Ok so who has the biggest anecdote? CNET has the platform, and it’s an ad sponsored medium willing to hit pieces for a fee. I just like to argue on the internet for fake points. I recently owned a 2015 Lexus LX570 that engaged emergency seatbelt tensioners (and I think engaged auto braking too?) every time I came across a steel plate road cover for construction. Something about the solid metal hit the radar system just right and caused it to panic. And caused me to damn near have a heart attack every time and swerve, hitting something else. That’s dangerous, and it’s Lexus flagship model. I traded that in for a Model Y.
I have occasionally had phantom braking, and I think the collision warning system is a little frenetic, but phantom braking beats the hell out of phantom acceleration (Ford?), or you know, not braking when it really should (most other late model cars on the road today, and also many new cars currently for sale). I consider it an annoyance but not a safety concern unless there’s some jagweed tailgating me. If you are an appropriately responsive driver with your hands on the wheel and feet ready to engage the pedals, you can trivially override the braking. Only if you tune out does it become a problem. Was the author not safely piloting his vehicle?
The real reason I can tell this is a hit piece is that anyone reviewing the Model Y knows that it’s nearly perfect in every way, maybe a little too expensive, maybe a little cheapish materials in certain areas, but the real massive failure is that the suspension is borderline intolerable on routine city streets. Still thinking about trading it in for that reason alone.
Elon, if you or anyone at Tesla read this, please for the love of all that is good give me an option for variable suspension modes. I got the black turbine wheel upgrade that CNET rightfully said to pass on because, while the look absolutely amazing, I feel like I’ve become one with the asphalt in a bad way. I can’t use the cup holders because my coffees shoot out of the little sip holes at every minor bump. Maybe it’s just me coming from a soggy bottomed LX.