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Old 03-30-2015, 12:43 PM   #1171
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Presumably this is the home storage battery.
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Old 03-30-2015, 01:03 PM   #1172
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Presumably this is the home storage battery.
That's what I'm thinking...
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Old 03-30-2015, 02:48 PM   #1173
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So, drove my friend's P85 today. I don't have time for a full review at the moment, but a few observations.

1) The power is insane. The complete lack of aural drama is at odds with the rapid increase in speed. I don't like that, but I bet you get used to it (in a good way).

2) The one-pedal driving is cool. I got used to it almost immediately. It's much better / smoother / more intuitive than the Volt when the Volt is in "Tesla mode."

3) The handling is OK, but there is absolutely no chassis feel or steering feel. It has tons of grip and there isn't much roll, but you can tell the thing doesn't have any interest in being "playful." Having said that, there aren't many near-5,000lb vehicles that I would call "playful." And certainly not many big sedans with that quality.

4) The interior is gorgeous (this one is full leather) but the view out the back is atrocious, the convex rear view mirror is dumb, the lack of a center console is dumber and the turn signal stalk is a major ergonomic flaw. It's a multifunction stalk, the markings on which can't be seen unless you're making a hard right turn, and it's positioned down at 7 o'clock on the wheel. Silly. I kept trying to indicate lane changes with the cruise control stalk.

5) The power is insane. Did I mention that?

6) The 21" wheels look ridiculous. I realize this is a big car (holy crap, it's big) but the 21" wheels are over the top.

7) There's a lot of noise in the wheel wells from gravel. It sounds like it has no fender well sound deadening whatsoever.

8) The ride height automatically lowering at speed is neat.

9) I want one, but for the money, there are things I want a lot more.
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Old 03-30-2015, 03:20 PM   #1174
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On 4, it sounds like you drove an older one (like mine). More recent ones have adopted a better control stalk layout that's much more conventional (mirroring what Mercedes has done).

And I've actually gotten quite used to the no console thing. There's a unit you can buy that fills that space in, but I decided not to do so.
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Old 03-30-2015, 03:31 PM   #1175
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JST View Post
On 4, it sounds like you drove an older one (like mine). More recent ones have adopted a better control stalk layout that's much more conventional (mirroring what Mercedes has done).

And I've actually gotten quite used to the no console thing. There's a unit you can buy that fills that space in, but I decided not to do so.
+1

For the console, I have a small storage box that goes in the front part of that area, but keeps most of the space open also...

Now, imagine that car being ~25% faster 0-60 -- that's Insane Mode on P85D.

I had a P85 loaner on Friday. Had a bit of fun stomping on it on green lights... The extra power over my "lowly" 60 is noticeable... But I really don't like the 21" wheels -- much more road noise and a worse ride than my steel-spring 19" wheels....
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Old 03-30-2015, 03:53 PM   #1176
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+1

For the console, I have a small storage box that goes in the front part of that area, but keeps most of the space open also...

Now, imagine that car being ~25% faster 0-60 -- that's Insane Mode on P85D.

I had a P85 loaner on Friday. Had a bit of fun stomping on it on green lights... The extra power over my "lowly" 60 is noticeable... But I really don't like the 21" wheels -- much more road noise and a worse ride than my steel-spring 19" wheels....
Yes, the 21s are pretty bad, ride-wise. And they cost a mint. But I disagree on the aesthetics--I think they are really, really nice looking. I just can't justify them.
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Old 03-30-2015, 04:10 PM   #1177
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I love the look of the 21s...

But the ride feel and cost is enough to keep the 19's... Perhaps I'd go with the optional 19s if/when I upgrade... Either that or a set of the Luganos -- at ~$200/wheel, they are reasonably priced...
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Old 03-30-2015, 04:32 PM   #1178
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Speaking of fender liners, coincidentally I grabbed a couple of pics this weekend.
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Old 03-30-2015, 05:05 PM   #1179
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Have you had the TSB applied to your rear fender liners? Apparently they can rub on the brake lines, so they need to trim them slightly. I had the TSB applied last summer -- and part of the work done was they replaced one of the brake lines since wear was visible...
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Old 03-30-2015, 08:56 PM   #1180
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JST View Post
On 4, it sounds like you drove an older one (like mine). More recent ones have adopted a better control stalk layout that's much more conventional (mirroring what Mercedes has done).

And I've actually gotten quite used to the no console thing. There's a unit you can buy that fills that space in, but I decided not to do so.
Seems completely illogical to me to not have any storage whatsoever. I guess they were pretty proud of the flat floor.
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