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Finally test drove tonight (S85)

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T

Thud

Member
Jun 25, 2014
349
203
Atlanta
#1
Holy crap. That's pretty much the two-word summary. I'd been configuring models online for a few months and finally narrowed down my options, but today was the first time actually getting up close and personal, and driving.

My immediate thoughts:

THE GOOD

1) S85 has more than enough acceleration to be fun... and I've owned a few corvettes in the past (including C5 Z06)
2) Steering feel is excellent, right up there with my current BMW e90 diesel
3) Acceleration feels like my 335d with zero turbo lag... actually a lot more like my old Z06
4) Lots of space inside, amazing what the lack of engine and gas tank can do.
5) 3rd row rear seats are a must if you have kids younger than 3 (they can use the 3rd row for years to come)
6) The car just feels quality inside and out.

THE BAD

1) Lots of room for big stuff, but very little room for little stuff. I could deal with that though.
2) Random parts feel cheap. In the back seat the interior trim by the C-pillar is hard, plastic, and kinda loose. Still no interior handles or coat hooks.
3) The sunroof is required if you ever have tall adults in the back seat for long distances.
4) Seats are a bit hard. Definitely a step down from my BMW, but hey... not nearly as bad as my C5 Z06.

The good outweigh the bad. I'm pretty much sold on the S85 with Tech package, rear seats (I have 2 young kids), and no other options. Blue exterior with black textile interior. I very rarely use the sunroof in my BMW, though the rear headroom is a problem for anybody more than 6 feet tall. Since I hardly ever carry adults in the back seat that shouldn't be an issue... a sunroof is one more thing that can break so I can do without it. Same with the air suspension, I have lots of experience with cars that have low clearance so the base suspension is fine. The car I drove had the base suspension and it felt great.

Tesla, I think you have a good thing going.....
 
#3
That's what sold me too. Of course took a over a year to convince my wife as I couldn't get her to go on a test drive.

While there are some areas for future improvement, I agree that the Pros far exceed the cons.

Wrt the pano roof, I rarely use mine either, but feel it opens up the interior without being distracting on sunny days.
 
#5
Excellent!

Totally agree with your assessment. I would outfit mine the same way with one exception (here we go): You should consider upgrading to the P85. Plenty of threads on why it's worth it. Just planting the seed and watching it grow...
 
#6
DIL said:
Excellent!

Totally agree with your assessment. I would outfit mine the same way with one exception (here we go): You should consider upgrading to the P85. Plenty of threads on why it's worth it. Just planting the seed and watching it grow...
Click to expand...

The P85 is an awesome performance machine.
However, there are lots of reasons not to as well.

It is just silly fast. Tires are gone in half the time, insurance is more, and of course, cost is much more.
The standard gives us more performance than we ever feel we will need, at a much lower price point.
 
#7
I've had my car for 3+ months. I too rarely opened the sunroof on my prior autos, and almost ordered the regular roof. However, I opted for the pano. And, I don't regret that decision. I have only opened it once or twice. But I love the open feeling. And, you get very little heat even on the sunniest days. I highly recommend the pano. Great color choice!
 
#9
Solid choices, I wouldn't change your specs. You will need to get your windows tinted if you have kids in the kids seats. For small things, I bought a small tote bag with six small pockets around the outside. I just cut off the handles, and it fits under the cubby section in the front of the floor area. Works great.
 
#10
Thud said:
Holy crap. That's pretty much the two-word summary. I'd been configuring models online for a few months and finally narrowed down my options, but today was the first time actually getting up close and personal, and driving.

My immediate thoughts:

THE GOOD

1) S85 has more than enough acceleration to be fun... and I've owned a few corvettes in the past (including C5 Z06)
2) Steering feel is excellent, right up there with my current BMW e90 diesel....
Click to expand...

It sounds as you may be about a year ahead of me. Just in the thinking and convincing the SO stage. Probably a good thing that the Tesla store is in her favorite mall! Comparing to the 335D is helpful to me as we also have one. Good to hear about the steering feel which BMW seems to have lost with their versions of electric steering (although is improving) In my case the 335D is the car we would be keeping, the Tesla would replace our much older larger car, the 2000 540iT, which with over 150K miles is still a blast to drive. Seems as everyone has similar thoughts on options. I too rarely use the sunroof, but never had a BMW without one. I've had good experience with the air suspension on our 540iT and with sports package equipped cars (rides lower) have scraped plenty of bumpers in various places. If the time comes, I would probably get the air suspension option for the ability to add clearance and the self level function.
 
#11
Kbsilver said:
It sounds as you may be about a year ahead of me. Just in the thinking and convincing the SO stage. Probably a good thing that the Tesla store is in her favorite mall! Comparing to the 335D is helpful to me as we also have one. Good to hear about the steering feel which BMW seems to have lost with their versions of electric steering (although is improving) In my case the 335D is the car we would be keeping, the Tesla would replace our much older larger car, the 2000 540iT, which with over 150K miles is still a blast to drive. Seems as everyone has similar thoughts on options. I too rarely use the sunroof, but never had a BMW without one. I've had good experience with the air suspension on our 540iT and with sports package equipped cars (rides lower) have scraped plenty of bumpers in various places. If the time comes, I would probably get the air suspension option for the ability to add clearance and the self level function.
Click to expand...

I thought I was going to have the same SO obstacle, but after the test drive she was trying to convince me to go for the rear seat option. My plan was also to keep the 335d for a number of years but I'm worried that the emissions systems won't hold up... These cars are known for excessive carbon buildup at relatively low mileage due to the EGR and my short work commute probably isn't helping. My warranty is almost up so I was looking at new cars anyway, at first an Audi a6 TDI but then I started running numbers on the tesla and the difference isn't that much more over a few years. Almost a wash when you consider fuel and maintenance.
 
#12
Thud said:
These cars are known for excessive carbon buildup at relatively low mileage due to the EGR and my short work commute probably isn't helping. My warranty is almost up so I was looking at new cars anyway....
Click to expand...
Yea, I'm well aware of the carbon buildup (CBU) issues. One of the problems with being an early adopter. But we have been lucky so far that with 50K miles, have never seen the SES light (yet). Of course Tesla doesn't even have an SES system. But on the diesel, we did get the extended warranty (first time I've ever done that). Although my reasoning at the time was for all the electronics in the car, CBU was unknown then, but if it covers CBU, then that's good too.
 
#13
Zythryn said:
The P85 is an awesome performance machine.
However, there are lots of reasons not to as well.

It is just silly fast. Tires are gone in half the time, insurance is more, and of course, cost is much more.
The standard gives us more performance than we ever feel we will need, at a much lower price point.
Click to expand...

Nope. Insurance (basically) same for S85 and P85 for me. Tiny difference. Well worth it.
 
#15
Zythryn said:
The P85 is an awesome performance machine.
However, there are lots of reasons not to as well.

It is just silly fast. Tires are gone in half the time, insurance is more, and of course, cost is much more.
The standard gives us more performance than we ever feel we will need, at a much lower price point.
Click to expand...
Yes. This is why I eat protein pellets and water at every meal. Anything else is just self indulgence.
 
#16
Kbsilver said:
Yea, I'm well aware of the carbon buildup (CBU) issues. One of the problems with being an early adopter. But we have been lucky so far that with 50K miles, have never seen the SES light (yet). Of course Tesla doesn't even have an SES system. But on the diesel, we did get the extended warranty (first time I've ever done that). Although my reasoning at the time was for all the electronics in the car, CBU was unknown then, but if it covers CBU, then that's good too.
Click to expand...

I had dreams of the diesel making it to 200k miles and still going strong, like those old Mercedes diesels. And the engine in the 335d is a proven platform in Europe; but it's all the newfangled EPA crap in the US that is new and eventually fails. Also the lower cetane diesel fuel here. Thankfully my D has actually been very reliable, until last month it had only been in the shop for a squealing AC belt (and the EGR recall at the same time). Then last month I get a SES which turned out to be the temp sensor in the urea tank. They replaced the whole tank assembly which would have been a couple grand out of pocket if out of warranty.

I absolutely love the 335d, my favorite car so far. It just feels like the Tesla is the next step!

BTW, I placed my order. It was just as easy as ordering socks on Amazon.... kinda freaky. Would the delivery date possibly move up if I confirmed my order sooner than 2 weeks from now?
Not that I expect to, since I'm still going to spend some time waffling on the sunroof and cloth vs. leather....
 
#18
Just confirmed! 10 days early. I noticed that the estimated delivery on the Design Studio now says "November" instead of December, even though my delivery still says "December."

The only option I added at the last minute is parking sensors. So I got S85/Blue/Textile/Piano black/Tech/Rear sets/parking sensors

And now the loooong wait begins....
 
#19
Congrats, you are going to love that Config! I never had parking sensors before but I appreciate them now that I have them. I agonized over my own wait for delivery. But TMC turns out to be good medication to hold you over. I also did one or two test drives during the wait when anxiety started to outweigh the anticipation. Also, focusing on your charging setup will keep you busy. I put in two 14-50 outlets on separate breakers to give me options on which bay I use for charging or to accommodate another EV in the future.

However I might suggest that you avoid torturing yourself with driving a vehicle with options that you didn't purchase unless you are prepared to attempt a pre-production reconfig. The P and + upgrades are the most expensive and most tempting. Did you get 19s or 21s?
 
#20
Thud said:
Just confirmed! 10 days early. I noticed that the estimated delivery on the Design Studio now says "November" instead of December, even though my delivery still says "December."

The only option I added at the last minute is parking sensors. So I got S85/Blue/Textile/Piano black/Tech/Rear sets/parking sensors

And now the loooong wait begins....
Click to expand...

Congrats and Welcome to the Wait! I'm approaching my one-month-to-delivery milestone, so it's starting to feel like the date may actually get here. :biggrin:

I'm sure you'll soon have your daily routine of forum, youtube and web site browsing figured out so you can immerse yourself in all things Tesla while getting through the next few months.
 
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