Looking for feedback from Australian owners, particularly in Perth

Autopilot and tech package or equivalent are a must in my view. For me dual motor is a waste of money and space ( smaller froot). The rest? Up to you. You probably don't need air suspension in WA, and I would definitely go with 19 in wheels. But the other options are a personal matter.
The car has been very reliable over the 9 months I have had it.

I've had my S85 for 6 months and 11,000kms. I've been almost 100% happy with it. You definitely want the tech stuff. I do have air suspension and use it on steep driveways. You might be OK without it, as Dborn says. Rear wheel drive is fine. I don't think a D would be necessary for me. Acceleration is already pretty amazing.
Sometimes I wish I'd chosen a sunroof. Even though I know it gets hot in Perth, a sunroof just makes the car look better! Plus the way it interacts with the touch screen and the app is fun. The 19 inch wheels are more practical than the 21 inch, although bigger wheels look more slick. I'm very happy with 19 inch.
If you go for the top spec P90D, just be aware that it may be surpassed by an even higher spec car in 6-12 months time. Tesla innovates rapidly.
Be aware that you will enjoy driving so much, you might not get as much exercise from walking! Also, you will always be the one to drive friends out to lunch etc.

My comprehensive insurance is $1,300pa and I have hardly spent a cent on this car so far (only carwashes from time to time). You are saving a lot on petrol, particularly if you have access to a free charger. Plus you don't have to worry about all those things that need maintenance in a petrol car, like oil and coolant.
And, it's still exciting to drive the car every day! Yes, I love my car.

Had an S85 for 2.5 months now, which was for the wife. The biggest problem is I liked it so much it caused me to order another, and my 85D is taking forever.....but it's on it's way.
Extraordinary car. Substantially better than the bmw and audi that we had. Tech package is part of what is going to keep making these cars incredible, and we have a steep drive so air is essential for us. I've ordered 21's on the 85d and we have 19's on the 85, so looking forward to a proper comparison on the same surfaces.

I'd only agree with the comments of others here. The biggest problem is that the car is generally so good that any poorly implemented features really stand out.

For me the air suspension has been a must. I couldn't get into my garage without it! But I also have encountered a lot of spots where the car has scraped. I just raise the suspension and eliminate those spots one at a time (I wish the cars could talk to each other and create a database of spots where the suspension needs to be raised).

My only regret with being an early adopter is missing out on the dual motors. I have a P85 with 19s and it can't quite cope with the torque it produces. It's very easy to lose traction; especially in the wet. I personally wouldn't consider any model that doesn't have a D after the name. I had a regular 85 loan car for a few hours recently and the reduced power actually solved that problem (but I sorely missed the acceleration - 5.5s to 100kph is an eternity!). The loss of frunk space would be trivial for my purposes. For me an 85D would be the ideal car right now (P85D is too many $$ for me but obviously this is what to buy if money isn't a problem).

The pano roof is very nice to have and if you ever want to put bikes on the roof (or anything else) is essential.

Autopilot also essential - I now use the TACC for almost all of my driving despite Tesla advising against using it on city streets. I take off at the lights, flick on the cruise control as I approach the speed limit then give my feet a rest until I need to intervene. I've got enough experience with it now to have a pretty good feeling for whether it is going to react appropriately to the circumstances and am always ready to take over if I don't think it will do the right thing.

I've had a P85D since late August and I absolutely love it. Having dual motors is a huge plus and is the thing I would most recommend. The grip, even in the wet, is fantastic. It is more important to get dual motors than the performance model, and probably most other options as well.

I like having the air suspension and the pano roof as well.

One of the best things about this car is the driving experience. Instant acceleration is, of course, brilliant, but the whole regenerative breaking feature makes driving so easy. In normal driving around the streets you find yourself hardly needing to use the brake pedal.

Any negatives? Almost none. This car is as close to perfect as a car could be in my opinion. Minor negatives are: 1. You need to buy the centre console if you're to have anywhere to store things and the standard cup holders are in an awkward position, 2. The side mirrors seem not to have been reversed for RHD, ie the convex and flat mirrors are on the wrong sides. 3. No Homelink

Go order yourself a Tesla!

Isbrown said:

I've had a P85D since late August and I absolutely love it. Having dual motors is a huge plus and is the thing I would most recommend. The grip, even in the wet, is fantastic. It is more important to get dual motors than the performance model, and probably most other options as well.

I like having the air suspension and the pano roof as well.

One of the best things about this car is the driving experience. Instant acceleration is, of course, brilliant, but the whole regenerative breaking feature makes driving so easy. In normal driving around the streets you find yourself hardly needing to use the brake pedal.

Any negatives? Almost none. This car is as close to perfect as a car could be in my opinion. Minor negatives are: 1. You need to buy the centre console if you're to have anywhere to store things and the standard cup holders are in an awkward position, 2. The side mirrors seem not to have been reversed for RHD, ie the convex and flat mirrors are on the wrong sides. 3. No Homelink

Go order yourself a Tesla!

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I'll second that- the grip in the wet is superb with the dual motor set up and Go order yourself a Tesla!

I thought I'd just offer a gentle reminder the the Tech Package is no longer available. Some features are now standard, some are in Autopilot, and some are in Premium Interior and Lighting (e.g. fog and cornering lights, power liftgate).

kieranu said:

Thanks for all the feedback.

My main question was around autopilot rather than other aspects of the tech package as I consider some of the aspects of the original tech package essential since I am considering an ex-demo P85+ which being the older model doesn't have the auto pilot functionality (currently parking and collision and lane change avoidance from my understanding but potentially will do a lot more in future).

The fully optioned P85+ will basically cost the same as a standard spec 70D hence the temptation. Given the falling AUD I can only see ex-demo models and new models becoming more pricey (and I'll enquire but not so sure if ex-demos are available for other models).

I like the idea of the acceleration but trying to keep the budget under $150k and get the panoramic roof (which to me is another must-have) so I guess the decision is dual motors and auto-pilot versus the bigger battery (more acceleration and range) with the other options in the P85+ just being an extra added bonus. For that price which frankly I'd never spend on any other vehicle I'm personally more inclined to go for the acceleration.

Taking all this on-board, on balance the (relatively) sensible idea for me might be to look into whether there are any 85D demos with panoramic roofs being in use (further research tells me this now has similar acceleration to P85+, dual motors, autopilot) and see if I can grab one once it becomes available.

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The 85d has only just arrived in Australia, so you might be waiting a while for a demo or used specimen of that version. The S85 is no slouch on acceleration. It's only the p85d that makes it look 'slow'.

Given I am keen to use the performance I have, I dont shy away from a challenge to remind myself occasionally of just how good my S85 really is. All comers lambo, mazza(s), ferrari(s), Porsche(s) but I was almost beaten last Monday for the first time since Jan by all of things a 6+ litre Holden Maloo ute.! The thing was heavily modified but just the same I was impressed and shocked when he stayed door handle parallel all the way to 160-then we ran outta road, bit of a bugger that. He was pleased, I wasn't. More reason for a P90D+.:biggrin:

Keiron said:

Given I am keen to use the performance I have, I dont shy away from a challenge to remind myself occasionally of just how good my S85 really is. All comers lambo, mazza(s), ferrari(s), Porsche(s) but I was almost beaten last Monday for the first time since Jan by all of things a 6+ litre Holden Maloo ute.! The thing was heavily modified but just the same I was impressed and shocked when he stayed door handle parallel all the way to 160-then we ran outta road, bit of a bugger that. He was pleased, I wasn't. More reason for a P90D+.:biggrin:

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Not sure why he'd be pleased that his heavily modified 6+ litre monster could only just match a stock standard non-performance model Tesla You had every reason to be pleased though. Put a bend in the road and he would have been no contest I'd expect

kieranu said:

Thanks. Not in a massive hurry, just keen to get best bang for buck and buy once, buy right. MDK took me for a spin today and informed me the customer P85+ Vehicles all feature the autopilot which is a must given the direction the company is planning to take the technology. As such it seems that either the P85+ or 85D would suit my needs, the configuration of the latter is just a little more flexible in terms of wheel size etc. As such I will keep my eye open for what becomes available. The P85D/90D of course would be awesome but currently verges into stupidly expensive territory in Oz.

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I would opt for the 85D because of everything that has been said here, and the fact that there will be subtle improvements in build quality, simply due to time. As you may know, Tesla don't denote "years" for their cars, they just try to make the best one at the time and deliver it, which is why build quality is constantly improving.

The other thing you may really want is the power liftgate - it's part of the premium interior now (which is the cheekiest of all cheeky ninja price bumps), but given how much you're going to use the boot it's great that it's automatic...

If I were ordering new now I'd do the S90D, however being completely honest I've been more than happy with the performance of my S85. I am glad that I ordered when I did though since the price rises have added nearly $30k to my S85 config - and with the upgraded leather now being tied to the lighted door handles and power tailgate I'd be up for even more. Just running through what I'd want to order now I'd be at $190k - about $40k more. The P85D would be nice but at $230k is out of my price range - I'd rather buy another property!

There are likely to be some S/P 85s around with Autopilot if you want to wait for when people upgrade. I'm very happy with my S85 - and that was coming from a Porsche. It feels faster than 5.6 sec.

85d has the best mix of range, acceleration, and value. Paying for an extra 5kwh seems somewhat pointless unless you know you will use it, and if you only drive around a crowded city than the P85D acceleration will rarely be available.
the S85 is no slouch either.