Tesla Model S Long Range from BMW 5 Series - Ambient Lighting, General Questions

[FirstTime22]

My BMW 5 series lease recently expired and I decided to buy my current car and order myself a new Model S Long Range after hearing a few of my friends raving about how much they love their Tesla's.

I have always been a BMW owner and actually really like my BMW 5 series, in fact I was planning to upgrade to an M550 but the chip shortage and recent price increases by dealerships gave me pause.

I am eagerly awaiting my new Model S Long Range, but recently I have been wondering if I will be dissapointed with the cabin not being as luxurious as my 5 series, the seats not being leather and the lack of Ambient Lighting.

Are there ways to upgrade the cabin aftermarket? Add Ambient Lighting? Am I correct that the new S Long Range does not have any ambient lighting in the cabin? Is it completely dark besides the screen while driving at night?

Has anyone else come from a luxury sedan to a tesla and missed the things they had become accustomed to?

 

[glide]

My BMW 5 series lease recently expired and I decided to buy my current car and order myself a new Model S Long Range after hearing a few of my friends raving about how much they love their Tesla's.

I have always been a BMW owner and actually really like my BMW 5 series, in fact I was planning to upgrade to an M550 but the chip shortage and recent price increases by dealerships gave me pause.

I am eagerly awaiting my new Model S Long Range, but recently I have been wondering if I will be dissapointed with the cabin not being as luxurious as my 5 series, the seats not being leather and the lack of Ambient Lighting.

Are there ways to upgrade the cabin aftermarket? Add Ambient Lighting? Am I correct that the new S Long Range does not have any ambient lighting in the cabin? Is it completely dark besides the screen while driving at night?

Has anyone else come from a luxury sedan to a tesla and missed the things they had become accustomed to?

You will be disappointed in the seats, the cabin noise, and the build quality.

The new model S is significantly better than the outgoing model in all these departments but still nowhere close to BMW.

I came from a 5 series to a 2015 Model S and was extremely disappointed. Now I have a new LR model and I’m more than willing to live with the shortcomings.

 

[DBV1]

Hi - I am a long time BMW owner and my last three were 5 Series with the most recent a 2021 5 Series. The Tesla LR with 19’s cabin is nice, but definitely not as luxurious as the 5 Series. The multi-contour seats on the 5 Series are better than the current S, although the S is not bad. HUD and overall BMW UI is much better than the Tesla too.

Another thing I miss is the 5 Series suspension, as it is much more planted, tighter and overall handles the road much better. I think the Tesla suspension feels bouncy and nowhere near as tight or comfortable.

I do like the Tesla, (love the exterior, the EV part of it, the trunk/frunk space, no stalks, etc…,but after about two weeks of owning it, not sure if I will keep it. Have already discussed with my BMW dealer about maybe ordering another 5 Series. I am going to give the Tesla a little more time though, since I have been a BMW for long time and never a Tesla owner. I just don’t think it is a $95k plus car, especially for what you can get compared to the BMW 5.

 

[smjones]

I got my 2022 Model S LR to replace a 2005 Audi A4 Avant UltraSport (with upgraded interior bits from the following generation) for trips/snow, and a 2006 Honda Insight hybrid 5 speed for commuting. Quite a gap between those two to be sure. I've also had an earlier A4 Avant and several Porsches, FWIW.

The Tesla is not perfect by a long chalk, but I like it. I would never confuse the interior with that of a similarly priced new German car, but so far I don't have any desire to take it to a custom upholsterer either - it's comfortable and it's working for me. And I'm really glad to be excited about owning an American made car - something I'd given up on many, many years ago.

There's no question I'm letting the EV aspects make up for a difference in interior materials and finish, I'd demand better from an Audi, BMW, Merc or Porsche. I still remember the shock of having my Service Advisor tell me I just flat out could not in any universe get the walnut wood finish with the black interior. And there are things that bug me, like some of the visible spot welds in the hatch area. But overall I'm (so far) happy to take the gamble and see where this leads. YMMV.

Maybe, maybe if the Taycan 4S Cross Tourismo had been out when I ordered - with an extra 100+ miles of range - I might have made a different decision. But then my final price would no doubt have been ~$50k more between the higher base price and the endless tweaks and de luxe options. I've got the configurator to $137k within 2 minutes...

 

[Blue Stuff]

Yes the MS has ambient lights. Some have said that it is too dim but fine with me.

My passengers haven't been fans. One comparing it to my old Accord and newer Subaru (version with Nappa Leather) saying the Tesla felt cheaper. Access is also an issue as harder to get in and out compared to other sedans.

Tesla's EV power makes up for a lot. The frequent software updates also stand out.

And remember: It is a muscle car, not a sports car.

 

[Proppilot]

FWIW I came to the LR from a M540 and for sure the ambient lighting and HUD were great but the LR is in a class of its own. The LR in chill mode leaves the 540 in the dust. It never gets old. I was hot for an i4 but the performance is meh, even the M. Love my LR

 

[syrsid]

I have a 2019 year 740 and the new MSLR and definitely the interior of tesla is not as plush or ride as comfortable as the BMW but it definitely drives much much better. The seat space is just a tad short of 7 series, so it should be better than your 5 series bmw

 

[Proppilot]

The MS has way more back seat room than the 5 I had. PS, AbstractOcean will be launching interior ambient lighting upgrades for the refresh soon. I spoke with them as for sure the ambient lighting is nothing like my 5 had. I would be satisfied to get something brighter (they will be) and coloured (they will be). Definitely for this money they could have out some light pipes and LED drivers along the interior trim lines just for that wow look. And then I launch and remember why I bought this car

 

[FirstTime22]

Thanks, will check them out..

The MS has way more back seat room than the 5 I had. PS, AbstractOcean will be launching interior ambient lighting upgrades for the refresh soon. I spoke with them as for sure the ambient lighting is nothing like my 5 had. I would be satisfied to get something brighter (they will be) and coloured (they will be). Definitely for this money they could have out some light pipes and LED drivers along the interior trim lines just for that wow look. And then I launch and remember why I bought this car

 

[fsabek]

I come from a 2018 M550 to a 2022 MSLR. After driving the tesla for more than two month and put over 3K on it I can say the following:
feels like the difference between having an iphone (tesla) and another inferior smart phone that has a nice case or a nicer screen (the BMW).
- I would never go back to an ICE car and remember I am coming from a 450HP M550 with 0-60 in 3.9
- definitely the BMW has more luxury when it comes to quality of build and material however what the MSLR has overcomes that big time.
- the tesla quality build is inferior however it is way more spacious and the speed and smoothness of the drive is mind blowing.
- the suspension bounciness in the tesla is annoying and the M550 has better suspension.
-after getting used to the clearance the yoke provides to the front dashboard it is very difficult to drive a full steering again.
- last weekend I drove the m550 to fill it up in a nutshell it felt like driving a tractor compared to the MSLR and much smaller interior.
in summary I am happy to have made the switch and I dont regret it and with all the problems with teslas in general I think I will be sticking with the brand till the german competitors get close in their EVs to what the tesla is currently offering.
for sure the new refreshed interior in the new model S and X was a huge improvement again I love how it looks maybe not the feeling as much and love the space and the center storage and wireless charging.
I just cant wait to drive my new electric Beast!!!!

 

[FirstTime22]

I come from a 2018 M550 to a 2022 MSLR. After driving the tesla for more than two month and put over 3K on it I can say the following:
feels like the difference between having an iphone (tesla) and another inferior smart phone that has a nice case or a nicer screen (the BMW).
- I would never go back to an ICE car and remember I am coming from a 450HP M550 with 0-60 in 3.9
- definitely the BMW has more luxury when it comes to quality of build and material however what the MSLR has overcomes that big time.
- the tesla quality build is inferior however it is way more spacious and the speed and smoothness of the drive is mind blowing.
- the suspension bounciness in the tesla is annoying and the M550 has better suspension.
-after getting used to the clearance the yoke provides to the front dashboard it is very difficult to drive a full steering again.
- last weekend I drove the m550 to fill it up in a nutshell it felt like driving a tractor compared to the MSLR and much smaller interior.
in summary I am happy to have made the switch and I dont regret it and with all the problems with teslas in general I think I will be sticking with the brand till the german competitors get close in their EVs to what the tesla is currently offering.
for sure the new refreshed interior in the new model S and X was a huge improvement again I love how it looks maybe not the feeling as much and love the space and the center storage and wireless charging.
I just cant wait to drive my new electric Beast!!!!

Thank you for sharing this , really makes me excited to take delivery of my MS and say goodbye to my beautiful 530i..until next time