Questions about seats & sunroof.

[SoCalNick]

So, I'm trying to cut out unnecessary costs from my order.

I've had leather seats in my cars for the past 20 years.
I have no idea what the new "vegan" seats are like in the long term.

I have seen the v-leather seats in the show-room and they seem quite nice.
However, I also test-drove the standard seats, and they were also nice.

So, I have small children (6) who are not allowed to eat/drink in the car, but always do.
And they spill.
And they drop stuff.
And I don't clean as often as I should.

Does anyone have any comments on how cleanable the stadard seats are vs the v-leather seats?

Also, am I "missing" anything with the standard seats such as head-rest adjustment, seat movement, seat heater?


Question on Sunroof.
I've always had a sunroof. I don't open it much, but from time to time, sure.
I do apprecaite the moon-room (sliding back the shade so the sky is above me.)

To those of you who have the sunroof - do you use it a lot, or is it unnecessary with the glass of the panoramic roof?
Is it better to put the windows down, or to open the roof?
Would you miss the sunroof if you didn't have it?


Thanks guys.

 

[Max*]

Would you miss the sunroof if you didn't have it?

No.

But I think that's a very personal question. Some people love opening the sunroof, some don't. On my previous car I opened the sunroof maybe once or twice throughout the ownership of the car. I'd say I opened it about once or twice with the Tesla too. I vented it occasionally from the app, but I could absolutely live without that and just turn on the AC instead.

But when I was getting the car, there was no "glass roof" option. It was either sunroof or solid roof, and I like the looks of the sunroof, so sunroof I went.

 

[bsf29]

I agree with @Max* that it is a personal preference and I don't think you will be disappointed with anything you decide.

We were in a similar situation trying to eliminate things we did not really need because EAP was the one thing I was not willing to give up.
We had leather for +10 years and my wife loved it. I liked it but thought it was always hot in the summer and cold in the winter. We went with the standard seats and neither of us are disappointed. Our kids are grown so we have not had any accidents that we needed to clean. But from raising our kids, we always have cleaning supplies handy to take care of any accidents before they set in.

Sunroof is similar where we had it in most of our previous cars and I rarely used it but my wife always uses it in previous cars. Since I won the leather debate I gave in for the sunroof. The large opening is very nice and I now use it much more then our other cars. I've also started to use the sunroof more in my ICE. I still don't use it on the highway due to the noise but more due to wind resistance and efficiency.

As for EAP....
Our 2013 Ford Fusion has Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Assist but neither are as good as our MS. I have no problem with TACC and it is really convenient especially in stop and go traffic. My wife even uses it when she never liked cruise control in our other cars.
Lane Keeping still has a ways to go but I still use it in various situations hoping I'm sending info back to the mother ship to help improve it for everyone. It is not at a point where I have it enabled for my wife's profile.

 

[TexLaw]

With regard to the seats, I cannot really compare the v-leather seats to the standard ones because I've spent very little time sitting on standard seats. I do love the premium seats, though. They are very comfortable and very easy to clean, and mine are white (and I have teenaged boys and a dog!)

I also love my sunroof. It's the best I've ever had if for no other reason than the size of the thing. Now, I'm the sort of guy that will ride around with the windows down and sunroof open as much as I can, so I'll always have a sunroof (and have had one in every car for the last 25 years or so). That said, if you tend to be happy with just the moonroof in other cars, you may be very happy with the (now standard) glass roof. It's pretty dadgum amazing. I highly recommend (if possible) trying both out in a test drive.

 

[Mokuzai]

I have standard seats but have not spilled anything on them and do not have any kids. They would definitely absorb liquids. I do find them very comfortable, breathable and cool in the summer. They are fully adjustable and heated.

In cars I've had with sunroofs I rarely ever opened them so was fine with the all glass roof.

As mentioned it's all personal preference but I'll share a comment given to me by a service tech. I took my Model S in to get a rattle looked at and had to drive the tech around to show him where I heard the rattle coming from. When he got in he said my car was configured "perfectly" with the standard seats and the solid glass roof. He mentioned the problems with the leather seats wrinkling, and the sunroof can develop rattles/leaks over time. Obviously as a tech he's going to see a lot of the problem cars so not sure what percentage of cars actually experience this.

My personal recommendation is to go with the standard seats unless you are going for a different color interior or are really concerned about messy spills. Had a loaner with a sunroof for a day and drove around with it open. Sure it was nice but I don't miss it in the slightest. But also remember you need the sunroof if you ever want a roof rack or the factory XM option.

 

[sdugan99]

I was struggling with the same choice about seats. I went with the standard seats after reading a bunch of threads if you search base or multi-pattern seats. I really like the base seat find them comfortable, but then again I have never had leather seats. Both my wife and daughter claim the backseat in the base seats were more comfortable then the Leather.

 

[arcus]

There's a video somewhere putting the new synthetic seats to the test, I can't find it right now. The seats (they were white in the test car) held amazingly well and were easy to clean.

I'd second everything TexLaw has said above - premium seats rock, they are the most comfortable seats I had on any of my cars.

Give both the sunroof and glass panel roof a try and see which one works better for you.

By the way, if you are not too picky and saving money is your concern you might be better off getting an inventory car that is similarly equipped to what you are looking for. I've bought mine from the showroom with 50 miles on it and significantly discounted. No regrets whatsoever.

 

[Mokuzai]

There's a video somewhere putting the new synthetic seats to the test, I can't find it right now. The seats (they were white in the test car) held amazingly well and were easy to clean.

This video?

 

[arcus]

This video?

Yes, thanks!

 

[Lee B]

One thing to note is that you can't put a roof rack on the glass roof, only the sunroof. You might need it for kids bikes & longer trips.

Lee

 

[SK29]

One thing that may or may not be important to you, if you are getting the premium package with premium audio and want XM/Sirius, you need the sunroof. No XM with glass roof.

 

[Tommy Bahama]

It sounds like if you want to save money, you could easily stick with the glass roof and be happy (barring the roof rack/XM issues mentioned above). If you like the moonroof for viewing more than air you will love, love, love the glass roof option. The seamless openness is unbelievable. I'm a big fan of fresh air (sold a convertible when I got the S), but the looks of the glass roof sold me.

As for the seats, is no difference between the actual seats, only the coverings. Luckily I haven't gotten any stains on the multi pattern yet, but they appear that they will hold up very well. They seem to have a "slick" feeling to them that I think would help repel stains. There some aftermarket stain resistant treatments so you may want to talk to a detailer about options if that is a concern, but I'm not sure its even necessary.