SR Not Plus Waiting Room

[OCR1]

-All cars offered on the site now include AP
-SR was one of "all cars" offered on the site
-It follows that it should have AP since it is now standard on all cars
-They can't jack up the price on existing agreements

All cars on the site NOW include AP. SR WAS one of the cars offered on the site. But it no longer is there following the price changes. So they are not required to include AP at that price.

So SR ($35K) + AP ($3K) = $38K vs $39.5K for the SR+ to get the heated front seats, immersive sound, and 20 miles of range. How much those three things are worth will vary by individual. But the difference of $1,500 is now small enough that it comes down to SR being a great value if you don’t care about AP, but a less compelling decision either way if you plan to add AP.

Most people will never charge their SR+ past 90% to protect the battery, so they will get 216 miles of rated range. The SR can be charged to 100% to get 220 miles of range since the last 20 miles can’t be accessed anyway so it should not harm the battery to charge up to 220 miles. So the range difference only matters if you plan to charge the SR+ to 100% to squeeze out the last 20 miles of range.

 

[abasile]

I suspect they're going to discontinue the SR after not too long and say "see, we offered a $35K car and "nobody" wanted it", similar to what happened w/the 40 kWh Model S. And, thus SR+ will be the minimum.

Yes, that seems likely. At the same time, the SR+ offers significantly more features/functionality than we expected of the base model, $35k in 2016 dollars is equivalent to over $37k today, and there is actually a $35k car for anyone who is determined to get it, so Tesla truly is honoring their commitment to sell a relatively affordable EV. Of course, it would be ideal if Tesla could avoid missteps like the recent ambiguity over whether the SR includes AP!

 

[Scott7]

As far as enhanced cruise control AKA "AP" - Nissan now has it on cheap cars. Tesla needed to make it standard

Tesla absolutely did not need to make AP standard no matter what Nissan does. That is not how the auto industry works (or basically any top-tier brand in any industry).

For example, BMW has been leaving out features that lower tier brands have included standard for decades and still do this today; You can get a base Corolla with LED headlights, automatic emergency braking, and a whole bunch of other things that aren’t included on a base 3 Series at double the price.

 

[quikshifter]

Can anyone give a quick review of the SR? I have only test driven the performance and obviously it was great but how's the SR

 

[cpgbenso]

Quickshifter, I took delivery of a SR+ on Monday which, with a phonecall, I can turn into a SR. My only upgrade was the 19" wheels which IMHO made the car look much better. I love the car thusfar. For the money I think it's a phenomenal vehicle given the technology it includes. I honestly am on the fence about downgrading, kind of hoping Tesla comes out with more detail on the SR vs SR+ because if it's just what we know thusfar: No heated seats, no immersive audio, range reduction, and not using traffic while calculating map routes. Then I will probably downgrade. The seats and audio just aren't worth $2k to me, have Waze on my phone, and I am just commuting 60 miles daily so the range reduction is irrelevant. The only thing I think I'd miss is if they slow the car's acceleration down with the battery reduction. The acceleration in the SR+ is nice, not mind-blowingly fast, but enough to put a smile on your face when you step on it. The audio is pretty good, not fantastic (comparable to our Honda Accord), and if I kept the SR+ and don't downgrade, I'd hope that Tesla eventually offers a stand alone audio upgrade to add the subwoofer and 2nd amp. Handling is great, traction control keeps you from killing yourself in the corners. My wife made the comment that with the 19" wheels you can 'really feel the road'. By that she meant it's not harsh, but her Honda Accord has big sidewall 18" tires so you just sail over the bumps, where the tesla with the 19" you 'feel' the road, which I think is a good thing. I am still not sure what to make about the SR announcement where they referred to the music streaming and map traffic being disabled since the SR+ doesn't have either (I believe the SR+ may use the traffic data while calculating the route, but doesn't actually show you the traffic on the map like the premium does). I am half wondering if that announcement was a hint that music streaming and traffic display may be coming to the SR+ soon.

 

[BeanDelph]

Quickshifter, I took delivery of a SR+ on Monday which, with a phonecall, I can turn into a SR. My only upgrade was the 19" wheels which IMHO made the car look much better. I love the car thusfar. For the money I think it's a phenomenal vehicle given the technology it includes. I honestly am on the fence about downgrading, kind of hoping Tesla comes out with more detail on the SR vs SR+ because if it's just what we know thusfar: No heated seats, no immersive audio, range reduction, and not using traffic while calculating map routes. Then I will probably downgrade. The seats and audio just aren't worth $2k to me, have Waze on my phone, and I am just commuting 60 miles daily so the range reduction is irrelevant. The only thing I think I'd miss is if they slow the car's acceleration down with the battery reduction. The acceleration in the SR+ is nice, not mind-blowingly fast, but enough to put a smile on your face when you step on it. The audio is pretty good, not fantastic (comparable to our Honda Accord), and if I kept the SR+ and don't downgrade, I'd hope that Tesla eventually offers a stand alone audio upgrade to add the subwoofer and 2nd amp. Handling is great, traction control keeps you from killing yourself in the corners. My wife made the comment that with the 19" wheels you can 'really feel the road'. By that she meant it's not harsh, but her Honda Accord has big sidewall 18" tires so you just sail over the bumps, where the tesla with the 19" you 'feel' the road, which I think is a good thing. I am still not sure what to make about the SR announcement where they referred to the music streaming and map traffic being disabled since the SR+ doesn't have either (I believe the SR+ may use the traffic data while calculating the route, but doesn't actually show you the traffic on the map like the premium does). I am half wondering if that announcement was a hint that music streaming and traffic display may be coming to the SR+ soon.

Have you tried immersive audio? I believe it has to be turned on to hear it, but I haven't ever tried the sound in any model 3 I've sat in, in the showroom... Wondering how the stock sound is going to be on SR since I've opted for the downgrade pre delivery.

 

[cpgbenso]

I just tested turning immersive off. It does make a difference, mostly in the bass and mid-highs. It definitely adds depth, but I was able to tweak the equalizer to partially compensate for it. With pretty much a standard 'V' on the equalizer the difference between immersive on and off is not very distinguishable. Honestly glad you asked the question because unless they also kill off additional speakers on the SR I can definitely live without Immersive.

 

[BeanDelph]

I just tested turning immersive off. It does make a difference, mostly in the bass and mid-highs. It definitely adds depth, but I was able to tweak the equalizer to partially compensate for it. With pretty much a standard 'V' on the equalizer the difference between immersive on and off is not very distinguishable. Honestly glad you asked the question because unless they also kill off additional speakers on the SR I can definitely live without Immersive.

That's what we're all here for to help each other out! Thanks for doing the test, and glad that compensation is practical. I forgot there was an equalizer option. I am hardly any audiophile so i don't expect to miss the feature if it's as subtle as you report.

Fwiw my rep told me yesterday that they have no idea if SR+ will be getting any additional goodies like the live traffic. Don't feel like making a $3000 bet on getting theoretical bonuses...

 

[electric_drive]

Can you combine the option Immersive Sound ON with the Equalizer? Or just activate/ set one of both?

 

[cpgbenso]

Yes, you can combine the EQ and Immersive together.

Note though that Tesla appears to already be tightening up on SR downgrades. You apparently now have to return the existing vehicle then order a new SR base and wait for it and hope they deliver before end of quarter to get your federal rebate. At least that was my experience when I just called. I am on day 6 of the 7 day return and they said I had to bring the car in and return it. Would be silly if I can just wait one more day and call again and they let me do the downgrade without having to return it. But this is Tesla, up is down, down is up...

 

[OCR1]

Yes, you can combine the EQ and Immersive together.

Note though that Tesla appears to already be tightening up on SR downgrades. You apparently now have to return the existing vehicle then order a new SR base and wait for it and hope they deliver before end of quarter to get your federal rebate. At least that was my experience when I just called. I am on day 6 of the 7 day return and they said I had to bring the car in and return it. Would be silly if I can just wait one more day and call again and they let me do the downgrade without having to return it. But this is Tesla, up is down, down is up...

That is not what it states in the blog, and is not consistent with what others on this forum have posted. I would call back and ask to speak with someone else before you hit day 7. My experience with Tesla is that you can ask the same question to two different people and get three different answers.

 

[cpgbenso]

Called both local stores, one had no clue and told me to call Tesla HQ, the second store the rep said, "Let me go ask my supervisor." And was told that I did have to return the car and reorder. (I didn't tell him what the Tesla rep had said, I just asked what the process was)

 

[OCR1]

Called both local stores, one had no clue and told me to call Tesla HQ, the second store the rep said, "Let me go ask my supervisor." And was told that I did have to return the car and reorder. (I didn't tell him what the Tesla rep had said, I just asked what the process was)

These people need to read the blog on their own website before making up answers. The blog clearly states:

“Similarly, anyone who has already bought Standard Plus and wants to convert to Standard is welcome to do so, and we will provide a refund for the difference in cost.”

An Update to Our Vehicle Lineup

It does not say anything about returning the car and reordering. It says “convert”, as in software lock out the SR+ features. And refund the difference clearly does not mean returning the car and ordering again.

I’ve been through this before with Tesla reps but sometimes you just have to hold their hand and guide them to correct answer as most of them never even bother to read the information on their own website, never mind actually reading the forums that thousands of their customers are posting in.

Be persistent and tell them they need to get you the right answer, not the one that gets you off the phone the fastest.

 

[cpgbenso]

I had a little better luck with the Tesla support Chat. They took my VIN and said I was added to 'the list' and would received more information about the downgrade procedure when the details firm up.

 

[TumericTJ]

I'm not really the person to do, like, a YouTube review. As I mentioned, I received delivery for an SR order yesterday, but Tesla just gave me an SR+ and said they would software limit it soon.

I too test drove the performance model, I think. It was one of the longer range versions, but I can't speak in-depth to the performance of that car since the test drive was basically a conservative lap around the block, with limited highway driving primarily to test the onramp pull and to experience autopilot.

I can confirm that the look and feel of the SR interior is better than I expected, given the prior expectations of cloth seats and manual adjustments. The synthetic Tesla uses is unusually comfortable and seems easy to maintain. The maps are really elegant even without satellite graphics and work well with voice commands. It might be a little disappointing if software-limiting removes all traffic awareness from maps, but I do not understand exactly what is going to change there. The cell phone docks are a nice touch.

So basically the SR interior is the same look and feel as that of the premium Model 3 I test drove except that the maps do not use satellite images which mirror the real world; they use simplified but still elegant graphics. The heavy feel of the car, partially due to the battery weight, and partially due to the agressive regenerative breaking, that I remember from the premium test drive is also present on the SR. This weight is a blessing on curves but in a straight line it somehow feels as though the car is pulling against resistance, even at speed. The acceleration is noneless satisfying, maybe more satisfying because of this curious feeling of resistance. Anyway, the regenerative breaking is a setting that can be reduced, although I haven't tried changing from the default. I would not be surprised if Tesla limits the SR acceleration slightly from the SR+.

The most concrete loss to explain with the SR is that the seat heaters, which are quite nice, will be disabled. That's a bummer, but it's a loss I can live with. There's no comparing the SR in my mind to it's ICE or EV price competitors. So I hope the target audiences for those cars flock to the SR. If I had a higher budget, I would be looking at a used Model S, and if I had a lower one, I would be looking at a used Chevy Volt or Nissan LEAF, but that's just me. On the other hand, I do think the SR+ with autopilot for $40K is the best option for now for those who want autopilot for practical reasons such as a long commute.

 

[sreams]

I just tested turning immersive off. It does make a difference, mostly in the bass and mid-highs. It definitely adds depth, but I was able to tweak the equalizer to partially compensate for it. With pretty much a standard 'V' on the equalizer the difference between immersive on and off is not very distinguishable. Honestly glad you asked the question because unless they also kill off additional speakers on the SR I can definitely live without Immersive.

Never understood why a "V" is considered to be any kind of standard for an EQ.

 

[OCR1]

The most concrete loss to explain with the SR is that the seat heaters, which are quite nice, will be disabled. That's a bummer, but it's a loss I can live with.

So are the front seat heaters in your car currently enabled? How about the rear seats? Have you tried turning them on? I'm pretty sure the SR+ still had the heaters in the seats and they were just disabled through software but lately the disabling efforts by the Tesla software team seem to be a bit buggy.

 

[TumericTJ]

So are the front seat heaters in your car currently enabled? How about the rear seats? Have you tried turning them on? I'm pretty sure the SR+ still had the heaters in the seats and they were just disabled through software but lately the disabling efforts by the Tesla software team seem to be a bit buggy.

Yes, the front seat heaters are currently enabled. I don't see a setting for the rear ones, if the car even has the hardware.

 

[OCR1]

Yes, the front seat heaters are currently enabled. I don't see a setting for the rear ones, if the car even has the hardware.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Tesla never gets around to converting your car to an SR. They are far too disorganized to remember to do this.

Please keep us informed if you notice any changes.

 

[Beaver]

Never understood why a "V" is considered to be any kind of standard for an EQ.

As a kid in the early 80s I recall my dad always setting an EQ to a "V". Maybe it was the garbage speakers they had at the time.

In my SR+ 3 I have the bass +3 and everything else flat. It sounds good, not great but better than what I came from.