While looking after Tesla Model S videos (I do that from time to time), I came across this guy from Norway, Bjørn Nyland, who happens to own a Model S P85 and is the most prolific reviewer of the car I’ve seen so far.
Nyland has made an hour-long review of everything about the Model S – both the good and bad, after one year and 60,000 miles driven. Now, I haven’t watched it all, but I thought someone who wants to order their Model S and is financially ready for it would use what he has to say.
To sum up, here are a few:
Pros:
- reliable motor
- wonderful charging experience
- very good handling
- lots of interior space
- very useful front console
- great autonomy in winter (only about 5-10% less than summer)
Cons:
- the 60kWh model charges slower than the 85kWh, which is not a big problem if you don’t do many long trips often.
- small issues with various plastic parts
- parking sensors get dirty in winter very often
- rear camera practically unusable in winter due to dirt that accumulates on it, needs frequent cleaning
- had one battery issue, one of the switches in the traction battery quit working, but they replaced the whole battery in warranty. The old one had 80,000 km on it, but no signs of degradation, except for that defective switch.
So, beyond all the hype that has been around the Model S lately, the car (especially the first batch) has its inherent pitfalls. However, Nyland says all the issues have been solved promptly and professionally by the Tesla service there in Norway. While they were replacing the battery, Tesla gave him a 60 kWh Model S, so he could notice the differences between the two.
The P85D is surely much better than the original version of the Model S. However, taking into account that the warranty covers pretty much everything that fails on that car, there’s no worry about it letting you when you love your trip more.
After you’ve watched this, you can go to Nyland’s Youtube channel, where he has a ton of videos about the experience with the Model S.
