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Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

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Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#191

Post by moron4hire »

henrikschroder wrote: post #190
moron4hire wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've never been inside a Tesla, but I've driven a few thousand miles in a (rented) BMW, and I would really be very surprised if Tesla could beat BMW in the "pure, crystallized-shit of UX" department. iDrive is an abomination.

A year ago I was testing out a bunch of different cars for longer periods of time, and I found that the BMW was the least bad infotainment system. It's ok. Everyone else is just worse. Cadillac Cue is rage-inducingly bad, I would love to see your reactions to that if you think IDrive is an abomination. :-)

No thanks. I don't need to fly into an rages anytime soon :P

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#192

Post by antsar »

fein wrote: post #182
dmix wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At risk of being a downer in response to a light hearted video and comment, I've read that smartphones can become dangerous projectiles during car accidents. Imagine the speed they could travel at a very sudden stop. Posing a pretty big risk to people in front of them, not to mention themselves. In this video the phone nearly smacked the girl in the face. After reading that I always make sure to check my phone on my…

I believe mythbusters did a similar segment on this. http://kwc.org/mythbusters/2005/08/mythbusters_killer_tissue... I don't believe they found that something the size and weight of a phone could be fatal, given the fire extinguisher that weighed 1kg didn't do much damage.

Maybe not fatal, but could surely knock out some teeth?

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#193

Post by henrikschroder »

kylec wrote: post #62
eclipxe wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard" Why is this a bad thing?

When it comes to in-car controls, you want to be able to use them without taking your eyes off the road. To this end, knobs that you can grasp for and feel the current setting are great. Knobs without a tactile indication of the current setting are OK, as you can find them without looking and only glance down to see that you are selecting the appropriate setting. Buttons are worse because you have to glance down to f…

When I test-drove a Tesla, I was actually surprised that the touch-screen controls weren't as bad as I expected, compared to physical buttons.

They're worse, for sure, but they've actually tried to minimize the problems, contrast ratio is high, buttons are clear, and feedback is as good as it gets without being tactile. Some buttons are also located on the edges, which allows you to feel out their position.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#194

Post by kylec »

beachstartup wrote: post #71
adam12 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it doesn't make them responsible. I just don't think someone should be driving like that unless they are on a test track.

i punch it at full throttle to 65mph every time i use an on-ramp. i bought a performance car to use it as advertised. perfectly legal, and appropriate, when traffic permits. in fact, if you don't, you're probably a shitty driver and need to learn how to merge. when you're merging into a river of steel doing 80mph and you're doing 45 because you're watching the consumption meter on your hybrid, you're an asshole.

I've had people actually stop in front of me on the onramp a few times. Talk about dangerous. Now I and everyone else behind me has to get up to highway speed from 0 in about 50 feet.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#195

Post by varelse »

intherdfield wrote: post #151
beachstartup wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

i punch it at full throttle to 65mph every time i use an on-ramp. i bought a performance car to use it as advertised. perfectly legal, and appropriate, when traffic permits. in fact, if you don't, you're probably a shitty driver and need to learn how to merge. when you're merging into a river of steel doing 80mph and you're doing 45 because you're watching the consumption meter on your hybrid, you're an asshole.

> i punch it at full throttle to 65mph every time i use an > on-ramp. i bought a performance car to use it as advertised. > > perfectly legal, and appropriate, when traffic permits. It's not perfectly legal. Look up reckless driving or exhibition of speed laws. If you have a modern performance car and you do this in front of a cop, you're very likely to get a ticket. (An older car's full throttle might be too slow to…

Little irks me more than the occasional driver who comes to an unnecessary stop to merge onto a highway (I rear-ended one of these geniuses once, neither car was scratched fortunately). Or the guys who slow down to 20 mph when one is supposed to merge at full speed. Sigh...

That said, punching it is indeed an example of exhibition of speed and these videos clearly fit within its definition:

http://www.criminaldefenselawyer.com/crime-penalties/federal...

Is someone going to arrest these people or what? J/K...

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#196

Post by mikeash »

kylec wrote: post #174
greglindahl wrote: post #154

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People with situations like yours (bad parking situation, like to drive long trips along unpopular routes) sure like to complain about it on HN. Not sure if it adds anything to the discussion about the customers Tesla needs to convince to make them successful in the next year or two. BTW, different people have different likes and dislikes about car interiors. Sounds like you should buy a car you like.

Of course. I fully recognize that the Tesla is a great car for a lot of people. I take issue, though, when those people start saying that it's so much better than other cars, pointing out the ways in which the Tesla is better but ignoring the ways in which the Tesla is worse.

Ways in which it's worse: range.

Interior is debatable and subjective. The only concrete thing where it's worse is range. And everybody acknowledges that as far as I can see.

The problem is that a lot of people don't understand how the stuff works, and imagine that the ways in which the Tesla is worse are much worse than they really are.

Edit: range and price, actually. But everybody mentions the price too. Don't mistake "nobody mentions the flaws" with "everybody mentions what flaws there are, there just aren't that many flaws."

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#197

Post by mikeash »

kylec wrote: post #178
greglindahl wrote: post #162

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does "not paying attention" include ignoring the Tesla warnings that you're low on charge, based on your battery level and the distance to nearby charging stations? It's connected to the nav system and knows your route, too. Pretty spiffy.

I don't know, I was using mikeash's phrasing to create a comparable situation. In reality, most cars, including the Tesla, alert you well in advance of running out of fuel so neither case is likely to happen.

A typical car will alert you when you have about 40 miles left. It's not too hard to find yourself in a situation where it's more than 40 miles to a gas station, although it is unlikely.

A Model S will alert you when you're about to drive out of range of known charging stations. If it's 100 miles to the next charging station, it'll start to bug you when you have something over 100 miles left. Not quite the same.

But my point here is, of course, more about the fact that you have to make ~50 (depending on how much you drive and what you drive, obviously) trips to the gas station every year even when you're just local, and thus gas-based range anxiety, while small, is ever-present. In an EV, it's not present at all when local.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#198

Post by marssaxman »

eclipxe wrote: post #27
zippergz wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having driven both a 7 Series and a Model S, I'll take the BMW any day. More comfortable, better handling, looks better, doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard, and allows road trips with far less planning needed. It's nice that the tesla has insane acceleration, but in practice that's not super useful. And gas is a small enough part of my budget that it's not material so that isn't really a factor.

"doesn't have a huge iPad in the dashboard" Why is this a bad thing?

I generally want to keep my eyes on the road when I'm driving, and it's a lot easier to do that with physical controls than a giant touchscreen.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#199

Post by joshu »

dmix wrote: post #173
HCIdivision17 wrote: post #116

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The way the little girl's phone sticks to the back seat after pulling out of her hands is just priceless.

At risk of being a downer in response to a light hearted video and comment, I've read that smartphones can become dangerous projectiles during car accidents. Imagine the speed they could travel at a very sudden stop. Posing a pretty big risk to people in front of them, not to mention themselves. In this video the phone nearly smacked the girl in the face. After reading that I always make sure to check my phone on my…

on the racetracks i drive at, a passenger taking out a phone is an immediate black flag for this very reason.

Re: Tesla’s Model S P85D Scores 103 Out of 100 on Consumer Reports’ Ratings System

#200

Post by rue »

beachstartup wrote: post #71
adam12 wrote: post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Of course it doesn't make them responsible. I just don't think someone should be driving like that unless they are on a test track.

i punch it at full throttle to 65mph every time i use an on-ramp. i bought a performance car to use it as advertised. perfectly legal, and appropriate, when traffic permits. in fact, if you don't, you're probably a shitty driver and need to learn how to merge. when you're merging into a river of steel doing 80mph and you're doing 45 because you're watching the consumption meter on your hybrid, you're an asshole.

In addition to adverts, remember to read the highway code. Typically there’re these niggling rules about appropriate speed, not being disruptive in traffic, and such.
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