The 2021 refreshed Model S WILL HAVE SAT RADIO FUNCTIONALITY!

[srsm]

I have spoken with a great many Tesla sales people via the on-line buying process [via chat] and have asked if the new S has sat radio. They never know the answer. When really pressed for a definitive answer, they "research it' for 10 minutes and reply that they are "pretty sure" it is not.

So I emailed senior engineering and CS execs with the question. They have confirmed to me, by email and phone, that the new MS absolutely has the hardware installed and will have the software via download soon.

They also told me they will so inform the sales team and update the owners manual and website to reflect this.

So I guess it's true ...

 

[glide]

Crazy that a $130K vehicle wouldn’t have SiriusXM installed. Doesn’t Sirius even pay manufacturers to include it?

 

[oktane]

But the sound quality is so terrible, why would anyone want XM radio?

 

[SageBrush]

I bet Tesla could also get CD players real cheap. No doubt someone would appreciate the gesture

 

[Odysseus1]

I’ve always had excellent sound quality with SXM.

The reason someone would want it is you get reception everywhere, unlike internet streaming which requires…hold it…an INTERNET signal. Good luck on road trips... It also has far more news and sports channels.

 

[beatle]

I had satellite radio for 8 years (2004-2012) and I really enjoyed it over CDs and terrestrial radio. Its coverage was not perfect - I still got dropouts with tree canopies, some overpasses, and other obstructions but it was generally pretty good. However, I was glad to finally be able to drop it for internet radio (Pandora, now Spotify) for the better variety of music, the ability to skip songs, play whatever I want at any time, and all at a much higher bitrate. 3g cell coverage (minimum) has now blanketed much more of the US now making internet streaming services available nearly as many places as satellite. (Yes, it's excellent on road trips.) All this and satellite is significantly more expensive than internet radio - and you have to pay extra per radio!

Unfortunately satellite radio is basically locked into early 2000s technology. It was great for its time, but its presence on a car today does pretty much nothing for me. I think you'd have to have some kind of fringe case (extremely remote or some very specific broadcaster not available to stream anywhere else) to prefer satellite at this point.

 

[oktane]

I’ve always had excellent sound quality with SXM.

The reason someone would want it is you get reception everywhere, unlike internet streaming which requires…hold it…an INTERNET signal. Good luck on road trips... It also has far more news and sports channels.

Suppose you’re right for very remote areas. Too bad the bitrate is so low that quality is almost unlistenable for music. It’s fine for talk shows.

Not sure what you define as excellent sound quality, you’re listening to the equivalent of a 96kbps MP3. The actual bitrate is is 24-48kbps. I find anything less than 256kbps to be not acceptable unless you’re desperate.

 

[glide]

But the sound quality is so terrible, why would anyone want XM radio?

Because you can get programming in areas where there is no internet/cell signal

 

[oktane]

Because you can get programming in areas where there is no internet/cell signal

Even in areas without cell/data coverage, there's a good chance you can pick up FM radio. I've found that in areas like mountains where you get no internet/cell or FM radio, you often have trouble with satellite radio as well... so there's that aspect. An EV wouldn't be my first choice if you regularly travel to highly remote areas that lack even FM radio.

That being said, it's great if the refresh has XM radio as an option for those who benefit from it. For me, I'd rather keep a few playlists downloaded to my phone in some lossless algorithm if I'm on a commercial airliner or in an area without internet (or FM radio) in the car.

 

[glide]

Even in areas without cell/data coverage, there's a good chance you can pick up FM radio. I've found that in areas like mountains where you get no internet/cell or FM radio, you often have trouble with satellite radio as well... so there's that aspect. An EV wouldn't be my first choice if you regularly travel to highly remote areas that lack even FM radio.

That being said, it's great if the refresh has XM radio as an option for those who benefit from it. For me, I'd rather keep a few playlists downloaded to my phone in some lossless algorithm if I'm on a commercial airliner or in an area without internet (or FM radio) in the car.

FM Radio and Sirius are very different offerings. No one is bemoaning the lack of FM radio.

 

[oktane]

FM Radio and Sirius are very different offerings. No one is bemoaning the lack of FM radio.

Very different how? You're saying there is no FM radio? That is a huge loss actually.

 

[glide]

Very different how? You're saying there is no FM radio? That is a huge loss actually.

No. I’m saying you don’t seem to understand the use case for Satellite radio since you injected FM into the conversation as an alternative. It is not.

 

[oktane]

No. I’m saying you don’t seem to understand the use case for Satellite radio since you injected FM into the conversation as an alternative. It is not.

You're deflecting. Please explain how Sirius is such a different offering than FM, which provides HD radio? How often are you in an area where XM radio is the only content, and there is no cellular or FM coverage? Do you not download music to your phone from the various streaming providers that can be used if you are totally off the grid?

XM radio is fine if you have no appreciation for sound quality and are stuck in the early 2000s technologically. Or perhaps you have a very unusual scenario where you live outside of cellular and FM coverage, or listen to specific content only available on XM. For me, the poor sound quality makes it useless. Too bad they can't get rid of half the useless channels and bolster the bitrate.

 

[CyberGus]

I can't hear frequencies above 10k anymore, so 48kbps is plenty.

 

[glide]

You're deflecting. Please explain how Sirius is such a different offering than FM, which provides HD radio? How often are you in an area where XM radio is the only content, and there is no cellular or FM coverage? Do you not download music to your phone from the various streaming providers that can be used if you are totally off the grid?

XM radio is fine if you have no appreciation for sound quality and are stuck in the early 2000s technologically. Or perhaps you have a very unusual scenario where you live outside of cellular and FM coverage, or listen to specific content only available on XM. For me, the poor sound quality makes it useless. Too bad they can't get rid of half the useless channels and bolster the bitrate.

I explained the crucial part to you, that it is operable in areas without internet, but you didn’t seem to grasp that.

Secondly, the programming and content is vastly different than FM radio.

And if you’re an audiophile purist, why would you recommend phone streaming as an alternative? Shouldn’t I only listen to high-bitrate 192/24 FLAC loaded on my USB stick?

Shall I go on? Or am I still deflecting?

 

[brkaus]

Coming back from the XM vs FM debate, great if XM is there, but I wouldn’t believe it until it actually works. Don’t buy a Tesla on future features (if it’s an important feature to you).

 

[oktane]

I explained the crucial part to you, that it is operable in areas without internet, but you didn’t seem to grasp that.

Secondly, the programming and content is vastly different than FM radio.

Shall I go on? Or am I still deflecting?

Yeah, well you basically just changed the goal post which is what led to this back and forth. I asked why XM radio when the audio quality is so poor, and your response was "Because you can get programming in areas where there is no internet/cell signal".

I then reminded you that FM radio is available in most of the USA, including areas without cellular coverage. Yet you deflected by saying "FM radio and Sirius are vastly different", which is perplexing because they are clearly more similar than different.

Remember, it was me and not you, that mentioned if there is a particular news station or specialized live content that you enjoy listening to, it would make sense to want XM.

All you needed to say from the beginning was "I like some of the specific live content on XM" instead of having to make excuses for yourself. Clearly this has nothing to do with lack of cellular data or FM coverage in your "use case" (as you put it). I'd like to know how often you drive through an area without cellular data coverage or FM radio if you can share that. For me, it is rare.

 

[glide]

Yeah, well you basically just changed the goal post which is what led to this back and forth. I asked why XM radio when the audio quality is so poor, and your response was "Because you can get programming in areas where there is no internet/cell signal".

I then reminded you that FM radio is available in most of the USA, including areas without cellular coverage. Yet you deflected by saying "FM radio and Sirius are vastly different", which is perplexing because they are clearly more similar than different.

Remember, it was me and not you, that mentioned if there is a particular news station or specialized live content that you enjoy listening to, it would make sense to want XM.

All you needed to say from the beginning was "I like some of the specific live content on XM" instead of having to make excuses for yourself. Clearly this has nothing to do with lack of cellular data or FM coverage in your "use case" (as you put it). I'd like to know how often you drive through an area without cellular data coverage or FM radio if you can share that. For me, it is rare.

You still don’t get it. What makes sense to you and what makes sense to other people are clearly different things.

Bottom line, a $130K vehicle should have Satellite radio as standard equipment. That’s all.

 

[SageBrush]

Bottom line, a $130K vehicle should have Satellite radio as standard equipment. That’s all.

And a CD player ?

---
I agree with Oktane, this is about content. I get the impression that XM caters to a lot of fringe content like religion and extreme politics, and to sports addicts. I don't listen to any of that so I could not care less about XM. If the feature is free and does not take up space in my car I'm neutral about its inclusion. As for the service itself, I used it for a couple weeks during a 3 month free trial and shut it off. The incessant, obnoxious advertising for the service itself got on my nerves.

And again in agreement with Oktane, I find streaming to offer a universe of content to sample and the occasional internet glitch really does not faze me. If I was a noise junkie who could not stand brief silences I would also have content on a thumb drive.

 

[brkaus]

And a CD player ?

Blue-ray.