Warning: this is more of an ownership story than a delivery story. Not much in the way of pictures, because it was at night followed by snow/rain - mostly iPhone photos.
I became interested in Tesla through a nephew who has been a power train engineer there since 2010, discussing the company at a family wedding last summer. I wasn’t in the market for a new car but the Automobile and Yahoo! Autos COTY articles he sent piqued my interest in early November. I am environmentally aware and with five kids liked the jump seats, and more rear seat room than my 2011 Audi. But I couldn’t drop $5000 without seeing the car (I know, some of you put down $40K years before the car existed…), so I planned a stop at the Natick Mall Tesla store on the way home from taking our youngest to a birthday party out that way. I was looking for a showroom from the parking lot, but when I called to ask where to park (it’s a big mall that I’d never visited) they said to come through Macy’s and find them across from Victoria’s Secret – never heard that from a car dealer!
The white S on display looked nice though I wasn’t crazy about the black “mouth” initially. I loved the drivetrain/battery mockup and getting a touchscreen walkthrough with daughter on my lap. I guess the older dad with a toddler, four other kids and a Tesla nephew fit the profile so they brought manager Wendy Chua over to meet me. She gave me her card and a Tesla coloring book and cool multi-color crayon for my daughter. I told her I would make a reservation and was interested in a test drive Thanksgiving weekend near NYC, so she connected me by email to the Westchester store manager.
I was reservation number 13,743 and expected my car in July/August – when the A4 hit three years. I had planned to drive it for several years more and would have, if the Model S hadn’t come along.
Westchester showroom people were very accommodating, moving the test drive from Saturday to Black Friday morning on short notice. My brother and two oldest kids came along for a great drive in a non-P 85 blue/tan that validated my decision to make the deposit and started the blue (oldest daughter) / green (son) debate. R&T’s COTY was further reinforcement, as were Thanksgiving debates with a few relatives about why the government should subsidize “luxury car buyers” vs. pay for oil wars in dollars and troop lives. In December I ran out of reviews and Tesla site materials to read so joined the TMC forums.
The configure email came much faster than expected on January 11. I was pretty set on blue/tan but wasn’t prepared to order it without actually seeing a green. Robert.Boston kindly offered to stop by our house on January 21 to show us his green and gave two more daughters a test drive – even going out of his way to get a car wash first – thank you again! My wife wanted nothing to do with it, especially the touchscreen (she refuses to get a smartphone), but liked the green.
On January 22, while on a business trip, I configured and the following day I signed off the pre-MVPA. I was very torn after seeing Robert’s car, and spent a lot of time looking at his and S1079’s photos online before pushing the button. I decided not to reveal my decision to keep the kids guessing – and because I knew they wouldn’t be disappointed when the car arrived, no matter what color.
Nearly two months later the big day arrived. I was waiting at O’Hare in a snowstorm Tuesday evening when Andrew Clark, the Boston DS, confirmed the truck had arrived and the car would be ready for pickup in 24 hours. Texted a friend who replied “looking forward to seeing the future”. Charger still isn’t ready because initial SolarCity visit and install schedule were both delayed by snowstorms, so the Service Center started a range charge. Wednesday between work calls and emails I took care of insurance and got my EV plates at the RMV (“Zero cylinders? Not sure the computer will take it.” – it did). In the afternoon I dropped off the plates, saw my car for the first time and talked to the woman detailing it – she was amazed my wait was just four months, as she recently had a couple who had reserved and waited four years! The blue looked beautiful, but I started to have doubts looking at over 20 S’s in the lot - the silver and whites look particularly good on a gray, sleety New England winter day. And the detailer agreed she never thought she’d like a brown car until she saw the S.
After a quick dinner we headed for our 7pm appointment – four oldest kids (little one stayed home with Mom), a college-student nephew and a friend. Andrew and the team were great, letting the kids check out a Roadster before heading to our car. Girls and friend were psyched with the blue, while our son and nephew had wanted green but were quickly distracted by the car itself. Andrew took us through the car in detail. In my excitement I flunked the first jump seat folding test – the kids showed me how. They love the jump seats and frunk, as can be seen in the photos.
It was a lot to take in, but after about 90 minutes we were ready to leave. We took a group photo and grabbed a stack of brochures for the glove compartment. I rolled very slowly out of the service bay as nephew took photos, savoring the moment. Two girls watched him from the jump seats as he followed us home in the A4. They enjoyed the acceleration as we pulled away from him at lights. Despite after 9pm on a rainy night, he saw several pedestrians’ heads turn to follow the S as we drove through Harvard Square.
After dropping off the girls the three guys took her out on the closest highway where I briefly hit 90 – a blast. Couldn’t figure out how to set cruise control but son had Slacker fully under control – and I discovered he’d set himself a seat profile (still learning permit) so guess he’s gotten over the green. I let nephew drive the last couple of miles on the street, and when we got a thumbs-up from a guy in an SUV at a light, he said “the best part is maybe he thinks it’s
my car!” I gave him permission to do a measured peel-out to demonstrate the S to the SUVer.
We had over 520 Kwh average consumption on the meter when we got home. Put her to bed on temporary 110v in the garage, which meant backing in to reach the plug. Definitely much bigger than the A4 and more maneuvering required in our condo’s three-car garage – but worth it. And with a silent car I wasn’t worried about disturbing our neighbors sleeping overhead.
The next day despite continued rain and sleet I made excuses to drive her whenever possible – volunteered for school dropoffs and later pickups, got city parking permit (“It’s a what?” – Tesla time and a brochure with the guy at the counter), had it inspected at the local gas station (more Tesla time and a brochure).
At a school pickup I found a spot next to an A7 for comparison. They are very similar size and shape. Inside I saw the dad who owns the A7, and after collecting our daughters we walked to the cars. I didn’t say anything but waited for and smiled at the “what’s that?” as the door handles extended, which his daughter got a kick out of. He was very interested and practically drooling over it, so I gave him a brochure as well. Between errands it stayed in the driveway.
I tried out the nearest Chargepoint (free) when I stopped at the hardware store (got a “is that a Tesla?” from a young guy as I plugged it in), and returned in the evening to leave the car for a couple of hours as I wanted a full standard charge for my planned road trip the second day (will post elsewhere).
Due Bill item: HPWC (but because plates were already on I didn’t get my “Zero Emissions” plate and want one)
A few impressions:
+ smooth, silent driving experience and solid road feel
+ jump seats, cup/juice box holder, auto liftgate and “kid button” control in back
+ frunk
+ Slacker
+ Memory settings
+ kids say it has much less “new car smell” than my 2 ½ year old A4 does even now, which can make two of them feel carsick
- front floor mats only: bought Kraco rubber ones on Amazon for the rear seat and jump seat footwell for the time being
- no grab handles in front or back
- no cup holders in back seat (Daughter: “I guess kids aren’t supposed to eat or drink in the car.” Me: “Good call.” - but I know it won’t last.)
- the sun visors and unlit mirrors do indeed seem small and cheap
- there appears to be a slight misalignment between the fender panel and tailgate on the left side – will get it checked
- there’s a slight ticking or clicking noise somewhere in the ceiling when hitting certain bumps in the road – will get it checked
I’ll close with my sincere thanks to Elon and everyone at Tesla Motors, who have clearly put their hearts and souls into this car, company and cause. And thanks to all on TMC whose posts informed me and passed the time over the last two months of waiting. I know this is just the beginning of a wonderful journey, made up of many enjoyable trips and encounters along the way…
