2016 Tesla Model S (facelift) review

[farhanorakzai]

I'll start off by saying that I've never reviewed a car before, and had never planned on doing so, but I see the Model S as a giant piece of tech more than a car. I'll try to keep this review as objective as possible (I'm a giant Tesla fanboy). So I've had the Model S for about 2 months now and feel like I'm ready to share pros and quirks.

 

The door handles are flush with the car and present themselves when you walk up to the car with the key fob in your pocket or when you touch them with the key nearby.

 

There's very little maintenance to the car. It doesn't have an engine or need any oil, so the only stuff you have to worry about is the windshield wipers, the wiper fluid, the tires and the brake pads (which last longer than other cars due to the regenerative braking)

 

The first thing you notice when you get in is the giant 17 inch touch screen that controls just about everything in the car from music to air conditioning to headlights, etc. The car comes with free LTE connectivity, so you can listen to internet radio or use the built in web browser to well, browse the internet (although I wouldn't suggest doing that while driving. 

 

The biggest thing about the car when you first drive it is that it's almost completely silent, some people love that, some hate it. 

 

Autopilot: it works exceptionally well when used as Tesla recommends. It's not meant to drive itself, rather take the boring parts of driving off the driver. It currently does almost everything on the highway except take exits (coming later with software update). Another note are the over the air software updates which keep breathing new life into the car with new features as Tesla adds them. 

 

2016 refresh: the refreshed Model S brings with it a new front fascia (some love it, some hate it), all led adaptive headlights, an integrated center console, and a hepa filter that brings bioweapon defense mode. Bioweapon defense mode uses the hepa filter and 2 carbon filters to remove contaminants from the air, such as allergens. Now, bioweapon defense mode comes off as a gimmick, and it is unless you have allergies or live in area that doesn't have great air quality. The only times I ever use it is when somone farts in the car.

 

Acceleration: I don't have a P90D or a P100D, but the acceleration is absolutely crazy. It's like nothing I've ever felt before due to the instant torque of the electric motor. The second you press the accelerator pedal, you get power.

 

Tax incentive: If you liv live in the US, there is a federal ev incentive of $7500 and more depending on your state 

 

Range: my 70kwh model gets 234 miles on a single charge, but since Tesla recommends that you charge it to 90% for daily use, it's 210 miles. I don't drive anywhere near that, so it's perfect for me although range anxiety really depends on how much you drive daily. 

 

Now, let's get to some of the not so pleasant stuff. First off, it takes too long to charge the car. I have a nema 14-50 outlet which takes about 6 hours for a full charge, but a standard 120v outlet can take more than 60 hours. Sure superchargers charge really really quickly, but for most people they're out of the way. Another thing is, the headroom in the back is pretty bad. If you're taller than 5 ft 11inches, you're probably going to have to bend your neck. The panoramic sun roof helps a bit, but not all that much. Another issue is that the air conditioning is a bit weak and takes some time to cool the car down, especially in the back seats, sure you can precool the car with the Tesla app, but it's a little inconvenient. The biggest downside to the Model S is that the interior quality is a little bit on the low side. The car came out to $83,000 in total and the interior is blown away by a Mercedes that's costs $30k less. The interior quality is something Tesla needs to improve in the Model S, I've seen multiple people who usually buy BMW's and Mercedes for whom, the Tesla interior was a deal breaker, although I don't mind too much.

 

TL;dr: The Tesla Model S is an amazing piece of technology that screams "car of the future" with all of its connected features. Although it does have its downsides, being that the interior quality is inferior to other cars in the price range, I would definitely buy it again and can whole heartedly recommend it.

 

In case I didn't cover something, or you have any questions, feel free to ask

 

Pics:

http://imgur.com/QlnQH3B
http://imgur.com/IDVO3JM
http://imgur.com/laAYD0B
http://imgur.com/uPqy7XF
http://imgur.com/yyHjR7Y

http://imgur.com/AYqW4UN
http://imgur.com/HrXUhki
http://imgur.com/nY0gOkh
http://imgur.com/e4Knp5C
http://imgur.com/wuga62i
http://imgur.com/mgiOngy
http://imgur.com/oDkNkc9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[terrytek]

All the images are broken

 

also i absolutely hate the new front fascia. i liked the old one because it still looked like a normal front end.  the new one looks so ugly. i don't know why tesla thought it was smart to use the model x fascia on the model s.

[farhanorakzai]

1 minute ago, terrytek said:

All the images are broken

 

also i absolutely hate the new front fascia. i liked the old one because it still looked like a normal front end.  the new one looks so ugly. i don't know why tesla thought it was smart to use the model x fascia on the model s.

Fixed with imgur links 

[johnt]

43 minutes ago, farhanorakzai said:

brake pads (which last longer than other cars due to the regenerative braking)

Could you explain this a bit more?

[dalekphalm]

24 minutes ago, JohnT said:

Could you explain this a bit more?

Brake pads wear out do to friction, which is translated into heat, which is wasted energy. This happens because the material of the pad actually wears down over time.

 

Regenerative braking essentially turns your brake pads into an electric generator, so that energy that is normally wasted as friction, into heat, into waste energy, is instead captured and stored. Your pads still wear down, but not as much, as some of that energy is redirected into the electric generator instead of being wasted via friction on the pads themselves.

 

Though this is an incredibly simplistic explanation. I'm not an engineer nor a mechanic, so perhaps someone else can explain it better.

[johnt]

4 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

Your pads still wear down, but not as much

How is the extent of brade pad degradation determined to be less or "not as much?"

 

It seems the marketing department pulled this one out of a hat. I would imagine that brake pads degrade the same extent regardless of what happens with the heat after the pads are applied to the brake calibers. Now if it's a higher quality brake pad, then that's a different story... but that has nothing to do with "regenerative braking."

[farhanorakzai]

7 minutes ago, JohnT said:

How is the extent of brade pad degradation determined to be less or "not as much?"

 

It seems the marketing department pulled this one out of a hat. I would imagine that brake pads degrade the same extent regardless of what happens with the heat after the pads are applied to the brake calibers. Now if it's a higher quality brake pad, then that's a different story... but that has nothing to do with "regenerative braking."

The Model S uses the motor to slow itself down when you take your foot off of the accelerator. The only time that the brake pads are used is when you really need to stop immediately and stomp the brakes, which is why they last longer. Most Tesla owners rarely use the brakes, but drive with only the accelerator pedal 

[BuckGup]

So is creep programmed into it? I know people were complaining waiting at stop lights. BTW I am really jelly. I want a Tesla really bad

[terrytek]

6 minutes ago, SamStrecker said:

So is creep programmed into it? I know people were complaining waiting at stop lights. BTW I am really jelly. I want a Tesla really bad

i'd buy a tesla, if they can replicate an engine noise very accurately, like you can buy a sound from tesla for a price (exotic engines more money, inline 4s cheaper, so forth) and it can accurately replicate that gasoline engine sound while accelerating. it would somewhat help me transition from gas to electric, though i'm still a gasoline engine purist at heart. though i do like the acceleration of the tesla p90d and p100d.

[BuckGup]

Just now, terrytek said:

i'd buy a tesla, if they can replicate an engine noise very accurately, like you can buy a sound from tesla for a price (exotic engines more money, inline 4s cheaper, so forth) and it can accurately replicate that gasoline engine sound while accelerating. it would somewhat help me transition from gas to electric, though i'm still a gasoline engine purist at heart. though i do like the acceleration of the tesla p90d and p100d.

I think the silence adds to it. Like a ninja that goes 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. Imagine the G's

[terrytek]

1 minute ago, SamStrecker said:

I think the silence adds to it. Like a ninja that goes 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. Imagine the G's

nah, i like the sound of an engine behind that acceleration. it tells me that i'm actually using the power of an engine to move.

[ShadowCaptain]

16 hours ago, JohnT said:

How is the extent of brade pad degradation determined to be less or "not as much?"

 

It seems the marketing department pulled this one out of a hat. 

 

Engine braking! - the motors are used as a brake and they regenerate electricity during this time so you A get more range and B dont wear down brake pads

4 hours ago, terrytek said:

nah, i like the sound of an engine behind that acceleration. it tells me that i'm actually using the power of an engine to move.

I thought that but having driven a few it never bothered me, and im a petrol head

[farhanorakzai]

8 hours ago, SamStrecker said:

So is creep programmed into it? I know people were complaining waiting at stop lights. BTW I am really jelly. I want a Tesla really bad

Yeah, you can turn creep on or off in the settings menu 

[MadOver]

One thing I always wonder is what happens when the car battery cicle finish (around 6-7years right?)  .. You would have to buy a entire set of bats and if its the cheaper model, might even cost almost as much as the car! 

How do you see the second hand market for teslas...

[dalekphalm]

9 minutes ago, MadOver said:

One thing I always wonder is what happens when the car battery cicle finish (around 6-7years right?)  .. You would have to buy a entire set of bats and if its the cheaper model, might even cost almost as much as the car! 

How do you see the second hand market for teslas...

You can purchase a new battery pack from Tesla - though I imagine they're a good $10,000 or more - not sure on the price. I was under the impression they were designed to last 10 years, but that could be incorrect.

 

Buying a used Tesla, much like a used Hybrid, would depend on the age of the battery. I certainly wouldn't buy an 8 year old Tesla, unless I was already prepared to buy a new battery for it anyway, for example.

[MadOver]

Just now, dalekphalm said:

You can purchase a new battery pack from Tesla - though I imagine they're a good $10,000 or more - not sure on the price. I was under the impression they were designed to last 10 years, but that could be incorrect.

 

Buying a used Tesla, much like a used Hybrid, would depend on the age of the battery. I certainly wouldn't buy an 8 year old Tesla, unless I was already prepared to buy a new battery for it anyway, for example.

 

Yea, but add 10K to the cost of the used car and you'll end up better buying a gasoline car  Shame I hope they can get some kind of remarkable achievement in the battery life tech.

[juretrn]

Linus Car Tips?

 

Expect a Citroen Xsara Picasso 2.0 HDi review soon then.

It will include 18" spinner wheels.

 

 

 

Nice review OP

[dalekphalm]

2 hours ago, MadOver said:

 

Yea, but add 10K to the cost of the used car and you'll end up better buying a gasoline car  Shame I hope they can get some kind of remarkable achievement in the battery life tech.

Well it depends on the cost of the used car to begin with. Remember, a brand new Tesla is over $80K (Generally over $100K in Canada), so even a used one will be pretty expensive. Plus you're already paying a premium for them anyway. People only buy Tesla's because they want Tesla's. For $100K, you can get some damn fucking fine Gas powered cars.

 

So if you were gonna buy, say, a $50K used Merc, vs a $50K used Tesla + another $10K for a battery, that extra $10K probably isn't the deciding factor, but one of many factors.

 

Personally, I wouldn't buy a used Hybrid or Electric, unless the car was less than 3 years old. And even then, I'd be very cautious.

 

Though if I were buying new, I'd definitely consider a Hybrid, at least, for my next car. But I won't be getting another car at all for another... 5-8 years probably.

[AlanAlan]

On August 30, 2016 at 6:56 AM, farhanorakzai said:

I'll start off by saying that I've never reviewed a car before, and had never planned on doing so, but I see the Model S as a giant piece of tech more than a car. I'll try to keep this review as objective as possible (I'm a giant Tesla fanboy). So I've had the Model S for about 2 months now and feel like I'm ready to share pros and quirks.

 

The door handles are flush with the car and present themselves when you walk up to the car with the key fob in your pocket or when you touch them with the key nearby.

 

There's very little maintenance to the car. It doesn't have an engine or need any oil, so the only stuff you have to worry about is the windshield wipers, the wiper fluid, the tires and the brake pads (which last longer than other cars due to the regenerative braking)

 

The first thing you notice when you get in is the giant 17 inch touch screen that controls just about everything in the car from music to air conditioning to headlights, etc. The car comes with free LTE connectivity, so you can listen to internet radio or use the built in web browser to well, browse the internet (although I wouldn't suggest doing that while driving. 

 

The biggest thing about the car when you first drive it is that it's almost completely silent, some people love that, some hate it. 

 

Autopilot: it works exceptionally well when used as Tesla recommends. It's not meant to drive itself, rather take the boring parts of driving off the driver. It currently does almost everything on the highway except take exits (coming later with software update). Another note are the over the air software updates which keep breathing new life into the car with new features as Tesla adds them. 

 

2016 refresh: the refreshed Model S brings with it a new front fascia (some love it, some hate it), all led adaptive headlights, an integrated center console, and a hepa filter that brings bioweapon defense mode. Bioweapon defense mode uses the hepa filter and 2 carbon filters to remove contaminants from the air, such as allergens. Now, bioweapon defense mode comes off as a gimmick, and it is unless you have allergies or live in area that doesn't have great air quality. The only times I ever use it is when somone farts in the car.

 

Acceleration: I don't have a P90D or a P100D, but the acceleration is absolutely crazy. It's like nothing I've ever felt before due to the instant torque of the electric motor. The second you press the accelerator pedal, you get power.

 

Tax incentive: If you liv live in the US, there is a federal ev incentive of $7500 and more depending on your state 

 

Range: my 70kwh model gets 234 miles on a single charge, but since Tesla recommends that you charge it to 90% for daily use, it's 210 miles. I don't drive anywhere near that, so it's perfect for me although range anxiety really depends on how much you drive daily. 

 

Now, let's get to some of the not so pleasant stuff. First off, it takes too long to charge the car. I have a nema 14-50 outlet which takes about 6 hours for a full charge, but a standard 120v outlet can take more than 60 hours. Sure superchargers charge really really quickly, but for most people they're out of the way. Another thing is, the headroom in the back is pretty bad. If you're taller than 5 ft 11inches, you're probably going to have to bend your neck. The panoramic sun roof helps a bit, but not all that much. Another issue is that the air conditioning is a bit weak and takes some time to cool the car down, especially in the back seats, sure you can precool the car with the Tesla app, but it's a little inconvenient. The biggest downside to the Model S is that the interior quality is a little bit on the low side. The car came out to $83,000 in total and the interior is blown away by a Mercedes that's costs $30k less. The interior quality is something Tesla needs to improve in the Model S, I've seen multiple people who usually buy BMW's and Mercedes for whom, the Tesla interior was a deal breaker, although I don't mind too much.

 

TL;dr: The Tesla Model S is an amazing piece of technology that screams "car of the future" with all of its connected features. Although it does have its downsides, being that the interior quality is inferior to other cars in the price range, I would definitely buy it again and can whole heartedly recommend it.

 

In case I didn't cover something, or you have any questions, feel free to ask

 

Pics:

http://imgur.com/QlnQH3B
http://imgur.com/IDVO3JM
http://imgur.com/laAYD0B
http://imgur.com/uPqy7XF
http://imgur.com/yyHjR7Y

http://imgur.com/AYqW4UN
http://imgur.com/HrXUhki
http://imgur.com/nY0gOkh
http://imgur.com/e4Knp5C
http://imgur.com/wuga62i
http://imgur.com/mgiOngy
http://imgur.com/oDkNkc9

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How much more is your electricity bill after buying the telsa?

[farhanorakzai]

15 hours ago, MadOver said:

One thing I always wonder is what happens when the car battery cicle finish (around 6-7years right?)  .. You would have to buy a entire set of bats and if its the cheaper model, might even cost almost as much as the car! 

How do you see the second hand market for teslas...

 

15 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

You can purchase a new battery pack from Tesla - though I imagine they're a good $10,000 or more - not sure on the price. I was under the impression they were designed to last 10 years, but that could be incorrect.

 

Buying a used Tesla, much like a used Hybrid, would depend on the age of the battery. I certainly wouldn't buy an 8 year old Tesla, unless I was already prepared to buy a new battery for it anyway, for example.

There's an 8 year, unlimited mile warranty on the battery and drive unit, after those 8 years, Tesla might charge you for another battery if you need it, or they might not. With my previous Model S (OG model s with 4 year warranty) Tesla did everything for free even though I was out of warranty, they just make you agree to a good faith agreement 

11 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

How much more is your electricity bill after buying the telsa?

My electricity bill has gone up by about $25 a month (I pay 5.7 cents per kilowatt hour) and I plug the car in every night like Tesla recommends 

[dalekphalm]

5 minutes ago, farhanorakzai said:

 

There's an 8 year, unlimited mile warranty on the battery and drive unit, after those 8 years, Tesla might charge you for another battery if you need it, or they might not. With my previous Model S (OG model s with 4 year warranty) Tesla did everything for free even though I was out of warranty, they just make you agree to a good faith agreement 

My electricity bill has gone up by about $25 a month (I pay 5.7 cents per kilowatt hour) and I plug the car in every night like Tesla recommends 

That's a pretty cheap rate for power - so that's good. Most people spend like eight times that on Gas during a month. So even if electricity rates were double or triple what you pay, it's still cheaper to "fuel" the car.

[farhanorakzai]

14 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

Well it depends on the cost of the used car to begin with. Remember, a brand new Tesla is over $80K (Generally over $100K in Canada), so even a used one will be pretty expensive. Plus you're already paying a premium for them anyway. People only buy Tesla's because they want Tesla's. For $100K, you can get some damn fucking fine Gas powered cars.

 

So if you were gonna buy, say, a $50K used Merc, vs a $50K used Tesla + another $10K for a battery, that extra $10K probably isn't the deciding factor, but one of many factors.

 

Personally, I wouldn't buy a used Hybrid or Electric, unless the car was less than 3 years old. And even then, I'd be very cautious.

 

Though if I were buying new, I'd definitely consider a Hybrid, at least, for my next car. But I won't be getting another car at all for another... 5-8 years probably.

Exactly, I got so much shit from my friends and family for buying "an overpriced, glorified golf cart". Sure there are gas cars like the Mercedes S class (what they tried to convince me to get) that blow the roof off the Model S when it comes to comfort, luxury and build quality. They tried convincing me that getting an electric car was a mistake and that I would run out of battery in the middle of the street that "gas prices are going down anyways". That assumes that people only buy the Model S because it's electric, when that's actually a small part of the reason, and it also helps if you genuinely believe in Tesla's mission and want to be a part of it. Also the buying process was incredibly smooth. I walked into a showroom and asked to test drive it. They didn't even question my age or how I would pay for it or even pressure me into buying. I went home, configured my car, paid the deposit, then got an email from my delivery specialist about 2 weeks later (there's a delivery specialist assigned to you when you place your deposit) saying that my car was going into production and then an email later to schedule delivery. I went in, signed 3 papers and left with the car, all in all spent 20-30 minutes at the service center (10 minutes of that was going over some features)

[MadOver]

9 hours ago, farhanorakzai said:

 

There's an 8 year, unlimited mile warranty on the battery and drive unit, after those 8 years, Tesla might charge you for another battery if you need it, or they might not. With my previous Model S (OG model s with 4 year warranty) Tesla did everything for free even though I was out of warranty, they just make you agree to a good faith agreement 

My electricity bill has gone up by about $25 a month (I pay 5.7 cents per kilowatt hour) and I plug the car in every night like Tesla recommends 

 

 

Thats a good company right there!