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It has been a month and very challenging finding a used Multi-Coat Red Model S. I ended up not test driving that 2019 Raven Model S due to scheduling conflicts. On the upside, I took the entire family (myself, wife, child, and parents) to the local Toyota dealership to test drive a 2018 S 75D. Conclusion: everyone loved it! Wife found the rear textile (fabric) seats very comfortable. Before the test drive, my Mom kept lamenting how it's not going to ride like a Lexus and even she was impressed by the ride quality with the 19s on the Model S; especially poignant considering we literally stepped out of the very smooth 2006 LS 430 and right into the Model S. The 2018 definitely dampens road irregularities better than the 2015 that belongs to a coworker. My Mom shrieked when I accelerated at the onramp. She was not prepared for the takeoff. Poor Mom.
Additional research revealed I really need/want a 2018 (or later) in order to get the following "must haves":
Premium Seats (front and rear), designed in-house after Tesla bought the supplier. These are the 4th iteration of seat design and came after the Recaro-sourced "Next Gen" seats. Only available after August 2017. Some early 2017s also had Premium seats but only for the front buckets and not the rear seat bench.
All-glass roof. I seldom use a sun/moonroof and would rather not deal with potential air/water leaks from the panoramic glass roof. Plus the sun/moonroof models necessitate a bar across the middle of the roof section and I really prefer the extra headroom (and airiness) of the all-glass option. All-glass roof was a long-time option but became standard by 2018, I think.
Rear cup holders! Amazes me that you have to wait until at least a June 2016 build date to get rear cup holders and USB ports. Granted, the center console (not the Yacht floor) can hold two water bottles, in addition to the two front cup holders in the armrest. Still, I want factory rear cup holders.
Lastly, MCU (Main/Media Control Unit) was upgraded in March 2018 with a faster processer and better responsiveness.
There are quite a few 2018 S 75D (AWD) in black or silver for around $56K-60K. Someone in San Jose was trying to unload their red with white leather seats for $70K with 4,500 miles. That is outrageous considering you can get a 100D or P-car in that price range. Buuuut, his was the only red since I missed out on two red 75D in Costa Mesa (near LA).
Today, I thought I snagged a great deal on a 2019 Long Range (335-mile range) Red S with premium black leather for $76,690. It had 50 miles on the odometer and I can save another $5000 by removing Full Self-Driving. I quickly placed my deposit, only to find an hour later that the car is located in Hawaii (location was not disclosed online). Transport fee from Hawaii to California would be $6000, plus 4-5 month wait. Order cancelled!
Fortunately, the OA (Owner Advisor) offered to help me find something similar and we identified a 2019 Standard Range (285-mile range) for $72,380. It is the updated Raven air suspension, has all my must-haves, premium black leather, free lifetime Supercharging, free red paint discount ($2500 value), free 21-inch wheel upgrade ($4500 value), and is still eligible for $4,375 in tax rebates. If we receive all the tax benefits then it should bring the car down to $68,005, almost $15K less than a comparable Long Range S (although the LR S gets up to 370-mile range). I need to finish up financing and delivery process and hope to have the car in a week or two.
Hello Fto1,
It's fun to follow along with your Model S saga! The Hawaii thing is funny!! Hope this deal goes thru and you will finally get to buy this car. Aren't you going to test-drive it first? Is it a brand new car? With TTL, you are still looking at a pretty hefty loan and payment for many years! Hey, but you only live once. Enjoy...
Hello Fto1,
It's fun to follow along with your Model S saga! The Hawaii thing is funny!! Hope this deal goes thru and you will finally get to buy this car. Aren't you going to test-drive it first? Is it a brand new car? With TTL, you are still looking at a pretty hefty loan and payment for many years! Hey, but you only live once. Enjoy...
Thanks, comotiger. I will still peruse CL now and again to see what you're all up to. The S has 1,002 miles on it. I have not driven it but, from what I've gathered, the new Raven air suspension should ride even better than the 2018 we test drove. If it merely matches the 2018 then I'm still super pleased. The 2018 S 75D gripped the road well while returning a surprisingly supple ride -- not LS cushy but not jarring in any way. Motions and bumps are very well controlled on the 2018 S. Oh, that reminds me about build quality and panel gaps...while we waited for the 2018 S 75D to be pulled to the front, my parents and I stood next to a 2019 Avalon and were shocked at the panel gaps around the hood; they were not any better than Tesla gets faulted for. Granted, a Tesla costs much more but Avalons used to have impeccable build quality. I wish I took a photo to share but it was disappointing from Toyota.
Overall, the Model S will cost about $200 more per month (insurance accounted for), not too bad considering it will be a newer car than the 2013 LS. However, had I went with my initial choice of a 2016.5 or 2017 Model S then we would have surely saved a few hundred a month compared with the LS. I will definitely come back and report how things are going, good and bad. I also learned yesterday that they're putting in EV charging stations at work for employees to charge for free! That, coupled with free Supercharging, may eliminate my need to ever pay for charging. Thanks everyone for the continued support and interest in this journey. I hope we all continue to be happy and healthy in whatever we drive.
Our delivery appointment was at noon and, what should have taken 30 minutes or less, ended up taking three hours. The car looked almost perfect except for some curb rash on the front passenger-side wheel (which is notated on the due bill and will be replaced with a new wheel at a future date). A scratch on the front bumper was what caused the delay. Tesla was not willing to provide a bottle of touch-up paint (the kit is usually $55 and Multi-Coat Red is out of stock), but they were willing to touch it up for us with a few coats and needed about 45 minutes to finish, so we went to get a bite to eat.
Even with the 21-inch free wheel upgrade, the car rides very smooth. The first thing my wife said was "I could fall asleep back here", that was how smooth it was. After driving it on my normal commute today, it is obviously not LS 430 or LS 460 smooth on broken pavement but the Model S actually handles railroad tracks better than both the LS 430 and LS 460. I often cringe when going over the same light rail tracks with the LS 460 and 19s (even with Pirelli P7+ tires). On bigger bumps you can feel different sides of the Model S teeter but I would not consider it harsh and not dramatic in any way. On well-maintained roads, the 2019 "Raven" Model S rides every bit as smooth as our LS 460, just without that layer of numbness/buffer associated with the LS -- all the more remarkable considering the Model S is riding on 21s! Before accepting the car I was already prepared to sell the 21s and get a set of stock 19s for the "best available" ride quality. Now that we have the car, I have elected to keep the 21s. The ride is not jittery or uncomfortably stiff in any way. I have not tried the new Sport calibration but Standard rides more than smooth enough.
I love all of the customizations and control through the main unit and Sentry mode already captured some useful surveillance video for me. Pairing my Note 10+ through Bluetooth didn't work initially but a reset of the MCU did the trick.
I charged last night using just a regular wall outlet (4-5 miles/hour) and was disappointed to learn that Tesla discontinued inclusion of the NEMA 14-50 adapter a few months ago. I ended up ordering it separately for $35. I have not supercharged yet since my daily commute totals about 40-50 miles and I'm able to recharge that range overnight on the normal wall outlet. At between 7-8.5 cents per kWh, it costs about $1 a day whereas the LS 460 would cost me $10 to travel the same daily distance.
The car really is impressively quiet, aside from some road noise -- nothing distracting nor loud enough to disturb my daydreaming or thinking. I don't like that the 21s are a staggered setup and limits my tire options (i.e. no Grand Touring). The paint quality also is not very consistent and I noticed some speckling near the edges on a side mirror. I would rate the paint quality as average and rate the touch-up kit price as outrageous.
It was 105 degrees yesterday and 100 degrees today. The factory all-glass roof does an outstanding job of deflecting heat and my baldness didn't feel sensitive at all. My wife though, still felt like her forearms were starting to burn through the side windows but my wife is super sensitive to UV and wears arm sleeves on cloudy days too. I have an appointment in a few weeks to tint the windows for added protection.
I don't have too much to complain about the car so far and it has been a blast to drive. The turn signal stalks are quite stiff and produce a loud click when you move them into position. It feels cheap and should be smoother and more graceful. I also don't understand why I can't move the front passenger seat through the main screen -- definitely an LS feature I miss having. You can control all passenger seats from the driver's seat in the Model X. The driver's window also makes a "thunk" sound when I use the auto-down button. The other windows roll down fine and quietly. I will have to ask about this when I schedule a future Service Center appointment to pick up the new wheel. Let's see...what else can I think of...ah, yes, the "High Fidelity Sound System" in the Model S pales in comparison to the Mark Levinson Reference System. I swear my Model S must have the basic sound package as HD radio seems to lack depth and body. Bluetooth actually comes through pretty clear. There is an option that adds more "surroundness" to the music quality but I haven't had a chance to test that yet. The sound is not uncomfortable and still clearer than the JBL system in an Acura MDX, but not as good as the Mark Levinson system.
Hello Fto1, congrats on picking up your new Tesla. She looks fine. Good to hear that the car rides really smoothly on the 21 inch wheels. Did you buy new? You mentioned your Note10+ and BT. Does this car have Android Auto? Would love to see some interior pics. Happy driving!
Hello Fto1, congrats on picking up your new Tesla. She looks fine. Good to hear that the car rides really smoothly on the 21 inch wheels. Did you buy new? You mentioned your Note10+ and BT. Does this car have Android Auto? Would love to see some interior pics. Happy driving!
Greetings, 'tiger! Lightning McQueen is juicing up in the garage as I type...unfortunately, no Android Auto nor CarPlay for now. After a reset of the Model S screen, I was able to quickly pair my Note 10+. Crisis averted.
We bought it "new inventory", meaning it has not been registered before and was a demo car or test drive car. It had 1,002 miles when we took delivery and, for all intents and purposes, is considered new by Tesla and qualifies for free lifetime Supercharging, as well as federal and CA tax rebates when we file. It also qualifies for a $600 cash rebate from our local utility provider and gets an additional EV discount on charging between mudnight-6am. Some new inventory cars only have 50 miles on the odometer, such as the first one I tried to buy before learning it is located in Hawaii and has a $6K transport fee. If anyone is searching, just know you can elect to take off FSD (Full Self-Driving) on an inventory car and knock off $6K from the list price.
Below are some interior pics. I especially like having six cup holders, two of which can be adjusted to accommodate large water bottles. This particular car has the synthetic "vegan leather" option, which is quite soft and supple. It is a comfortable interior but I admit looks quite spartan in photos, especially compared to what we normally see from LS, S class, 7 series, A8.
It has been quite hot this week and I really like Cabin Overheat Protection to limit cabin temps to 105 degrees. I also pre-cool the interior, through my phone, a few minutes before I get in the car.
*Just noticed I misspelled Lightning McQueen, lol.
The car looks great. I was about to mention Lightening then saw your note! As you say, the interior is spartan and lacks the plush looks of a LS460 or S500. The lack of wood accents on the doors, nearly invisible speaker grilles, and a lack of ***** and buttons all contribute to this spartan ambience. Is the rear legroom similar to the SWB LS you had? That center armrest looks very short; is it comfortable for resting the right arm?
Looks like with all the discounts and rebates and tax credits, the cost of owning this car will be much lower than your previous LS460. Does the car come with a new car warranty like the 4 year/50000 miles with Lexus? Looks like you found your dream car! Happy motoring!
Yes the interior looks real vanilla. I do like the exterior styling of the Model S though. I wonder how these cars will do in the used market after a couple of years. Will ppl be scared away because of the battery???
It's 105 degrees in Sacramento? Wow. Shows how little I know about CA climate - I thought it was pleasant there all year 'round.
Oh, we can get toasty here in the valley, NotFasty! The weather has been a little abnormal though this year across the country. It still can get plenty hot in Sac. Despite the current highs right now, this past July was unseasonably cool with only 2-3 days of over 100-degrees. Compare that with 2006 when we had something like 22 days of over 100-degrees and reaching up to 113 that July!
I grew up here, tan easily, and am accustomed to the dry heat. I wasn't used to the humidity during a recent trip to Philly and New York. How do folks continue to dress in suits and not get soaked from sweat, that's what I want to know! Cheers!
Yes the interior looks real vanilla. I do like the exterior styling of the Model S though. I wonder how these cars will do in the used market after a couple of years. Will ppl be scared away because of the battery???
Prices have definitely been all over the place, and Tesla hasn't been helping with all those price drops since last September. I don't think prices can go any lower though. Tesla has bundled all they can. There are only a few options left now (wheels, "leather", and Full Self Driving).
I wouldn't have bought if I had reservations about the batteries. Prius batteries lasted a lot longer than anyone expected and I think Tesla batteries will still be good beyond the 8-year/unlimited mile warranty (on the Model S battery and drive units). The first early Model Ses should be coming out of warranty around 2020 so let's see what we hear. Supposedly, the battery should still hold 80-90% charge after 10 years...at least that's what they claim.
The car looks great. I was about to mention Lightening then saw your note! As you say, the interior is spartan and lacks the plush looks of a LS460 or S500. The lack of wood accents on the doors, nearly invisible speaker grilles, and a lack of ***** and buttons all contribute to this spartan ambience. Is the rear legroom similar to the SWB LS you had? That center armrest looks very short; is it comfortable for resting the right arm?
Looks like with all the discounts and rebates and tax credits, the cost of owning this car will be much lower than your previous LS460. Does the car come with a new car warranty like the 4 year/50000 miles with Lexus? Looks like you found your dream car! Happy motoring!
Saved your post for last, comotiger. A lot to unpack and report back.
I honestly do not miss buttons or switch gear as operating the car has become second nature, like using my phone. The armrest can slide between two positions. However, one position will cover the cup holders (see photo below). The armrests feel fine so far but are harder than the LS armrest, not uncomfortable so but you can tell a difference. Based on my driving position, the full-forward armrest position supports half of my forearm, whereas only my elbow and a quarter of my forearm has support when sliding the armrest back to reveal cup holders. Not sure yet if I'll have any armrest space once a cup is in the holder.
The car still comes with the full 4yr/50K mile warranty and also 8yr/unlimited miles on the Model S battery and motors. I believe Model 3 was reduced to 8yr/125K mile on the battery and motor(s).
My wife feels she has more room in the back but I think the SWB LS 460 does have maybe 1-1.5 inches more of rear legroom. I think my wife feels there's more room because the Model S doors allow a smidge extra hip room and the front seat can go farther up and gives more rear legroom than the SWB LS (wife likes to sit in the back next to daughter).
With the driver's seat set to my driving position, I can still cross my legs when sitting in the back. However, my shoe gets too close to the door and driver's seat. If I sit normally, there's more toe room than the LS and I feel like I have just enough room to be comfortable on a long trip.
We originally looked at older Model S (before switching to Model X and then back to Model S), and the older ones would have definitely saved us money compared to keeping the LS 460. Since we purchased a more expensive 2019, it is $200 more a month to own and operate the Model S (insurance included). That was an increase we were comfortable accepting. The S can still be cheaper than keeping the LS 460, but will take longer to reach that equilibrium point. I am happy to wait it out in the S; no offense to CL or the LS at all as it was still very hard to let go of the LS, I was almost talking the buyer out of the LS to the very end. Here are some photos of the interior:
39 inches:
12 inches, edge of seat to seatback:
Too bad yellow overhead lights don't match the clean white ambient lighting:
Saved your post for last, comotiger. A lot to unpack and report back.
I honestly do not miss buttons or switch gear as operating the car has become second nature, like using my phone. The armrest can slide between two positions. However, one position will cover the cup holders (see photo below). The armrests feel fine so far but are harder than the LS armrest, not uncomfortable so but you can tell a difference. Based on my driving position, the full-forward armrest position supports half of my forearm, whereas only my elbow and a quarter of my forearm has support when sliding the armrest back to reveal cup holders. Not sure yet if I'll have any armrest space once a cup is in the holder.
Too bad yellow overhead lights don't match the clean white ambient lighting:
Hi FatherTo1, thanks for the detailed write up! The matte wood panel on the armrest looks very nice, and carries over from the dashboard. I think continuing that wood panel on the doors would have spruced up the interior. The armrest looks pretty uncomfortable to use with the cup holders occupied; hope that is not the case.
Steering buttons are also minimal. So, functions like dynamic cruise, lane keep assist etc. are all controlled thru the touchscreen? How about seat heating and ventilation? The seating surface is not perforated, so it only heats? Is the thigh support effective? I really love the thigh support extender in the 2013+ LS.
You can do an easy LED fix to replace the yellow cabin lights to match the ambient lighting.
After a couple of weeks, you should answer this question: which car turned more heads? Your LS or your TeslaS Happy driving!
Hi FatherTo1, thanks for the detailed write up! The matte wood panel on the armrest looks very nice, and carries over from the dashboard. I think continuing that wood panel on the doors would have spruced up the interior. The armrest looks pretty uncomfortable to use with the cup holders occupied; hope that is not the case.
Steering buttons are also minimal. So, functions like dynamic cruise, lane keep assist etc. are all controlled thru the touchscreen? How about seat heating and ventilation? The seating surface is not perforated, so it only heats? Is the thigh support effective? I really love the thigh support extender in the 2013+ LS.
You can do an easy LED fix to replace the yellow cabin lights to match the ambient lighting.
After a couple of weeks, you should answer this question: which car turned more heads? Your LS or your TeslaS Happy driving!
Today has been busy giving friends and colleagues a tour of the car and test drives. Everyone was impressed with it, even non-car folks. A friend was driving and I had a chance to experience rear seat comfort and pleased to report it's pretty good back there and the ride really does feel smoother. I think as a driver in any car you feel the road more through your seat and the steering wheel. When I drive the Model S I know it is firmer than the LS but not in a jarring or overly stiff way. From the backseat, all the bumps have a nice muted/damped/cushioned feeling and are less firm than when I feel it as the driver. Will say it again, very impressed with the ride quality on 21s. My buddy that was driving is normally accustomed to BMWs and Audis and his words were "so smooth, I can't even feel the bumpts". Obviously, I can feel the bumps, dampened bumps, but I'm coming from a Lexus LS. I guess compared to an A6 or BMW 335i, the Model S is very smooth.
As for the wood paneling, it feels very thin and cheap. There is no gloss or varnish to it. It just feels like dry wood and looks distressed to me (not my style). It is noting fancy, for sure. It feels like a veneer when you tap on the console lid cover. Personally, I would have selected a lighter color scheme for the interior and wood pattern but the black leather and dark wood was what the car is equipped with. The wood is one of the few things I'm not a fan of and glad they limited its application.
With the cup holders in use the best I can do is rest my elbow on the arm rest.
I have not tried Autopilot nor dynamic cruise yet. I don't even know how to activate them. I have been too busy personalizing and customizing other settings. I will give an update later on those features. I do know they watered-down standard Autopilot now to encourage more folks to upgrade to FSD (Full Self Driving). What used to be known as EAP (Enhanced Autopilot) with Navigate on Autopilot (ability to fully drive and change lanes from one onramp till the next offramp) is now only available as part of FSD.
I can control heating for all seats from the screen, but there is no seat cooling. Tesla removed seat cooling awhile ago. Folks complained it didn't cool very well and spills would seep into the perforated seats (same risk as any other manufacturer).
I can receive calls and stream music through BT, but oddly cannot receive text messages. Neither can my friend's Model 3 with the latest tech. Even our 2013 LS 460 would receive text messages on the screen. Hopefully Tesla can add it through a software update instead of dedicating resources to apps like Fart Mode. Sigh.
The S is easily more of a head turner, especially in red. Already received a thumbs up from passersby at a Trader Joe's 20 minutes after the car officially became ours. Several teammates at work have shared their intent to "upgrade" to a Tesla and have asked for my research notes.
The LS 460 was a great car and I loved my time with it. This particular Model S is more expensive than the LS 460, but also more enjoyable to drive (so far). We plan to possibly head up to Tahoe during Labor Day weekend. This will be the first test on a semi-long trip and we may need to Supercharge for the first time. Looking forward to it.
08-15-19, 04:28 PM
