Tesla Model S waffling

[ZBB]

Originally Posted by John V

Seems completely illogical to me to not have any storage whatsoever. I guess they were pretty proud of the flat floor.

There is a tray under the big screen -- I keep my sunglasses and neighborhood gate opener in there.

But you get used to not having other space. I thought it felt illogical also -- but I now embrace the minimalist approach… Although I would not be surprised if the Model X has more storage avail to the driver...

[John V]

I didn't notice the 21" wheels giving a poor ride. Possibly because of the air suspension? I don't know. It rode very nicely. Then again, we weren't trying to drive around DC or Baltimore - the roads we were on were pretty smooth.

Regarding the "D", I can't believe I'm saying this but the extra power seems like it would be completely unnecessary. I guess if there's no penalty to efficiency, why not, right? But with how fast the P85 is, I'm not sure I get it. The car isn't remotely sporty, so giving it 600+ horsepower is... kinda dumb.

[JST]

Originally Posted by John V

I didn't notice the 21" wheels giving a poor ride. Possibly because of the air suspension? I don't know. It rode very nicely. Then again, we weren't trying to drive around DC or Baltimore - the roads we were on were pretty smooth.

Regarding the "D", I can't believe I'm saying this but the extra power seems like it would be completely unnecessary. I guess if there's no penalty to efficiency, why not, right? But with how fast the P85 is, I'm not sure I get it. The car isn't remotely sporty, so giving it 600+ horsepower is... kinda dumb.

You're not wrong. In my estimation, even the P is overkill; the instant torque of the "regular" 85 is enough to make the car more responsive than almost anything else out there in the real world. The P85D's violent launch is a neat trick, but it's mostly a novelty.

And it actually does give up some efficiency to the RWD cars, but the biggest problem is that the dual motor cars lose half of the frunk up front, which literally cuts into one of the best arguments for the Tesla's drivetrain--its space efficiency.

It's a shame they don't make the RWD P85 anymore--that's the one to get. If you can, you want one built during the brief window in September-October 2014 when they did the hardware upgrades but before they cut off production for the D.

[ZBB]

Crap, even my "lowly 60" still has the instant torque kick and is faster off the line than any car I've previously had...

I would like to drive a P85D and a regular 85D just to compare to the RWD cars. But no D loaners in AZ yet... I did see 5-6 P85Ds at Superchargers when on our trip last week...

[John V]

You guys will love this. On my buddy's trip from the dealership in North Carolina to New Jersey he had his first encounter with a Prius parking at a Supercharger and therefore blocking his access. First of many, I imagine.

My understanding of the "D" was that one of the motors was optimized for higher speed use and one was optimized for low, therefore making the car more efficient at cruise. Can't remember where I heard that, but maybe it's not reality?

[ZBB]

Originally Posted by John V

You guys will love this. On my buddy's trip from the dealership in North Carolina to New Jersey he had his first encounter with a Prius parking at a Supercharger and therefore blocking his access. First of many, I imagine.

My understanding of the "D" was that one of the motors was optimized for higher speed use and one was optimized for low, therefore making the car more efficient at cruise. Can't remember where I heard that, but maybe it's not reality?

I've visited Superchargers 51 times now -- the closest I've had to an ICE blocking a Supercharger was when someone jokingly drove up and pretended to plug in his car. He was kidding around, gave the 3-4 Tesla owners there a thumbs up and drove off... I've also only had to wait at a Supercharger twice -- on the same day that the Tesla owners conference ended, so it was expected. All other times, there have been at least 2 other slots open...

I've had more instances where we were the only car charging than the entire site being full...

As for the "D" -- I think that was speculation that the front and rear motors had different final drive ratios. I don't know if anyone knows yet if they are the same or different, but I would say that is likely. Tesla has also implemented "torque sleep" which allows one of the motors to freewheel when cruising at speed and use less energy... Was implemented after the P85Ds were already on the road, and owners have reported significant efficiency improvements...

[Plaz]

I parked my 1M in a Tesla supercharger spot for five minutes once at a service area on the Merritt in Connecticut. It was the only spot available, and I urgently had to urinate. By the time I got back to my car there was a Tesla waiting for a spot to open. I didn't detect him really giving me the old stink eye, though he would have been perfectly justified in doing so.

[John V]

Prius lol

[ZBB]

Originally Posted by Plaz

I parked my 1M in a Tesla supercharger spot for five minutes once at a service area on the Merritt in Connecticut. It was the only spot available, and I urgently had to urinate. By the time I got back to my car there was a Tesla waiting for a spot to open. I didn't detect him really giving me the old stink eye, though he would have been perfectly justified in doing so.

Most Superchargers have about 1/2 the spaces dedicated to charging-only. The other 1/2 usually allow "general parking" for a specified time (can vary -- 30 min, 90 min, etc)... Depends on the landlord and avail parking...

[bren]

Originally Posted by John V

Prius lol

I'd have parked right in front of that turkey and blocked it in for sure.