smorgasbord
Active Member
OK, time to weigh in. I originally bought Roadster to tide me over until Model S. Back of my mind was I'd keep Roadster and wife would get Model S. Heck, getting Roadster put us on the fast track to get Model S early!
Well, we canceled our Model S reservation when it came time to finalize. Many months later and no regrets. For us Model S is just:
1) Too darn wide
2) Too darn spartan
3) Really uncomfortable rear seats for adults (floor too high, ceiling too low - resulting in uncomfortably high knees and head banging)
4) Unsupportive front seats.
5) A curious mix of the highest tech (touchscreen) and lack of standard tech (parking beepers, heads-up display, folding side mirrors, multiple cameras, door pockets, center console).
6) Beige only for headliner.
7) Expensive sunroof with an ugly bar across the middle. Or, worse headroom.
8) Gimmicking handles that do not help usability. Reminds me of LED watches from the 1970s.
9) Good handling that requires less practical wheels and tires.
Don't get me wrong - Model S is a great car. My family and I just decided to wait until it gets even better, and then re-evaluate. I really appreciate the changes Tesla made to the v2.5s Roadsters from the 1.5s. I think we'll see equally substantial improvements in later Model S versions as well. We've already seen the Perf Plus, but I suspect a lot of the high tech that's missing today will be introduced in future models. Heck, they might even add a dark headliner option.
I just passed two years of Roadster ownership, and still get a huge kick of driving the thing. For my daily Silicon Valley commute and weekend jaunts with the wife, it's just awesome and practical (carpool lane, trunk big enough for groceries or overnight bags, etc.). I'm in Northern CA, so it's really almost never too hot to drive with the top down. And, I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains, so I get my share of twisty mountain roads every day. Those same roads are too narrow in spots to be comfortable in Model S.
You may see this differently. I understand that. But then, I've always marched to the beat of a different drummer, so I'm not expecting that what's right for me is right for even 5% of the people reading this thread.
Well, we canceled our Model S reservation when it came time to finalize. Many months later and no regrets. For us Model S is just:
1) Too darn wide
2) Too darn spartan
3) Really uncomfortable rear seats for adults (floor too high, ceiling too low - resulting in uncomfortably high knees and head banging)
4) Unsupportive front seats.
5) A curious mix of the highest tech (touchscreen) and lack of standard tech (parking beepers, heads-up display, folding side mirrors, multiple cameras, door pockets, center console).
6) Beige only for headliner.
7) Expensive sunroof with an ugly bar across the middle. Or, worse headroom.
8) Gimmicking handles that do not help usability. Reminds me of LED watches from the 1970s.
9) Good handling that requires less practical wheels and tires.
Don't get me wrong - Model S is a great car. My family and I just decided to wait until it gets even better, and then re-evaluate. I really appreciate the changes Tesla made to the v2.5s Roadsters from the 1.5s. I think we'll see equally substantial improvements in later Model S versions as well. We've already seen the Perf Plus, but I suspect a lot of the high tech that's missing today will be introduced in future models. Heck, they might even add a dark headliner option.
I just passed two years of Roadster ownership, and still get a huge kick of driving the thing. For my daily Silicon Valley commute and weekend jaunts with the wife, it's just awesome and practical (carpool lane, trunk big enough for groceries or overnight bags, etc.). I'm in Northern CA, so it's really almost never too hot to drive with the top down. And, I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains, so I get my share of twisty mountain roads every day. Those same roads are too narrow in spots to be comfortable in Model S.
You may see this differently. I understand that. But then, I've always marched to the beat of a different drummer, so I'm not expecting that what's right for me is right for even 5% of the people reading this thread.
