First off, thanks to all that have posted their walkthroughs, impressions, etc.. it was very helpful since my Tesla "assistant" wasn't super helpful in answering some of my questions.
I spent the past three years driving a Leaf and finally decided to pull the trigger on getting a Tesla.
I love the car so far and driving it is a delight.
Here are my impressions so far after 24 hrs:
The Good:
-The factory tour, if you haven't done it and have the chance, do it. It is impressive
-The car is updatable, this blows my mind, I never had that feeling about a car, I mean the Leaf had the ability but I never got one update pushed to me and I didn't get any new functionality.
-For all the power the P85D has, it is such a smooth, effortless car to drive, silky in fact. Picked my folks up and took them for a ride and they were delighted too.
-Never been in a car so quick, and the traction the car has matches the quickness, I couldn't make the car slide on the tires, it was remarkable.
-The way the car does navigation / traffic is so far ahead of all the other cars I have driven, I love it.
-The range, out of the box, the car had about an 75% charge and I was able to cross the bay, see my folks, sister, brother, wife, and kids plus go to a restaurant, might not seem like much but I would have never dreamed of doing that much in a Leaf. I remember every year hoping Nissan or another car company would push the limits on battery tech and it never happened so when my lease was coming to an end, Tesla was a clear choice. No one still is close.
-The little things so far, like the Home link adapter process, this is a tech company thinking about the problem and walking a person through the process of getting their car paired with their garage door opener. Was smooth, well done.
-The next generation seats, they are comfortable and hug you.
-The steering wheel, it just feels good and right.
-The web browser blew my dad away.
-The one thing I like about the smart air suspension it remembers (geotags) places where you want to go "very high" with the suspension height which can be quite helpful. I'm still on the fence about the value of the air suspension, it feels like it does take off some of the rough edges of the road, but not sure if it is worth the money so far.
-The charge kit they give you (110v, 220v, plus the J adapter etc...)
-The charge door, just push on it and it pops open, better than the Leaf experience.
-The trunk is quite spacious, my wife climbed inside and there was room for her sister too.
-Entire family commented on how spacious the back area is and how comfortable those seats are.
-For those with kids, the car seat went in pretty smoothly, most new cars have easy to find LATCH markers and hooking up to them is easy, I have found the difficulty can be with the seat belt receptor that you lock your seat belt connector into, they often move and as you are reaching across your kids body and don't have clear visibility to it, it can become frustrating. I have to say the Tesla's rear seat belt receptor is held in place by the leather fabric so it doesn't move as your push against and made the process easier.
-Less blind spots, the A-pillars on my Leaf and other cars drove me crazy because pedestrians would walk in front of my car and sometimes I'd lose track of them. The front cabin in the Tesla doesn't have this problem, plus when I look over my shoulders I have pretty clear vision. I'm sure when the autopilot experience is launched I'll be more excited, by replacing my two sensors (eyes) with 12 cameras.
The bad (yes there are a few)
-The media experience. This sucked, I plugged my Iphone into the car via USB, didn't do anything. Come on, I know there is Bluetooth audio, but my Leaf and other cars gave me a better experience than this. What a disappointment.
Sure there is bluetooth audio but navigating through that is a poor experience, plus you get into weird scenarios like you have the Tesla volume on 11 but barely hear a song because your phone's audio is set to low etc..
I don't want to navigate through my phone's media experience or spend hours creating playlists offline to bring to the car. You can do better Tesla.
-The fit and finish. The right triangular mirror and the weather stripping around it, wasn't well aligned. Get wind coming into the car around 60. Think this should have been caught on a QC review but who knows (they drove my car for 50 miles before I got it)
-The center console, the functionality leaves a bit to be desired (I know there is an update coming and I'm on the waiting list for it)
-No spare tire, I'm on the fence about this, I know that most manufacturers have gone away from this, maybe run flats? maybe a free patch / repair kit?
Opportunities, or what I'd add to a wish list.
-The media experience. You are a tech company, do better.
-Front video, I want a camera view like the rear camera for the front, plus let me have a way to record the video.
-Where are the apps? Come on, I want to click on the temperature in the upper left corner and get a weather forecast and that sort of stuff. This car is about a lifestyle, apps are a key part of that experience.
-Heated steering wheel and rear seats (I think the cold weather package might have this) but for a car well over 100K you'd think it would have it.
It for now.
Happy holidays and a happy new year.
I spent the past three years driving a Leaf and finally decided to pull the trigger on getting a Tesla.
I love the car so far and driving it is a delight.
Here are my impressions so far after 24 hrs:
The Good:
-The factory tour, if you haven't done it and have the chance, do it. It is impressive
-The car is updatable, this blows my mind, I never had that feeling about a car, I mean the Leaf had the ability but I never got one update pushed to me and I didn't get any new functionality.
-For all the power the P85D has, it is such a smooth, effortless car to drive, silky in fact. Picked my folks up and took them for a ride and they were delighted too.
-Never been in a car so quick, and the traction the car has matches the quickness, I couldn't make the car slide on the tires, it was remarkable.
-The way the car does navigation / traffic is so far ahead of all the other cars I have driven, I love it.
-The range, out of the box, the car had about an 75% charge and I was able to cross the bay, see my folks, sister, brother, wife, and kids plus go to a restaurant, might not seem like much but I would have never dreamed of doing that much in a Leaf. I remember every year hoping Nissan or another car company would push the limits on battery tech and it never happened so when my lease was coming to an end, Tesla was a clear choice. No one still is close.
-The little things so far, like the Home link adapter process, this is a tech company thinking about the problem and walking a person through the process of getting their car paired with their garage door opener. Was smooth, well done.
-The next generation seats, they are comfortable and hug you.
-The steering wheel, it just feels good and right.
-The web browser blew my dad away.
-The one thing I like about the smart air suspension it remembers (geotags) places where you want to go "very high" with the suspension height which can be quite helpful. I'm still on the fence about the value of the air suspension, it feels like it does take off some of the rough edges of the road, but not sure if it is worth the money so far.
-The charge kit they give you (110v, 220v, plus the J adapter etc...)
-The charge door, just push on it and it pops open, better than the Leaf experience.
-The trunk is quite spacious, my wife climbed inside and there was room for her sister too.
-Entire family commented on how spacious the back area is and how comfortable those seats are.
-For those with kids, the car seat went in pretty smoothly, most new cars have easy to find LATCH markers and hooking up to them is easy, I have found the difficulty can be with the seat belt receptor that you lock your seat belt connector into, they often move and as you are reaching across your kids body and don't have clear visibility to it, it can become frustrating. I have to say the Tesla's rear seat belt receptor is held in place by the leather fabric so it doesn't move as your push against and made the process easier.
-Less blind spots, the A-pillars on my Leaf and other cars drove me crazy because pedestrians would walk in front of my car and sometimes I'd lose track of them. The front cabin in the Tesla doesn't have this problem, plus when I look over my shoulders I have pretty clear vision. I'm sure when the autopilot experience is launched I'll be more excited, by replacing my two sensors (eyes) with 12 cameras.
The bad (yes there are a few)
-The media experience. This sucked, I plugged my Iphone into the car via USB, didn't do anything. Come on, I know there is Bluetooth audio, but my Leaf and other cars gave me a better experience than this. What a disappointment.
Sure there is bluetooth audio but navigating through that is a poor experience, plus you get into weird scenarios like you have the Tesla volume on 11 but barely hear a song because your phone's audio is set to low etc..
I don't want to navigate through my phone's media experience or spend hours creating playlists offline to bring to the car. You can do better Tesla.
-The fit and finish. The right triangular mirror and the weather stripping around it, wasn't well aligned. Get wind coming into the car around 60. Think this should have been caught on a QC review but who knows (they drove my car for 50 miles before I got it)
-The center console, the functionality leaves a bit to be desired (I know there is an update coming and I'm on the waiting list for it)
-No spare tire, I'm on the fence about this, I know that most manufacturers have gone away from this, maybe run flats? maybe a free patch / repair kit?
Opportunities, or what I'd add to a wish list.
-The media experience. You are a tech company, do better.
-Front video, I want a camera view like the rear camera for the front, plus let me have a way to record the video.
-Where are the apps? Come on, I want to click on the temperature in the upper left corner and get a weather forecast and that sort of stuff. This car is about a lifestyle, apps are a key part of that experience.
-Heated steering wheel and rear seats (I think the cold weather package might have this) but for a car well over 100K you'd think it would have it.
It for now.
Happy holidays and a happy new year.
