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Which Essential Extras.

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Good afternoon, so the test drive is booked, I'm looking at the finances and we are pretty confident that we will be singing up on Saturday. I'm just wondering which Extras are absolutely vital for maximum enjoyment & functionality. Although I would love the P85D, the good lady would probably prefer the 60, which probably means we will settle on the P85 with a few extras. I'm new to the forum, although I like to research for myself I'm always looking for advise & owners are the best and most honest reviewers. All info appreciated. Cheers James..
 
Good afternoon, so the test drive is booked, I'm looking at the finances and we are pretty confident that we will be singing up on Saturday. I'm just wondering which Extras are absolutely vital for maximum enjoyment & functionality. Although I would love the P85D, the good lady would probably prefer the 60, which probably means we will settle on the P85 with a few extras. I'm new to the forum, although I like to research for myself I'm always looking for advise & owners are the best and most honest reviewers. All info appreciated. Cheers James..

They aren't making the P85 anymore - if you're ordering new your options are S60, S85, S85D and P85D.

Starting from a base S60 I would add options in the following order (i.e. descending priority)

1. Tech pack (you'd be completely crazy not to get this especially since it now includes parking sensors and the autopilot facility)
2. 85kWh battery (since it includes supercharging, and in the UK the extra range makes the car considerably more capable just because of the size of our island and the typical sorts of journeys that result)
3. Pano Roof (it makes the cabin feel much more airy, increases the headroom for tall drivers, and is essential if you ever want to use a roofrack).
4. ... everything else, depending on what your personal preferences are.

It really is all down to personal choice. Air suspension is softer, and great for poor road surfaces, but the coil setup is good too. 21" wheels are beautiful but the 19s are just fine (and much more practical). Leather is lovely but the cloth is great too. The UHF sound is clearly better, but the standard setup is OK (though does not include DAB radio which is a silly omission). Etc etc etc. Tesla won't strong arm you into anything. When you have your test drive make sure to ask which options are on the car you are driving in, and to compare with other cars at the showroom with different options.

I ordered dual chargers but if I were buying the car today I wouldn't bother. Superchargers are cropping up everywhere, and the much rumoured CHAdeMO rapid charge adaptor seems certain to arrive soon as well.
 
Welcome to the forum!

I'm perfectly comfortable with the body color roof (not panoramic). Being close to 6 ft. tall, either the back or front seats of the car are fine for me, and I have plenty of head room. May be they've made an adjustment on the newer Model S version. Also I recommend air suspension, and find the cloth seats are very good quality. The other recommendations from Mgboyes such as the Tech Package with Autopilot and 85 kWh are good too. SiriusXM is for the USA only I believe, so the Ultra High Fidelity Sound package might not include it for your location.

Report back what you decide or post other questions you have!
 
Also check out demo or inventory cars. They had a few 'new' cars with autopilot that were arriving imminently. Even these had some discount though small.

Extras that are essential are supercharger (incl with 85kw) and Tech. Other options I suppose one can live without. Dual motor I thought would give better range but EPA disagrees so I jut went for rear only and get the car sooner
 
Thanks for all the advice so far. We are both very excited even about just a test drive. I'm constantly on YouTube looking at all the clips. I have even been outside to check on my electrical supply already. It's interersting about the roof rack situation, we always use one when holidaying so thanks for that gem of info, it's something I wouldn't have asked about.
 
I went for a 60 as I really don't do many miles (I've only just cracked 4k in 6 months) so it seemed daft buying more car than I needed.

The only cost options I added were tech package, and tan leather. (I also paid for parking sensors but these are now included with tech pack).

I haven't got SC and I only half regret it, mainly because I'll not been able to use the CHAdeMO adapter without it. I'm really not that bothered about the "free electricity" just reducing charge time on the rare occasion I do a trip over the cars range. So for me this is currently far more likely to be a quick 50 mile boost at an Ecotricity. These pit stops take me 1.5 hours atm, and it's a PITA, CHAdeMO would bring this down to 30 mins which would be much more palatable.

The reason it's not a full regret is: let's say I do this 6 times in the 3 years I plan on having the car, is saving 6hrs worth £2k ? (Plus I still have a number of petrol and diesel cars, so if I do need to do a 500 mile road trip, I'd just take one of those instead and not worry about recharging at all :) )

I would say with the light colour interior the car feels a fair bit bigger than the all black ones I've sat in, even ones with the pano roof. I'm 6'3 and have stacks of front headroom, my head doesn't hit the roof in the back either but it's close. My understanding is they did tweak something in the later cars (like mine) to improve rear headroom.

If I were buying again I'd probably stump up the extra an 85. Tech pack for sure, and personally I think leather on a 70k car is a must.
 
Where's my chequebook..... We test drove the S60 on 19" rims with pano roof in black with fabric interior so pretty much the base model, but we are both addicted & the wife is phoning the accountant first thing Monday. I'm a bit of a petrolhead but nothing compares to the sheer linear power delivery, I've driven some wonderful cars over the years but nothing compares to it. They won't discount as you probably all know, however if they have a cancelled 85 order due to the p85d then they may have wiggle room. We took our youngest who hates going to do the car thing & she came away singing its praises & saying how cool an experience it was. The test drive was certainly entertaining & the Advisor Mo was just brilliant. We specced a 60 in white with media pack, panoramic roof & media pack & fabric. I actually really liked the blend of fabric & leather, we have leather in our other cars but it felt very nice and just seemed to work. We are hoping there is a cancelled 85 otherwise I might just give the go ahead on Monday to have the 85 anyway as the extra distance and other advantages are definately worth it. Regarding the Charging, I will have a 31amp sorted for home, however the wife works about 10 miles from the west Drayton showroom, so in essence could just nip in once a week, stick it on charge as they are building 6 bays, have a coffee & bobs your uncle. i recently took delivery of my own contract hire car which I've got on a 24 month contract, but I tell you what I will find a way at the end to get a Tesla if it kills me.
 
I really would recommend tech pack. When I ordered mine the options were different, but you I think you still need tech pack for parking sensors. It is a big car and the parking sensors really help in supermarkets and multi storey car parks.

The other big feature is the offline sat nav, my experience is 3G coverage is patchy and the maps do go offline as you drive around.

Finally the voice command for RDIO is my absolute favourite feature of the car.
 
Is this included now in the tech pack, or was it always in the tech pack?
AFAIK It's always been in the tech pack.

The big change was rolling the parking sensors into the tech pack rather than a separate option.

- - - Updated - - -

Sorry I called the Tech Pack a Media Pack. I'll get it eventually . Trust me the good lady will need the auto pilot

Cool, just wanted to avoid confusion, media pack could have meant the upgraded audio system.
 
Seriously ask about inventory cars. There's a blue S85, 19", tech+autopilot, textile, piano black, dual and supercharger for £61.3k.. So 2k off with zero miles. Heard it was in transit so you hardly have to wait either. Good luck Grandunion. Mo sorted me out with my inventory car too - GREAT GUY ;)
 
Seriously ask about inventory cars. There's a blue S85, 19", tech+autopilot, textile, piano black, dual and supercharger for £61.3k.. So 2k off with zero miles. Heard it was in transit so you hardly have to wait either. Good luck Grandunion. Mo sorted me out with my inventory car too - GREAT GUY ;)

Specing that car up on the design studio, it's £62,080 so not sure where £2k saving is coming from.

It's also worth noting that UK cars have dual charger hardware, just it's software disabled. So being really cynical about it, all that saving has come from them charging you £400 rather than £1200 to change a setting in a menu somewhere ;)

Have to admit not waiting is appealing though.
 
Great question!

First I would stick with the coil suspension and 19" wheels. If you want different wheels you can go for the T Sportlines at about £1,400 (a bargain compared to the Tesla options)

If you use a roof rack the panoramic roof is a must

I wouldn't buy without the 85kw battery. A proper range is one of the car's major attractions, as is Supercharging

The Tech pack is a must

The dual chargers do double the charging rate at the Ecotricity units at Motorway service areas to around 60 miles of range per hour (200+ miles per hour at a Supercharger). Think about how you will use the car and where you live.

Everything else is a matter of personal taste and budget. Myself, I like both the upgraded sound package in such a quiet car and the heated rear seats on the winter pack.

Plus I really like the T Sportlines!

Whatever you choose the basic design is superb and you will love it.

IMG_1699.jpg
 
thanks for all the replies everyone. due to christmas etc we are going back to see Mo tomorrow for another test drive & to look at the best finance we can sort out. Someone on here may be able to steer in the right direction. The wife has started a new company & i understand that if we purchase a Tesla outright, we can ofset the purchase against first year profits, however, im wondering if we take out a Personal Contract Hire Plan, can we ofset the monthly costs somehow, our accountant has looked at the Tesla finance details but admits his " Tax Book" may be a little out of date. Any thoughts or advise. regards James
 
thanks for all the replies everyone. due to christmas etc we are going back to see Mo tomorrow for another test drive & to look at the best finance we can sort out. Someone on here may be able to steer in the right direction. The wife has started a new company & i understand that if we purchase a Tesla outright, we can ofset the purchase against first year profits, however, im wondering if we take out a Personal Contract Hire Plan, can we ofset the monthly costs somehow, our accountant has looked at the Tesla finance details but admits his " Tax Book" may be a little out of date. Any thoughts or advise. regards James

I am not an accountant, but in short...

* if you want to benefit from operating the car as a company vehicle then you, erm, need to operate it as a company vehicle. No "Personal" finance options will work. The company will need to get the finance. If it's a new company it may find this very difficult indeed.
* the huge benefit with the Model S is that if you are an employee or director of a company which normally pays you a taxable income or dividends then you can instead choose to use the money you'd normally pay yourself to finance the car, and as a result save yourself a lot of income tax and NI. With any equivalent "normal" car the tax saving by doing this is usually cancelled out by the Benefit in Kind (BIK) tax that you are charged for the benefit of being provided a company car. But the BIK rate on the Model S is so low (it's currently 0%!) that this tax charge is very small (currently £0).
* there is an additional benefit that if the company has the car on its balance sheet (by owning outright, by buying it and taking a secured loan against it, or by taking out a finance lease i.e. where at the end of the lease term the company will make a final payment and then take ownership of the car) then it can write off 100% of the purchase cost of the vehicle against corporation tax in the year of purchase.
* but this last benefit is not as big as you think - firstly you have to be running a profitable company to be paying corporation tax, and secondly it's really just a loan - you pay less corporation tax in the year you buy the car, but when you sell it later you end up having to pay more corporation tax in the year of disposal.
 
Hello, well we went to see Mo @ Tesla again at the weekend. Spent some time running over things & looking at finance options etc. We have decided to go ahead and order, which i shall be doing in the next day or so. Unfortunately for us, there are no Demo's longer available as he sold his last one just before we arrived, however, it does mean we spec the car exactly as we want. So, we are going for Standard White, 85, Pano Roof,19" wheels, Tech Pack, Dual Chargers, Standard Fabric Interior (i really liked the blend of materials). The leadtime is end of April which will seem like an age, but will be so worth it. Gives me time to have the home installation sorted. Just a little something i noticed about Tesla, their PX values are no different to other manufacturers, although they were the only ones honest enough to be upfront about it. We are used to excellent CS through Lexus over the years, however it seams like Tesla is taking it to another level...all the best James
 
After having these exact same thoughts for a couple of months here is my order and my thoughts on whether they're essential or not:

Budget dependant
- P85D or P85 AWD (Dual Motor). I've never properly driven a performance rear wheel car before so felt like AWD was the safest for my experience... then I ended up with the P85D at 691HP!
Even driving the P85+ at low speeds around a roundabout I could feel the back end coming out but obviously you've got the price increase + longer wait for delivery...

Essential
- 85 kWh Performance Model S
- Tech Package with Autopilot (an obvious choice)
- All Glass Panoramic Roof (I've not driven one without it and think it makes the car a lot more enjoyable in the rear)
- Subzero Weather Package (purely for the heated steering wheel)
- Dual Chargers (they're already fitted in UK models so no weight advantage not having it, hate paying for it though and will be useful if you do lots of travelling away from superchargers/fast chargers)
- Security Package (brings down that insurance premium, or so I hope)
- Supercharger Enabled (obviously included with the 85kWh)
- Black Next Generation Seats (if ordering the P85D but would probably still order for the others as well)

Personal preference:
- 21" Grey Turbine Wheels & 19" Pirelli Winter Wheel Set (was just easier for tax purposes to have both sets on)

- Black Alcantara Headliner
- Carbon Fibre Décor
- Carbon Fibre Spoiler
- Pearl White Paint
- Smart Air Suspension
- Tesla Red Brake Calipers
- Ultra High Fidelity Sound (hoping it will make the car worth more when I come to sell, reports are mixed on it. If you know what you're doing then installing a custom setup will be better value)

I am not an accountant, but in short...

* if you want to benefit from operating the car as a company vehicle then you, erm, need to operate it as a company vehicle. No "Personal" finance options will work. The company will need to get the finance. If it's a new company it may find this very difficult indeed.
* the huge benefit with the Model S is that if you are an employee or director of a company which normally pays you a taxable income or dividends then you can instead choose to use the money you'd normally pay yourself to finance the car, and as a result save yourself a lot of income tax and NI. With any equivalent "normal" car the tax saving by doing this is usually cancelled out by the Benefit in Kind (BIK) tax that you are charged for the benefit of being provided a company car. But the BIK rate on the Model S is so low (it's currently 0%!) that this tax charge is very small (currently £0).
* there is an additional benefit that if the company has the car on its balance sheet (by owning outright, by buying it and taking a secured loan against it, or by taking out a finance lease i.e. where at the end of the lease term the company will make a final payment and then take ownership of the car) then it can write off 100% of the purchase cost of the vehicle against corporation tax in the year of purchase.
* but this last benefit is not as big as you think - firstly you have to be running a profitable company to be paying corporation tax, and secondly it's really just a loan - you pay less corporation tax in the year you buy the car, but when you sell it later you end up having to pay more corporation tax in the year of disposal.

I can confirm mgboyes has this all correct as it's what I've done.

GrandUnion > Be careful not to confuse 'First Year Allowance' with anything to do with the First Year of you operating your business, it's not the same thing!
I suggest you speak with your accountant again or find one that can check for you.