Questions for P85 owners who upgraded to the P85D

[Quibbs]

I am considering trading in my P85 for a P85D. I wanted to get real world experience/opinions from those who have made the switch.

My questions are:

In your experience/opinion

1) Do you feel the fit and finish of the P85D is better (or on par) as compared with the p85 you had? My current MS is good, but there were little issues (most resolved). Still have some minor ones. Hoping QC has continued to improve.

2) Is the sound proofing better? Is the car noticeable quiet as compared to the old one. I had read Tesla supposedly added more sound proofing.

3) How is the handling with the all wheel drive? Is the car "true to lane" (easier to keep straight on the interstate without many minor corrections). Not that mine isn't good,just wondering how the extra weight and motor impact, if at all the ride. How is it around cornering, etc.

4) Is the blindspot detection and other enabled like features effective/worthwhile.

Overall are you pleased you went to the P85D or in hindsight, would you have waited longer to see what other improvements were made in the near future?


Considering I will take a fairly substantial financial hit to make the move I'm hoping for more than what I have in regards to the fit/finish and handling (don't want to take a perceived step back).
Anyway thanks for your time and input.

 

[commasign]

I had a late 2013 P85 and replaced it with a late 2014 P85D (one of the first P85D's to be delivered).

1. Yes, my P85 had a number of minor fit and finish issues (wind noise, chargeport door, etc), and had powertrain replaced. The P85D so far hasn't had any such issues.
2. The car does seem quieter.
3. It definitely pulls out of corners much more confidently than my old P85. Not sure if that's due to the front motor, the Plus suspension, or both. Acceleration is truly insane.
4. The current software display of BSI is useless. The lines are very hard to see, and not in a good location. The TACC is excellent. It takes a little getting use to (I use a follow distance of "3") but works predictably once you do learn it's quirks.

The main things to know about going from a P85 to P85D are the loss of driving range (many threads on this forum), and loss of frunk space. If you wait another 6-12 months, my guess is we'll see a redesigned interior (new premium center console option, more cupholders?), 360 degree video parking assist, heads up display, cooled seats, and maybe a second generation autopilot hardware set.

 

[Quibbs]

I had a late 2013 P85 and replaced it with a late 2014 P85D (one of the first P85D's to be delivered).

1. Yes, my P85 had a number of minor fit and finish issues (wind noise, chargeport door, etc), and had powertrain replaced. The P85D so far hasn't had any such issues.
2. The car does seem quieter.
3. It definitely pulls out of corners much more confidently than my old P85. Not sure if that's due to the front motor, the Plus suspension, or both. Acceleration is truly insane.
4. The current software display of BSI is useless. The lines are very hard to see, and not in a good location. The TACC is excellent. It takes a little getting use to (I use a follow distance of "3") but works predictably once you do learn it's quirks.

The main things to know about going from a P85 to P85D are the loss of driving range (many threads on this forum), and loss of frunk space. If you wait another 6-12 months, my guess is we'll see a redesigned interior (new premium center console option, more cupholders?), 360 degree video parking assist, heads up display, cooled seats, and maybe a second generation autopilot hardware set.

Thank you for the reply.

Let me ask you, if you had it all over to do again, at this very moment, would you? or would you wait 6 months to a year to see what, if any improvements come out?

 

[Uncle Paul]

Trouble with this waiting, is that in 6 months you again will be tempted to wait an additional 6 months to see what is coming next.

Tesla is on a path to constant continued improvement. No matter when you order a car another improvement is just around the corner.

A better idea is to just order a car when your want it, then drive it until it is worth it for you to upgrade to a later model with even more improvements.

From what I understand there are a ton of early adopters who bought some of the first 60S models that are still overjoyed to be driving fantastic cars. Sure there have been additional improvements, but they still are driving kick ass wonderful Teslas, and have enjoyed many many miles of wonderful Tesla transportation. Indeed, those are the ones that have gotten the most joy, while those that are still waiting have enjoyed nothing but anticipation.

 

[commasign]

Thank you for the reply.

Let me ask you, if you had it all over to do again, at this very moment, would you? or would you wait 6 months to a year to see what, if any improvements come out?

If I had a late Sept 2014 P85 with autopilot, I almost certainly would not have upgraded to the P85D. But with a 2013 P85, I would have suffered a lot of mental anguish every time Tesla released new autopilot software updates, so that was one of the main reasons I upgraded. With that said, the first batch of P85D's had the NextGen seat debacle and delivery delays, the pace of autopilot software updates has been disappointing to say the least (see wk057's thread), and the efficiency is felt by many to be much less than Tesla claims. If I had known all of this back in October, I probably would have waited another year to order the P85D. In your case, I would recommend you wait until after the Model X reveal, and if any major new hardware features are announced, wait until those are added to the Model S, then order your P85D. It's probably worth waiting a few months. Just my opinion of course.

 

[caddieo]

Trouble with this waiting, is that in 6 months you again will be tempted to wait an additional 6 months to see what is coming next.

Tesla is on a path to constant continued improvement. No matter when you order a car another improvement is just around the corner.

A better idea is to just order a car when your want it, then drive it until it is worth it for you to upgrade to a later model with even more improvements.

From what I understand there are a ton of early adopters who bought some of the first 60S models that are still overjoyed to be driving fantastic cars. Sure there have been additional improvements, but they still are driving kick ass wonderful Teslas, and have enjoyed many many miles of wonderful Tesla transportation. Indeed, those are the ones that have gotten the most joy, while those that are still waiting have enjoyed nothing but anticipation.

+1^. I personally know someone who got a 60 just before I got my P85. To this day, he is still as happy as a lark with it and AFAIK, has no plans or desire to upgrade even though, as a retired medical specialist, he can well afford to do it anytime.

 

[Eclectic]

I am considering trading in my P85 for a P85D. I wanted to get real world experience/opinions from those who have made the switch.

My questions are:

In your experience/opinion

1) Do you feel the fit and finish of the P85D is better (or on par) as compared with the p85 you had? My current MS is good, but there were little issues (most resolved). Still have some minor ones. Hoping QC has continued to improve.

2) Is the sound proofing better? Is the car noticeable quiet as compared to the old one. I had read Tesla supposedly added more sound proofing.

3) How is the handling with the all wheel drive? Is the car "true to lane" (easier to keep straight on the interstate without many minor corrections). Not that mine isn't good,just wondering how the extra weight and motor impact, if at all the ride. How is it around cornering, etc.

4) Is the blindspot detection and other enabled like features effective/worthwhile.

Overall are you pleased you went to the P85D or in hindsight, would you have waited longer to see what other improvements were made in the near future?
....

1) Yes, significantly better fit and finish in the P85D. Maybe we were lucky but our car came to us without flaw in the fit and finish department. Plus, I think the quality of some materials is better.
2) No real difference, maybe a bit less quiet in the P85D. It's not enough either way to be called significantly better or worse.
3) HUGE improvement in handling. I drive aggressively on roads that some would describe as a bit technical (primarily highway 1 north of Marin County). The old P85 was a handful on those narrow, twisty roads...I had a few white knuckle moments when instant torque caused the rear end to step out in a dramatic fashion. The AWD system in the P85D turns this car into a very capable vehicle, on par with the best German luxury sports cars. There's just enough give when you're going hard through corners to be fun and to let you know where the limits are, but it's now a progressive bit of slide rather than that almost on/off limits of adhesion in the P85. The AWD system is reason enough to upgrade.
4) I don't think it's very useful, but I tend to not rely on assist features when it comes to safety.

Overall, the added power and better handling make the upgrade worth it. The NextGen seats are fantastic as well. I wouldn't upgrade if money is an issue, though, since the P85 is a very capable vehicle, but if the financial hit isn't that big of a deal to you, the P85D will make you smile.

 

[Joe]

I had a Dec 2012 P85. Since I live in the North East, really wanted the four wheel drive - the Autopilot stuff was just gravy.

Had all sorts of minor issues with my P85. Nothing with this one.
Sound proofing - certainly a big difference in my opinion - especially tire noise (could be the different tires though). Do hear the whine that others have talked about - its really not that loud!
Car definitely handles better - again, not that the P85 was bad, but on curvy roads the P85D really is different.
Don't really care for the Blind spot detection system - seems a very strange place to put it in too! But TACC is really useful - especially driving into and out of NYC!