2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.com

2013 Tesla Model S Long-Term Road Test

Premium Center Console option for the Edmunds long-term 2013 Tesla Model S.

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dunning15

This thing is terrible. They're not trying to make money off it - they're trying to appease a group of owners that complain every five minutes about the interior having no storage space. I don't think they should have ever made it and left it all to 3rd party suppliers.

Just like the rear cupholders they felt obligated to offer this console is an absolute aberration.

fordson1

Or maybe they could just, you know, give you a console, coathooks and cupholders befitting a $100,000 sedan. Actually, all car interiors ARE made by third-party suppliers; the difference between all the other brands and Tesla is with the other brands, those suppliers are referred to as "OEMs," the carmaker has the interior completely installed BEFORE the end of the assembly line, and doesn't charge its customers extra for having done that. Jesus.

dunning15

Fordson I sure hope that your last line above isn't your signature.

duck87

Speaking of "gripes", I found a hilarious article on the internet that apparently thinks that Edmunds is just a group of Tesla haters: http://cleantechnica.com/2014/03/22/hatin-tesla-model-s-seems-edmunds-pastime/

Considering the car has had two motors and one battery pack replaced, most of the 'gripes' were nitpicks and the Edmunds crew seems to love the car despite putting only 20K miles on it so far. If anything, you’ve got to question Edmunds’ journalistic integrity for defending the Tesla S after so many failures and not giving us an answer on what happened to the Dart. These eco-nut Tesla fanboys are even worse than Prius owners.

wheelieone

I think you would find the vast majority of Tesla fans are into technology and performance cars, not tree huggers. To think otherwise is your own skewed bias. Most Tesla owners were previous Porsche, BMW, Audi and Mercedes owners etc. The Tesla user forums fully support that. Those brands are hardly eco-friendly.

And considering the April 2014 issue of Consumer Reports rated the Tesla number #1 again, which included owner surveys, it seems more likely that Edmonds got an early VIN# before the bugs were worked out. If you've ever seen the paper Consumer Reports annual survey mailer you would know that it is very analytical, not subjective. Every component under the sun is listed numerically on that Survey and you simply check the boxes of any work that was performed.

Obviously Edmonds would be checking many boxes on such a survey as they have had a long string of issues. Anyone with "issues" would certainly check a box. It would seem very few boxes were checked from the Tesla owners that filled out the annual survey. There is no reason to believe that Tesla owners would lie any more than Lexus, Audi, Porsche or even Cadillac owners would lie. People love whatever brand of cars they buy, which is why they buy them in the first place. People don't like it when cars have problems and they are quick to check a box if it happened.

The data that is available everywhere shows this Edmonds Tesla to be the outlier.

fordson1

Shhhh...I like to mix it up with the mortals sometimes.

fordson1

wheelieone, I would suggest that Edmunds' Tesla to be an outlier in one other sense, too - it's the only one out there that has been long-term tested by an objective entity for one year and 20,000 miles. Now, if there were any other comparable long-term evaluations that revealed few problems, you might be able to suggest that Edmunds' car is an outlier. If fact, the most recent CR reliability data, from 637 owners, is solidly "average," they report.

redxsage

dunning15 wrote, "I don't think they should have ever made it and left it all to 3rd party suppliers."

Correctomundo! I figure the conversation between a complaining Customer and a Designer would go something like this:

"Map pockets? Why? We gave you Google Maps."

"Storage bins? Why? We gave you a Frunk."

"More cupholders? Waitasec... How often do you take the drive through at Der Wienerschnitzel anyway? Besides, the pop-up drink holder box they give you will fit in the space you said you wanted a center console. How's this for an idea... Give the kids in back sippy cups."

"Coat hooks? Frunk."

"Grab handles? What are you, ninety?"

fordson1 suggested, "Or maybe they could just, you know, give you a console, coathooks and cupholders befitting a $100,000 sedan."

As for the interior... I'm fairly certain that the mid-season replacement for the Model S will have plenty of the prerequisite coat hooks, map pockets, cubbies, bins, armrests, reading lights, and cupholders that cloud the interiors of everyone else's luxury car. Or maybe not.

On the other hand... That 1978 Tesla Model S Brougham LTD will be mighty nice indeed, rolling on Dayton knock-off wire wheels with white wall tires. That faux phantom top is the business! Let's go back to the future!

duck87 noted, "I found a hilarious article on the internet that apparently thinks that Edmunds is just a group of Tesla haters..."

Yeah, I saw that and commented the other day. Personally, I've been enjoying reading the reports here at Edmunds. I've also enjoyed you guy's comments quite a bit too. You guys are all awesome.

Especially you, Jesus!

ssdajoker

Or maybe y'all can take y'all fat asses home and drink. I don't have cup holders, I don't have a center console , it's a wee bit flimsy. Good Lord y'all sound like little spoiled babies. I get that BMWs and Benzes for that price are awash with the highest grade materials but they have had decades to get their [non-permissible content removed] together. Y'all act like Tesla has been around since Nikola created the damn A/C induction motor. This is all brand new stuff people. The first IPod looks and feels like [non-permissible content removed] compared to the latest generation iPod touch. Same with the first generation Nest, same with the Sony Walkman. Get real.

nicad

I am hoping we get some more information on how the new drivetrain is working before this long term review is wound down. Really at this point Edmunds would be doing the auto enthusiast market a huge service to continue piling the miles on the Tesla S and make this a much longer long term test.
When I sat in a model S at the showroom I got the feeling that the interior and trim were of mediocre quality and not fully sorted through durability testing. Sure is a great driving experience though.

duck87

@wheelieone: Eco-nuts refers specifically to folks like the author for that website, they are a very special group. The main thing I noticed about Tesla owners is that they are more of the smartphone-user demographic and not much of the engineering and un

fordson1

redxsage, that's always a great thing to tell customers - that the replacement for their car will have the features they're asking for. That always goes over real well. People, the car's drivetrain is all-new. Car interiors are just...car interiors. Suggesting that doing a $100,000 luxury sedan interior is some kind of all-new moonshot just because the car is powered by electricity rather than an internal combustion engine is ridiculous. Tell me about the challenges of redesigning a console or a visor vanity mirror for an EV as opposed to an ICE. I'm listening.

redxsage

nicad suggested, "Really at this point Edmunds would be doing the auto enthusiast market a huge service to continue piling the miles on the Tesla S and make this a much longer long term test." ... Yeah, I agree. I said elsewhere that I'd like them to keep this car for three-to-five years. They've already had the expense of installing the HPWC. They'd might as well keep the car for a very long term.

redxsage

fordson1 observed, "that's always a great thing to tell customers - that the replacement for their car will have the features they're asking for. That always goes over real well." ... Hey, Man, I agree! I'm a General Motors man through and through, but they did the same for ages. Too many of their cars at all trim levels just seemed incomplete, missing features that make you go, "Hmmm..." Right? They are a lot better in that regard today. ... fordson1 challenged, "Tell me about the challenges of redesigning a console or a visor vanity mirror for an EV as opposed to an ICE. I'm listening." ... Once again, I'm not saying it was the right decision to go this route. I'm just saying that I understand. The Tesla Model S has an interior that is much more open and inviting than the multitude of luxury vehicles that have always used the Rolls Royce Silver Phantom as their benchmark. Because it eschewed a lot of the standard issue accoutrements, it lacks some functional aspects that are expected, even if they are rarely used. When the Lexus LS400 debuted, it was very obvious that everything about the car was meant to take aim squarely at Mercedes, inside and out. Tesla Motors aimed at no one but their Customers with the Model S interior. They will have to aim again to satisfy a larger user base. Look for the prerequisite 3.5 cupholders per passenger to appear in the Model X -- whether you need them or not. ;-)

duck87

You don't need 3.5 cupholders. We already discussed this on previous Model S posts (http://www.edmunds.com/tesla/model-s/2013/long-term-road-test/2013-tesla-model-s-the-center-console-or-lack-thereof.html). As I said at that point, relocating the cupholders with a sliding cover over them, having a deeper shelf under the screen, raising the entire console a bit and adding actual armrest storage are very simple improvements and would fit in with the minimalist nature of the car while providing much needed functionality. You don't need to benchmark a Phantom for the center console, you just need to do better than putting a bin on the floor that doesn't hold anything when you're driving. You're paying $100K for a car, there's no excuse for this or the wobbly Wal-Mart console they provide as an option.

redxsage

duck87 noted, "You don't need 3.5 cupholders." -- This was just hyperbole on my part. I was referring to how some car reviewers are perplexed at finding 22 or more cupholders in a seven passenger minivan or SUV. ;-) ... "As I said at that point, relocating the cupholders with a sliding cover over them, having a deeper shelf under the screen, raising the entire console a bit and adding actual armrest storage are very simple improvements and would fit in with the minimalist nature of the car while providing much needed functionality." -- Precisely as I would have done. But I don't get paid the big bucks. I understand why the designer built it this way, I also understand why it should be different. ... "You don't need to benchmark a Phantom for the center console, you just need to do better than putting a bin on the floor that doesn't hold anything when you're driving" -- Apparently the floor tray works for a purse, or a briefcase. I don't use either of those. I believe they just didn't want to have that separated, divided cockpit and wanted to avoid any semblance of the traditional, longitudinal, transmission hump, no matter how practical that space has become over the years. I may be a bit more forgiving that most. My 1990 Honda Accord EX Coupe was curious for its mysteriously absent center storage -- nothing there but the emergency brake. They added it for the 1992 model year. That's what I got for buying it the first year. But I settled for my first choice, instead of saving six months more to get an Acura Legend Coupe instead.

jim_in_nj_

fordson1 "Now, if there were any other comparable long-term evaluations that revealed few problems, you might be able to suggest that Edmunds' car is an outlier."

FYI, Motor Trend took delivery of their "Long Term" Model S in August, or 6 months after Edmunds. MT has only done three posts about theeir Model S, and MT's latest update (posted March 3rd) doesn't indicate any problems in the 11,015 miles they've driven the car. Also, Consumer Reports put 11,380 miles on their Model S, and haven't reported any problems. And CR got their Model S before Edmunds. It looks like Edmund's car is an outlier.

www.motortrend.com/roadtests/oneyear/alternative/1403_2013_tesla_model_s_p85_update_2/

www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2013/12/update-tesla-model-s-one-year-on/index.htm

fordson1

I read the Motor Trend one, and it does not seem as though they have had issues, but I don't know for sure - have to wait. As for CR, they have become fanboys - there is no other word for it. They lost a lot of credibility with that 99-point rating. Look at their Talking Cars episode #5 - it's a joke - they're raving about the car...but in the midst of their raving, they admit that their windshield cracked and that the car has a clunk at parking speeds, which is a noted precursor symptom to motor bearing problems...which is what's at the root of a lot of Model S powertrain replacements - including Edmunds' car.

drtaras

"There are other aftermarket options out there, but I haven't seen them in person, nor have I heard any reactions to them."

1) If you're in LA, you can visit Elie (or me) to see one in person: www.AE54.com. If you're in FLA, you can visit them www.teslaccessories.com.

2) LOVE their product which I have had for a year! More on that here: www.teslamotorsclub.com/showthread.php/14877-Dr-Taras-Model-S-gets-customized!

DrTaras, Tesla Brand Ambassador @ 22,613 miles

evannex

There are a number of third party aftermarket center console options for the Model S that are popular too:
http://www.teslaccessories.com/pages/shop-cci