Used 2015 Tesla Model S Consumer Reviews
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Zapped and Glad
hmp10, 02/01/2016
2015 Tesla Model S P85D 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)
115 of 121 people found this review helpful
I'm a "car guy" and have owned 3 Audi R8's, a Mercedes SL55 AMG, a Corvette, and a Jaguar. I traded in an R8 V10 Spyder for this car and haven't looked back. This Tesla is significantly faster, just as sure-footed, far more practical (at least for local driving) and, in its own way, just as cool. It is also has the structural solidity of a bank vault and the handling tautness and tactile feel of the best cars I have owned. I thought I would miss the roar of the V10. Instead, I find the barely audible whine and whoosh of the electric drive train just as appealing. I thought I would miss the manual gear shifting of the R8. Instead, I find the eerie silkiness of the Tesla drivetrain addictive to the point that driving my internal-combustion cars is now vaguely annoying. I thought the regenerative braking would take some getting used to. It took me about 30 seconds to adapt, and I now find it one of the best features of electric driving. I thought the 17-inch screen would be distracting. Instead, I find it the best driver interface I have ever seen in a car. My biggest worry in buying the car was range. Unfortunately, this is not a car I would take on a long road trip, as the supercharger network still requires too much bobbing and weaving off ideal routes to keep the car charged. However, there is no amount of local driving that has left me anywhere near the end of the battery range. I picked the car up at a dealer on the east coast of Florida and drove it home to the west coast. I was driving well above the speed on which the range claims are based, I did some hard acceleration runs (this car requires no break-in), and I made a couple of detours for errands. The car still had 103 miles of indicated range remaining when I got home. Since then I have used the car for long days of running errands and lengthy pleasure drives and have yet to return home with less than 138 miles of indicated range remaining. The downsides: It's absurd to build a car with so little interior storage space, despite there obviously being room. (This is the one area where Elon Musk's attempts to be stylistically chic backfire.) Fortunately, EVannex makes a center console that matches the interior perfectly and helps with storage. But I still miss door pockets. On the other hand, the front and rear trunks offer immense trunk space for things you don't need to reach while driving. Despite the car's large exterior dimensions, the rear seat is a bit cramped and difficult of entry and exit for adults. Also, the rear seat backs (at least in the Executive Seating option) are not raked back quite enough due to the low roof line. However, the upgraded Recaro front seats and the front seat accommodations in general are absolutely best in class. Reliability and Service: In 6 months of ownership the car has only needed service once, due to the failure of the door handles to retract. I called Tesla service at 9:30 p.m. the evening it happened and, to my surprise, got an answer. I was a bit aggravated at the prospect of having to take the car 100 miles to the nearest service shop. But then I found out that Tesla had a service tech who works out of a truck in my town and who keeps a supply of parts in a local storage unit. He was at my house before 9:00 a.m. the next morning and fixed the problem right in my driveway. In short, it was most convenient and quickest repair I've ever had done on a car. (It also turned out that the service tech was Buddy, the mechanic who worked on my R8 at the Audi dealer. He had just moved to Tesla and was loving it.) Since then there have been a few software glitches with the car, seemingly related to bugs in updates. However, they have all disappeared of their own accord, probably as a result of correction downloads that came in overnight when the car is programmed to receive automatic updates. Would I buy a Tesla again? In a second . . . as long as it's not my only car (at least until there are more superchargers).
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So far so good.....
Armand Mintanciyan, 01/08/2016
2015 Tesla Model S P85D 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)
37 of 40 people found this review helpful
I went from a 2013 Mercedes SL550 to the 2015 Tesla P90D Ludicrous. I purchased (Dec 2015) all the options except for the extra seats and the winter package. Wish there was more options for exterior color, seat color, and trim. I chose Obsidian Black exterior , Black next gen seats, and piano black trim with white Alcantara Headliner. I was hesitant until I got the car but having driving in the car a few weeks now I am glad I chose the color combination I did. I used to have Lunar Blue for the SL550 and burl wood trim and tan interior. I miss the wood/leather steering wheel (not available in Tesla). Right before I committed to the car news came out about potential reliability issues. This did not help my nerves. No major issues (one minor one) but again only a few weeks driving. The car is a beast. Super performance. Much better acceleration that the SL550 and much better transmission (Ludicrous mode). Smooth as silk. Alot more trunk space then the SL550. Have had the car only a few weeks so I cannot compare reliability at this point. So far so good. Things that I have notices as negatives from the SL550: 1. Headlights. In the SL550 when I made turns the headlights turned with the car. Doesn't seem that the P90D does this. 2. Windshield wipers look alittle "cheap" compared to the SL550. In fairness there have been pretty strong storms the last few days and they seemed to work well. 3. Sirius radio reception. I have been having problems with this. In the SL550 never had a problem with the Sirius radio. Have an appointment to have it looked at. 4. Front center console. I think this should have been standard in the P90D. I ordered this. Had a 220V outlet installed in the garage. No issues charging. Have the car charge at 11pm at night with my tiered electric rates. Takes about 3 hours for a 60 mile round trip. Would I do it all over again. Absolutely. This car is awesome.
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Best vehicle I've owned (still love it 8yrs later)
Nicholas Devaud, 12/05/2015
updated 12/18/2023
2015 Tesla Model S 85 4dr Sedan (electric DD)
53 of 59 people found this review helpful
1. Driving an all electric vehicle takes a little adjusting as compared to gasoline. Once you get there, you'll never want a traditional gasoline/ICE car again. 2. Damage/repairs- an important factor in decision that is often not factored. This car has mostly aluminum vs steel constructions. It keeps car light, but it can cost more to repair. I would also caution buying if you are far (>75miles) from a service center. Services and repairs could be a hassle. 3. If you hate or can't adjust to new things - this car is not for you. 4. Safety. My wife was recently hit by another driver who ran through a red light (estimated impacted was about 40-50mph). The Tesla was declared a total loss, but my wife survived the accident. In most other cars, I'm not sure she would have survived such an impact. 5. No more dirty fuel (assuming your local utility provides you with clean energy) 6. Proactive service. The car communicates back with Tesla all the time. If it thinks there's a problem, Tesla service will proactively contact you to pick-up the car to have it checked and provide you with a loaner. When my wife was in accident, the first news of that accident I received was from Tesla service. 7. Remote monitoring. If you have kids... you can see where they are, how fast they are driving, lock/unlock car, pre-cool/heat the car before you use it, etc... 8. Charging - It's really easy at home and free while you travel out of your city using their supercharger network. By the time you finish your meal, the battery (which will give you realistically at least 240 miles range vs 265 EPA range) is nearly full again. We drive about 1,500 miles/month and electic bill is up about 30-40 / mth 9. No pesky dealerships, no negotiating. Buy online. Ask for help from sales or service centers. Just great modern service. Seems like most reviews complain about minor things in their cars. I've always found Tesla very accommodating to fix defects and make their customers happy. About me - I've owned Lexus, Toyota, Nissan, Audi in past. I liked most of my cars, but never truly loved them. Tesla team - you guys are awesome. * update 18months into ownership: love the car just as much than when I got it. * update after 3years of ownership: I’ve had to service related actions over the last 12 months. One of my door handles ceased to function and a SW update bricked my car. In both separate instances, Tesla came to my home and fixed the problem. I was proved a loaner free of charge when my car was bricked and they could not immediately fixed the issue. I still love this car and we bought a model 3 earlier this year. We are now 100% free from fossil fuel. ** update Dec 2019: We still love the car even after 4 years of ownership. since last update, I’ve had another door handle break. It took a month to get that fixed. They just added another service center near me. It still takes too long in this area (SoCal) to get car serviced. Update 66 months / 70,000 miles: the car remains awesome. Worst part is the battery degradation (which is expected). I’m now at 90% of its original capacity using a lot of supercharging. Update 96 months later / 90,000 miles: love it. All the handles have now been replaced. Buying another Model s and transferring unlimited supercharging b
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USED 2015 85D 80k+ Miles
MikeBlumenstein, 06/19/2020
updated 06/23/2021
2015 Tesla Model S 85D 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)
16 of 17 people found this review helpful
This is my 4th EV, and 38th car overall. This is by FAR the best car I have owned to date. being a 2015 there are a few features (and Supercharging rate) the newer cars get this can't due to hardware limitations, but for what it has it blows away the 2017 Chevy Bolt we just replaced. Power, handling, technology, fit and finish, range, charging, space, cargo... it checks all the boxes and adds AWD to boot. Love love love this car. Update: 95k miles, 1 year of ownership… still love this car to pieces, still best car I’ve owned. And yes, I have bought and sold 5 more cars since this one, but she will remain in the stable for years to come. Only repairs from 80-95k was a memory chip replacement on the screen (covered by Tesla) and the 1st 12v (deep cycle) battery replacement at 92k miles. Total cost of repairs on a 95k mile “used car” out-of-pocket, $266. ;)
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Touch screen failure a major disaster
Bernie Kuzava, 09/02/2015
updated 03/11/2022
2015 Tesla Model S 85D 4dr Sedan AWD (electric DD)
22 of 24 people found this review helpful
I have now owned this 2015 (not 2013) Tesla Model S for 5 years and 65K miles. The major issues that required service included a door handle repair, a window that would not close, Steering U-Bolts required replacement, replaced weatherstripping deterioration on roof and currently the touch screen has failed rendering the car undriveable. This is a common problem after 65K miles. Parts are hard to come by. Car can not be charged and directional signal lights do not function. Cost of repair is north of $3,000.00. Avoid Tesla’s built before 2019.
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