-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
-
On today's TMC Podcast, we ask the question "What is the Tesla Cybercab?". Join us on YouTube live at 1PM and participate in the chat.
i have also a 2013 S, have done multiple trips from Seattle to Palm Springs, and back and forth to Whistler. Did something change for the worse? Even though they are not nearly as comfortable as other cars, the ride is so much better, that i forgave the simplicity of the design and leather long ago. My husband uses a comfort cushion from a travel company ($19.95, it self inflates) for his tiny butt, but mine has ample padding. $19.95 is cheaper than $20,000, for sure.
Canuck
Well-Known Member
What surprised me more is his self-diagnosis and ruling out a medical problem of feeling pins when sitting on a cushioned seat. In Canada, doctors self-diagnosing is frowned upon by each Province's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and self-treatment is prohibited unless the issue is minor or it is an emergency. The sensation of feeling pins when none exist is not a minor issue and can be caused by a number of conditions unrelated to the fields of neurology or endocrinology.
But I doubt he actually felt pins when sitting in the Tesla seat. If so, he really should consider X-rays or other studies (MRI, CT scan, bone scan, or pathology studies) in order to have an accurate diagnosis of the problem. It certainly wasn't from the seats.
Particularly that is quite a lot of training in two minimally related fields (an odd pairing - must have found some niche, maybe). If trained in the US we are talking 4 yrs med school + 3 yrs IM + 3 yrs neuro (assuming 1 yr grandfathered from IM) = 10 yrs post grad. While I am just as bad with 12 for EP, it would be soul crushing to do two residencies. Did you do one then switch??
Your first reply was very constructive and relevant, your second is a weird semi off topic personal attack mentioning me in third person. Sorry I don't find your lovely car perfect in all areas.
- - - Updated - - -
I did not train in the US, therefore my bad English (sorry for that btw, third language). But yes, close to what you describe with 3 year PhD in endo added to that. Would prefer to stay on topic though.
- - - Updated - - -
I was thinking about just buying some kind of cushion like your husband, but it's still hard for me to get my head around having to do that in a fairly high priced car. Does your husband have to use comfort cushion in other cars?
- - - Updated - - -
Actually that is a great idea. I guess i will be the talk of the day sitting there for hours, but seriously if i have to sit in the car for a 3+ hour commute a day there is only one way of finding out.
- - - Updated - - -
I agree with you, but coming back from a test drive where even the Tesla sales rep told me the Next Gen seats are much more comfortable and current gen "clearly not as comfortable as german cars" while having a bad first impression myself, I was pretty sure the consensus was the seats are sub-par in the price range. I might have been wrong, will go sit in them again for an extended time seeing many does that without issues.
Last edited:
Canuck
Well-Known Member
I referred to you in the third person since I was responding to mdevp (I quoted his comment above my post) and when writing to someone about you, I refer to you in the third person. When I respond directly to you, I do not. All normal and not weird at all.
There was also nothing weird at all in the content of my post. You said "It's like sitting on pins" when sitting on a Tesla seat. That's weird to me and, if you're telling the truth, which is unlikely, it's a medical problem that has nothing to do with the seats. You denied that position with your self-diagnosis and I responded to that issue. All on topic regarding your alleged pins in the seat.
Finally, if you think my "lovely car" is "perfect in all areas" to me, then you obviously never read any of my many posts criticizing the car. In fact, I criticized Tesla in this very thread! -- see post #27. But even if the car was perfect to me in every way, it's still best not to attack people personally but stick to dealing only with the issues raised. Ad hominem attacks are not appropriate in any discussions and reflect poorly on you.
Last edited:
You keep quoting a Tesla sales rep...I must implore you DO NOT RELY ON THE WORD OF A TESLA SALES REP.
The seats are important to you (judging by the fact that you're even considering paying an extra $20k and absorbing the range hit with no desire for any of the other upgrades), you'd be best not to buy until you have an opportunity to sit in them yourself. Otherwise you're just setting yourself up for disappointment when you learn his/her definition and scale seat comfort is different than yours.
Jaff
Active Member
hhh, comfort of seats seems to be almost as variable and polarizing as the general exterior "looks of a car" (i.e. BMW i3...some hate it, some find it "dashing") :biggrin:
We had our Sig Model S for 23 months & 74,000 kms of driving...the seats were fine for both my wife and I...in her previous two vehicles (Lexus 400h & 450h), yes, the seats were probably better (especially the forced air heating and cooling), but, the Model S is so much more fun to drive and such a technological marvel, you rapidly forget about little nits like these imo...
We had our Sig Model S for 23 months & 74,000 kms of driving...the seats were fine for both my wife and I...in her previous two vehicles (Lexus 400h & 450h), yes, the seats were probably better (especially the forced air heating and cooling), but, the Model S is so much more fun to drive and such a technological marvel, you rapidly forget about little nits like these imo...
eye.surgeon
Active Member
When I bought my 545i with the sport package there were countless threads about how uncomfortable the sports seats were. German cars are not immune to this same issue, which is that seat comfort is a very personal thing. I've owned probably a dozen German cars and don't consider my MS seats to be less comfortable on aggregate than those seats.
In general people don't buy a Tesla because it has the best seats, they buy it because of all the advantages of an electric car. It's not going to have the seats of a $100,000 luxury car, but that luxury car has a lot parts that EV drivers don't want (gasoline engine, transmission, emissions system, etc.) It all depends on your priorities. I think the seat is fine, but I'm not a connoisseur of car seats. If the seat is the most important feature to you, then I agree with some of the other posters that Tesla may not be for you. To each his own.
Agree w/above. This has been discussed ad-nauseum that some people may not feel the S85's seating is fit for a $100k car. So to answer hhh's OP, I say don't. Don't pay $20k more just for seats you desire. Don't pay for a Tesla. If seats are this much of a deal breaker for you, my opinion is that a Tesla is not the right choice. My father, for example, is a huge stickler for seating/interior (older merc s-class owner) and has said he doesn't like the MS b/c of the interior and seats. Like TexasEV said, to each his own.
caddieo
Member
I wish I could share an opinion on the seats of the MS or any other car for that matter. However, I am not in a position to evaluate seat construction differences in the cars I have owned since the 80's since all of them have been covered with after-market sheepskin covers. That levels the "playing field", so to speak, so I detect no gross disparities from one car to the next other than the size/grip of the seat-back side bolsters - which is of minimal concern to me since I rarely throw my cars around corners even if my right foot gets heavy occasionally.
Some real world comps. I have a Tesla 85, Mini Cooper JCW, Volvo XC90 and a Land Rover Defender. I can drive all day long in all of them along with long distance with zero issue. The Defender is like driving a Ford tractor and is limited to short runs. The seats in the others are no issue and I just did my first +300 miles Tesla run and found the seats perfectly fine. HHH if you are in doubt stay with an Audi or something you are comfortable with, no sense spending $$$$ and moaning about the seat.....Gary
Where can I get more info on replacing the seats with non-Tesla ones? I'm one of the people who doesn't like both the old and the new seats. I find even the lowest position to be too high and the headrest bulge to be too low. In short, I'd like to sit 2-3" lower.
Specifically, is it possible to replace one or both front seats with Audi/BMW/Porsche ones? Are the mechanical rails/dimensions the same? Sensors/heaters/memory connectors -- are they standard across the industry? Do I have to contact Tesla to reset the system if I disconnect/reconnect these connectors? What are potential problems if I go this route? I understand that safety certification is issued for specific seats, so what is my liability if the car ends up in the accident and passengers/driver sustains injuries?
headcase
Member
+1. I borrowed a Tesla 85 with the performance seats for a weekend from my local Tesla sales office, and I experienced a persistent upper back pain, and the bottom cushion was "less than form fitting" given its overall flat design. Then I borrowed a P85D with the next gen seats, and they were much more comfortable for my back and butt, however... although I'm an average 5'10" in height, I found myself sitting 2-3" higher than in my Audi S5, which not only made my legs slightly less comfortable, but I also found myself sitting a little too high, and subsequently the sun visor slightly blocking my field of view.
So I too would be very interested in learning if anyone had explored using some sort of aftermarket seats yet...
Not Jerome.
- - - Updated - - -
Best advice: If the car does not meet your requirements, don't buy it.
The rest is irrelevant.
Did you realize they were height adjustable? My wife initially complained about not seeing over the hood but she upped the height and all was good. This would apply to both seats up front and also both types of seats.
William13
Active Member
I carry a pad around for long drives in my S and move it to my wife's car for long trips in her car. I need it much more in her car. As we age new problems arise with our bodies. One size fits all actually fits none well but is the current cost of mass production. Soon (20-60 years) everything will be customized but there may be fewer jobs.
I think we do realize that. The message that [headcase] was referring to (mine, Not paying extra $20.000 for decent seats in a $100k car. - Page 6) says that the seats are too high for me, even in their lowest position of adjustment. It is very individual and looks like my body dimensions are outside of the normal range that manufacturers are optimizing for. I'm 6'2" and I find myself sitting unusually high, but the biggest problem is that the headrest bulge is at the level of my T1-T3 vertebrae, i.e. I feel it with my back.
For the reference, it's not only Tesla's seats that do that. One of my old cars, E37 BMW ///M roadster's seats were too small and too high, yet I drove it for 8 years (they didn't have a bulge, but the roof was even closer to my head than in MS and the top of the windshield was uncomfortably low compared to my eyes level). I also can't find a comfortable position in most of my friend's cars, and some of them are even much more uncomfortable than MS (Hondas/Acuras come to mind, but others are too). However, there are several seats that I feel very comfortable in (e.g. our X5 sport package seats, also new 5-series), and I'm interested in doing research of potentially purchasing them and placing them in MS.
Similar threads
