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After drooling over these cars since the day TSLA was founded, we finally pulled the trigger on a metallic blue P100D loaded with everything except the rear seats.
There's no particular point to this post, just wanted to welcome ourselves to the club and share some first impressions after the first week of driving it. All you folks who’ve owned these a lot longer than us, you already know all this stuff.
We waited this long for essentially two reasons: high price and company viability. Starting a new car company and making it truly viable is really, really, hard. Nobody wants to be orphaned with such an expensive car. By this time it sure seems like Tesla is far enough ahead of all their competition that they'll be around for a while. Many thanks to the hundreds of thousands of people who were willing to take a lot more risk than we were, so that TSLA could get to this point.
We ordered on May 17, got an estimated delivery date of June 14, and took delivery on June 22. From everything I'm reading, total time of 5 weeks and only 8 days late seems pretty good. The sales and ordering process went fine and very smoothly; our delivery specialist was reasonably responsive to all our questions. I really like the direct sales model. Buying cars through the franchised dealer system is just so over-the-top painful and unpleasant, it's not really hard to be a lot better than that.
Why a Model S now and not wait for our Model 3 order number that we placed 2 years ago, to finally come through? No particular reason besides just getting tired of waiting. A friend of mine just got a 3 to replace his Leaf whose lease was expiring. It’s a huge improvement and he’s loving it. Timing-wise, we seem to have found a pretty good spot for our order - we've got all the latest features including the nice ventilated seats, plus also free lifetime LTE. Not too many S/X will have both of those. Addendum - between the time I started writing this and the time I posted it, we were invited to design our Model 3. We just gave up the spot and got a refund. Maybe the next time we need to replace another car we’ll get back in line.
The production quality is outstanding - easily as good as any other car we've ever gotten. The only blemishes we've found so far are a very tiny tear in the stitching on the back of the passenger headrest (still need to let the service center know about that), and the rear-view mirror, which detached from its ball-mount as I was adjusting it the day after we took delivery. Needless to say I was pretty bummed about having that happen after less than 24 hours of happy ownership, but the service center told me to just drop in and I was out of there in about 20 minutes with it all fixed. So the first service center experience was pretty good.
It's very much a full size car. Plenty of room for four passengers, plus a fifth if the back seat passengers are pretty friendly. Tons of storage room in the front and rear trunks. I wish the front trunk had automatic opening and closing like the rear one has. You have to push pretty hard to close the front trunk and I'd hate to put a dent in the front hood by pushing too hard.
It's a big heavy car and you can definitely feel that when you're driving. But considering how heavy it is, it really handles nicely (and of course acceleration is nuts - more on that below). It's got all kinds of features that contribute to the great road feel - air suspension, all-wheel drive, traction control, extremely low CG. Handling is great but our smaller cars are definitely more nimble in the turns.
Sport steering mode is definitely the best. Standard is not bad, and Comfort mode is too loose and has very little feedback.
The tech is amazing - so much better than any other car we’ve ever had. Some people complain that they’d rather have more physical knobs and buttons, vs. just two screens, but I think they’ve done a really good job with the interface and I like it a lot.
The nav system is much better than any other car we’ve ever driven, but the voice prompts are a bit naggy and not well timed. TSLA obviously spent money to license Google Maps, they should license Google Nav also, which is a lot better.
The EAP nags that everybody complains about aren’t that bad. The steering wheel doesn’t sense whether you’re holding it or not. It only senses resistance against the internal motor that is trying to turn the wheel. I leave a hand resting on the bottom or side of the steering wheel while EAP is active and I never get nagged. Given all the occurrences of EAP crashing into side barriers and what-not, it seems like a good idea to follow Tesla’s instructions and always pay attention while using EAP. It’s super cool, especially when following traffic in city driving, where you really don’t need to do much at all, but it’s just not ready (and Tesla says as much) to be in control without the driver paying attention. I sure don’t want our fantastic new car to get wrecked, get on the news for the worst reason, and then on top of that get called out by Tesla when they review the logs and tell everyone that the car warned me a bunch of times to put my hands back on the wheel.
TACC is very nicely done, again much better than any of our other cars, and can be used independently from EAP. It would be nice if EAP and TACC both automatically adjusted max speed upwards and downwards as the posted speed limit changes. Max speed will automatically adjust downwards when the speed limit decreases, but it won’t increase again when the speed limit increases.
The climate control system is very effective. A/C works great. Ventilated seats work great. Using the app to cool down the car before we come back to it on a hot day is fantastic. Haven't tried the heating stuff yet because it's Summer in California.
Love the air suspension, and that you can adjust it while driving. It has a lot of travel - seems like 2-3 inches between Standard and Very High, which is more than enough to avoid scraping the front air dam when dealing with troublesome driveways.
Performance is everything that all the internet articles and reviews promised. Our version has three acceleration modes: Chill, Sport, and Ludicrous.
There are some additional performance modes that I haven't tried yet. Max Battery Power heats up the battery to enable better current draw. The car is already so fast that I just haven't seen the need. Maybe in very cold weather. Then there are Ludicrous+ and Launch Mode. Can you say "overkill"? Maybe I'll change my mind after I actually try them. Meanwhile it's fun to watch them in action on the Tesla Racing Channel.
- Chill is much too tame for my taste - probably what we'll make our kids use if we ever actually let them drive it. Sport is where I spend 99% of my driving time.
- Sport is incredibly fast - much faster than just about every other car I see on the road. It's so fast that you have to be very careful with the throttle because you're way over the speed limit so quickly that it's a ticket waiting to happen. I've been reading some forum posts where people call Sport "slug mode". I just don't understand that. Maybe those folks all own supercars already
- Ludicrous is well named, stupidly fast, and impossible to describe to someone who hasn't actually experienced it. According to the manual, Ludicrous puts out 60% more power than Sport. It's over-the-top uselessly fast - there is simply no real-world need for acceleration of that magnitude. Yet it's so incredibly fun. I've read folks saying that Ludicrous acceleration is a "safety feature" that can help get you out of a bind. It's so much faster than that. It's far faster than a careful and cautious driver needs, to get out of any situation. It's a lot more likely to get you in trouble than out, if you're not super careful with it. I hardly ever use Ludicrous because Sport is already so fast, but I don't regret for a moment spending the money for it (see "incredibly fun" comment above).
The ability to own the quickest production car in the world (at least as of today), for a fraction of the price of a "hypercar" is quite amazing. And it carries five people plus all their stuff, which I’m pretty sure most high-end sports cars can’t do. Yes I know that high-end sports cars have much faster top-end speeds, and out-accelerate the Tesla at very high speeds because they have multi-gear transmissions, but I don't drive on the Autobahn and I don't drive over 100 MPH, so the difference between a car that can go 155 vs. 200+ is pretty meaningless to me.
We immediately bought the extended warranty. We’ve read so much about how expensive these cars are to repair, and I want 8 years / 100,000 miles of worry-free driving this awesome car.
Executive summary. We have absolutely zero buyer’s remorse. All the reviews I’ve been reading for years where people gush that it’s the best car they’ve ever owned, are spot on and then some. This is by far the coolest car we’ve ever owned. It’s everything I expected and more, and I just hope the quality continues to be there in the long haul. I’ve never bought another car that came remotely close to making me want to post this kind of thing to the users group a week after buying it.
There are tons of great links and material on the web - here are some of my favorites:
What it's like to own a Tesla Model S - A cartoonist's review of his magical space car - The Oatmeal
Moats: Why Tesla Can Do What Other Car Companies Only Dream About
Thanks and sorry for taking your time with such a long post.
Great post! Tesla achieved amazing results so far but the journey is far from over, still many to convince.
Congratulations on your new car, you are contributing in so many ways, so thanks for that.
Elektron
Member
MarkKW
Member
Quick question what is tough cost of ceramic coat and how much tint? And tint roof and or windows?
Congrats!
wilmaya
Member
MarkKW
Member
Elektron
Member
I got a package deal of full front clear bra (3M brand), full outside lifetime ceramic coat (tungsten), full inside ceramic protection, and 4 side + back window ceramic tint (20%). I dont have a breakdown on the individual costs. The roof is already tinted so i did not add any to it. I will warn you that the windshield wipers now skip in the rain because of the ceramic coat. I dont know what to do about that issue yet.
kvandivo
Member
One of the youtube vids I watched a few months ago said that was a common problem if the coating isn't applied correctly. Apparently you have to wipe in a certain direction, or do circular motions, or something. I think it might have been one of the vids from the cali detailer that was getting the early model 3's. (don't remember his name or the video)
I have had my Model S for two weeks now and I thought I would post my thoughts here. It is a 100D solid black with premium interior (black seats), carbon fiber, premium upgrade package and EAP.
I am not sure I want to buy or drive anything other than Tesla ever again.
The buying experience was fantastic. I really enjoyed only speaking to a human via phone for 5 minutes until I picked up my car. The online experience was easy, up to date and reliable. I traded in a 10 year old car which also was really easy. My delivery experience was quite smooth, I picked it up in Dedham MA - low key experience and most of the time was spent getting my plates, etc. It was about 45 minutes and I was out of there.
The driving dynamics are amazing. The acceleration, the smooth ride, the quietness. It really is amazing. Traffic is far more enjoyable now. The nav system is great (I never had the old maps, only new maps, I have MCU2 as well). The routing could be improved for traffic conditions, though the map gives you yellow/red for traffic and I can easily manage that. I have used autopilot a bit, and the accuracy and effectiveness is kind of mind blowing. I know there have been complaints about the recent updates and the ‘nag’ but I don’t see it. It is really good. I love the blinker - change lane - autopilot feature. It’s crazy good.
Charging has been easy, I have a wall charger with 56A to the car - no range issues at all. I haven’t supercharged yet, I need to do that soon.
I have cleaned it twice. There are complaints about the solid black paint. It cleans nicely, no swirl marks. Yes it shows more dirt that other colors, but when it is clean it looks really nice. Interior cleans up easily and nice. Also, the trunk is huge.
I am a pretty big music fan. I would love Apple Music or Spotify apps in the car, though Bluetooth streaming is good and easy. Also, slacker radio is way better than I would have thought and find myself listening to it a lot.
Overall it has been a great 2 weeks with my new model S. Exceeded expectations. Keep up the good work, Elon.
I am not sure I want to buy or drive anything other than Tesla ever again.
The buying experience was fantastic. I really enjoyed only speaking to a human via phone for 5 minutes until I picked up my car. The online experience was easy, up to date and reliable. I traded in a 10 year old car which also was really easy. My delivery experience was quite smooth, I picked it up in Dedham MA - low key experience and most of the time was spent getting my plates, etc. It was about 45 minutes and I was out of there.
The driving dynamics are amazing. The acceleration, the smooth ride, the quietness. It really is amazing. Traffic is far more enjoyable now. The nav system is great (I never had the old maps, only new maps, I have MCU2 as well). The routing could be improved for traffic conditions, though the map gives you yellow/red for traffic and I can easily manage that. I have used autopilot a bit, and the accuracy and effectiveness is kind of mind blowing. I know there have been complaints about the recent updates and the ‘nag’ but I don’t see it. It is really good. I love the blinker - change lane - autopilot feature. It’s crazy good.
Charging has been easy, I have a wall charger with 56A to the car - no range issues at all. I haven’t supercharged yet, I need to do that soon.
I have cleaned it twice. There are complaints about the solid black paint. It cleans nicely, no swirl marks. Yes it shows more dirt that other colors, but when it is clean it looks really nice. Interior cleans up easily and nice. Also, the trunk is huge.
I am a pretty big music fan. I would love Apple Music or Spotify apps in the car, though Bluetooth streaming is good and easy. Also, slacker radio is way better than I would have thought and find myself listening to it a lot.
Overall it has been a great 2 weeks with my new model S. Exceeded expectations. Keep up the good work, Elon.
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Elektron
Member
I couldn’t have said it any better. I have had my car the same amount of time. I absolutely love it! I cant imagine driving anything else. It is truly a joy to drive again. Now i have to convince my wife that she needs a MX!
Can’t please 100% of the people 100% of the time. But if the vast majority of Tesla owners stay with Tesla, that’s a major win.
My first post to join the Tesla family.
Great delivery, great car and great summer!
French S100D, MCU2, graphite trims, 21 turbine wheels
Great delivery, great car and great summer!
French S100D, MCU2, graphite trims, 21 turbine wheels
This is not always true. I haven't been able to lay my finger on it yet, but I have seen my car both decrease AND increase speed after the speed limit increases. However, this doesn't always happen for reasons that I haven't yet been able to determine.
What I do know is that it only occurs when the car decreased speed automatically. But for some reason it doesn't always increase speed when it had decreased automatically.
I never posted my first official pic after receiving the car back in late June. I have to say, I am really happy with the car. Now it feels really weird not driving a Tesla when occasionally driving our other car. I will post some better pics when I get a chance.
To sum things up: chrome delete, window tint, red Tesla Decals, RPM spoiler, TSW wheels, Plasti Dipped badges.
Here you go, some before and afters:
To sum things up: chrome delete, window tint, red Tesla Decals, RPM spoiler, TSW wheels, Plasti Dipped badges.
Here you go, some before and afters:
Hey did you change the MSM color on your car or wrapped it? It looks unusually nice compared to the other one? I have ORDERED the same color car and plan to install some after market wheels and tint...whats the % all around the car and did you tint the windshield?
I went to a local vinyl wrap place for the chrome delete on the moldings and Plasti dipped the Tesla symbol. The good thing was that this was the second MS that they had done, so they knew what they were doing.
With regards to the tints, I went with 20% to keep out the Florida sun, but with the white seats, it looks less dark than I thought it would. I did not do the windshield, even though I have noticed that the sun can really beat down on you at around noon due to the windshield going so far back. But I love driving the car and don't care much about it.
my first Tesla has completed 2 months of life.
A silver metallic S100D, fully accessorized.
They gave me an irreplaceable treatment.
for now I have not found any fault ..
Drive this car is fantastic. Absolutely no regrets for me too.
A silver metallic S100D, fully accessorized.
They gave me an irreplaceable treatment.
for now I have not found any fault ..
Drive this car is fantastic. Absolutely no regrets for me too.
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