Hi Gang,
I picked up my new baby S yesterday after 8 months of waiting. I'm not sure if it is even a Long Range like I ordered, or a debadged (and depowered) Plaid. Either way, it's my new baby S.
I had test driven a M3 and MY once or twice each, and it's hard to really get to know a car after only 20 minutes. I tried my buddy's Plaid, and the doctor says my neck should be out of traction any day.
And then there's my new baby.
I've owned maybe 8 cars (not counting the ones I "own" or "owned" that were my wife's, kids, etc.). American. German. Japanese. Swedish. (Sadly, none from Italy ending in vowels.
We all know the S has incredible performance. No need to rehash. I'll try to give you some of the perspectives of a Tesla virgin.
1) Pickup - went fine, some minor hickups. I started programming some stuff before I signed the paperwork (nothing I'd regret). Before the paperwork, my secret lair (aka home) was not to be entered in to the GPS, nor anything else should I not sign and choose to bolt. I did pair my phone however. Short story - car was flawless (and i scrutinized). Missing some trunk covers to be sent to me, fine, let's move on.
2) I stopped off at a Krispy Kreme about 2 minutes away. and i was honked at for not merging like a maniac onto the busy street first. F them. they were in an ICE - I know i could out accelerate them. Probably out eat them, too.
3) so...at Krispy Kreme's parking lot - I had my bounty on the floor in place (and smelling pretty good). time to f around with a few more settings including navigation. was going to my buddy's house. already programmed locations my work, home, and favorite gumar. I decided to let my phone charge, and not deal with Waze. Let's see if Elon was a cub scout.
4) The GPS had me go some ways a little differently that I might have, but that's fine. was solid.
5) took some time to get the hang of a smidgeon of on screen controls - like the music, etc. - it is hard to f around, read, and touch a moving screen, all the while you are a white knuckle with 2 hands on a half wheel in a death grip. I shortly therafter tried voice control, and it was amazing - best I ever experienced in a car.
6) I could request (through Tesla) any song I could think of (I do this with Amazon/Alexa as well). With about 10 obscure (okay, crappy old songs, per my kids) I was about to get about 8 exactly, and 2 covers. I couldn't get the actual, maybe not available, or maybe I have to ask a different way.
7) I next tried voice control for other things. the displayed speech recognition was PERFECT almost every time (and I'm a mumbler!) - except for my buddy's cell; he has a foreign name, and I may have to rename the cell contact to make it better understood. I was disappointed that some things said, "um, not yet, maybe in the future" - i don't remember exactly what, one was raise the suspension, not sure of the other. firmware updates may improve.
8) temperature. I had a hard time getting comfortable. it was about 50 out (unseasonable warm), sun was going down, and the air would either blow too hot or too cool. maybe a firmware update will improve, maybe it's me. I wasn't in love with the temperature regulation.
9) sound - i thought it was good. not the best I've ever heard, and certainly not horrible. I'm not an audiophile, but I swear I heard some things in some songs I know well I hadn't heard before. I've at times experienced that with different headphones, etc. - so let's give props for that.
10) headlights - some folks are sure new matrix headlights, and new tail lights are coming to the US maybe in March. Might be, might not be. I don't know. I wanted new lights. i heard the stock lights are horrible. And I have to disagree. I don't think they're as good as my outgoing German headlights. I think they're better than the headlights on the other 3 cars in my household. They are a bright white LED and do have artifacts - you can see bright spots, etc. like where the reflectors meet. Not bad or annoying, but visible. They did a great job of lighting up city streets and dark country roads. The auto highbeams worked about as expected; I had read complaints, and have to disagree - they were fine. I also appreciated the turning corner beams, which I love in every car, and these worked fine as well. Would matrix lights be better? probably. But I wasn't kicking my VIN to the curb and risk losing a car for months, or losing my $15k pre priced car - thank you very much.
11) Road noise - very good. Today I could hear the tires. My firmware updated, and my ARNR was calibrating, i don't know if ever finished or not for my short commute. No biggie.
12 Seat comfort - Personal taste - I'll have to dial that in. My back did hurt last night, but that's also not unusual.
13) rear view mirror/rear visibility - complete crap. I noticed the Y's rear view was crescent shaped, and the S is no different. There's a smallish rear view mirror, and a smallish crescent opening above the rear seats and below the roof. Better get used to the on screen displays, and don't jam on the weak brakes.
14) brakes - err, weak. I only had to use a handful of times, mostly because I didn't properly judge where to stop accelerating near the end of my trips for 2 different left turns - one i was too fast towards oncoming traffic and needed to slow down, the other was near my home, i punched the juice to show the wife and a kid, and then i was too fast downhill for our left turn. I'll get better.
15) Main screen (the big buy) generally intuitive. very shiny. Came with the factory screen protector (even shinier i presume) that i'll leave on for now. I bought 2 matte protectors from Abstract Ocean i was sure I'd install instantly. I'll see about the rear screen and my kangaroo kicking kids, the front may wait, or maybe i'll put on this weekend. lot of glare, but didn't bother me too much, but that brings me to the driver's display.
16) driver's display - this annoyed me. made with some space age mirror material - the glare was horrible, and bothered me more than the main screen. also, i kept seeing "things" on it - whether it was a street light or post reflected, or possibly the FSD animations (or both) - it looks like stuff is going in peripherally when I'm driving - it might be turn arrows or garbage cans, and I will have to get used to it...but if there was a matte screen protector for it (and i'm not worried about scratches on a none touch screen) i'd buy one in an instant. the glare annoyed me that much.
17) controls - on screen, and on the app. I'm still learning (hey, only had the car like 16 hours). i had trouble figuring out if blue meant activated or not. you'd imagine it does. but like blue and auto for the climate control - was that the whole climate control, or just a/c? i'm still not sure. Similarly, in the app, climate - the button can say on - does that mean it IS on (i don't think so) or pressing it will turn the thing on (i think more likely). this will take some time.
17a) control responsiveness - this deserves thunderous applause. I'm not sure if this is always the case, or if the car goes to sleep and then needs time to awaken, but any time i've pressed the horn, light, etc. the response has been just about instant - like 1/2 a second or so. On my other cars (every single one of them) the phone app would have a 2 to 3 minute lag (or longer) if it worked at all. Remote start a German car? you have about a 50/50 chance. One time after 5 minutes my Benz started just as I got to the door handle (which of course instantly shut it) Gee, thanks Daimler!
18) Easy entry - again, small learning curve - I think i set some easy entry settings last night, and then didn't switch back into my profile so i had the wrong profile and settings while driving. that's okay, i'll get the hang of it.
I think 18 kinda sums it all up. there's a learning curve. in some ways huge. In most ways, a lot of little things. maybe 100. nothing fatal, nothing to keep you from getting to your destination, but plenty of ways to customize, tweak your experience, and improve your enjoyment. From the receipt of my car yesterday, until I sell/trade it in (anticipated to be 36 to 45 months from now, I won't own a car out of warranty) - I don't expect INCREDIBLE software/firmare improvements or changes. I expect incremental improvements. Maybe a tweak for the AC here, maybe some extra features in the app there. Unlock more performance for some money? sure, how much performance, and how much money. FSD beta 12.99? why not. True full level 4 self driving? I doubt it in 3 years, but hey, if the hardware is capable, and if the software is capable, AND if the NHTSA allows, then yes. Otherwise, I expect improved FSD betas that approach level 4 and keep getting better. Tweaks to the sound system. suspension. Anything that is computer controlled (everything but the tire) can be tweaked or improved. And I see Tesla doing that.
In some 3 years, will I get another Tesla? (Well, I have a Y for my wife on the way in 2 months, we may keep or I'll flip). But in 3 years, I expect 1) new battery tech (4680, phosphate, whatever). I expect more and better competition. and I expect improvements from Tesla - whether the S +, or Plaid Plus, or Cybertruck, Roadster, etc. 3 years is a short time and a long time, and as the ICE goes the way of the dinosaur, we'll be seeing far more (and more rapid) EV adoption. Service stations turning into destination points. Other manufacturers finally offering viable alternatives to Tesla. And Tesla out-Tesla'ing itself. Should be a good time.
Okay, end of rant. Read or not, Agree or disagree or not. But hopefully you enjoy your Tesla or whatever you end up driving, and hopefully you get to enjoy all that it has to offer.
I picked up my new baby S yesterday after 8 months of waiting. I'm not sure if it is even a Long Range like I ordered, or a debadged (and depowered) Plaid. Either way, it's my new baby S.
I had test driven a M3 and MY once or twice each, and it's hard to really get to know a car after only 20 minutes. I tried my buddy's Plaid, and the doctor says my neck should be out of traction any day.
And then there's my new baby.
I've owned maybe 8 cars (not counting the ones I "own" or "owned" that were my wife's, kids, etc.). American. German. Japanese. Swedish. (Sadly, none from Italy ending in vowels.
We all know the S has incredible performance. No need to rehash. I'll try to give you some of the perspectives of a Tesla virgin.
1) Pickup - went fine, some minor hickups. I started programming some stuff before I signed the paperwork (nothing I'd regret). Before the paperwork, my secret lair (aka home) was not to be entered in to the GPS, nor anything else should I not sign and choose to bolt. I did pair my phone however. Short story - car was flawless (and i scrutinized). Missing some trunk covers to be sent to me, fine, let's move on.
2) I stopped off at a Krispy Kreme about 2 minutes away. and i was honked at for not merging like a maniac onto the busy street first. F them. they were in an ICE - I know i could out accelerate them. Probably out eat them, too.
3) so...at Krispy Kreme's parking lot - I had my bounty on the floor in place (and smelling pretty good). time to f around with a few more settings including navigation. was going to my buddy's house. already programmed locations my work, home, and favorite gumar. I decided to let my phone charge, and not deal with Waze. Let's see if Elon was a cub scout.
4) The GPS had me go some ways a little differently that I might have, but that's fine. was solid.
5) took some time to get the hang of a smidgeon of on screen controls - like the music, etc. - it is hard to f around, read, and touch a moving screen, all the while you are a white knuckle with 2 hands on a half wheel in a death grip. I shortly therafter tried voice control, and it was amazing - best I ever experienced in a car.
6) I could request (through Tesla) any song I could think of (I do this with Amazon/Alexa as well). With about 10 obscure (okay, crappy old songs, per my kids) I was about to get about 8 exactly, and 2 covers. I couldn't get the actual, maybe not available, or maybe I have to ask a different way.
7) I next tried voice control for other things. the displayed speech recognition was PERFECT almost every time (and I'm a mumbler!) - except for my buddy's cell; he has a foreign name, and I may have to rename the cell contact to make it better understood. I was disappointed that some things said, "um, not yet, maybe in the future" - i don't remember exactly what, one was raise the suspension, not sure of the other. firmware updates may improve.
8) temperature. I had a hard time getting comfortable. it was about 50 out (unseasonable warm), sun was going down, and the air would either blow too hot or too cool. maybe a firmware update will improve, maybe it's me. I wasn't in love with the temperature regulation.
9) sound - i thought it was good. not the best I've ever heard, and certainly not horrible. I'm not an audiophile, but I swear I heard some things in some songs I know well I hadn't heard before. I've at times experienced that with different headphones, etc. - so let's give props for that.
10) headlights - some folks are sure new matrix headlights, and new tail lights are coming to the US maybe in March. Might be, might not be. I don't know. I wanted new lights. i heard the stock lights are horrible. And I have to disagree. I don't think they're as good as my outgoing German headlights. I think they're better than the headlights on the other 3 cars in my household. They are a bright white LED and do have artifacts - you can see bright spots, etc. like where the reflectors meet. Not bad or annoying, but visible. They did a great job of lighting up city streets and dark country roads. The auto highbeams worked about as expected; I had read complaints, and have to disagree - they were fine. I also appreciated the turning corner beams, which I love in every car, and these worked fine as well. Would matrix lights be better? probably. But I wasn't kicking my VIN to the curb and risk losing a car for months, or losing my $15k pre priced car - thank you very much.
11) Road noise - very good. Today I could hear the tires. My firmware updated, and my ARNR was calibrating, i don't know if ever finished or not for my short commute. No biggie.
12 Seat comfort - Personal taste - I'll have to dial that in. My back did hurt last night, but that's also not unusual.
13) rear view mirror/rear visibility - complete crap. I noticed the Y's rear view was crescent shaped, and the S is no different. There's a smallish rear view mirror, and a smallish crescent opening above the rear seats and below the roof. Better get used to the on screen displays, and don't jam on the weak brakes.
14) brakes - err, weak. I only had to use a handful of times, mostly because I didn't properly judge where to stop accelerating near the end of my trips for 2 different left turns - one i was too fast towards oncoming traffic and needed to slow down, the other was near my home, i punched the juice to show the wife and a kid, and then i was too fast downhill for our left turn. I'll get better.
15) Main screen (the big buy) generally intuitive. very shiny. Came with the factory screen protector (even shinier i presume) that i'll leave on for now. I bought 2 matte protectors from Abstract Ocean i was sure I'd install instantly. I'll see about the rear screen and my kangaroo kicking kids, the front may wait, or maybe i'll put on this weekend. lot of glare, but didn't bother me too much, but that brings me to the driver's display.
16) driver's display - this annoyed me. made with some space age mirror material - the glare was horrible, and bothered me more than the main screen. also, i kept seeing "things" on it - whether it was a street light or post reflected, or possibly the FSD animations (or both) - it looks like stuff is going in peripherally when I'm driving - it might be turn arrows or garbage cans, and I will have to get used to it...but if there was a matte screen protector for it (and i'm not worried about scratches on a none touch screen) i'd buy one in an instant. the glare annoyed me that much.
17) controls - on screen, and on the app. I'm still learning (hey, only had the car like 16 hours). i had trouble figuring out if blue meant activated or not. you'd imagine it does. but like blue and auto for the climate control - was that the whole climate control, or just a/c? i'm still not sure. Similarly, in the app, climate - the button can say on - does that mean it IS on (i don't think so) or pressing it will turn the thing on (i think more likely). this will take some time.
17a) control responsiveness - this deserves thunderous applause. I'm not sure if this is always the case, or if the car goes to sleep and then needs time to awaken, but any time i've pressed the horn, light, etc. the response has been just about instant - like 1/2 a second or so. On my other cars (every single one of them) the phone app would have a 2 to 3 minute lag (or longer) if it worked at all. Remote start a German car? you have about a 50/50 chance. One time after 5 minutes my Benz started just as I got to the door handle (which of course instantly shut it) Gee, thanks Daimler!
18) Easy entry - again, small learning curve - I think i set some easy entry settings last night, and then didn't switch back into my profile so i had the wrong profile and settings while driving. that's okay, i'll get the hang of it.
I think 18 kinda sums it all up. there's a learning curve. in some ways huge. In most ways, a lot of little things. maybe 100. nothing fatal, nothing to keep you from getting to your destination, but plenty of ways to customize, tweak your experience, and improve your enjoyment. From the receipt of my car yesterday, until I sell/trade it in (anticipated to be 36 to 45 months from now, I won't own a car out of warranty) - I don't expect INCREDIBLE software/firmare improvements or changes. I expect incremental improvements. Maybe a tweak for the AC here, maybe some extra features in the app there. Unlock more performance for some money? sure, how much performance, and how much money. FSD beta 12.99? why not. True full level 4 self driving? I doubt it in 3 years, but hey, if the hardware is capable, and if the software is capable, AND if the NHTSA allows, then yes. Otherwise, I expect improved FSD betas that approach level 4 and keep getting better. Tweaks to the sound system. suspension. Anything that is computer controlled (everything but the tire) can be tweaked or improved. And I see Tesla doing that.
In some 3 years, will I get another Tesla? (Well, I have a Y for my wife on the way in 2 months, we may keep or I'll flip). But in 3 years, I expect 1) new battery tech (4680, phosphate, whatever). I expect more and better competition. and I expect improvements from Tesla - whether the S +, or Plaid Plus, or Cybertruck, Roadster, etc. 3 years is a short time and a long time, and as the ICE goes the way of the dinosaur, we'll be seeing far more (and more rapid) EV adoption. Service stations turning into destination points. Other manufacturers finally offering viable alternatives to Tesla. And Tesla out-Tesla'ing itself. Should be a good time.
Okay, end of rant. Read or not, Agree or disagree or not. But hopefully you enjoy your Tesla or whatever you end up driving, and hopefully you get to enjoy all that it has to offer.
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