We have had a Touring reservation for a few months now and finally got to go to a Studio while visiting my parents and do a test drive (they had an last minute extra appointment so allowed a lowly Touring customer to do a test drive ;-). This was the first time I’ve seen one in person.
We have had several Tesla model S’s (2014, 2019, 2021) and our priorities are efficiency, comfort, charging speed, and realistic range, and overall customer experience relative to our Model S.
There were 5 of us on the test drive of a GT - white 19” wheels. A few impressions.
Pros:
- OMG - the SMELL and feel of the leather seats was fantastic. I’ve had a few cars with leather but really didn’t expect this much difference in the quality. I thought I would be ok with vegan seats like I have in model S but now I would splurge for that leather.
- the seating position and comfort was excellent. We drive across country in spring and fall so long distance comfort is key.
- I tried the massaging seats for a minute (as did everyone in our party) and we were all wow-ed. Again would pay more for them if they were available in the Touring but not $40K more for the GT :-(
- exterior looks was really attractive though I don’t love the platium roof and frunk surround though it is better in person.
- The tahoe interior was nice though the two tone isn’t my favorite
- the space and comfort was great even for 5 adults
- we didn’t go on any really rough surfaced roads but my impression was the ride quality and road noise was less than our model S (hate how they made the 2021/22 air suspension much stiffer than prior models).
- no rattles or squeaks (model S has two annoying ones Tesla is still trying to fix)
- I liked the glass roof more than expected - it seemed to enhance the experience more than on the model X I had as a loaner. I wanted to save money an get the metal roof but now I think I need to add that to the config.
- liked the little touch of the instrument cluster showing using/regenning power - had that on Volt and i3 and I like that feedback to maximize range/efficiency
- high regen was ok - didn’t seem any stronger than the 2021 Tesla but I am an avid one pedal driver and read how strong regen was but seemed normal to me
- loved how wide the doors open
- loved the frunk power open and close - makes it much more likely to use (especially since it is so much larger than tesla.
- loved having the ability to see and test drive a $100K car before I own it (Tesla model S)
- no car play ;-) - just thought I would weak those that are passionate about it - I don’t care one way or another
- no stupid gaming stuff that elon insists on (though dog mode and fart mode are nice)
- people staffing the studio were all great - step up from the frantic and somewhat disinterested Tesla employee interactions we have had
- normal controls work well and I think would be easier for my wife (she doesn’t drive the Model S much so isn’t 100% comfortable with the Yoke/button/screen interactions yet
Cons:
- we all preferred the relative quite of the tesla motors to the noise of the Lucid. Not horrible but our preference.
- my wife was in the middle back seat and felt the car would toss her a bit more than expected when I was turning (though normal driving speeds) - maybe just difference between back and front seats or lack of bolsters in middle
- my 85 year old mother really didin’t like the low entry/exit height of the rear seats compared to their model Y (will see how she copes with our model S today)
- miss the satellite map view in Nav - hopefully added in future
- miss the immediate startup of screen - having to wait will probably be addressed in future
- trunk is big with lower storage but not as useful as the model S hatch with our Labrador getting in and out
Bottom line Liked the car and am keeping the reservation. I am not 100% sure whether we will flip the tesla for the Touring. We are retirees reliant on the market for income (no pensions) so not sure if we will be up for flipping the Tesla and confirming the Touring when the time comes. The positive test drive increased the chance we will and will be monitoring the board to see what happens between now and then.
Thanks to everyone for contributing your experiences as it really helps getting real user feedback without the Tesla fan boy (and Tesla share holder) bias we see on the Tesla forums.
We have had several Tesla model S’s (2014, 2019, 2021) and our priorities are efficiency, comfort, charging speed, and realistic range, and overall customer experience relative to our Model S.
There were 5 of us on the test drive of a GT - white 19” wheels. A few impressions.
Pros:
- OMG - the SMELL and feel of the leather seats was fantastic. I’ve had a few cars with leather but really didn’t expect this much difference in the quality. I thought I would be ok with vegan seats like I have in model S but now I would splurge for that leather.
- the seating position and comfort was excellent. We drive across country in spring and fall so long distance comfort is key.
- I tried the massaging seats for a minute (as did everyone in our party) and we were all wow-ed. Again would pay more for them if they were available in the Touring but not $40K more for the GT :-(
- exterior looks was really attractive though I don’t love the platium roof and frunk surround though it is better in person.
- The tahoe interior was nice though the two tone isn’t my favorite
- the space and comfort was great even for 5 adults
- we didn’t go on any really rough surfaced roads but my impression was the ride quality and road noise was less than our model S (hate how they made the 2021/22 air suspension much stiffer than prior models).
- no rattles or squeaks (model S has two annoying ones Tesla is still trying to fix)
- I liked the glass roof more than expected - it seemed to enhance the experience more than on the model X I had as a loaner. I wanted to save money an get the metal roof but now I think I need to add that to the config.
- liked the little touch of the instrument cluster showing using/regenning power - had that on Volt and i3 and I like that feedback to maximize range/efficiency
- high regen was ok - didn’t seem any stronger than the 2021 Tesla but I am an avid one pedal driver and read how strong regen was but seemed normal to me
- loved how wide the doors open
- loved the frunk power open and close - makes it much more likely to use (especially since it is so much larger than tesla.
- loved having the ability to see and test drive a $100K car before I own it (Tesla model S)
- no car play ;-) - just thought I would weak those that are passionate about it - I don’t care one way or another
- no stupid gaming stuff that elon insists on (though dog mode and fart mode are nice)
- people staffing the studio were all great - step up from the frantic and somewhat disinterested Tesla employee interactions we have had
- normal controls work well and I think would be easier for my wife (she doesn’t drive the Model S much so isn’t 100% comfortable with the Yoke/button/screen interactions yet
Cons:
- we all preferred the relative quite of the tesla motors to the noise of the Lucid. Not horrible but our preference.
- my wife was in the middle back seat and felt the car would toss her a bit more than expected when I was turning (though normal driving speeds) - maybe just difference between back and front seats or lack of bolsters in middle
- my 85 year old mother really didin’t like the low entry/exit height of the rear seats compared to their model Y (will see how she copes with our model S today)
- miss the satellite map view in Nav - hopefully added in future
- miss the immediate startup of screen - having to wait will probably be addressed in future
- trunk is big with lower storage but not as useful as the model S hatch with our Labrador getting in and out
Bottom line Liked the car and am keeping the reservation. I am not 100% sure whether we will flip the tesla for the Touring. We are retirees reliant on the market for income (no pensions) so not sure if we will be up for flipping the Tesla and confirming the Touring when the time comes. The positive test drive increased the chance we will and will be monitoring the board to see what happens between now and then.
Thanks to everyone for contributing your experiences as it really helps getting real user feedback without the Tesla fan boy (and Tesla share holder) bias we see on the Tesla forums.
