Just returned from the Santana Row event, some thoughts:
The TM rep we talked to said that the "esses" on display had recently come off the production line although they did have "Beta" painted on the lower third of the doors.
The leather colors in the digital design studio are not accurate, the grey appears a little darker and the tan appears more yellow than the showroom samples.
According to the TM rep. the design studio should be up and running next week.
As for the S, the fit and finish of interior trim is not quite what I would expect from a car in it's class. Most strikingly, the doors don't have that solid sound/feel you get with a MB or Audi. Perhaps because it's aluminum and lighter weight? The interior door latch release handles look great but feel "thin" and a little too "sharp" (not literally sharp but not totally smooth either) on the fingers. The center armrest/cup-holder seems like an after thought and I think the cup-holder would be just about useless.
The gear shift is on the steering column, I didn't think federal guidelines even allowed this. The TM rep said that they had borrowed a shift lever from a Mercedes but I can't think of any North American production car that has a gear shift on the steering column. The roadsters have pushbuttons why didn't TM stick with this design?
Man, I'm not going to like cruse control on the stalk if it's really like that in the final version.
Is it wrong if I want an app that has Picard say "Engage" every time I put the car into drive? :-)
My merc has the cruise control stalk, and I find it very intuitive and easy to use. Just different to a bunch of buttons, is all.
The Merc cruise control stalk is so intuitive and easy to use that i sincerely hope it stays. That is a great feature. I use my cruise control all the time even in city driving because it is so easy. can't say i did that with any previous car. The stalk gear selector bothers me a bit, as in a right hand drive country, it can be mistaken for turn indicator or wiper control, especially if the family has two cars e.g. Japanese and European. The indicator stalks are on opposite sides of the steering column. Makes for confusion if you drive both vehicles on occasion.
ddruz, I stand corrected: In the new design studio it is obvious that there are three(!) stalks on the left hand side of the steering wheel: Dedicated wiper stalk at the top, big indicator (and presumably high-beam, possibly more light-related functions) in the middle, and the small cruise control stalk at the bottom.
I thought the bottom stalk was or adjusting the steering wheel?
I like the uniqueness of the lacewood, but am concerned by EcLectric's comments about the lack of consistency of the trim in the betas. I like the dark brown look in the new design studio, which would go well with black leather interior, but not the speckled lighter gray version I have seen in other photos. Perhaps the difference is between earlier and later beta models. Regardless, I may have to go with piano black if Tesla can't ensure a consistent look for the lacewood interior.
Blue is also my top choice, but I wish I could see it in person on a beta. I'm guessing we won't see it for a while since this is not a Signature color and therefore probably not in production.
I like the uniqueness of the lacewood, but am concerned by EcLectric's comments about the lack of consistency of the trim in the betas. I like the dark brown look in the new design studio, which would go well with black leather interior, but not the speckled lighter gray version I have seen in other photos. - bbmertz
What dark brown lacewood are you referring to?
Thanks.
Larry
A great pity that the lacewood has been stained black. It would look great left natural colour and varnished. Natural timber goes with virtually any colour scheme.
Dborn. +1
On the cars at Santana Row, the skinny stalk at the top was cruise control. The big fat stalk below it was turn signals and wiper controls. The stubby little stalk at the bottom (very short) adjusts the steering wheel.
Personally, the only thing I don't like about the stalk arrangement is that the cruise control is closer to where I place my hands while driving than the turn signal is. I use the turn signal far more often than cruise, so I would prefer for those two to be exchanged.
Obviously, MB drivers have done fine with this configuration, so I'm sure it's not a big deal, but it's not how I would have done it if I were the benevolent dictator. ;-)
Michael;
"Imperial benevolent Designer-In-Chief-King", you mean. (Better acronym).
;p
On the cars at Santana Row, the skinny stalk at the top was cruise control. The big fat stalk below it was turn signals and wiper controls. The stubby little stalk at the bottom (very short) adjusts the steering wheel. (Michael37)
Thank you for filling in the details! So my guess based on the design studio images was a little off.
CC on a stick is definitly the more intuitive way to go. My wife's Volvo has it as a button on the steering wheel. I always have to look down to find it, taking my eyes of the road. In my Passat however it's just an up or down click on a button on a stick. As it is the only button on that side of the stick, the hands have no trouble finding it It becomes muscle memory.
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love that Tesla is in California USA