Deal breaker therapy

Joules Verne · May 6, 2015

I've been lusting for this car for some time now. Lurking here as well. This is my first post.

I currently drive a BMW 535i. Great car. 4 years into ownership, right around that time you get itchy for something new. I have exactly one car on my list of cars that excite me: Tesla Model S 85D.

Two things hold me back from buying though, and they might seem minor, but major to me:

1) Proper iPhone integration. It's crazy that this car of all cars cannot connect over USB for accessing iTunes playlists (without Bluetooth) or other media apps: pandora, rhapsody. Yes I see the USB stick and iTunes playlist management scripts, but it's not good enough. I've written and dealt with hacks like that 8 years ago with my Audi and its SDs. How could Tesla not have an elegant solution for such a popular phone, which im sure the vast majority of their target market owns.

2) 360 top view camera. Amazing feature for parking which I use everyday. It's one of those, how did I ever live without it capabilities.

I have both both of these features in my BMW, and have grown to love and depend on them.

Telsa has been constantly been making improvements to the car, and has knocked off some of my prior deal breakers:

- all wheel drive (I live in New England, a must have) so the D was a BIG one
- interior fit and finish. Still not ideal (I like a more sophisticated and "wrapped in a cockpit" type feel), but with the new gen seats and the option to get a center console, it hits a satisfactory mark for me

I know Tesla will continue to turn the crank (so to speak), and I'm eagerly awaiting the day when I can check off the two remaining boxes. Consider me writing this a form of therapy, wishing out loud.

In the meantime, I'll continue to be a lurker on this fine forum.

JakeP · May 6, 2015

Oh god, if these are the only two things keeping you from a P85D, do yourself a huge favor and order one tomorrow. The Slacker and TuneIn options eliminate any need for iTunes integration, though it would be nice for audiobooks. A 360 camera would also be a great addition, but NOTHING about a BMW 535i comes close to the exhilaration that a P85D will give you, every second you spend behind the wheel. My Tesla replaced a 328xi and a Porsche Boxster...I will never go back to anything less than a Tesla.

William13 · May 6, 2015

An integrated aftermarket front camera can be installed and used with something other car companies use called a "switch." 360 camera action may arrive in the Model X first.

Yes the iPhone interface is not elegant. You will forgive this omission when starting forward motion at intersections.

vvanders · May 6, 2015

+1 to what others have said, if that's the only things then pull the trigger.

The reverse camera has a *really* wide FoV, it's near 180 if not a tad more.

Slacker and TuneIn work great. I've also had no problems using bluetooth for podcasts or media from a smartphone.

Canuck · May 6, 2015

Only one thing holds me back from not buying a Tesla. An internal combustion engine.

HankLloydRight · May 6, 2015

Dude, that's like saying you're not going to marry the perfect woman of your dreams because she has flat feet and a mole. Get over yourself and just buy the 85D and you'll be saying "why did I wait so long??"

PS. I live in NE and AWD is not required. You just need to know how to drive in the snow. Same with 360 camera-- it's a nice toy but not required unless you're just lazy and need that kind of help when parking. And iPhone integration?? I guarantee that you'll never notice it's not there.

randrave · May 7, 2015

I would love to have better iPhone integration.

I would love a 360 camera.

But those would be terrible reasons to deny myself the utter delight of driving my 85D every day.

Waiting for AWD for a New England owner makes sense. Waiting to play your iTunes playlists does not.

davidc18 · May 7, 2015

When the 70D came out I pulled the trigger. There are several things that could be "better" but the time was right. Now waiting for my June delivery date.

dweeks · May 7, 2015

I'm a previous 535 owner (first year with the inline 6).

The Model S is a MUCH, MUCH more fun car to drive.

mibaro2 · May 7, 2015

I use to listen to my iphone all the time in my old car.
Once I got my S85, I didn't even notice I wasn't listening to my iphone for 3 weeks. And now solely use Slacker.
Tesla will eventually get music integration correct, but don't deny yourself the fun of driving a tesla because of it.

TexasEV · May 7, 2015

If better iPhone integration and a top view camera are what's holding you back from ordering a Tesla Model S, then you just don't get the whole EV thing.

sorka · May 7, 2015

The only reason Tesla doesn't have iOS integration is they didn't want to pay the license fee. EVERY manufacturer of every high end and even most low end cars in the world have iOS integration and anyone who has an iOS devices uses it in their car. The fanboys can say all they want about why you shouldn't let that deter you from buying the MS, but I have 3 co-workers who were seriously looking at the MS and this was one of the major issues that kept them from ordering.

It wouldn't be so bad if they had ANY external music device integration. At this point the only choice is USB. Bluetooth doesn't count because they're still only using the SBC codec carried through the A2DP profile which is highly compressed. How on earth they didn't add aptX which has been widely used for several years now and is lossless is beyond me.

Even a line level aux input would have sufficed, but they don't even have that.

I keep an iPod touch plugged into my Infiniti and when I pulled into the garage, it connects to my home network and any time new music is added to my iTunes library it automatically synced to the iPod in the Infiniti and my new music is magically available. I never even take it out of the center console. It's like it's just part of the car.

My infiniti also has the 360 camera and my wife still complains about not having it in the MS every single time she's in it.

At least iOS integration and A2DP codecs can be fixed via software. Will Tesla do it eventually?

Gizmotoy · May 7, 2015

JakeP said:
Oh god, if these are the only two things keeping you from a P85D, do yourself a huge favor and order one tomorrow. The Slacker and TuneIn options eliminate any need for iTunes integration, though it would be nice for audiobooks. A 360 camera would also be a great addition, but NOTHING about a BMW 535i comes close to the exhilaration that a P85D will give you, every second you spend behind the wheel. My Tesla replaced a 328xi and a Porsche Boxster...I will never go back to anything less than a Tesla.

Probably depends how sensitive you are to audio quality. Slacker and TuneIn both have relatively poor quality streams, especially if you listen to rock (ugh, the cymbals) or classical. The good news is you can put whatever you want on a USB drive in any quality you desire, and while the interface of that is also not very good, it does work. It's not the same as iPhone/Android integration, which would be excellent, but it does work. It's pretty embarrasing that a vehicle this expensive doesn't even have basic smartphone audio integration even available in every other manufacturer's bottom-of-the-line vehicles.

The top view camera would also be nice, but the sensors do an OK job. The self-adjusting mirrors help quite a bit when parallel parking. Unlike every other implementation I've seen, you can set where you like them to be in reverse, so I have mine pointed directly at my rear wheels. Makes parallel parking much easier.

If those are your two reservations, I'd say they're both partially mitigated by other features, and the rest of the vehicle is so brilliant that it's worth it.

sorka said:
The only reason Tesla doesn't have iOS integration is they didn't want to pay the license fee. EVERY manufacturer of every high end and even most low end cars in the world have iOS integration and anyone who has an iOS devices uses it in their car. The fanboys can say all they want about why you shouldn't let that deter you from buying the MS, but I have 3 co-workers who were seriously looking at the MS and this was one of the major issues that kept them from ordering.

I think it's less the license fee (literal sub-$13k cars have iPhone/Android integration, it can't be that expensive) and more the lack of resources to implement it. They're using a custom stack, so they can't just take Delphi or whoever's iPhone/Android module and enable it. It needs to be developed, and they have other priorities. I don't think they should, we should have had smartphone integration a year or more ago, but they clearly do.

Cyclone · May 7, 2015

While I see your point about the licensing fee (and agree its a factor), I would also add that part of this is Tesla has (thus far) refused to provide USB phone support. You can have a music library via USB, but if you want to play stuff from your phone, you have to use Bluetooth. Thus, I can imagine that once Apple rolls out CarPlay over Bluetooth, Tesla may add in said functionality via a software update. I am unfamiliar with the design of Android's CarPlay-equivalent, so I can't comment on if that would a likely inclusion as well. Personally, I doubt it as Tesla has shown they will only do the bare minimum for the Android crowd (e.g., the nerfed Tesla App).

Efren Bolisay · May 7, 2015

I also came from a 535i with the top down parking. While checking out a possible upgrade, I tried out a 6 series BMW. The model I drove did not have that top down view which I found puzzling and really motivated me to look outside the brand. I thought I needed that since I'm a lousy parker. The Tesla backup is a great alternative. The POV is very generous and the sensors are more than adequate in judging distance. The only thing I miss is being able to see the lines on either side.

At the end of the day, there are way more reasons to switch than stay.

skboston · May 7, 2015

Joe Electric said:
- all wheel drive (I live in New England, a must have) so the D was a BIG one

This is what I thought at first, but AWD isn't required in New England as you think, the car has 50/50 ratio and sits with very low center of gravity and as long as you have a set of winter tires, you'll be just fine if not better than some AWD cars.
Over the last nasty winter, I had 0 issues with the car and it's handling in the snow (over 8k miles driven during the winter).

As for the integration issue, I don't understand the poor phone integration and you know what, I don't even care about it compared to the fun of driving the car.
I'm sure sometime in the future, that will happen.

Camera, I'm one of those that still rely on my senses to park a car even in Boston, so I could again care less about it, but I can understand people that want it. I think it makes us all worse drivers, as we tend to switch and depend entirely on the technology to do the parking for us and loose the sense for the environment around us.

In any ways, those shouldn't be the reasons stopping you from getting the car, there will always be this feeling that features will be better in some cars and if you hold off your a purchase waiting for those same features to be improved in your "dream car", you will never end up purchasing it and always playing wait for a better time game.

HankLloydRight · May 7, 2015

skboston said:
This is what I thought at first, but AWD isn't required in New England as you think, the car has 50/50 ratio and sits with very low center of gravity and as long as you have a set of winter tires, you'll be just fine if not better than some AWD cars.
Over the last nasty winter, I had 0 issues with the car and it's handling in the snow (over 8k miles driven during the winter).

I totally agree with all of this!! I lived in Boston for 17 years only with high-powered, RWD cars.. and the last 10 years with a BMW M5. In the winters, I'd put on Blizzaks (although there are better choices now). Having good tires, AND THE SKILL and knowledge of how to handle a RWD car in snow is all you need. There may have been 2 or 3 instances where I had low traction in the rear where AWD would have helped, but AWD is not the panacea for all winter driving. That said, if I had to buy another Tesla, I would opt for the "D" for the better handling, better efficiency, and slightly better handling in the snow. But until then, I'm happy to drive my M5 all winter long. (I don't put dedicated snows on the Model S).

mspohr · May 7, 2015

"Featuritis"

It seems every day someone comes on the forum with a feature that they absolutely must have and they are absolutely appalled that the Tesla doesn't have it when even their 10 year old econobox junker had this absolutely essential feature.
As others have said, if these two features are the only things keeping you from buying a Tesla then run (don't walk) to your computer and order one. You will not regret it.
Both of the things you mention are just software updates and the Tesla gets a software update every few weeks. It's likely (but not guaranteed) that these features will be added. This is is marked contrast to every other car out there. When you buy a BMW, Merc, etc. you are pretty much stuck with the features it had when it was delivered. It's rare to receive any software updates which add new features.

Shawn Snider · May 7, 2015

Joe Electric said:
2) 360 top view camera. Amazing feature for parking which I use everyday. It's one of those, how did I ever live without it capabilities.

If you're THAT dependent on technology to park your car...... I don't know, word's escape me, but that seems like maybe you need to re-learn how to drive.

I understand now why I see people parallel-park 2 feet away from the curb, not enough practice and over-reliance on technology.

I take pride in my driving/parking skills which I've honed over the past 15 years, not a single rim 'rashed' or accident. I practiced so much, every time I drive, I can 'feel' exactly where my tire's are/roll.

^-- And this training/practicing has made me a safe equipment operator as well! All the machines/vehicles I drive/operate now give me a sensation of feeling like an actual extension of my body!

Practice makes Perfect! :smile:

Now go buy your (P)85D!

sorka · May 7, 2015

Efren Bolisay said:
I also came from a 535i with the top down parking. While checking out a possible upgrade, I tried out a 6 series BMW. The model I drove did not have that top down view which I found puzzling and really motivated me to look outside the brand. I thought I needed that since I'm a lousy parker. The Tesla backup is a great alternative. The POV is very generous and the sensors are more than adequate in judging distance. The only thing I miss is being able to see the lines on either side.

At the end of the day, there are way more reasons to switch than stay.

On my MS, the sonar sensors don't tell me where the curb is. Yes, I can still park without getting road rash, but if you ever tried it with a top down camera, it makes it way faster with 100% confidence.

I put a third of a million miles on a Lexus without ever getting curb rash in 18 while driving it but once you drive with a top down view for low speed maneuvers, you'll never want to go back.

Anyone who says you need to relearn to drive obviously hasn't experienced the convenience.

Deal breaker therapy

Member

S P4996 ==> P02547

Active Member

Member

Well-Known Member

No Roads

Member

Active Member

Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Cyclonic Member ((.oO))

Member

Member

No Roads

Well-Known Member

Member

Well-Known Member

Similar threads