Looking for advice

I like the Alcantara over the cloth headliner, but it is a lot of money. If you value headroom, you should also get the pano roof; even if you never open it, it admits a lot of light without glare. And only the pano roof allows you to mount a roof rack.

If you get the pano roof I can't see any reason to get the Alcantara headliner. Honestly, only you can make the decision. I assume you're in Harrisonburg given your handle, take a drive up to Tysons Corner to check out the options. It's worth the effort to make sure you get exactly what you want.

Mike_HburgVA said:

JohnQ,
Do you like the air suspension option? I plan to drive mostly around town.. so is it worth the extra money?

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I find the air suspension more valuable around town than on the highway. Pot holes are much smoother IMHO with the air suspension.

I would second the recommendation of getting the pano roof rather than putting money into the alcantara headliner. My other recommendation is dual chargers. You may not use it now but it helps "future-proof" the car. It can be added later but at a cost of $3600 rather than $1500 when built into the car. Not getting dual chargers with my car last year is my one regret. If you're not familiar with dual chargers search for that topic here-- there are several threads on it.

santana338 said:

I find the air suspension more valuable around town than on the highway. Pot holes are much smoother IMHO with the air suspension.

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this is what i like to hear, as someone waiting for their 85 with air suspension

Definitely the pano, I hardly ever use it but love the look and headroom. Get the air and drop the alcantara.

Mike,
You should actually go to one of the showrooms and see, feel and hear how the different options work for you. Tysons typically has had only one or two cars but DC usually has four or five. Make a list of the options that you are undecided on and then call one of them. They will tell you what options they have on their cars and where you might go to see the ones you need to see. That is the way I did it and I made a few changes. I saw the grey leather in the car and changed from Tan. I would never have expected the grey to look so good inside the car but it will go perfect with my multicoat red. I also tested the pano roof and upgraded sound. My red entered production last Saturday and is due for pick up next Saturday the 25th if the schedule holds. T minus 11....and counting!

I would save some money and get the flat white, can't really tell the difference even up close. Ditch the Obeche wood for the standard black. It is such a small part for the money as well as skip the Alcantara and add the Air Suspension, Pano. I really noticed the difference driving a loaner without the pano and no air suspension. Glad I have them both!

bagleyc said:

I would save some money and get the flat white, can't really tell the difference even up close. Ditch the Obeche wood for the standard black. It is such a small part for the money as well as skip the Alcantara and add the Air Suspension, Pano. I really noticed the difference driving a loaner without the pano and no air suspension. Glad I have them both!

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I had a loaner with the gloss black finish. I did not like it at all - the gloss black caused a lot of distracting reflections.

Sounds like a beautiful car. You will enjoy it.

I do a lot of road miles as opposed to around town.

I have these features and recommend them:

Dual chargers – (already discussed) As more HPWC and high amperage Level 2 chargers are installed you will appreciate not having to spend the night to recharge when you leave the SuperCharger highway.
Air suspension – (also discussed) It supposed to lift you up over snow, but is most effective for humps between the street and a driveway. In my daily driving I found two places where I need to raise the car. I am really thankful for the new software feature where the car remembers where to raise it.
Opticoat – It makes car care a breeze.

I don’t have these features and wish I did:

Subzero package – A friend does a daily commute of about 100 miles round trip. He reports clogged windshield washers on snow days. I don’t go out much when temp is below zero F, but the package used below zero C for reference. But I tend not to think in C temps, from which the package gets its set point. I also think the description for the package is much improved from when I made my order.
Ultra High Fidelity Sound – It has a satellite radio capability, and I like to listen to radio while driving, and on car (vintage April 2014) the FM antenna is less than stellar.

I ordered an 85D, and I considered some of these same issues for my second car

Air suspension - I have it on my first one, but I am thinking of leaving it off. I test drove one last weekend without suspension and didn't miss it. I know I drove over potholes. I kind of feel like its one more thing to break in the future.

Ultra high fidelity sound - didn't get this on my first car, getting it for the second. But its one thing I have considered dropping. It's clearly better but is it that much better?

Pano roof - highly recommend this. As others said, you can avoid alcantra headliner too.

The fancier upholstery with yacht flooring seems the most silly feature.

I didn't get dual chargers the first time, I got them this time. I have regretted it but it is mostly future proofing. So much cheaper to get it from the factory

Tech package -I didn't get it on my first car. I have only missed it a little bit with maps in canada. But now that tmobile supports data in canada I just turn on my phone there as a hot spot and connect my car to it. But on the new cars this is crucial because of the auto driving car features

subzero - that was not available when I got my car, $750 seems like a good investment here.

Leather seats or texture- long ago when dinosaurs roamed the earth, when I ordered in 2012, it used to be that you didn't get heated seats in the front unless you got leather. I'm informed that now all front seats are heated, including texture seats. I was thinking of downgrading my leather seats but I'm not sure. I've never even seen a texture seat. Neither had the sales guy

I'd group the options this way:

Must have:
85 kwh battery and D - if you ever use your car in frozen weather, get the D. The 85 is a no brainer unless you are really sweating the cost. I'd get it anyway
tech package

Almost must have:
pano roof - works great, also get roof attachment and avoid paying for alcantra.

Not as clear:
subzero, ultra high fidelity sound - I didn't get the better sound, I don't miss it that much. I'm getting it this time though
dual chargers - but I'm getting it. This is the single thing I have thought of retrofitting my original car with. However there have only been 2 or 3 times I could have used it.
electric suspension - unless you have a really steep driveway.

Wouldn't even consider getting
Alcantra headliner.

What I really want to get but can't:

upgraded seats. shutup tesla and take my money for the seats, please!

Superchargers continue to roll out nation wide. I wouldn't bother with the dual chargers.

I'd only bother with the alcantera headliner if you wanted a black headliner.

Mike_HburgVA said:

JohnQ,
Do you like the air suspension option? I plan to drive mostly around town.. so is it worth the extra money?

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Bit late to the response and others have chimed in but I'm neutral on the air. I haven't driven a coil suspension to compare. See if you can get a comparison ride but sometimes it's hard to get similar wheels and tires to make it apples to apples.

Mike_HburgVA said:

Hello all.,
I can't decide if the Alcantara is worth the money.

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It's your choice but the Alcantara gives the interior a nicer look and feel.

I've got the Pano and the Alcantara. I struggled with whether to add the Alcantara, but I'm glad I did. I just didn't like the look/feel of the fabric. The Alcantara adds a certain richness and it also covers the support beam on the pano, which the fabric doesn't. And there is lot more Alcantara than one might think, but certainly not as much there is without the pano.

One thing to keep in mind, I believe that if you order the Alcantara now you also get it on the dash, which you may or may not want (I had the option and chose not to put it on the dash).

I got both the service plan and extended warranty. Never have done this with any of my other cars but since this is new technology and generally can only be worked on by Tesla I was concerned about issues down the road.