love that disengaging Autosteer doesn't kick TACC off.
I can usually guess pretty easy when AP 2.0 will have problems, are there lines parallel to the lane markings, yeah AP 2.0 still struggles with those. Are the markings faded / non-existant, not sure how the car could be expected to deal with those so of course AP struggles. Hopefully that will improve over time.
Anyways, my two cents, the car is fantastic, AP 2.0 is terrific if you treat it as a driver aid, I'm very happy with my purchase and the car.
Matt
Pre-Delivery: I wasn't impressed with my delivery specialist or the pre-delivery process. After I placed my order I never really got a clear picture for when I would be getting my car, they assigned me to a person who was out on vacation, then was slammed when he got back, so e-mails where not answered. No information, until finally I get a call to schedule delivery (1 week 5 days after ordering (car was in next city over).
Delivery: Very much appreciated the delivery process for the most part. The car was in pristine condition, it had 1,000 miles on it but looked brand new, I was determined to make them fix every problem I found, yeah no problems noted, no scuffs, no chips, just an inventory car with 1,000 miles that looked like it rolled off the factory that day. (Van Nuys detailers must be really good). The only problem at delivery was my third party loan with USAA, they require the dealer to fax them the information to get paid, Tesla Van Nuys had no fax machine... So we drove over in an X to the local Office Depot to fax it... I was also surprised but never at delivery was there any mention of extra products they could sell us, it was just a personal intro to our car, no push for the warranty/maintenance.
The Car: OMG. I have owned a 2011 Leaf, 2013 Volt, 2016 Leaf, and this car was a serious upgrade. Even at a 90D it is so stinking fast for someone like me who has been in a 12sec 0-60 leaf for 6 years. I find the ride to be great, the seats are good with lots of adjustment, I love the driver profiles for mirror / seat positioning, the pano roof is surprisingly quiet when open. I love the car at night with the led lights in the handles, and the Abstract Ocean puddle upgrades are a nice upgrade. I am very impressed, and the pearl white with black pano roof just looks terrific.
Autopilot 2.0: Very apprehensive based on what I have been reading on this forum. Wife and I had a talk and agreed to the basic premise that the car will try to kill you and to treat AP with that mentality. Maybe it is because of that, but I am blown away by AP 2.0. I find TACC to be so good that it is pretty much my primary means of getting around on the freeway, I just let the car handle the acceleration/deceleration while keeping my foot on the brake in case I need to stop. Autosteer is very good if you avoid the right hand lane where there is merging. We drove down to San Diego from LA and back, AP 2.0 made the whole trip super easy.
I just keep my left hand on the wheel lightly, and instead of worrying about speed TACC takes care of it and I just get to decide if Autosteer is doing what I want, if it is I let it do its thing, if it isn't I just grip the wheel a little tighter and keep it where I want the car, usually disengaging Autosteer. I love that disengaging Autosteer doesn't kick TACC off.
I can usually guess pretty easy when AP 2.0 will have problems, are there lines parallel to the lane markings, yeah AP 2.0 still struggles with those. Are the markings faded / non-existant, not sure how the car could be expected to deal with those so of course AP struggles. Hopefully that will improve over time.
Anyways, my two cents, the car is fantastic, AP 2.0 is terrific if you treat it as a driver aid, I'm very happy with my purchase and the car.
Matt
Attachments
It’s a long and detailed post, so grab a cup of coffee and enjoy (I hope)… After putting 750K miles on three Lexus LS sedans (400, 460 and 460L models), I was looking for a new daily driver for my 45K miles/year habit. After watching Tesla since inception, the expansion of the Supercharger network and the expanded range of the 100D finally pushed me over the edge. I took delivery of my 100D on Tuesday, 8/1/17, two weeks after it rolled off the assembly line. 19" wheels, solid glass roof and all options except third row kids’ seats and Full Self-Drive (why pay now when it’s years away?). In eight days, I have logged 2,100 miles on a combination of rural roads, city streets and highways. Here are my first impressions:
Drivetrain: 10/10. 4.2 seconds 0-60 is plenty for me. No need to spend the extra $45K on a P badge, fancy fuse pack and larger motor. Passing acceleration is even better than in the LS, which accelerated well with its 8-speed transmission. Suspension is very similar (LS had air suspension, also), with good steering feel and better cornering. The battery mass really helps the car hold the road. Standard tire size (245/45R19) is the same as on the LS, and I had no desire to run the risk of tire damage from the 21" wheel upgrade on rough roads.
Battery Performance: 9/10. I am heavy on the accelerator and have used the brake very little with regenerative braking set to normal. I'm averaging 310 Wh/mi so far, consuming 330ish cruising flat interstate at 80mph and 275ish at 62 on highways. I have Supercharged three times and home charged (72A) three times. All charging cycles went smoothly. Early takeaways re: batteries: DO NOT short yourself on "extra" capacity when you charge. I ran my batteries down below 20% twice in three days, even though I planned to have 25-30% remaining at each of my next planned charges. On one trip, I drove a little faster than normal (new car fever) and averaged 330Wh/mi -- 10% above rated. On the other, I encountered heavy rain and some water accumulation on the freeway. Running at 80mph through water eats 550-600Wh/mi. Five minutes of that and I consumed most of my reserve charge. As fast as the Supercharger refills the tank, an extra 5-10 minutes is a whole lot better than sweating the unforeseen energy-consuming event on your journey. Props to Tesla's programmers -- the car warned me to slow down and conserve energy both times, although route changes (see my comments in the Maps section) meant I really didn't have to slow down. I think that after I learn the game (trip planning on the hobbled nav system, charging strategies, typical energy consumption on regular routes), everything will be fine.
“Normal” Driving vs. Lexus (ignoring Autopilot for now): 10/10 Adjusting to Tesla's throttle and braking behavior took about 500 miles. Now, the car handles smoothly and feels like a $100K sports sedan should. The ride is not rough or mushy with the standard suspension setting. As my LS has a brake hold feature, I feel very normal driving the Tesla with creep turned off. When I get back into the Lexus, I will probably have to reset my foot/brain linkage for throttle lag and lack of regen speed reduction. First world problem, for sure.
Autopilot: 7/10, and should improve with time and software updates. All of our other vehicles have adaptive cruise control, so Tesla's cruise system felt very familiar and similarly accurate. Relative to Lexus and GM (with only three follow distance options), the seven settings on the Tesla are very nice. I like setting 2. My 100D took about 350 miles to calibrate the cameras before I could engage any of the autopilot features. It's a minor, one time nuisance, but the adaptive cruise functions on my Lexus and GM vehicles worked right out of the box. I wonder if Tesla could allow adaptive cruise to work immediately, with autopilot capability activated after adequate calibration? Once fully active, Autopilot/Autosteer has been nice, but slightly less comforting than I had hoped. A few small concerns: 1) When in the right lane approaching a freeway exit (with no intention of exiting), the car drifts toward the exit before deciding to return to the straight and narrow. I understand the reasons, but it still feels very odd. 2) When Autosteer is activated, the system quickly brings the car to center of lane. As I tend to drive closer to the shoulder (leaving more room between my car and the one in the other lane), the speed/severity of this correction can be alarming to driver, passengers and surrounding drivers. Easy fix – remember to move the car to center of lane before activating. One other negative is the placement of the AutoPilot stalk (lower left of steering column). More than once, my hand has landed on that stalk instead of the turn signal stalk. It's not a holdover from driving the Lexus, as that stalk was on the right side -- a much better place, IMO. I'll adapt, but activating cruise when you're trying to signal is a bit disturbing. I feel bad giving Autopilot a 7/10 score, as it is a very slick system that really does work and has huge potential. The car really can drive itself in a lot of situations. It's just not finished, yet.
Climate Control: 7/10. Cooling is important in the South, and buying a car in August gave me an immediate opportunity to test the A/C. It cools quickly, and the combination of Cabin Overheat Protection and remote A/C start (via the very nice iOS app) make for a pleasant experience on a 95 degree day. Tesla loses a point for the lack of fan speed control during Bioweapon Defense Mode (max fan only), but the rest of the HEPA system definitely does its job. I suggest a software edit that uses max speed by default, but with user option to dial it back as appropriate without the system reverting to normal mode. Another point is lost for the feeling I noticed several times while cruising at 80mph on a 90 degree day. The cabin feeling was that of a system suddenly shifting from A/C mode with recirculation to vent mode (little or no cooling) with exterior air. In the humid Louisiana summer, that change is obvious and unpleasant. I think the system was shunting cooling power to the battery system, but that’s just a guess. Also, the lack of ventilated seats is a downer. My Lexus had ventilated seats with actual cooling as well as vent and heat settings. Hot, humid weather + business clothes + long drive = a rough day, and seat cooling made life a little better. When Tesla introduced ventilated seats, I hoped for the addition of cooling down the road. Seeing the perforated seats dropped from the option list hurt. While the advanced cooling features reduce initial discomfort when entering a hot car and make ventilated seats less necessary, I already miss them. Life’s a series of trade offs, though…
Interior: 8.5/10, (vs. the Lexus' 9.5). I chose black premium (leather? – no one seems to know for sure) with the figured ash wood décor and black headliner. No major interior quality issues, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't like the fit and finish as much after 7 years / 270K miles as in the Lexus. Road noise is minimal. With no engine noise, some drivers have complained about the level of tire and wind noise, but it’s very comparable to the sound in my Lexus, which had a barely audible engine noise at cruising speed. The cabin is comfortable and generally well laid out, but there’s no good place for trash. Most cars have door pockets that have served me well. Right now, I’m using the cupholders in the armrest as a trash bin (with my giant Yeti in the very nice, adjustable / removable center console cup holder), but I’m looking for a better option. Suggestions appreciated…
Exterior: 9/10. The paint job (midnight silver metallic) looks good, and the body panels fit together nicely. I’ll remove the front license plate holder as soon as I find the right screwdriver bit. Tesla wisely bolted it on from underneath, so there will be no ugly holes in the bumper cover after removal. The standard 19” silver slipstream wheels are rather bland, and the grey version did not become available until after I ordered. At $2,500, I probably wouldn’t have ordered them. I probably will buy aftermarket rims (including one for the spare) and list the OEM set on eBay (let me know if you need a set, summer/winter drivers out there). My only real exterior complaint is that I have to slam the doors to get a complete close. Every person who has closed a door on my car has failed on the first attempt. My LS460 has an automatic door close feature that pulls the door closed the last ½ inch, which is very nice. Slamming a fancy car’s door seems tacky and unnecessary.
Maps / Navigation: 0/10. Tesla, Google, Waze and SpaceX are all interwoven parts of Elon Musk’s domain. Three of the four have amazing navigational systems, yet the Google maps system in my 100D is AWFUL! It selects inefficient routes, does not allow me to choose from alternate routes and – worst of all – has no capacity for planning a multi-leg trip. This is a $100K self-driving car built in 2017 by a guy who lands rockets on barges, and it won’t let me add a stop along my route? If I plot a course from San Francisco to New York, it will add all the necessary Supercharger stops and projected charge times/levels along the way, but if I want to deviate 100 miles to visit a friend, it may leave me stranded without enough charge to get to the next Supercharger unless I manually do the mileage math and adjust my charging stops/times. To me, this is an unforgivable oversight. If I had known about this limitation, I probably would have delayed my purchase until the feature was added.
Financial Analysis: I compared the 100D with a new Lexus LS460, using as similar a build as possible considering one is a traditional ICE luxury sedan and the other is a world-changing lithium-powered vehicle built with little consideration of the “rules of carmaking”. The Lexus has an MSRP $32K below the 100D, but with tax incentives, energy savings (I assumed 60% of charging would be on the free Supercharger network) and maintenance differential (no oil, transmission, etc. changes), the total cost of ownership across 270K miles was similar, with Tesla winning by about $6K). My insurance costs are similar, as well, so it came down to a choice between a fourth Lexus LS model and a totally new driving experience. The eight year, unlimited mileage powertrain warranty was critical to me, as I plan to put 270K miles on the car during that time. The free Supercharging, while not a huge savings (under $6K over 270K miles assuming 60% of all charging at Tesla chargers, by my estimation), was also a big draw, as I want to enjoy the feeling of “free energy” every time I Supercharge, even if the cost was buried in the MSRP.
Misc. Features and Observations: 1) I was shocked to find that there was no smart rain-sensing wiper function on the 100D. Various forum posts say “It’s coming, be patient”, but if a $20K Chevy has smart wipers, why not this car – NOW? 2) The thumb scroll wheels on the steering wheel feel a bit unusual. A function that requires the push of the scroll wheel gives me the feeling that the wheel is going to scroll before I get the button pressed. I find myself being very deliberate in the push action. In a self-driving car, that shouldn’t be a problem (I have extra brain cycles to devote to pressing buttons if I’m not driving the car), but I don’t care for the tactile experience relative to five or six other steering wheel control systems I have used. 3) If Autopilot is engaged and you accelerate past 90 (passing a car, avoiding a merging vehicle, etc.), the system disables Autopilot. That’s fine, and it’s noted in the manual. What I wasn’t prepared for was the penalty: No more Autopilot for the rest of the drive. No “three strikes” (like with the hands on wheel reminder) and no yellow card – just an immediate red card. 4) No spare tire. I understand it’s a growing trend, and I’m glad that Tesla didn’t use the “you don’t need one, because we sold you run-flat tires” line. Regular tires are superior, IMO, and don’t get me started on the “Fix-a-Flat option”. Roadside assistance is fine if you drive in urban areas, but when I have a flat 60 miles from the nearest red light and have an important meeting to attend, there’s no room for a two hour wait. I don’t mind buying a spare (plus a jack and tools), but there’s no good place to store it. Before the addition of the HEPA filter, the frunk was large enough for at least an emergency spare. Now, it will have to live in the trunk, probably wrapped in the nice $40 Tesla Tire Tote, which will facilitate removal when I need extra storage. 5) Where should the tow bolt live? As delivered, it was loose in the trunk well. Hearing a loud THUD when cornering on my way out of the dealership parking lot wasn’t pleasant. I’ve wrapped it in a beach towel and jammed it behind/under the charging cable bag for now. Once I add a full size spare, I’ll put it in the bag with the jack and tools. 6) The upgraded audio system sounds good, but seems to fall short of the Mark Levinson in my Lexus. I’m having trouble balancing front and rear speakers for various musical styles. Voices on hands free phone calls seem weak and hollow relative to the Lexus, as well. Callers report hearing minimal road noise, as in the Lexus.
Summary: 8/10 so far. It’s too early to deliver final grades, but I’m pleased with my purchase.
Drivetrain: 10/10. 4.2 seconds 0-60 is plenty for me. No need to spend the extra $45K on a P badge, fancy fuse pack and larger motor. Passing acceleration is even better than in the LS, which accelerated well with its 8-speed transmission. Suspension is very similar (LS had air suspension, also), with good steering feel and better cornering. The battery mass really helps the car hold the road. Standard tire size (245/45R19) is the same as on the LS, and I had no desire to run the risk of tire damage from the 21" wheel upgrade on rough roads.
Battery Performance: 9/10. I am heavy on the accelerator and have used the brake very little with regenerative braking set to normal. I'm averaging 310 Wh/mi so far, consuming 330ish cruising flat interstate at 80mph and 275ish at 62 on highways. I have Supercharged three times and home charged (72A) three times. All charging cycles went smoothly. Early takeaways re: batteries: DO NOT short yourself on "extra" capacity when you charge. I ran my batteries down below 20% twice in three days, even though I planned to have 25-30% remaining at each of my next planned charges. On one trip, I drove a little faster than normal (new car fever) and averaged 330Wh/mi -- 10% above rated. On the other, I encountered heavy rain and some water accumulation on the freeway. Running at 80mph through water eats 550-600Wh/mi. Five minutes of that and I consumed most of my reserve charge. As fast as the Supercharger refills the tank, an extra 5-10 minutes is a whole lot better than sweating the unforeseen energy-consuming event on your journey. Props to Tesla's programmers -- the car warned me to slow down and conserve energy both times, although route changes (see my comments in the Maps section) meant I really didn't have to slow down. I think that after I learn the game (trip planning on the hobbled nav system, charging strategies, typical energy consumption on regular routes), everything will be fine.
“Normal” Driving vs. Lexus (ignoring Autopilot for now): 10/10 Adjusting to Tesla's throttle and braking behavior took about 500 miles. Now, the car handles smoothly and feels like a $100K sports sedan should. The ride is not rough or mushy with the standard suspension setting. As my LS has a brake hold feature, I feel very normal driving the Tesla with creep turned off. When I get back into the Lexus, I will probably have to reset my foot/brain linkage for throttle lag and lack of regen speed reduction. First world problem, for sure.
Autopilot: 7/10, and should improve with time and software updates. All of our other vehicles have adaptive cruise control, so Tesla's cruise system felt very familiar and similarly accurate. Relative to Lexus and GM (with only three follow distance options), the seven settings on the Tesla are very nice. I like setting 2. My 100D took about 350 miles to calibrate the cameras before I could engage any of the autopilot features. It's a minor, one time nuisance, but the adaptive cruise functions on my Lexus and GM vehicles worked right out of the box. I wonder if Tesla could allow adaptive cruise to work immediately, with autopilot capability activated after adequate calibration? Once fully active, Autopilot/Autosteer has been nice, but slightly less comforting than I had hoped. A few small concerns: 1) When in the right lane approaching a freeway exit (with no intention of exiting), the car drifts toward the exit before deciding to return to the straight and narrow. I understand the reasons, but it still feels very odd. 2) When Autosteer is activated, the system quickly brings the car to center of lane. As I tend to drive closer to the shoulder (leaving more room between my car and the one in the other lane), the speed/severity of this correction can be alarming to driver, passengers and surrounding drivers. Easy fix – remember to move the car to center of lane before activating. One other negative is the placement of the AutoPilot stalk (lower left of steering column). More than once, my hand has landed on that stalk instead of the turn signal stalk. It's not a holdover from driving the Lexus, as that stalk was on the right side -- a much better place, IMO. I'll adapt, but activating cruise when you're trying to signal is a bit disturbing. I feel bad giving Autopilot a 7/10 score, as it is a very slick system that really does work and has huge potential. The car really can drive itself in a lot of situations. It's just not finished, yet.
Climate Control: 7/10. Cooling is important in the South, and buying a car in August gave me an immediate opportunity to test the A/C. It cools quickly, and the combination of Cabin Overheat Protection and remote A/C start (via the very nice iOS app) make for a pleasant experience on a 95 degree day. Tesla loses a point for the lack of fan speed control during Bioweapon Defense Mode (max fan only), but the rest of the HEPA system definitely does its job. I suggest a software edit that uses max speed by default, but with user option to dial it back as appropriate without the system reverting to normal mode. Another point is lost for the feeling I noticed several times while cruising at 80mph on a 90 degree day. The cabin feeling was that of a system suddenly shifting from A/C mode with recirculation to vent mode (little or no cooling) with exterior air. In the humid Louisiana summer, that change is obvious and unpleasant. I think the system was shunting cooling power to the battery system, but that’s just a guess. Also, the lack of ventilated seats is a downer. My Lexus had ventilated seats with actual cooling as well as vent and heat settings. Hot, humid weather + business clothes + long drive = a rough day, and seat cooling made life a little better. When Tesla introduced ventilated seats, I hoped for the addition of cooling down the road. Seeing the perforated seats dropped from the option list hurt. While the advanced cooling features reduce initial discomfort when entering a hot car and make ventilated seats less necessary, I already miss them. Life’s a series of trade offs, though…
Interior: 8.5/10, (vs. the Lexus' 9.5). I chose black premium (leather? – no one seems to know for sure) with the figured ash wood décor and black headliner. No major interior quality issues, but I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't like the fit and finish as much after 7 years / 270K miles as in the Lexus. Road noise is minimal. With no engine noise, some drivers have complained about the level of tire and wind noise, but it’s very comparable to the sound in my Lexus, which had a barely audible engine noise at cruising speed. The cabin is comfortable and generally well laid out, but there’s no good place for trash. Most cars have door pockets that have served me well. Right now, I’m using the cupholders in the armrest as a trash bin (with my giant Yeti in the very nice, adjustable / removable center console cup holder), but I’m looking for a better option. Suggestions appreciated…
Exterior: 9/10. The paint job (midnight silver metallic) looks good, and the body panels fit together nicely. I’ll remove the front license plate holder as soon as I find the right screwdriver bit. Tesla wisely bolted it on from underneath, so there will be no ugly holes in the bumper cover after removal. The standard 19” silver slipstream wheels are rather bland, and the grey version did not become available until after I ordered. At $2,500, I probably wouldn’t have ordered them. I probably will buy aftermarket rims (including one for the spare) and list the OEM set on eBay (let me know if you need a set, summer/winter drivers out there). My only real exterior complaint is that I have to slam the doors to get a complete close. Every person who has closed a door on my car has failed on the first attempt. My LS460 has an automatic door close feature that pulls the door closed the last ½ inch, which is very nice. Slamming a fancy car’s door seems tacky and unnecessary.
Maps / Navigation: 0/10. Tesla, Google, Waze and SpaceX are all interwoven parts of Elon Musk’s domain. Three of the four have amazing navigational systems, yet the Google maps system in my 100D is AWFUL! It selects inefficient routes, does not allow me to choose from alternate routes and – worst of all – has no capacity for planning a multi-leg trip. This is a $100K self-driving car built in 2017 by a guy who lands rockets on barges, and it won’t let me add a stop along my route? If I plot a course from San Francisco to New York, it will add all the necessary Supercharger stops and projected charge times/levels along the way, but if I want to deviate 100 miles to visit a friend, it may leave me stranded without enough charge to get to the next Supercharger unless I manually do the mileage math and adjust my charging stops/times. To me, this is an unforgivable oversight. If I had known about this limitation, I probably would have delayed my purchase until the feature was added.
Financial Analysis: I compared the 100D with a new Lexus LS460, using as similar a build as possible considering one is a traditional ICE luxury sedan and the other is a world-changing lithium-powered vehicle built with little consideration of the “rules of carmaking”. The Lexus has an MSRP $32K below the 100D, but with tax incentives, energy savings (I assumed 60% of charging would be on the free Supercharger network) and maintenance differential (no oil, transmission, etc. changes), the total cost of ownership across 270K miles was similar, with Tesla winning by about $6K). My insurance costs are similar, as well, so it came down to a choice between a fourth Lexus LS model and a totally new driving experience. The eight year, unlimited mileage powertrain warranty was critical to me, as I plan to put 270K miles on the car during that time. The free Supercharging, while not a huge savings (under $6K over 270K miles assuming 60% of all charging at Tesla chargers, by my estimation), was also a big draw, as I want to enjoy the feeling of “free energy” every time I Supercharge, even if the cost was buried in the MSRP.
Misc. Features and Observations: 1) I was shocked to find that there was no smart rain-sensing wiper function on the 100D. Various forum posts say “It’s coming, be patient”, but if a $20K Chevy has smart wipers, why not this car – NOW? 2) The thumb scroll wheels on the steering wheel feel a bit unusual. A function that requires the push of the scroll wheel gives me the feeling that the wheel is going to scroll before I get the button pressed. I find myself being very deliberate in the push action. In a self-driving car, that shouldn’t be a problem (I have extra brain cycles to devote to pressing buttons if I’m not driving the car), but I don’t care for the tactile experience relative to five or six other steering wheel control systems I have used. 3) If Autopilot is engaged and you accelerate past 90 (passing a car, avoiding a merging vehicle, etc.), the system disables Autopilot. That’s fine, and it’s noted in the manual. What I wasn’t prepared for was the penalty: No more Autopilot for the rest of the drive. No “three strikes” (like with the hands on wheel reminder) and no yellow card – just an immediate red card. 4) No spare tire. I understand it’s a growing trend, and I’m glad that Tesla didn’t use the “you don’t need one, because we sold you run-flat tires” line. Regular tires are superior, IMO, and don’t get me started on the “Fix-a-Flat option”. Roadside assistance is fine if you drive in urban areas, but when I have a flat 60 miles from the nearest red light and have an important meeting to attend, there’s no room for a two hour wait. I don’t mind buying a spare (plus a jack and tools), but there’s no good place to store it. Before the addition of the HEPA filter, the frunk was large enough for at least an emergency spare. Now, it will have to live in the trunk, probably wrapped in the nice $40 Tesla Tire Tote, which will facilitate removal when I need extra storage. 5) Where should the tow bolt live? As delivered, it was loose in the trunk well. Hearing a loud THUD when cornering on my way out of the dealership parking lot wasn’t pleasant. I’ve wrapped it in a beach towel and jammed it behind/under the charging cable bag for now. Once I add a full size spare, I’ll put it in the bag with the jack and tools. 6) The upgraded audio system sounds good, but seems to fall short of the Mark Levinson in my Lexus. I’m having trouble balancing front and rear speakers for various musical styles. Voices on hands free phone calls seem weak and hollow relative to the Lexus, as well. Callers report hearing minimal road noise, as in the Lexus.
Summary: 8/10 so far. It’s too early to deliver final grades, but I’m pleased with my purchase.
Just so you know, the air intake is always going through the HEPA filter, whether you use Bioweapon Defense Mode. The whole deal with Bioweapon Defense Mode is that it kicks the fans to max, which creates positive pressure inside the car, preventing any outside air from leaking in. With the fans on a lower setting, the AC air is still going through the HEPA filter, but since it's not keeping the pressure up some outside air could still leak in through the normal air gaps in the car.
So, if you want the fans lower, just leave it on the normal setting, you're still using the HEPA filter.
Great, well-thought-out first post! Welcome to TMC and congratulations on the new purchase.
Bruce.
First impressions since picking up my 2013 S85 CPO.
Things I like:
Things I like:
- Best riding car I have ever driven.
- It rides smooth and doesn't stumble over bumps.
- It's so quiet I now want to avoid certain highways because the aggregate they used is to loud on the tires.
- Only the S85 but accelerates real fast.
- Luggage space!
- Supercharging. No not as fast as adding gas to a tank but I can live with it.
- 4 1/2 years old and everyone I showed it to thought it was new and commented on new car smell.
- I don't have the 40 amp outlet yet at my house and have range anxiety
- No adaptive sounds to background noise or road speed or at least I haven't found it yet.
- No door storage
- Internet radio cuts out mid song even though full cell signal. (About 1 in 12 songs)
- No SMS integration. I am so used to having the car read me SMS messages I will really miss this
- Key missing message has randomly appear twice while driving down the road.
- My first black car. Looks great but getting people to leave their fingers off it is so hard. These prints show up so easy.
- Worst drink holder placement of any car I've owned
- Waze... Tesla you must integrate this!
A week ago I brought home a new to me 2014 P85, came from a Chevy Sports Sedan(basically Camaro chassis with mundane 4dr. Malibu like body), Straight line and responsiveness the Tesla is a very nice upgrade, cornering the SS is a very high bar to meet so I didn't expect the Tesla to match it, I can feel the extra weight of the Tesla, still handles very good, I am happy but it isn't the GREAT I had gotten accustomed to. I love the quiet power and a normal conversation volume at any speed, the touchscreen makes the crap in the Chevy seem a decade or better outdated, Tesla hit it out of the ballpark there. Interior space the Chevy wins too, back seat especially was bigger, but my kids combined weigh under 100lbs so the MS is fine in practice.
I got the car from a Ford dealer, previous owner had another MS on order but also needed a truck for Wisconsin winter so it had been traded in on a truck last winter. I wanted to go CPO but found the CPO department insufficiently helpful, felt I was being rushed to put money down on a car, and given my location in WI basically everything was going to have a $2k shipping fee and couple month wait. After buying this one i sent the company a copy of the registration and license Monday and haven't heard back far as getting the car in my name so I can use the app and such. Company is not wowing me service wise so far, and the CPO person specifically contradicted information I had gotten calling a service center, which was another reason I didn't see that thru and went elsewhere. The Eden Prairie MN service center answered questions for me about this car before I bought and they were so helpful I will likely try to use them for service, they are 5 hours away and Chicago only 3, but I rather spend a couple days in Minneapolis than Chicago.
I am getting and "unable to charge" error but the car is still charging, no error when supercharging 10minutes after buying, but I get the error at home on 110volt or the NEMA 10-30 I installed tonight to get me buy till I get and install the HCWC.
One critical lesson I have learned here where this is a very rare car is do not use the frunk if in a hurry, because it will lead to having to explain the car to someone. Just looks like a nice car to most folks, but if they see the hood up they think distress and notice, then they see you put groceries in and they have to find out what is up..........
You will see me in the exterior section I want to do something about the nosecone, still researching options, and I think I want a set of turbine wheels, I work in aviation so I think I kind of have to do that. Probably be looking for things to vinyl wrap for subtle changes, don't really want the car to scream look at me but want to make it my own.
In response to the above post, I agree on the SMS, even the severely lacking infotainment system in the Chevy did that, and I will miss the HUD the Chevy had.
I got the car from a Ford dealer, previous owner had another MS on order but also needed a truck for Wisconsin winter so it had been traded in on a truck last winter. I wanted to go CPO but found the CPO department insufficiently helpful, felt I was being rushed to put money down on a car, and given my location in WI basically everything was going to have a $2k shipping fee and couple month wait. After buying this one i sent the company a copy of the registration and license Monday and haven't heard back far as getting the car in my name so I can use the app and such. Company is not wowing me service wise so far, and the CPO person specifically contradicted information I had gotten calling a service center, which was another reason I didn't see that thru and went elsewhere. The Eden Prairie MN service center answered questions for me about this car before I bought and they were so helpful I will likely try to use them for service, they are 5 hours away and Chicago only 3, but I rather spend a couple days in Minneapolis than Chicago.
I am getting and "unable to charge" error but the car is still charging, no error when supercharging 10minutes after buying, but I get the error at home on 110volt or the NEMA 10-30 I installed tonight to get me buy till I get and install the HCWC.
One critical lesson I have learned here where this is a very rare car is do not use the frunk if in a hurry, because it will lead to having to explain the car to someone. Just looks like a nice car to most folks, but if they see the hood up they think distress and notice, then they see you put groceries in and they have to find out what is up..........
You will see me in the exterior section I want to do something about the nosecone, still researching options, and I think I want a set of turbine wheels, I work in aviation so I think I kind of have to do that. Probably be looking for things to vinyl wrap for subtle changes, don't really want the car to scream look at me but want to make it my own.
In response to the above post, I agree on the SMS, even the severely lacking infotainment system in the Chevy did that, and I will miss the HUD the Chevy had.
Great post. I hope you continue to update us as your milage climbs towards 270k. Your sentiments echo mine. Its great to know that moving forward electric cars can only get better and we will have more interior options and better features. Hopefully from Tesla also.
The tow eye can be stored in the hollowed out space for it under the frunk lining. I too have just left mine in the trunk because I was not comfortable pulling all the frunk lining up just to put the tow eye away. Not sure how easy it will be to re-seat all the rubber seals.
stan23
Member
Just took delivery in Fremont.
I would rate it 1.5/10.
The waiting room/delivery room, etc.. was still under construction and construction was going on during our delivery process. Black cloth covering walls. We were in and out in like 20-minutes. They weren't busy. Just had the feeling of, "take your car and go please" I had a better delivery experience when my MIL bought her new Honda a few weeks back.
- delivery person wasn't really informed about my car. Questions were met with "let me check." and would be gone for a bit.
- didn't mention the autopilot takes a while to kick in.
- didn't mention that mytesla app will not work for a while.
- didn't really go through the car outside of bluetooth setup and acceptance of car.
- no swag
- car didn't even come with the keyfob holder. When asked, he just said they were out of stock.
- car was delivered with about 70% charge, when asked. They said they didn't have charging setup for delivery and could not demonstrate any of it to us.
Overall, very disappointed.
I would rate it 1.5/10.
The waiting room/delivery room, etc.. was still under construction and construction was going on during our delivery process. Black cloth covering walls. We were in and out in like 20-minutes. They weren't busy. Just had the feeling of, "take your car and go please" I had a better delivery experience when my MIL bought her new Honda a few weeks back.
- delivery person wasn't really informed about my car. Questions were met with "let me check." and would be gone for a bit.
- didn't mention the autopilot takes a while to kick in.
- didn't mention that mytesla app will not work for a while.
- didn't really go through the car outside of bluetooth setup and acceptance of car.
- no swag
- car didn't even come with the keyfob holder. When asked, he just said they were out of stock.
- car was delivered with about 70% charge, when asked. They said they didn't have charging setup for delivery and could not demonstrate any of it to us.
Overall, very disappointed.
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mandersen
Member
Hmm since I am doing my delivery in Fremont at the end of Sept this does not make me feel good.
stan23
Member
Just walk in with ZERO expectations, and you should be good to go.
The car I received was pretty dirty too. It kinda looked like someone just wiped it down with some detail spray. Interior was very dusty. Car had 6 miles on the odo.
mandersen
Member
Well I am sure they will get an earful from my wife. She is expecting a certain level of commitment for $100k. So if they don't deliver then she won't be afraid to let them know right there. I will give my Delivery Agent a heads up
Thanks,
stan23
Member
Well I am sure they will get an earful from my wife. She is expecting a certain level of commitment for $100k. So if they don't deliver then she won't be afraid to let them know right there. I will give my Delivery Agent a heads up
My wife is pretty easy going, and she was not impressed at all!
I guess it doesn't really matter. I do like the car!
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Given the "poor delivery experience" some people are getting at the UNDER CONSTRUCTION Fremont factory, would you guys rather get a different car instead just to get a little more fanfare at delivery? some people want to grab their car and go, be done with it. I didn't get swag at my delivery but i was still happy because i got a new car, a nice new car too. but to each their own i suppose.
stan23
Member
I change cars every year or so, so my experiences are just that. My experiences. From all that cars i've bought, the Tesla was for sure the worse 'experience'
Hello all. So, I took delivery on Friday of a May 2017 build P100DL. Bought it at an inventory sale in Sydney with 2,200km on it. I got a very significant discount off the then prevailing new build price (a bit less so compared to the current new build given option package changes and currency (A$ stronger now)).
I really hadn’t intended to get a new car until next year, but happened to walk into a city store, found out about the inventory cars and essentially couldn't pass on the price. I would not have stumped up for a new P100 - this is a city car and I was thinking 75D given the recent speed improvements since I don’t need the range. But, I couldn’t resist. It doesn’t have a sunroof - I will miss that but I do like the glass roof. I promised myself I wouldn’t do grey again (was going for silver), but, they agreed to swap out the grey turbines for a set of silvers they had on another car. Together with the white interior I think the whole package looks tight. (I know no-one likes the silver turbines any more but I am old school I guess). I may dip them one day and delete the chrome but for now I am digging the contrast with the grey.
This is our second Tesla. I got my wife a 90D Model X in Feb and we love that car. So much so that I was torn between a Model S or a second Model X. I am 2 days into the Model S but I really love it and the speed/ power is simply astonishing. I described it to a friend yesterday as “telepathic”. I traded a 2014 RS4 for this car and while the Audi was quick and nimble, this car feels like it is subject to a different set of laws.
I know you’ve all seen these cars a million times, but here are a few pics anyway…
I really hadn’t intended to get a new car until next year, but happened to walk into a city store, found out about the inventory cars and essentially couldn't pass on the price. I would not have stumped up for a new P100 - this is a city car and I was thinking 75D given the recent speed improvements since I don’t need the range. But, I couldn’t resist. It doesn’t have a sunroof - I will miss that but I do like the glass roof. I promised myself I wouldn’t do grey again (was going for silver), but, they agreed to swap out the grey turbines for a set of silvers they had on another car. Together with the white interior I think the whole package looks tight. (I know no-one likes the silver turbines any more but I am old school I guess). I may dip them one day and delete the chrome but for now I am digging the contrast with the grey.
This is our second Tesla. I got my wife a 90D Model X in Feb and we love that car. So much so that I was torn between a Model S or a second Model X. I am 2 days into the Model S but I really love it and the speed/ power is simply astonishing. I described it to a friend yesterday as “telepathic”. I traded a 2014 RS4 for this car and while the Audi was quick and nimble, this car feels like it is subject to a different set of laws.
I know you’ve all seen these cars a million times, but here are a few pics anyway…
youlikeadajuice
P 9130
Navigate to Tesla Traffic Incidents and Information on the web browser...not perfect, but better than nothing. I use it instead of the integrated Tesla Map usually.
Navigation wise - it definitely seems like the car just always picks 'shortest' not 'fastest.' For my commute, those are VERY different routes.
I stick to waze as well. I'm sure for interstate traffic the built-in nav will probably be fine but it is surprising it doesn't give you route choices.
I stick to waze as well. I'm sure for interstate traffic the built-in nav will probably be fine but it is surprising it doesn't give you route choices.
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