SoCal LEAF & EV Gathering, Y7 - Finished - 19 Aug 2017

[SageBrush]

I'm mostly settled on
220 mile battery
PUP
AP

$44k before tax credits.
If I feel cheap I'll skip the PUP, but I really, really, like the glass roof. Enclosed spaces has never been my cup of tea.

[GRA]

Is there any indication the Model 3 offers a built-in sliding sunshade, or will people be dependent on some sort of cheap afterthought band-aid of a sunshade as has happened in the past?

Here's the answer - band-aid it is: https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/ve ... 35832-00-A
Note that this only covers the front section of the roof, over the driver and front passenger (just the rear pano roof section is shown in the photo above, presumably taken with a fish-eye lens). I assume there will also be a shade for the rear section, but it isn't offered yet. It amazes me that Tesla can charge $5k for a Premium interior upgrade, and not offer a sliding sunshade option (w/wo power) for both parts for those who want it, when cars costing far less have offered them. It just seems like they were an afterthought without any real effort being put into it.

[SageBrush]

GRA: the glass is tinted to block most of the IR and enough of the visible light to make it comfortable for most without anything further.

[abasile]

GRA: the glass is tinted to block most of the IR and enough of the visible light to make it comfortable for most without anything further.

If it's anything like the glass roof (the "panoramic roof") on our Model S, then we'll be quite satisfied as is. We love that our pano roof lets in light and makes the cabin feel more open. We've driven the Model S across the Mojave Desert and up the Owens Valley in 110F / 43C temperatures with the sun blazing, and no complaints from anyone.

To us, getting the PUP (Premium Options Package) on the Model 3 is a no-brainer, for the fog lights and nicer interior in addition to the glass roof. And the power adjustable seats with individual driver profiles are really convenient when you have multiple drivers who vary considerably in body size/proportions. The upgraded sound system is another nice bonus, though not something we'd have added a la carte.

Here's what we're thinking we'll order when the time comes:
- Long range battery (+$9K)
- PUP (+$5K)
- Exterior color silver (+$1K) or Pearl White (+$1.5K)
- Dual motors (+ ~$3-5K)
- Enhanced AutoPilot (+$5K)

It seems sensible to not order FSD (Full Self Driving) and then pay a bit more to turn it on later, as it could be a few years or longer before the software and regulations truly enable this capability. On the other hand, I feel that pre-paying for FSD could give us the greatest possible leverage in terms of expecting Tesla to perform any hardware retrofits that may end up being necessary to make FSD work. It'll be interesting to see how much progress Tesla makes toward autonomy by the time we're able to order next year.

We tend to keep our cars for a while, so it's super that the Model 3 (and new S and X vehicles) are relatively future-proof.

Can you tell that I'm excited about the prospect of our whole family up here in the SoCal mountains going completely ICE-free?

[GRA]

GRA: the glass is tinted to block most of the IR and enough of the visible light to make it comfortable for most without anything further.

Which is beside the point for those who want/need a sunshade, which Tesla recognizes by offering one (and presumably the other part eventually), but doesn't speak to my point. If you're going to offer a sunshade to those people, why make it so rinky-dink when far better designs which are more in keeping with the car's design aesthetic and price tag are available?

[garygid]

Tonight's episode 5 of the new TV series Salvation features a de-badged Tesla Model X, carefully showing off the rear seat wing-doors raised/open even when people are only getting in or out of the front seats. The interior shot of the dashboard shows the 17" touchscreen. At about 26 minutes into the episode, where they show the vehicle accelerating to "chase" the bad guy, they dubbed in gas-car type acceleration (increasing engine rpm) sounds.

Has there been any mention of buying the Model 3's $5k AP and $3k FAD options at a later time, to save money now, and then activate those features later?

Without the AP option, does the Model 3 have any form of Cruise Control at all?

See you Saturday, in about 32 hours.

[SageBrush]

Without the AP option, does the Model 3 have any form of Cruise Control at all?

My understanding is that it has the regular, non-dynamic CC.

[SageBrush]

GRA: the glass is tinted to block most of the IR and enough of the visible light to make it comfortable for most without anything further.

Which is beside the point for those who want/need a sunshade, which Tesla recognizes by offering one (and presumably the other part eventually), but doesn't speak to my point. If you're going to offer a sunshade to those people, why make it so rinky-dink when far better designs which are more in keeping with the car's design aesthetic and price tag are available?

Because they find they do not "need" it, and the rinky-dink part sits unused.
Much better that way than to invest the R&D required for a spiffy part that is expensive and then rarely bought and even less often used.

[GRA]

GRA: the glass is tinted to block most of the IR and enough of the visible light to make it comfortable for most without anything further.

Which is beside the point for those who want/need a sunshade, which Tesla recognizes by offering one (and presumably the other part eventually), but doesn't speak to my point. If you're going to offer a sunshade to those people, why make it so rinky-dink when far better designs which are more in keeping with the car's design aesthetic and price tag are available?

Because they find they do not "need" it, and the rinky-dink part sits unused.
Much better that way than to invest the R&D required for a spiffy part that is expensive and then rarely bought and even less often used.

Seems like it would work the other way, for a rinky-dink afterthought - most people would only choose to buy it after finding they need it, whereas a retracting sunshade would most likely be built-into the car. It's not as if Tesla doens't bundle unwanted options with desired ones: having to pay $5k for A/P just to get ACC being a case in point.

[SageBrush]

Which is beside the point for those who want/need a sunshade, which Tesla recognizes by offering one (and presumably the other part eventually), but doesn't speak to my point. If you're going to offer a sunshade to those people, why make it so rinky-dink when far better designs which are more in keeping with the car's design aesthetic and price tag are available?

Because they find they do not "need" it, and the rinky-dink part sits unused.
Much better that way than to invest the R&D required for a spiffy part that is expensive and then rarely bought and even less often used.

Seems like it would work the other way, for a rinky-dink afterthought - most people would only choose to buy it after finding they need it, whereas a retracting sunshade would most likely be built-into the car. It's not as if Tesla doens't bundle unwanted options with desired ones: having to pay $5k for A/P just to get ACC being a case in point.

That makes it much worse -- force everybody to pay for a part that few care about.