fit and finish of 43/44 vs. prior betas

- The leather seemed firmer; not the softer stuff that was showing creasing and folding at the Oct factory event.
- The dash edges weren't scuffed up when the doors were closed.
- Steering wheel looks complete now. Adjusting the wheel position with the little power joystick at the base worked really well.

Some minuses if you will:
- The rear seat headrests were not installed in the newer betas though for some reason; the Tesla rep, Kyrstin Munson, didn't give a specific reason for that. They are not going away of course as could be seen in the design studio.
- The top of the leather seats in the back of the White beta - when viewed through the open hatch - looked amateurishly finished; not sure how to describe it but, the edges were uneven and wavy and not smooth and straight.

Where there any changes in the design of the attachment points of the headliner and A/B/C pillar covers?

The pictures seem to show the same climate control vents as earlier betas, is that true?

Have they changed the material they were using for the carpets?

Have they tightened up gaps at all? (e.g between the seats and center console for example)

Thanks.

Remember that these are still BETAS ! Some of these criticisms should be witheld until we are seeing RELEASE CANDIDATES !

I might like or dislike what Tesla does with their interior, but I have little doubt the polish will be there in the end: appropriate gaps, good stitching, etc.

Lloyd said:

Remember that these are still BETAS ! Some of these criticisms should be witheld until we are seeing RELEASE CANDIDATES !

Click to expand...

Oh of course. I have an order in another car (June build), and so while I wait on that, it would be interesting to see if they are at least making progress toward the stated goal of German luxury car levels of fit and finish.

I've seen prototypes from other companies that were much better quality two years before production. I don't think you can just flip a switch in June and magically fix all these design and execution flaws. So the hope is that they are making steady improvements each week. That's why I asked what I ask.

Hopefully they are making progress here.

brianman said:

phb reminded me of something on the other forum:
The Big Picture | Forums | Tesla Motors
Hopefully he's on this forum as well.

Click to expand...

phb=me

I should point out, however, that my thoughts that the newest betas are based solely from viewing the pictures so I, too, would love to hear from those who've seen both the old and new betas in person.

Great point to remember, Doug. We really are all treading in new waters here. I have never bought or considered buying a car that purposefully allowed me to inject myself into the design phases of the car before being introduced. I never have had the opportunity to sit in a beta version and tinker with the technology or evaluate the fit/finish of the beta. Betas of any car I ever purchased were roped off, on display at a car show, and some gorgeous model was stand about describing how fantastic the car was. barely any peeks inside, and no way to see if trim pieces fit or if the leather was supple enough. Usually, the cars were production ready when I was allowed to even open the doors, and in the case of my M5's, the only time I ever test drove was on the day of purchase, as dealerships were usually very stingy with test drives.

I am really enjoying this process, however, because I feel like every new post (especially ones with pictures or video) provides some learning insight. I am glad to hear that Tesla is following the blogosphere and making themselves aware of the lauds and criticisms. It makes me feel that we as customers have some sort of voice.