PROS/CONS - what makes you love your Tesla?

[Skotty]

Things that are awesome:
* Nav maps on a big screen.
* Driving dynamics.
* Charging at home.
* Emphasis on safety / top safety marks.
* Good interior space.
* Generally favorable aesthetics.
* OTA Updates of features that previously sucked.
* For the night drivers: auto-dimming side mirrors.

Things that are not so awesome:
* Not being able to charge at home (applicable to some renters or folks who otherwise can't run power to their parking space)
* Repair cost/options.
* OTA Updates of features that you thought were previously optimal.
* FSD cost.
* For the wrench monkeys out there: jack points, or the lack thereof.

Things that I think are overblown and not really an issue:
* Auto-wipers.
* Seat comfort / some models lack of seat cooling
* Fit and finish / build quality.

Nags/Nit Picks:
* Why do the auto-dimming mirrors on my S work so much better than the ones on my 3? The ones on my 3 sometimes fail to dim, or stay dim when they shouldn't. But the S works flawlessly. It's not bad enough to take in for service, but it's a noticeable difference in how well they work.

 

[SDM44]

Pro.... nice paying around $3/night for electricity to charge my car at home, instead of paying $85 to fill up our other car every 4-5 days

Con.... being that guy who drives a Tesla

 

[NeverGoingBack]

1. Phantom braking so bad that some people don't even use AutoPilot, and no "ordinary" cruise control at all

Not that bad. Rarely happens to me. Love TACC and Autopilot. Use them all the time.

1. Auto headlights too unreliable to rely on

Works fine for me.

1. Auto windshield wipers unreliable whereas other cars do it well

Works fine most of the time. Easily overriden with voice commands.

1. no Apple / Android integration

Don’t care. Use my car primarily for transportation.

1. lots of issues playing music from USB (I'm old fashioned and like having my 10,000+ song collection on USB in my current vehicle)
   • it forgets where you were when you leave the car and get back in (that would really annoy me)
   • issues searching USB by voice commands
   • 
     Not an issue. Stream my music from phone via Bluetooth
2. paying luxury car price for the car but not getting luxury features common in other cars in this price range

I came fro Honda CR-V. Paid for luxury and got high tech luxury. Very satisfied.

1. rear visibility - tiny rear window, small side mirrors, no blind spot warning like many other cars have now

Totally irrelevant. Absolutely not an issue at all. Visibility is fine. With side mirrors set right, there are no blind spots.

Be careful about focusing on all the complaints here. The VAST majority of owners love their cars and don’t post their complaints …. if they even have any.

I have none.

 

[KingOfTheRoad5]

Fantastic car for the price. Super fast, comfortable, handles well, looks nice, and has pretty much everything else you'll ever want or need.

Another great thing is that if there are any issues, they always come out with corrections to fix the issues in the next update.

 

[SkyDog]

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I do realize that most Tesla drivers LOVE their car and I don't think I've ever seen a single review where someone regrets having bought one. Most of the cons that I listed where things that I found out about on this forum. The car I drive now is a 2013 Hyundai with absolutely no advanced features, and some very bad blind spots. Any new car I get will be a big step up, and I'm definitely thinking about the Y. My comment about luxury car prices was because a Y would be twice as much as I've ever paid for a car before. I have an electrician coming out soon to look at the wiring in my garage, and I hope to make a final decision after that.

 

[EVer Hopeful]

my previous car was a 2007 Civic EX. I paid $18,000 for it, so yes, this is a significant increase[1], even taking inflation into consideration

This will be my second new vehicle (the other being the Civic)



[1] assuming I ever actually get to take delivery

 

[SkyDog]

You can turn off the automation including turning off the cruise control.

It can be very distressing if you are a prudent consumer who demands a final product and not a beta

Is traffic aware cruise control considered beta?? I know that FSD is beta but I though that cruise control was a standard feature expected to work well.

 

[Tam]

Is traffic aware cruise control considered beta??...

Yes, according to your very own Tesla Owner's Manual in CAPITALIZED LETTERS:

 

[SkyDog]

Is traffic aware cruise control considered beta??

Yes, according to your very own Tesla Owner's Manual in CAPITALIZED LETTERS:

@Tam, thank you. Searching the owner's manual, I now see that besides FSD features, Dashcam, Traffic Aware Cruise Control, Autosteer and Auto wipers are all considered BETA.

 

[vanjwilson]

Here's a quick list of some of the things I've read about, and I am concerned about, but couldn't really test on my test drive:

1. Phantom braking so bad that some people don't even use AutoPilot, and no "ordinary" cruise control at all
2. Auto headlights too unreliable to rely on
3. Auto windshield wipers unreliable whereas other cars do it well
4. no Apple / Android integration
5. ...
6. paying luxury car price for the car but not getting luxury features common in other cars in this price range
7. rear visibility - tiny rear window, small side mirrors, no blind spot warning like many other cars have now

Phantom braking:
We've had our MY almost 3 months (vision-only) and I've only noticed true phantom braking a couple of times, on 2 certain spots on the highway at a certain time of day, and it wasn't all the way to zero, just 5-10 mph sudden slow down. Annoying, but not chronic, and now that I know where it gets confused, I can anticipate and either turn TACC off for a minute, or give it some "gas" at that point.
It does sometimes slow down for turns in the road or vehicles turning out in front of me ahead--I have the safety settings set very conservatively--but I consider that a plus. The auto cruise control on my wife's car, which she has had for over 2 years is not as sensitive but also doesn't feel as safe. I will let the Tesla come up behind a car already stopped at a light and stop itself, but the manual for her car says that it won't do that.

Auto headlights:
These are a little aggressive in that they prefer to be On if there is any gap in oncoming traffic. Again, my wife's car has these, and they err in the opposite direction. Deserted road at night, turn off when meeting a car, won't turn on again for minutes after it is safe to do so.

Auto windshield wipers:
Flakey when we got the car in June. Software updates since then seem to have made them near perfect.

No Apple Car Play:
This shortcoming actually made me wait to order a Tesla, and it's still the feature I miss the most, but in the greater scheme of things, I'm now glad I went ahead and got the Tesla. All the pluses outweigh this one minus for me. YMMV

Luxury car price, but missing luxury features:
Both my wife and I independently came to the conclusion that the MY is not the equivalent of a $50,000 ICE car. Instead, it's like a $40,000 ICE car but with better performance from the electric drive train, better safety features, and a lot of cool tech. To get a more luxury feel in an electric, you have to look at a higher price range, like the Model X, Jaguar i-Pace, or Audi e-tron.

Rear visibility:
I agree with what others have said about the trade-offs here. (Great backup cameras, lane change warning on the driving visualization)

Every car has trade-offs. Otherwise, there would just be one model of car, and we'd all be driving it. In the end, you have to decide which trade-offs are worth it to you.

 

[EVer Hopeful]

I now see that besides FSD features, Dashcam, Traffic Aware Cruise Control, Autosteer and Auto wipers are all considered BETA.

So, apparently, is the Expected Delivery Date algorithm . . .

 

[GeezerSquid]

In true FanBoy fashion - another thing that makes me love my Tesla Model Y LRAWD w/AB is Elon Musk.

 

[radios]

Skydog, I think your list of deficiencies is correct. However, here is why I can live with them and love my Tesla
1) Smooth power. In every piston engine car or truck there is hesitation when accelerating to approaching a hill. Not so with Tesla. It has smooth instant power that makes driving a pleasure.
2) No gas to buy. (However my home electricity is increasing 11 percent this year)
3) Cleaner for the environment (I think)
4) No vibration. You may not consciously feel it, but in all piston engine vehicles there is motor vibration. The Tesla is smooth.
5) For some reason, and I have not figured it out yet, the Tesla is easy to drive. And, I do not use any auto driving at all. It is just a fun car to drive.

 

[Tman317]

Quick introduction: I'm on the fence about getting a Model Y LR. I test drove one, and I've been reading a LOT about the car. In short, driving it sure was fun but I read some of the negatives and I wonder if it's really worth it. So...

What pros outweigh the cons for you, and make you love your car?
Not what features made you buy a Tesla Y (or 3), but what now makes you glad that you did?

Here's a quick list of some of the things I've read about, and I am concerned about, but couldn't really test on my test drive:

1. Phantom braking so bad that some people don't even use AutoPilot, and no "ordinary" cruise control at all
2. Auto headlights too unreliable to rely on
3. Auto windshield wipers unreliable whereas other cars do it well
4. no Apple / Android integration
5. lots of issues playing music from USB (I'm old fashioned and like having my 10,000+ song collection on USB in my current vehicle)
   • it forgets where you were when you leave the car and get back in (that would really annoy me)
   • issues searching USB by voice commands
6. paying luxury car price for the car but not getting luxury features common in other cars in this price range
7. rear visibility - tiny rear window, small side mirrors, no blind spot warning like many other cars have now

I guess I'm wondering if I can't use AutoPilot, auto headlights & wipers, experience problems playing musing on USB, if rear view and blind spots are worse than my current car, would I really be happy with a Model Y? Or is driving it just that much fun?

1. Have had one incident of Phanton braking on the one trip where I used cruise control. It was a bit disconcerting at the time and I'm glad no one was following me very close. If I happens a lot I would likely not use cruise control. It is something that needs to get fixed.
2. I have not had any problem with the Auto headlights; they seem to work fine.
3. The auto wipers are a bit iffy. In some cases they work just fine and other times no. I had them go on at night when it was not raining and had to shut them off manually. It's a frustrating problem based on the price of the car and the fact it has been an option that works fine in other vehicles for years. The Tesla system is just not accurate. You can compensate with the push button on the end of the left level and voice commands but why should anyone need to do that. Still not a deal breaker, but needs to get fixed.
4. I agree this is something that should be added to the vehicle, although not everyone wants it. I want XM sat. radio. This one is a personal choice.
5. I don't use USB music, I want XM. I do stream from my phone, but can run out of data as I don't have unlimited data. Again a personal issue only you can decide.
6. Agree that some off the above items should get fixed and work for the price paid. I would like an Aux jack so I could plug in a portable XM to the radio system. Would also like blind spot monitoring, a shade for the glass roof. Vehicle should come with mud flaps. Should get a number of charging adapters. Again mostly personal preference.
7. They did seem small during test drives, but I have not noticed a problem while driving. I think side view mirrors could be a bit larger and have blind spot monitoring. This one is not a big deal once you get a bit use to the vehicle.

The vehicle is a great car to drive, I really like it. Its has a good amount of room inside, sits me up a bit higher yet handles like a sports car. It drives great on the highway. I would buy it again.
I thought I would miss all the buttons most cars have for controlling features, but I really don't. I like the screen and voice commands.
For me the biggest down side is the range variation and charging network. Real range on my Model Y long range on the highway at 70-75 mph is around 220-250 miles. That distance is not too bad, but it requires stopping more frequently than most ICE vehicles need to refuel. Taking longer trips can require route planning, perhaps with ABRP and using the nav system to know where chargers are located. Going from Indianapolis to Rocky Mountain NP I have to investigate where and how I will charge. In a ICE vehicle I never had to do this; I just drove anywhere knowing gas stations are about everywhere. I would not drive my Y TO YELLOWSTONE Nat Park or to other remote locations as it would just be too much trouble to find chargers. Can you make such trips in the Y? With enough research and effort probably yes. Many owners don't find any of that to be an issue, but I do. Now traveling the interstates it is generally no problem. Around town and short trips the vehicle is great it is always charged and ready to go. Only you can make the decision if the vehicle is worth the cost. For me, I would buy it again. Keep reading this forum you will get a lot of information.

 

[EVer Hopeful]

Taking longer trips can require route planning, perhaps with ABRP and using the nav system to know where chargers are located. Going from Indianapolis to Rocky Mountain NP I have to investigate where and how I will charge. In a ICE vehicle I never had to do this; I just drove anywhere knowing gas stations are about everywhere.

My Great Grandfather said something similar - these new fangled automobile things were ok, but he'd way rather have his horse, because he could ride it anywhere knowing oats and grass were available everywhere

 

[HellsKitchen]

Pro: Power, no gas, simple cabin, one pedal driving, seats, infotainment.

Con: #1 seatbelt height (under 5'7 it cuts into neck), beta autopilot(needs to be refined), the ride quality.

I think the rumors are that the next iteration of MY will use air suspension.

 

[WhiteWi]

What I like about our S and 3. Fun to drive, great technology, supercharging network that actually works. Cons: M3 -wind noise/road noise (pre double pane windows), app could be little bit better integrated with car settings.

 

[whisperingshad]

I think the rumors are that the next iteration of MY will use air suspension.

hopefully for the next gen of buyers

 

[SkyDog]

5) For some reason, and I have not figured it out yet, the Tesla is easy to drive. And, I do not use any auto driving at all. It is just a fun car to drive.

I'm not sure what you mean by easy to drive? Easy to figure out the controls, or just a an overall good driving experience without any problems?

I thought I would miss all the buttons most cars have for controlling features, but I really don't. I like the screen and voice commands.

That is one thing I'm worried about. I found my test drive a bit frustrating because I was trying to figure out a lot of the touchscreen options while driving. I'm going to schedule another test drive and just focus on the driving experience - learning the touchscreen and voice commands can come later, if I do end up buying one.

 

[Pianewman]

SkyDog: The learning curve for the touchscreen wasn't steep for me, and I'm not heavily into tech. It's reasonably intuitive. Now I'm completely comfortable with it.

I'm with radios: The DRIVING experience is responsive, efforteless, and smooth, once you understand and tame the strength/braking of the regen system. One-pedal driving is very easy for me, and once mastered, both accel and decel are amazingly linear. No gears, no flatspots in torque. It's just super smooth.

There is no consensus on the suspension. It's a love/hate thing in this forum, I think largely based on the road quality in various regions. I've opted to install MPP coilovers ($3500 installed, including alignment) and I'm very happy with the end result.

IMO, the harshness of the Model Y suspension has probably turned away more customers than Tesla expected.