Interesting Reddit Topic: Honest talk time, what's the worst thing about the Model S?

A link would be nice...

The cheap feeling of some of the interior appointments, cupholder quantity, size, and placement.. General lack of interior storage... Even with the center console

Interesting Reddit Topic: Honest talk time, what's the worst thing about the ...

SeminoleFSU said:

General lack of interior storage...

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I actually think the lack of storage is one of the best design elements. This is the cleanest car I've ever kept and it's entirely due to no places to throw and tuck in junk. You really don't need to store anything at all. Insurance and registration papers in the drivers seat pouch is all I need. Thus it keeps the interior looking sleek and well kept.

There's a surprising lack of frunk complaints in there. I won't even use mine except the occasional show-off session.

I cant stand the way the center console arm rest doesnt lock into position to cover the coffee cup holders...it constantly creeps back into the exposed position. Overall, they went cheap in the interior. $4500 upgrade for premium interior, yet all the door panels are still mostly plastic rather than the soft leather they claim - boo!

I prefer the minimalistic interior without the button-clutter. However, the cup holders are awkward to reach while driving and the arm rests aren't that comfortable (a bit hard on the elbows). The interior material appointment quality could certainly be better, but I didn't order the extended Nappa leather option so maybe that might have had a noticeable difference if I had opted for it.

The seat backs feel cheap with the plastic texture that easily scuffs. I'm not a huge fan of the headrest design that can't be adjusted.

I wish the brake pedal didn't have that "springy" sound to it.

Footbag said:

On my first road trip yesterday, I noticed this. I thought maybe I pushed it back earlier without noticing, but glad you confirmed that they do creep. Nothing major, but it is an annoyance.

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Nothing a hammer and nail won't take care of...

For me, there's very little physically that I don't like about the car. But I'm not the only driver. Tesla decided that the proper way to drive is to have an optimal head position for everybody, allow drivers to adjust the seat so their head is at a given height, and then the seat belt anchor on the B pillar need not be adjustable and the sun visors will suffice. But not everybody wants to drive that way, and raising the seat means driving closer in order to be the right distance from the pedals. Having seat belt height adjustment and different sun visors would make the car comfortable for a larger range of people, and there's a reason that other car manufacturers didn't go with Tesla's approach.

Of all the ones that bother me personally, software changes could fix every one of them. And they are all ones that are fairly standard on other cars, if not universal. Most of them are ones that are fairly typical for people to complain about, or went away with 6.1. Two less typically discussed ones are hands free calling, and redesigning the Homelink interface.

Any of these could be considered the worst and most frustrating parts of owning a Tesla, at least for me and for my wife in the first case. As far as I know, there isn't a car out there that claims to have hands free calling that won't let me call a phone number without touching a keypad, except Tesla. I can't even legally call a phone number in my car. And don't tell me to use the address book, because I'm not about to pull off the freeway, park, add a number to my address book, and hope that the system can figure out how the person's name is pronounced. I'd go as far as saying that without this feature, Tesla doesn't have the right to claim it has hands free calling. I need to be able to say "call 555-555-5555" and have it try to call that number. For other manufacturers, that's the bare minimum and the common denominator, even going back to the days before Bluetooth was a common option on phones.

The Homelink problem is one I've gone into in other forums, but is truly frustrating to the point that I don't know how anybody could think it's better than physical buttons. I don't want physical buttons, but I do want sensible design.

I also can't stand the fact that I have to move the seat manually in order to set it automatically because they put the control in the middle, and unless you are the shorter driver, you can't get to it. Marrying the fob to a profile like the rest of the world would fix it.

I'm just glad that those things I consider worst about the car are ones that others might consider small details. I'm also glad that Tesla could fix most of them easily.

My pet peeve is the speed control, have 2500 miles on our P85D and I am still trying to set the speed with the turn signal and turn with the speed control. Every other car we have owned in the last 20 years has had speed control on steering wheel usually under left thumb. In the Volt it worked flawless without any effort or thought.

Solarwind said:

My pet peeve is the speed control, have 2500 miles on our P85D and I am still trying to set the speed with the turn signal and turn with the speed control. Every other car we have owned in the last 20 years has had speed control on steering wheel usually under left thumb. In the Volt it worked flawless without any effort or thought.

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My understanding is that the speed control & turn signal stalks were procured from Mercedes. it is very similar to the one in my E500. Took a while to get used to it but once I did, I found it very intuitive and easy to use. Occasionally I still try to signal turns with the cruise control but not often.

Amped-Up said:

My understanding is that the speed control & turn signal stalks were procured from Mercedes. it is very similar to the one in my E500. Took a while to get used to it but once I did, I found it very intuitive and easy to use. Occasionally I still try to signal turns with the cruise control but not often.

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I drove a newer P85+ loaner the other day while mine was in for service and I noticed Tesla switched the stocks. I kept trying to signal with the cruise control.

Just thought I'd repost here what I said over there. I an fairly certain it resonates with a lot of owners.
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This regarding the communication. Buying experience, excellent. Receiving the car excellent. Driving/using the car, excellent. Communication with regards to updates, mediocre (yes, I'm glad I get new features software wise, but major hardware upgrades mid production is a little irksome. Though it didn't bother me as much as most on the forums). Communication during delivery, abismal (2mo turned to 4mo, US order). I won't soon forget that, despite everything else being great and everyone else telling me the car would make up for it (two seperate topics). That whole process needs considerable work then and still.

Now, as far as reliability.... I've never said this publicly before but I think it's because most owners are embarrassed to admit it. Evey single owner has their own set of issues long term it seems. Like some sort of Tesla cross to bear. 95 percent eventually get taken care of and then the other 5 percent you just have to live with and let them keep troubleshooting over time and parts revisions (parts revisions are magic words at the SC). After 5 months of ownership, I still have two or three things outstanding that I brought up day two of ownership. I have no doubt they will get taken care of but the fact I'm still dealing with them is something I don't openly share to be honest because I'm embarrassed by it due to the cost of the car.

And what I find really humorous is that 99 percent of the reviews out there go like this. "This is car is a roller coaster with a giant iPad, OMG, LOL." Oh and don't forget that one guy they let "review" who didn't even own a car. He spent five minutes talking about the key being one of the five best "features". Anyway, Very very few take a closer look to see that the plastic panels don't line up, the headliner sags in some places, EPA rated range in cold weather is like trying to get a full days use on one iphone charge, (android represent) and on and on. Shout out to the other guy on here that had the " leaf stuck in air vent sound", i feel you. Now again, every owner has their own issues. And few (none) will say "this is the most reliable car ever, I've had no issues". But as my friend with his 2013 accord likes to say, "your car has been in shop more than all my previous cars put together." And he is right.

Now all that to say this, I'm not boohooing, I knew this going in that it would be technology experiment of sorts. And the service center are literally the greatest group of people to work with despite the problems corporate creates for them. And never once ever in two dozen issues (none of which made the car undriveable mind you, very important) has anyone at the SC looked at me and said "you are crazy Mr. Tesla owner, we aren't going to look at that issue, it's ridiculous".

So go to Google to find everything right about this car, but talk to owners honestly to figure out all the wrong things.

But still yet furthermore, I would never ever consider looking back to an ICE car ever. And i can not see myself currently looking back to a Lexus for a BEV if they ever came out with one. The ethos of Tesla and the fact they are doing it first and right (I'm looking at you supercharger infrastructure) basically assured repeat business. And no, I'm not blinded to the fact that they have to make money doing it. In fact, they had better so they can keep doing it. I currently have zero concerns that my vehicle will not be taken care of when I raise issues with it during the warranty. And I sincerely believe Tesla wants my car to be perfect for me for two reasons. They value me as a customer, and they want me as positive marketing. The two are not morally opposed or mutually exclusive. I'm OK with that.

I have an order in for a p85D. That was one of the most honest posts I've read and I sincerely appreciate it. I gave to admit, at almost $150,000 for the car, I am quite concerned. Frankly, IifI can be blunt, I don't understand all this talk where owners say, "
"I will never go back to an ICE." Of course ICE vehicles can have their issues but for the most part they are extremely reliable.

Of course Tesla has to wait on us hand & foot & fix the cars with eagerness and a smile. If they don't, they will quickly stop selling cars and quickly go out if business. It's a smart business model.

I have to admit, my concern is the reliability. I really do expect a 99% reliable car they doesn't consume tires instead of oil, for this price tag.

Worst thing about the car (post TACC models): lack of basic cruise control. If the TACC is disabled for various reasons (bad weather, sensors/radars blocked by ice snow dirt rain etc), the car has no cruise control at all available. That's probably he worst thing, besides the lack of cinchers in the cup holders rendering them useless.

P85D range in winter. Some cheap plastic inside. No other complaints after first month.

Luclyluciano said:

I have an order in for a p85D. That was one of the most honest posts I've read and I sincerely appreciate it. I gave to admit, at almost $150,000 for the car, I am quite concerned. Frankly, IifI can be blunt, I don't understand all this talk where owners say, "
"I will never go back to an ICE." Of course ICE vehicles can have their issues but for the most part they are extremely reliable.

Of course Tesla has to wait on us hand & foot & fix the cars with eagerness and a smile. If they don't, they will quickly stop selling cars and quickly go out if business. It's a smart business model.

I have to admit, my concern is the reliability. I really do expect a 99% reliable car they doesn't consume tires instead of oil, for this price tag.

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I think most people say they won't go back to an ICE because of the EV driving experience more than anything regardless of if they've had reliability issues. Congrats on your order and I'm sure you'll love it. Time will tell how reliable they are but I'm hoping they hold up well, especially the newer cars compared to when mine was built over 2 years ago now.

yobigd20 said:

Worst thing about the car (post TACC models): lack of basic cruise control. If the TACC is disabled for various reasons (bad weather, sensors/radars blocked by ice snow dirt rain etc), the car has no cruise control at all available. That's probably he worst thing, besides the lack of cinchers in the cup holders rendering them useless.

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This I had not even considered. Thankfully, that should totally be something that can be changed via a software update. Hopefully 6.2 will include basic CC for when TACC is unavailable.

IMHO it's the tacky use of faux chrome about the exterior. But this isn't just something unique to the Model S, as it seems to be a trend throughout the industry. Who decided that, "Hey, let's all add a chrome strip on the trunk of cars!" Fortunately there's various off-the-shelf coatings that can remedy this.