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Considering ordering a Model S. Need opinions on options.
1. Premium sound system: is this a must get item? Anybody with comparative experience
2. Smart Suspension: what are the opinions on whether is a order or not. I would be ordering the 19-inch wheels
3. Rear seats: is this worthwhile getting or is it a novel item that has little utility - I have 5 children and probably 3-4 years of use expected based on weight and growth for the back seats.

All opinions welcomed.
 
1. Premium sound is much a matter of personal taste. I've included it on mine because I'm the type of person who really notices the difference in sound quality between different music sources (amount of compression, etc.) and because I wanted to have good bass. However, it is relatively expensive, so it definitely comes down to your priorities. I did not try to listen and compare the difference, although I read posts from many others who did. Some could hear no significant difference and others did hear a significant difference.
2. After reading a number of posts on the Smart Suspension, I decided not to get it. My impression was that the tires will wear significantly faster with the Air Suspension. I've also noticed that my friend who has the air suspension sometimes scrapes the front of the car on parking blocks because it seems to lower itself onto the block after parking. Maybe this behavior has changed since I last drove it. My research reading many others' experience also convinced me that they very seldom ran into a situation where they wished they had the smart suspension. However, if you have a steep driveway entrance where you live or work, then you may want to consider it.
3. No experience with the rear seats. It probably depends on your kids. Some would see it as an adventure and love to be able to sit back there.
 
1. Didn't get the premium sound system even though I am a bit of an audiophile at home. It's fine for driving music and with 5 kids you won't be able to hear anything anyway :) Had a loaner with premium sound and it was better, but not for me considering cost.

2. Didn't get smart suspension - I have seen to many air suspensions break and when they break they cost an arm and a leg to repair. If you have no really steep driveway or other obstacles in your life I would skip it. Also the coils handle very well and the car feels very planted.

3. No expirience, with 5 children I would get them. But the consensus is that the back area is not well airconditioned/ventilated, so it's for short trips only.

4. With 5 children I would consider getting the RWD model so you have more frunk-space to store stuff. I suspect that Arizona doesn't drown in snow every year anyway. The added practicality would be worth it, especially if you use the trunk for seats.

5. Get the panoramic roof, this allows you to attach cargo carriers to the roof if you really have to move the whole family and a ton of junk :) Also increases head-height in the cabin considerably.
 
1. Premium sound is much a matter of personal taste.
2. After reading a number of posts on the Smart Suspension, I decided not to get it. My impression was that the tires will wear significantly faster with the Air Suspension. I've also noticed that my friend who has the air suspension sometimes scrapes the front of the car on parking blocks because it seems to lower itself onto the block after parking. Maybe this behavior has changed since I last drove it. My research reading many others' experience also convinced me that they very seldom ran into a situation where they wished they had the smart suspension.
3. No experience with the rear seats. It probably depends on your kids. Some would see it as an adventure and love to be able to sit back there.

I like my music but I don't know that I have that much of a trained ear for it

That was great information about the suspension - I had not heard about worse tire wear. What was your source info for that? My father would approve with the comment of "another thing to go wrong"

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A ton of junk..., I see you have had a look inside our garage before...:wink:

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5. Get the panoramic roof, this allows you to attach cargo carriers to the roof if you really have to move the whole family and a ton of junk :) Also increases head-height in the cabin considerably.[/QUOTE]

I see you have seen our garage before...:wink:
 
I wouldn't pay for the suspension either - I have a car with coils and have never once regretted that choice. I do wish I had bought UHFS - the stock system is very, very weak. Pano is a waste for me as I never use it. Most like it so I'd get it if I were you. Me - I'd pass on it and use that money for UHFS.
 
Your first two questions are exactly what I was contemplating when I ordered. I ended up going with the upgraded sound because of the subwoofer for bass. I also ended up going with the smart air suspension for range - there is also a novelty issue with the SAS too. It's just kind of cool. But, my order was all about maximizing my range, so I got the SAS, 19s, and 85D. Now, wondering if it's worth the $3500 to upgrade to the 90 . . .

Best of luck on your decision and remember that no matter what, you'll love your Model S!
 
I got the RFS, after the novelty wore off, my kids hate them. They don't want to sit back there unless one of their friends is riding alone, and even then it's somewhat reluctantly. It gets hot, even with the windows tinted and rear-sunshade, the air circulation sucks. If it's hot (I don't remember 75F maybe?) they don't go back there at all.

If I had to do it again, I'd think long and hard if it's worth it. Once in a while, I force them back there if we have a lot of people and want to take 1 car on short trips. But I would never put them back there on long trips.
 
I didn't get the RFS and I'm glad. Even during the test drive my daughter (who never gets nauseated in the car) was flushed and nauseated. (Of course, it was August in Texas, so 10 minutes was quite enough to make her miserable.)

I have the premium sound system and am glad. Even though the premium system is overpriced, the alternative is anemic. It's a bit unfortunate that the MS's premium system is more akin to many other vehicles' standard sound system. There are a number of after market sound upgrades you may want to consider, but be careful because some of them may require the premium sound system as a starting point.

If I had it all to do over again, I'd get coil instead of air. I've driven both extensively and prefer the tighter feel of the coils. Yes, there's a novelty to the raising and lowering, but I'd trade that for the expectation of lower potential repair costs post-warranty and the tighter feel.

I'm not a fan of sun roofs. To me, they offer little benefit in light of the increased risks of leaks, squeaks, etc. that I see reported here. Yes, TMC is not a random sampling of owners, as people are more likely to post complaints about their panos than they are to post "everything's a-ok" but it still seems like there are a large number of issues with panos, especially after the cars age a bit. If I'm avoiding the active air because of post-warranty concerns, it seems reasonable to avoid the pano for the same reason, made all the more easy because I'm not a sunroof person.
 
1. I didn't get premium sound and am glad - I mostly listen to audiobooks anyway and many threads suggest aftermarket is much better
2. I think Air is a waste if you don't have a very steep driveway - I never use it, although the lowering at speed may provide slightly better range
3. I have 6 kids and the seats are a must - my kids love them and it is such a relief to not have to install car seats to carry my 2 and 4 year old. They love it back there and always want to take my car rather than the Suburban when we go places. The heat is not a problem on trips under 30min if the car is in the shade and/or precooled - if its sitting in the sun, the kids will be miserable - I have an electric fan back there if they need it.
 
Some of these require to think of resale value and/or long-term reliability. Will you be keeping the car for a long time?
Or are you leasing it?

If long-term does not matter, and you want the novelty of SAS, go for it!
The air suspension was the one item I was able to remove from the list as I figured out a better way to solve my problem with the sharp incline into my garage (rubber stall mats to raise the fronts by 3/4 of an inch).
I am being super careful going in and out of parking lots to/from the street because I am still getting used to the length of the car and the front and rear overhangs. But it does not feel like I would prefer to have the car raise itself. Pretty sure if it not Geo-fenced, people don't bother anymore.

As for the sunroof, I am very partial to sunroofs in general. May have to do with the long winters we had back East and the enjoyment of feeling the sun burn through your hair in the spring and fall. But the key point is also this, as mentioned above: it is the only way to have roof racks on the car, as the built-in attachment points are not present on the steel roof.
 
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it is such a relief to not have to install car seats to carry my 2 and 4 year old

Just a note, the seats do have a minimum height and weight requirement. My 2.5 year old was big enough to safely ride back there, but I don't see many 2 year olds that can safely meet the minimum safety requirements:

The Tesla built-in rear facing child seats are child restraint systems and must only be used for children over 37" (94 cm) tall and weighing between 35 and 77 lbs (16.2 to 35.2 kg).

 
Good point

Some of these require to think of resale value and/or long-term reliability. Will you be keeping the car for a long time?
Or are you leasing it?

If long-term does not matter, and you want the novelty of SAS, go for it!
The air suspension was the one item I was able to remove from the list as I figured out a better way to solve my problem with the sharp incline into my garage (rubber stall mats to raise the fronts by 3/4 of an inch).
I am being super careful going in and out of parking lots to/from the street because I am still getting used to the length of the car and the front and rear overhangs. But it does not feel like I would prefer to have the car raise itself. Pretty sure if it not Geo-fenced, people don't bother anymore.

As for the sunroof, I am very partial to sunroofs in general. May have to do with the long winters we had back East and the enjoyment of feeling the sun burn through your hair in the spring and fall. But the key point is also this, as mentioned above: it is the only way to have roof racks on the car, as the built-in attachment points are not present on the steel roof.

The part about the roof racks really got my attention - I had no idea that it was necessary for that. And I want to transport either a box of bikes.

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My youngest are 5 and easily meet that requirement. My issue will be how long I can use it.

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Just a note, the seats do have a minimum height and weight requirement. My 2.5 year old was big enough to safely ride back there, but I don't see many 2 year olds that can safely meet the minimum safety requirements:


Mine meet the minimums but the issue is longevity of use.
 
You have a lot of helpful responses so far, and if you spend a few minutes searching the forums you will find existing threads with hundreds of posts that are relevant to your questions. Information overload. [emoji6]
Considering ordering a Model S. Need opinions on options.
1. Premium sound system: is this a must get item? Anybody with comparative experience
2. Smart Suspension: what are the opinions on whether is a order or not. I would be ordering the 19-inch wheels
3. Rear seats: is this worthwhile getting or is it a novel item that has little utility - I have 5 children and probably 3-4 years of use expected based on weight and growth for the back seats.

All opinions welcomed.
 
Smart of you for starting a new thread with your specific questions.

I've been browsing TMC since reserving a MX spot February. Now I'm planning to switch to a MS and it is hard to get answers to specific questions without reading 100 threads. 2 options you mentioned were important to me and it appears that the consensus has changed a bit over time.
 
1. I ended up getting UHFS primarily for access to XM radio, which I still haven't activated because Slacker is badass. I will ultimately enable XM though. Was initially disappointed with the UHFS until I tuned off Dolby Surround, and now I really like it. I would get it again.

2. I got Air Suspension. I have a super steep driveway and live in a hilly area with some tricky parking lots and things like that. I would most definitely get this again, but if I lived in a flat area probably would not get it. I do not park over parking blocks at all as a matter of practice based on the stories I've heard. But I've also never had my car lower itself on its own while parked.

3. I have 3 kids under 4 years old. My wife has a Denali so that is the kid-hauler, but I felt compelled to get the seats mainly in the event of emergency in case I need to take all three kids in my car. My oldest son (4yrs) - so far - really likes the jump seats and I find it pretty convenient to have when I run around with him since I don't have to move car seats around between cars. We'll see how it goes long term but I never bought them with the expectation that they would be a primary seat for any of my kids. More of a convenience factor and there if I need them in a pinch. I would love to have that extra storage space in the foot well though. Totally depends on your situation. If I only had two kids I probably would not have gotten them.
 
Considering ordering a Model S. Need opinions on options.
1. Premium sound system: is this a must get item? Anybody with comparative experience
2. Smart Suspension: what are the opinions on whether is a order or not. I would be ordering the 19-inch wheels

I just placed my order and got the premium sound after hearing the lack of bass in the standard system. In addition to the extra speakers you also get a subwoofer which the standard sound package lacks, this is an obvious difference.

I didn't get the air suspension because I'm planning on keeping my car for a very long time and it is another part that can (will) fail. I understand they are very expensive to fix.
 
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1.yes, the premium sound while costly is worth it.
2. I did not get it on either of my two Teslas because after driving it I really didn't appreciate the difference in handling and I have never had an issue with curb height.
3. the consensus on the rear seats that they are not practical, from what has been discussed here is that the climate control doesn't seem to get back there to make the space comfortable and that only the youngest of children can fit there. it is a gimmick at best.
 
1.yes, the premium sound while costly is worth it.
2. I did not get it on either of my two Teslas because after driving it I really didn't appreciate the difference in handling and I have never had an issue with curb height.
3. the consensus on the rear seats that they are not practical, from what has been discussed here is that the climate control doesn't seem to get back there to make the space comfortable and that only the youngest of children can fit there. it is a gimmick at best.

I have the rear facing seats and have to disagree about them being a gimmick. Yes, they have issues in the summer heat. We don't use them for long trips because we usually need the cargo space for those trips anyway (also my kids get car sick riding backwards for too long!), but they are great for running around town, or when we are vacationing and i want to bring my whole family and parents in one car.

Also, i don't have to take the car seats out of my wife's car all the time anymore.