Premium Pack - what do you actually get?

[thegruf]

I see

• Alcantara headliner (does this include the dashboard top - and does the dash look good and stay clean?)
• LED foglights (simply bizarre that foglights don't seem to be standard on a car of this price)
• LED interior accent lighting (cheap as chips and should be included as part of the "tech" feel of the car)
• Lighted door handles (erm ...)
• Power liftgate (extremely irritated this is now non-standard and can only be purchased as part of this way overpriced option which is why I am having to consider it)

and ...

• A series of fit and finish refinements!

can anybody detail what these are please (assuming I have NG seats)

 

[TSLA Pilot]

Perhaps it also includes $10 worth of additional lighting for the two LED's at the back of the trunk? I too am perplexed by some of Tesla's choices here. Frankly, this package SHOULD be $2.5k AND include "soft close" doors AND an automatic opener and closer for the frunk lid! What's the profit margin on this package, close to 80% or 90%? At some point this becomes somewhat of an insult.

Amazing that the incredibly useful rear hatch opener and closer is now part of this when it should be stand kit on a car this expensive. Ditto for the barely useful trunk lighting--even three dim LED's on the "up market" cars (that used to be standard) are somewhat of a joke, and ONE (at the top of the hatch door which leaves one working in one's own shadow) on the "base" MS is just plain stupid.

Geesh, how does this idiocy happen?

Doesn't the sun ever set in California?

 

[Hank42]

Perhaps it also includes $10 worth of additional lighting for the two LED's at the back of the trunk? I too am perplexed by some of Tesla's choices here. Frankly, this package SHOULD be $2.5k AND include "soft close" doors AND an automatic opener and closer for the frunk lid! What's the profit margin on this package, close to 80% or 90%? At some point this becomes somewhat of an insult.

Amazing that the incredibly useful rear hatch opener and closer is now part of this when it should be stand kit on a car this expensive. Ditto for the barely useful trunk lighting--even three dim LED's on the "up market" cars (that used to be standard) are somewhat of a joke, and ONE (at the top of the hatch door which leaves one working in one's own shadow) on the "base" MS is just plain stupid.

Geesh, how does this idiocy happen?

Doesn't the sun ever set in California?

Count me in on the list of "WTF" regarding the "Premium" package. I'm trading up and really want to retain the power liftgate but for $5k? That should absolutely be a standard item on a car of this caliber.
I don't care about "Alcantera" so why do I need to buy that to get liftgate functionality??

Oh Tesla - you get things so right and so wrong all at the same time!

 

[MsElectric]

It's all about the Alcantara. Tesla has bought a ton of Alcantara at a crazy price and no one is paying to have that in their car so they've come up with this scheme to unload all that Alcantara by combining it with the power lift gate that just about everyone wants in their car. They want to get rid of the Alcantara so badly they even ripped out all the LEDs and put them in the $5,000 package as well And for good measure the cornering lights used for safety also got put in the $5,000 Alcantara package, because why the heck not because they really have to move that Alcantara.

This is the worst option package I've seen Tesla roll out and I hope they revise their thinking on this very bad idea. The lift gate and the interior and exterior LEDs all belong in the Tech Package and certainly not in a superfluous $5,000 package.

But oh man have you looked at that Alcantara sitting there all sad in a Tesla warehouse somewhere? That stuff has to move and it's not like the Alcantara is going to sell by itself....

 

[RDoc]

I agree with these sentiments completely and am very glad we ordered our car when the Tech package made some sense. This package just seems like the worst sort of car company option rip-off to me.

 

[Tamar]

And so, after reading this, I had to google alcantara, and found this:

A common myth about Alcantara is that it's made from the skin of the wild Alcantar — a llama/ostrich hybrid from the borderlands between Peru and Greece whose massive thigh haunches are used to make those huge cones of gyro meat.
A little bit of research proves that this isn't true, since not only is the animal fictitious, but Peru and Greece don't seem to share a border. And science doesn't yet actually know where gyro meat comes from. The actual truth is far more shocking: Alcantara is basically Ultrasuede.
Yes, Ultrasuede. The name "Ultrasuede" has a sort of Disco-decadent 70s sort of feel, so it's not too surprising that luxury car makers aren't too eager to use that term in their advertising. In fact, aside from "Corinthian leather," I can't think of a seat-upholstery material that feels more '70s.

 

[eye.surgeon]

I have the premium package...the alcantara alone is a significant upgrade for those who care about a luxury interior. The interior lighting is stunning. For those looking for an electric camry in terms of interior quality, you will want to pass on it. Check the option prices on the Tesla competition (panamara, A7 etc) and it's not out of line. The sound system upgrade on the audi is north of $7k if I recall.

 

[MsElectric]

I have the premium package...the alcantara alone is a significant upgrade for those who care about a luxury interior. The interior lighting is stunning. For those looking for an electric camry in terms of interior quality, you will want to pass on it. Check the option prices on the Tesla competition (panamara, A7 etc) and it's not out of line. The sound system upgrade on the audi is north of $7k if I recall.

If they want to elevate the luxury of the Model S cabin, they can start by covering up the hole beneath the LCD panel... I've never seen an open cavity like that in any other premium car. Anything you put on it can become a projectile if the car comes to a sudden stop.

We were considering an S Class and we still feel luxury wise the S class is a much better option but the Model S is a better car in every other way so that's why we are getting a Model S. IMHO the $5,000 "premium" package does very little to elevate the interior of the Model S compared to what you get in the Mercedes S class. Even the ambient lighting in the S class is substantially more refined and guess what, in the S class the ambient lighting is standard as it should be. Mercedes does not charge $5,000 and force you to buy an Alcantara Package to get a few LEDs that make the experience inside the car nicer. I suppose Mercedes feels when you pay about $100K for a car, it needs to come with a premium interior as standard

A few random pieces of Alcantara does not a premium interior make and it is price gouging at $5,000 to get the lift gate.

I bet whoever that came up with this $5,000 Premium package is the same person who decided to be sleazy by including $10,000 is gasoline savings when they list the price of a Model S.

 

[thegruf]

Anybody tried asking their Tesla Centre if the powered liftgate can be fitted by the Centre separately?
(like the 2nd charger option)

Be interested if someone could find out please.

 

[eye.surgeon]

If they want to elevate the luxury of the Model S cabin, they can start by covering up the hole beneath the LCD panel... I've never seen an open cavity like that in any other premium car. Anything you put on it can become a projectile if the car comes to a sudden stop.

We were considering an S Class and we still feel luxury wise the S class is a much better option but the Model S is a better car in every other way so that's why we are getting a Model S. IMHO the $5,000 "premium" package does very little to elevate the interior of the Model S compared to what you get in the Mercedes S class. Even the ambient lighting in the S class is substantially more refined and guess what, in the S class the ambient lighting is standard as it should be.

A few random pieces of Alcantara does not a premium interior make and it is price gouging at $5,000 to get the lift gate.

I bet whoever that came up with this $5,000 Premium package is the same person who decided to be sleazy by including $10,000 is gasoline savings when they list the price of a Model S.

Just goes to show everyone's different. I use that shelf below the screen constantly. And your point is well made, the S Class has a far better interior than any car on the market. And yet we all still bought the MS, just shows how compelling a car it is despite it's interior shortcomings. When I ordered the premium package I considered how much people waste (my opinion) on the giant wheels and tires (not only to order but to replace tires twice as often at twice the price), which I passed on, and that made it less painful.

 

[MsElectric]

Anybody tried asking their Tesla Centre if the powered liftgate can be fitted by the Centre separately?
(like the 2nd charger option)

Be interested if someone could find out please.

Probably not and even if they could it would be crazy expensive like possibly $2,000 because they'd have to do a bunch of wiring and install mechanical components and somehow reprogram the car. They also probably don't want to set a precedent with that either as then people will be asking if they can install a lift gate then why not the rocket launcher that is standard with the armored version of the Model S...

They should make the lift gate standard, add that back to a Tech Package with the LEDs, or make the Premium Package about half the current price so it offers a reasonable value like the other option packages.

- - - Updated - - -

Just goes to show everyone's different. I use that shelf below the screen constantly. And your point is well made, the S Class has a far better interior than any car on the market. And yet we all still bought the MS, just shows how compelling a car it is despite it's interior shortcomings. When I ordered the premium package I considered how much people waste (my opinion) on the giant wheels and tires not only to order but to replace tires twice as often at twice the price, which I passed on, and that made it less painful.

So we can agree on the fact that we both care more about the interior than the wheels I've also always wonder what is up with those wheels that get discussed so much. For me and wheels I want the toughest wheels possible that will not fail if they encounter a moderate pothole.

We've always had German premium cars so seeing an open cavity in the interior seems completely odd to us. I would prefer it be covered and that does not take away from the utility of that space but it just keeps whatever is in it concealed.

And yes, I also agree what a great car the Model S is that we gave up on the Mercedes interior that we liked so much better. Buy my point is that the $5,000 premium package in our eyes does so little to come close to bring the Model S interior to the level of an S class.

 

[vchadha]

I was told told by my Tesla contact that the premium package is incorrectly priced and will cost $3500+tax

 

[eepic]

Well at least the bears will have a hard time naming this with everyone's favorite nomenclature... "liftgate-gate"

 

[thegruf]

I was told told by my Tesla contact that the premium package is incorrectly priced and will cost $3500+tax

I'd love to believe this is true across all markets, so when is the website to be corrected?

 

[AudubonB]

Reality check here:

If they want to elevate the luxury of the Model S cabin, they can start by covering up the hole beneath the LCD panel... I've never seen an open cavity like that in any other premium car. Anything you put on it can become a projectile if the car comes to a sudden stop.\

Only if you make sudden stops from going 70mph....in reverse.

 

[thegruf]

Reality check here:

Only if you make sudden stops from going 70mph....in reverse.

Lol - I wasn't going to nit that one

 

[TSLA Pilot]

I was told told by my Tesla contact that the premium package is incorrectly priced and will cost $3500+tax

Still massively overpriced, but at least someone appears to have acknowledged that the $5k price is absurd.

Also, Tesla: When can we get the new headlights, soft-close doors and frunk opener please? Throw them all in this package (and finish removing all the leather) and we'll take our latest MS order off of "hold" ASAP

- - - Updated - - -

"If they want to elevate the luxury of the Model S cabin, they can start by covering up the hole beneath the LCD panel... I've never seen an open cavity like that in any other premium car. Anything you put on it can become a projectile if the car comes to a sudden stop."

We have the opposite problem: on our base 85 and especially with our P85, everything seems to come flying out of that compartment on a regular basis . . . something about the "go" pedal and physics

 

[Trnsl8r]

I'll summarize what I wrote in a different thread: It's simply a bad package because if you care about a liftgate, you don't care about alcantra - and likely vice versa. (Aside from being overpriced either way.)

 

[whn]

I have the premium package...the alcantara alone is a significant upgrade for those who care about a luxury interior. The interior lighting is stunning. For those looking for an electric camry in terms of interior quality, you will want to pass on it. Check the option prices on the Tesla competition (panamara, A7 etc) and it's not out of line. The sound system upgrade on the audi is north of $7k if I recall.

I understand the region below the dash is genuine Nappa-Leather while the dash cover is Alcantara.

Is this correct?

 

[TSLA Pilot]

Probably no leather under the dash, at least not any more. Despite the age of this (2006) people are just now waking to the fact that animal parts don't belong in cars, or on your fork:

Livestock a major threat to environment

The Alcantara was added to the dash in mid-2014, IIRC, as part of the Premium Interior Pkg.