Seats: To Next Gen or not to Next Gen....that is the question

[Ste73]

It may actually not only depend on your height, but also on your weight. I am 5'11", 155 lbs and initially had the regular leather seats and drove them for 5,000 miles until my NG seats were retrofitted. Night and day: I was swimming in the regular seats and the NG seats are holding me tight, but in a good way. So I would always get the NG seats again, not even a question. And I also read that another owner, spentan, who is much taller and bigger than I am also loves his NG seats and didn't feel they were too tight at all.
However, I remember that an owner in another thread was complaining about back pain in the NG seats. I have never experienced that with my seats and would highly recommend them to be more secure during cornering.

You may have to take a few more test drives. :wink:

what i mean is that if you are over 6.3 like me you cannot have NG without touching the roof :-/

 

[GlmnAlyAirCar]

My decision was between the textile seats and NG. The standard leather just didn't impress me one bit. Since I spend a lot of time in the car and I've had back problems over the years I decided to take the plunge and go with NG. I only got a few options, and this one was certainly worth it.

 

[sahaight]

When I asked about test driving textile seats in Walnut Creek, the salesman was able to get on in a few days. Honestly, for a short test drive I thought the textile seats were fine and I couldn't sense much of a difference from the next gens. They seem very well made. I did go with the next gens though because I was concerned about how they'd feel after spending a day in them. The next gen seats do have more padding and that may make a difference on long drives.

 

[CHGolferJim]

I nearly always use a Hibak Lumbar Support pillow made by Core Products that supports from waist to neck. It makes a huge difference in how tiring a 200+ mile drive can be. Anyone else use anything like this and think it could affect choice of textile vs. next gen? Without having test driven yet, I'm guessing it may defeat the purpose of next gen.

 

[davidc18]

I really liked the nex gen seats but did not want leather seats again in south florida and I was told I could not get the regular flat back seat (needed for our two small boys and their car seats) with the next gen. We went with the standard textile seats which we have enjoyed for the last 4900 miles.

 

[chriSharek]

For me a car in this price range needs leather. Just would seem strange to me w/o it.

agreed ^

 

[gg_got_a_tesla]

I lived with the standard leather seats for about 19 months in my earlier S60 and didn't like the experience at all - slippery and sweat-inducing. When getting the P85D last December, I didn't like the fact that the rear next gen seats don't collapse all the way. And, 8 months and 8,000 miles later, am loving the textile seats - they offer plenty of friction and I don't find myself sliding at all even when taking corners at high speeds. The two-toned look with faux leather patches is actually quite neat and elegant. I don't buy the argument that "cars at this price level demand leather".

 

[MajesticJG]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that the standard (non-NG) seats were modified in mid-2014. I was told this by a Tesla rep at the factory when I was inquiring about a CPO vehicle.

I said, "I think I want Nexgen seats and this one doesn't have them..."

He said, "Well, this is a late 2014, so you should be fine. We made some internal changes to the standard seats and they're much better now, even without the nexgen seats."

So consider that fact when discussing seats. Anyone with the older "Standard" steats may be giving you information on a version of the seat you can't even order any more.

I test-drove NG seats, but my CPO car had standard. Both were grey leather. I liked them about the same, but my wife strongly preferred the standard seats, so that worked out well. We've found them pretty much terrific for all purposes and adjustable enough that they can do whatever we want.

I don't think you can make a bad choice, here, I just wanted you to know that the standard seats have improved fairly recently.

 

[Cyclone]

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is that the standard (non-NG) seats were modified in mid-2014. I was told this by a Tesla rep at the factory when I was inquiring about a CPO vehicle.

I said, "I think I want Nexgen seats and this one doesn't have them..."

He said, "Well, this is a late 2014, so you should be fine. We made some internal changes to the standard seats and they're much better now, even without the nexgen seats."

So consider that fact when discussing seats. Anyone with the older "Standard" steats may be giving you information on a version of the seat you can't even order any more.

I test-drove NG seats, but my CPO car had standard. Both were grey leather. I liked them about the same, but my wife strongly preferred the standard seats, so that worked out well. We've found them pretty much terrific for all purposes and adjustable enough that they can do whatever we want.

I don't think you can make a bad choice, here, I just wanted you to know that the standard seats have improved fairly recently.

Yes. Keep in mind when discussing seats, there are generally these versions in the wild:
- Standard Seats 1.0 = how 2012 and early 2013s originally came
- Standard Seats 1.1 = 1.0 seats + spring TSB to make them more supportive/have more give.
- Standard Seats 1.5 = 1.1 seats but with taller headrests that are closer to your head in the seated position, plus revised cushioning
- Next Gen Seats 2.0 = The next gens we typically refer to

The easiest way to spot 1.5 seats is via the headrests. Looking back into the car, the headrests (center position in particular) should come up and obscure rear vision compared to just getting into the field of view of the rear window on the 1.0/1.1 seats.

 

[vintageracer]

It may actually not only depend on your height, but also on your weight. I am 5'11", 155 lbs and initially had the regular leather seats and drove them for 5,000 miles until my NG seats were retrofitted. Night and day: I was swimming in the regular seats and the NG seats are holding me tight, but in a good way. So I would always get the NG seats again, not even a question. And I also read that another owner, spentan, who is much taller and bigger than I am also loves his NG seats and didn't feel they were too tight at all.
However, I remember that an owner in another thread was complaining about back pain in the NG seats. I have never experienced that with my seats and would highly recommend them to be more secure during cornering.

You may have to take a few more test drives. :wink:

What was the cost to retrofit the NG seats? I was told by Tesla rep that you could not upgrade a 2014 seat to 2015 Next gen...

 

[pedriscoll]

Love the Next Gen seats. Excellent support and they grip my back. Everyone I have taken for a ride has commented on how good the passenger seat feels.

 

[bredi]

for a 70k+ car. The next-gen seats should be standard. imo.

butts down- an much much better seat.

 

[spentan]

It may actually not only depend on your height, but also on your weight. I am 5'11", 155 lbs and initially had the regular leather seats and drove them for 5,000 miles until my NG seats were retrofitted. Night and day: I was swimming in the regular seats and the NG seats are holding me tight, but in a good way. So I would always get the NG seats again, not even a question. And I also read that another owner, spentan, who is much taller and bigger than I am also loves his NG seats and didn't feel they were too tight at all.
However, I remember that an owner in another thread was complaining about back pain in the NG seats. I have never experienced that with my seats and would highly recommend them to be more secure during cornering.

You may have to take a few more test drives. :wink:

what i mean is that if you are over 6.3 like me you cannot have NG without touching the roof :-/

As electrish has mentioned, I am 6ft9in and 420lbs.

I have the next gens on my p85d and I prefer them significantly over the older seats.

Also my head doesn't touch the roof but I have the pano roof (if that makes a difference)

Also sitting behind me is now the penalty box instead of the middle seat

 

[Papafox]

I own two Model S cars- one with standard seats and one with 2nd gen seats. I am presently on a 50 state road trip with the 2nd gen seats car. Every day I thank myself for ordering the 2nd gen seats on the new car. I have quite often driven 500-600 miles in a day and on such long days I've never had any complaint from my back or backside while sitting in the 2nd gen seat.

I'm not one to order unnecessary options, but the 2nd gen seat is such a big part of a satisfactory Tesla experience that I think it is silly to order a Tesla without one.

 

[WestCoastP85D]

+1. Totally agree.

I own two Model S cars- one with standard seats and one with 2nd gen seats. I am presently on a 50 state road trip with the 2nd gen seats car. Every day I thank myself for ordering the 2nd gen seats on the new car. I have quite often driven 500-600 miles in a day and on such long days I've never had any complaint from my back or backside while sitting in the 2nd gen seat.

I'm not one to order unnecessary options, but the 2nd gen seat is such a big part of a satisfactory Tesla experience that I think it is silly to order a Tesla without one.

 

[Jool]

Did a trip from San Diego to Monterey over the weekend, and the side bolsters plus lumbar support of the next gen seats made the long drive extremely comfortable. Do not skip the next generation seats, you will regret it!

 

[Max*]

Did a trip from San Diego to Monterey over the weekend, and the side bolsters plus lumbar support of the next gen seats made the long drive extremely comfortable. Do not skip the next generation seats, you will regret it!

Is there something different in the lumbar support of the next gens?

I thought all Tesla's had 4-way lumbar support.

 

[taurusking]

For people like me who has old seats can we upgrade to next gen seats?

How much does it cost? Is the upgrade worth it?

 

[Max*]

For people like me who has old seats can we upgrade to next gen seats?

How much does it cost? Is the upgrade worth it?

There are threads on it here, try searching (or wait for someone to reply). IIRC it's about $5k, and they keep your old seats.

 

[Jool]

Is there something different in the lumbar support of the next gens?

I thought all Tesla's had 4-way lumbar support.

I wouldn't be able to say for certain about that, but I've sat in the regular and next gen seats and the next gens felt way more comfortable. Something about the way the seat back is shaped combined with the bolsters feels much better for me. The regular seats feel a bit flat for some reason.