What I would do to the S interior in a refresh

[electracity]

The displays will be upgraded in any major interior refresh. The current displays are plenty good enough, but that is not the point in super premium.

Tesla plays to its strength by making displays super fabulous. The passenger(s) may get their own displays.

The silver bezel is oldschool in a bad way and will go. The whole dash will likely no longer suggest a standard car with a big screen added. Tesla needs to go where the German manufacturers fear to tread.

 

[electracity]

I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but given how full Tesla's hands are with model 3, I don't see how they can focus on making any big changes to model s or x. Some small changes sure, but many of those will be offshoots from 3. For instance, the NFC/phone entry thing will most likely come to S and X.

You are certainly correct that Tesla's to-do list is far longer than their capacity. But the also know they have created a big model S problem with the model 3 premium interior.

 

[PaulRocket]

You are certainly correct that Tesla's to-do list is far longer than their capacity. But the also know they have created a big model S problem with the model 3 premium interior.

As you point out, the Model 3 has an interior that is at least on the same level as the Model S, maybe even better. Historically the Model S got upgrades almost always in the fall. So I'm guessing maybe around the semi unveil. One way to do the transition would be to first of all hope that until September Model 3 production is *fairly* steady, obviously still in the ramp up phase but still and second of all the Model S doesn't need any significant new technology. A new computer would be nice, I also thought that the display quality looked better on the 3. Other then that the only changes should be design and quality wise which shouldn't cause too many problems in production.

 

[electracity]

As you point out, the Model 3 has an interior that is at least on the same level as the Model S, maybe even better. Historically the Model S got upgrades almost always in the fall. So I'm guessing maybe around the semi unveil. One way to do the transition would be to first of all hope that until September Model 3 production is *fairly* steady, obviously still in the ramp up phase but still and second of all the Model S doesn't need any significant new technology. A new computer would be nice, I also thought that the display quality looked better on the 3. Other then that the only changes should be design and quality wise which shouldn't cause too many problems in production.

I think Musk will have to put the M3 vent system in the model S. To me it is too clever and different to only have that tech in the M3. Musk said "the S/X will get new tech first".

But I've forecast a dash change for the S for a year and have been wrong.

 

[David29]

Very little. What would you do? I would:

• Keep working on the seats - after months telling everybody here how great the premium perforated seats are, I'm beginning to prefer the Recaro Next Gens in my 2016. Give us more seat options.
• Sound insulation
• Do something to eliminate the plasticky silver material on the interior (screen bezel and in the door sill).
• Upgrade the appearance and feel of the door sill leather and the door handles.
• Sound insulation.
• Soft close, self presenting doors
• More storage pockets
• Upgrade center console appearance.
• Super trick road sensing suspension to make the ride even smoother as an option.
• Even more effective ventilated seats.
• Coat hooks, better mirrors.

I agree with some of this but not all.
*Seats might be one area. Definitely would like better seats than what I have in my 2015 Model S but I am not yet familiar with the newer seats.
*Sound insulation, yes, especially wind and road noise.
*Soft close doors -- No, I;d prefer to avoid their complexity and future repair potential.
*Agree on more storage. Model 3's looked nicely done, based upon the video I have seen.
*Smoother ride, definitely, although I do not know if you need a costly "super trick" suspension to do that.
*One thing I do not think others have mentioned -- I'd like to get rid of the frameless windows in the four doors. I assume they were chosen to avoid a few pounds of weight, and/or for looks. The downside is that they add to the wear and tear on the window mechanism every time the door is opened or closed, they add to the complexity of the window mechanism, they add to the propensity for wind noise, and I am sure the doors would sound better when they close if the windows were supported all around and did not rattle. I see no benefit whatever to the frameless windows.

 

[jeffro01]

I'd like to see the following...

*Better seats. Give me the seats that BMW or Mercedes puts in their 7 Series and S Class respectively... I want the heating/cooling/massaging/adjustability...
*Door pockets, more storage
*More/better/brighter interior LED lighting. I'm not so much fixated on being able to change the color but there needs to be more lighting and what is there needs to be brighter. Especially needing lights in the center console...
*Coat hooks and o-bleep handles
*360 Camera view. I realize Elon likely sees this as "unnecessary" in an fully autonomous car and that's great except Tesla doesn't have a fully autonomous car and won't for awhile...
*Upgraded suspension, such as the magnetic ride type suspensions you see in higher end cars. It goes by several names but the system also assists in avoiding potholes and the like...
*Sound insulation
*Sound insulation...

Jeff

 

[gowthamn]

I'd like to see the following...

*Better seats. Give me the seats that BMW or Mercedes puts in their 7 Series and S Class respectively... I want the heating/cooling/massaging/adjustability...
*Door pockets, more storage
*More/better/brighter interior LED lighting. I'm not so much fixated on being able to change the color but there needs to be more lighting and what is there needs to be brighter. Especially needing lights in the center console...
*Coat hooks and o-bleep handles
*360 Camera view. I realize Elon likely sees this as "unnecessary" in an fully autonomous car and that's great except Tesla doesn't have a fully autonomous car and won't for awhile...
*Upgraded suspension, such as the magnetic ride type suspensions you see in higher end cars. It goes by several names but the system also assists in avoiding potholes and the like...
*Sound insulation
*Sound insulation...

Jeff

I see you have a 2015 model. I heard that Sound insulation is already better in 2016 and even better in 2017 models. Is that true?

 

[D.E.]

I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but given how full Tesla's hands are with model 3, I don't see how they can focus on making any big changes to model s or x. Some small changes sure, but many of those will be offshoots from 3. For instance, the NFC/phone entry thing will most likely come to S and X.

I think that might be true short term but I would think they'd increase staffing to continue innovation in eack of their product lines. I'm new to Tesla but I don't think S innovation ceased when the X came out.

I think the S may benefit. If the 3 team comes up with something good, it'll rapidly be incorporated in the S as well. The one thing they want to do is keep the S features ahead of the 3 so people continue to buy the higher priced S to get all the perks. We see that with the free supercharging and in the acceleration increase in the 75 series. I don't think they will let the S fall behind. I think the money flow will increase as the 3 sales increase so should support a much larger research team size, so that'll help the S as well. I hope the economies of scale will also speed the development of FSD.

 

[Spidy]

The Tesla does have:

• Multi beam headlights

Nothing that comes anywhere close to this.

• It has an autoboot

I'm talking about this.

• It has LED interior lighting (do you really need multicolour gimics?)

We are talking about large luxury cars here. This isn't about need. And I actually thinks it looks nice yes.

• The E class glass roof is a joke. Its a tiny rear glass room about 15cm wide and a regular sun roof. You can't compare the two.

Yes I give you that, but my point was that it has a sunshade and not this after market thing Tesla offers.

• Do you need touchpads on the steering wheel when you have voice control that works and a 17inch touchpad?

You don't need it, but when Tesla had them on the X prototype everybody thought it was really cool. And I don't like using voice command with other people in the car. And with the Model 3 you still have controls on the steering wheel even though they interact with the touch screen.

• The tesla parking sonar is the best in the business, but 360 degree cams would be a welcome addition. Do you really need them when the car can park itself flawlessly (hopefully soon)?

Again, we are in a segment where it's not about needs.

• HUD? Do you really need one? An HUD to me is the 8 track of this era.

You should check out the Model 3 area on this forum

• Wireless charging? Stop being a bogan and get an iPhone

Already got one

• Rear entertainment? Really?

Well, some want it.
Model X : Rear entertainment options

• Car to X communication is less advanced than the Tesla 4G connectivity no doubt.

Do you even know what that is?

 

[lux_cars]

• Multi beam headlights

Nothing that comes anywhere close to this.

Perhaps these videos might explain these trick LED headlights better. All German automakers offer this. Basically, there are dozens of individual LED units in the headlight and each unit can be switched on/off independently. This allows always-on high-beams that "block out" other cars on the road so other drivers don't suffer from glare even though the high-beam is on. As someone who drives a lot in the dark, this technology would be a lifesaver.

 

[Thorbjorn]

Light porn! Tesla needs this!
Don´t even have autodim on AP2 cars yet :S

 

[David29]

Good example of the difference it makes to be a very large, well-resourced company. Tesla appears to be stretched rather thin and simply hasn't the depth, the experience, and the vendor relationships to do cutting-edge product development in every aspect of the car. Give them a decade or two and it will be better, I imagine.

 

[Burnt Toast]

• Multi beam headlights

Nothing that comes anywhere close to this.

• It has an autoboot

I'm talking about this.

• It has LED interior lighting (do you really need multicolour gimics?)

We are talking about large luxury cars here. This isn't about need. And I actually thinks it looks nice yes.

• The E class glass roof is a joke. Its a tiny rear glass room about 15cm wide and a regular sun roof. You can't compare the two.

Yes I give you that, but my point was that it has a sunshade and not this after market thing Tesla offers.

• Do you need touchpads on the steering wheel when you have voice control that works and a 17inch touchpad?

You don't need it, but when Tesla had them on the X prototype everybody thought it was really cool. And I don't like using voice command with other people in the car. And with the Model 3 you still have controls on the steering wheel even though they interact with the touch screen.

• The tesla parking sonar is the best in the business, but 360 degree cams would be a welcome addition. Do you really need them when the car can park itself flawlessly (hopefully soon)?

Again, we are in a segment where it's not about needs.

• HUD? Do you really need one? An HUD to me is the 8 track of this era.

You should check out the Model 3 area on this forum

• Wireless charging? Stop being a bogan and get an iPhone

Already got one

• Rear entertainment? Really?

Well, some want it.
Model X : Rear entertainment options

• Car to X communication is less advanced than the Tesla 4G connectivity no doubt.

Do you even know what that is?

Yes, I do know what it is. Tesla's connected system is superior and will continue to evolve. We already see charging station empty spots, soon the cars will talk to each other.

 

[D.E.]

Light porn! Tesla needs this!
Don´t even have autodim on AP2 cars yet :S

I have auto dim. It came with a recent software update about 3 weeks ago.

 

[sandpiper]

I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but given how full Tesla's hands are with model 3, I don't see how they can focus on making any big changes to model s or x. Some small changes sure, but many of those will be offshoots from 3. For instance, the NFC/phone entry thing will most likely come to S and X.

I wonder. There are a few things:

1. The pencils have been down on the design of the 3 interior for quite awhile. And the folks designing interiors aren't the ones who drive the manufacturing ramp-up. So they've had the better part of a year to work on the new interior for the S, presumably along with some other projects.

2. To what degree are they also deciding to modify other aspects of the S along with the interior? The body and interior are hand and glove; you can't make (major) changes to one without changing the other. And then of course you have the electronics & car systems. If you change the interior, there will be changes to screen(s) geometry, software, undoubtedly a general MCU upgrade. It would be nice to say that you're just going to change the interior, but that massively over-simplifies things.

3. There will certainly be conflict will be with the manufacturing people. Even if they've got the designs done, the prototypes done, it might be too much to change the manufacturing lines to accommodate the new designs. And the more major the modifications, the bigger the conflict. If this is an issue, we might be awhile to see a new S interior.

4. It's also possible that they have the new S interior sitting there, waiting to go, but that they're waiting to see how the 3 interior is received by the automotive press and the public. I imagine that the new S will carry over strong elements of the 3 style. If the 3 bombs they won't want to double down. Fortunately it looks like the 3 interior is a hit.

 

[ZAKEEUS]

I would like a larger door opening. The MS has one of the smallest I've seen in a sedan it's size. Stepping in over that hump and under the steering wheel isn't pleasant. I'd do the steering wheel could adjust a lot higher, that would be a huge improvement.

 

[Sir Guacamolaf]

I would like a larger door opening. The MS has one of the smallest I've seen in a sedan it's size. Stepping in over that hump and under the steering wheel isn't pleasant. I'd do the steering wheel could adjust a lot higher, that would be a huge improvement.

I think Elon once tweeted that through a software update, Tesla will have ingress/egress mode.
But then he also tweeted that Model 3 will have spaceship like controls and deployable solar panels.

 

[bob_p]

Rather than spending $ to redesign the interior - Tesla should add more software developers - fix the growing list of bugs (still waiting for the obvious bugs to be fixed from last year's 8.0 release) - and add more functionality - such as better smartphone integration (Apple CarPlay, Android Auto or screen mirroring), improved media player (fix the XM radio so it's usable again, playlists, real random shuffle, ...), improved navigation system (route customization, waypoints, upcoming points of interest along route, notifications of upcoming traffic problems, ...), usable browser (the onboard browser can't even display the Tesla website correctly, audio streaming, and video streaming while the car is in Park), dashboard/console user interface customization (should be able to do much more than we have today), and more granularity on the settings (such as breaking up "range mode" so you can separately control items such as optimizing motor usage, daytime running lights, overheat protection, climate control, ...).

If Tesla could aim for having the best software - and reduce the number of obvious bugs introduced by each release - that would be better (at least for us) than redesigning the interior...

When FSD is approved for use - and the "driver" doesn't have to actually do any driving, then a redesigned interior, allowing the other activities while driving would be useful - but we're not there yet - and I'd rather see they fix what we have - and make it "market leading" - and not just because the S/X cars have the largest touchscreens on the market (today).

 

[electracity]

I have seen two reports that the Model 3 UI is faster than the S/X.

That is not acceptable for Tesla. So I conclude that there will soon be a new computer with the new UI in the S/X. I also conclude that this must happen before civilians begin to receive model 3 deliveries.

This change also allows Tesla a rationalization to sell the current build inventory cars at a discount. So Tesla has two model S to create demand during these challenging times. 1) Discounted current cars, and 2) Fancy new tech cars.

This track is completely logical. I have been saying this for a year and have been wrong for a year.

The current UI with 3D icons is dated. Tesla is a bunch of computer nerds who don't like dated.

Look how Franz dresses. That guy does not like 3D icons in 2017.

 

[ZAKEEUS]

I think Elon once tweeted that through a software update, Tesla will have ingress/egress mode.
But then he also tweeted that Model 3 will have spaceship like controls and deployable solar panels.

Unless the steering wheel is software locked, it won't help much. My wife's Kia Optima steering wheel moves a lot further out of the way, it's just an easier car to get in.