Towing with Tesla Model X

[Tyguy]

Makes sense and I can see why that's so important, 2kwik4u.

I can't speak to other brands of EV but I can to my Tesla experiences. Tesla uses capacitive screens and they act just like a cell phone in terms of touch responsiveness. The disadvantage is that you do need to wear capacitive-capable gloves, if needed. My older gloves aren't compatible.

In terms of nighttime driving, as soon as the sun sets...and I mean immediately...the screen automatically goes into dark mode provided you have programmed it to do so, and the screen auto adjusts for brightness the rest of the day like a phone does. Dark mode turns everything on the screen black or dark grey and the text becomes white. Like this:


That's actually a slightly older version of the software and the menus have changed since then, but the image accurately reflects dark mode.

My eyes are super sensitive to light and I'm one of those guys who turns down the dash brightness all the way in other cars when driving at night. The Tesla system works well for me. I haven't tinted my windshield, though. I'm not sure but I suspect tinting would throw off the brightness sensors.

Tesla uses a left/right-up/down-press ball on the left side of the steering wheel to control the radio. Otherwise you have to rely on the screen with no knob. Personally, I rarely touch the screen for anything these days aside from seat heaters, and opening the frunk and glove box. Setup does take a bit of time, programming all your preferences, setting up the seats, mirrors, and steering wheel, etc... That's all day 1 stuff, and then after that you mostly work through the steering wheel controls.

It's not for everyone and I totally get that.

 

[Peelz]

@Peelz @Tyguy my big problems with screens are two fold. The first far less impactful than the second.

The first is that they are usually resistive and not capacitive. So the press is much harder than you're used to on your phone, and sometimes this doesn't register or work in a manner that we're used to in other aspects of life. It does mean it works with gloves on though, which is nice. It also makes the screens more robust and less sensitive to dust and debris. I get why, and agree with that decision (especially in a pickup), but it makes for a discontinuous experience with other touch interactive tech we already deal with on a regular basis.

The second is a MUCH larger problem for me. Night blindness. The premise of a screen working is that you can get light THROUGH the screen. So there's a backlight. Traditional gauges have these as well, however, instead of small numbers and a needle, we have giant expanses of real estate that are lit exceptionally bright as compared to your surroundings at night. If there are multiple screens, then they often don't dim 'with" each other, and one screen ends up brighter than the other. For someone like myself that has a relatively long adjustment time between bright and dark, looking at a screen in the car causes a temporarily blindness for outdoor settings. I purposely tinted my entire windshield recently to combat this from oncoming cars headlight glare (I'm giving you the side-eye there you bastard bro-dozer drivers) and it's helped. In my current Q7, I can dim the main screen, and literally HIDE the center screen at night. Then I can dim the HUD to a brightness that closely matches my exterior light levels. This keeps my eyes from constantly adjusting from bright-dark-bright-dark as I check the speed, HVAC settings, or anything else on the dash. There are a number of vehicles that do this exceptionally poorly. To the point I won't buy another vehicle without a "dark" test drive to ensure the dash dims both evenly, and far enough to be comfortable to drive at night for me.

Anyone remember the big tuner craze a few decades ago where they would put "indiglo" gauges into a car (Like these for an S10). IMO, we've taken this terrible idea, and continued to build on it for the sake of "being new and better". It's a cost savings for the manufacturer (due to lower parts count, less engineering on fit/finish, and easier assembly), and people think it must be better because a big screen is new tech, that's clearly more advanced. I postulate that it's the wrong tool for the job in general.

Don't get me started on the lack of a volume knob on the dash. I HATE up/down arrows for volume control. That's what is in my boat, and it's horrible. I hate it. Slider bars might be better, but require taking your eyes off the road to operate. You can't "feel" your way to them without looking. It's just a soft button under the glass of the screen. Again, some integrate this better than others. Steering wheel controls, knobs in consoles, things like that are better, but just soft buttons for everything isn't the right solution IMO.

So I don't disagree honestly about your issues. really. My big concern was no physical feedback, such as a button you press and it clicks. But I have to say its easier to get used to than i thought it would be. I was pretty worried a few times, but It isn't a hard press, I adapted quickly.

the light thing you mention-haven't had a problem. Volume, which I agree with, and track change both easily done on the left steering wheel scroll button. Non issue. Unless Ive just come from driving my nissan and take her Tesla, then it take me a minute.

My only negative about the car right now is the cruise. Its almost useless on rural roads. Autopilot and cruise is great on the interstate, but the cruise SUCKS on backroads. just casually rolling along a 2 lane highway. BAM@! full on regen braking. Nice little wake up for a napping passenger. I Wish for a more analog solution there, if its in cruise that means I'm driving, you can put away the nanny stuff. lol

Don't really agree this is the wrong tool. You can get more information from a smaller area of focus, by conglomerating data into one space where before it was multiple gauges.... I mean, Screens are ALL over new passenger aircraft. check out this airbus!

 

[adrianp89]

Welp, we traded in the Tesla Model 3. We now have a Hybrid Jeep Wrangler. Lost some features, gained some as well. Needed another tow vehicle and between my discount for FCA, $7500 rebate and getting more than we paid for the Tesla, it was a no brainer.

 

[Peelz]

Welp, we traded in the Tesla Model 3. We now have a Hybrid Jeep Wrangler. Lost some features, gained some as well. Needed another tow vehicle and between my discount for FCA, $7500 rebate and getting more than we paid for the Tesla, it was a no brainer.

friends of mine have one on order. Looking forward to checking it out.

 

[adrianp89]

friends of mine have one on order. Looking forward to checking it out.

Only a handful of miles so far but by far best driving Wrangler I have been in. Around town it’s actually quieter than the Tesla. Of course my wife wanted the Mack daddy model so I’m sure that helps lol. I was ready to buy a base model gladiator.

 

[Peelz]

Only a handful of miles so far but by far best driving Wrangler I have been in. Around town it’s actually quieter than the Tesla. Of course my wife wanted the Mack daddy model so I’m sure that helps lol. I was ready to buy a base model gladiator.

LOL Feel the same about Jeeps.

Id have a wrangler with NOTHING in it. Keep the gear lever and all 3 pedals. Rubber floor, bikini doors.... HAHAHA

Jeep's Magneto Concept Is an EV Wrangler with a Manual Transmission and All Ate Up With Batteries

Yep, this electric off-roader has a stick-shift!

www.motortrend.com

in other news, Tesla made me less bummed about the overly smart cruise, by adding the light show to the Y. Kudos lol (half serious, its a very entertaining useless feature) My wife was over the moon for that update. She still madly LOVES her car-been a LONG time since I could say that after 7 months of ownership.

 

[2kwik4u]

Took the oldest boy to IHOP this morning. I'm not normally out in this area at this time of day.

Spotted this Launch Green R1T pulling out of Walmart on Veterans Parkway in Clarksville IN on the way home. Had temp tags that didn't look like IN standard on it. Best guess is he was passing through and hit the Electrify America charger at the Walmart while passing through.

 

[2kwik4u]

Electric Silverado announcement on Tuesday of next week!

Site Maintenance

www.chevrolet.com

 

[Tyguy]

Nice find. I’m looking forward to learning the specs and production targets, and curious if they’ll open preorders for it.

 

[Tyguy]

Oops, never mind, I just noticed they’ll open reservations an hour after the debut. Very cool.

 

[2kwik4u]

Nice find. I’m looking forward to learning the specs and production targets, and curious if they’ll open preorders for it.

I really hope they do better on towing here than they did on the Hummer. Under 8k is really disappointing for this class of vehicle IMO.

 

[Tyguy]

That's a good point. If we go with a wake boat in the future I'll want more capacity than 8K, so it's important to me. And longer range options. There's a lot to like about the Hummer but they did disappoint in those two areas, IMHO. The Rivian is a winner in almost every aspect if you're patient and can wait for them to catch up on production. I'm really hoping the Silverado will be spec'd to match/beat the Rivian. If so, I'm willing to throw down a deposit.

 

[Tyguy]

The Ford Lightning configurator launched today: https://shop.ford.com/configure/f150-lightning/model/customize/pro

My initial impression is that the price is high for the range and battery sizes.

 

[2kwik4u]

The Ford Lightning configurator launched today: https://shop.ford.com/configure/f150-lightning/model/customize/pro

My initial impression is that the price is high for the range and battery sizes.

I tend to agree. $80k price bracket for a mid level trim with the big battery pack. I think Rivian is closer to a Platinum trim level for the same money.

Ford has an extensive dealer and service network which, honestly, shouldn't be overlooked in the value it provides on new tech. Rivian is working on service centers, but can't even begin to compete with Ford at this point.

The whole home backup power is a big deal for someone that might need it. I think it's more sizzle than steak for me, but it's a cool idea and someone with a less reliable grid will use it for certain.

I don't see any tow ratings on the configurator......found it.....had to go digging in the product pages. Looks like up to 10k with the max tow package. Again, right in the middle/good range there.

The exterior pics on the configurator are.....well....really poorly photoshopped. Guess the intern on the team got that task? No bearing on the capability, pricing, or vehicle itself, just makes the project feel a bit rushed.

 

[adrianp89]

The Lightning is offering is really close to what EVs needs to push them over the top.

That home generator isn't a huge deal - until it is. I've never had a significant power outage, though during Hurricane Irma most of my neighborhood was out for several days. We were lucky and still had power. One of those things that you don't want to use but sure as hell happy you have it when its needed.

 

[Tyguy]

And a sneak peak of the new Silverado EV according to Rivian forums (seems legit). Less mainstream than Ford for sure. I like the idea of a platform specifically designed for EV like Rivian/Tesla/Chevy versus Ford's temporary and short-lived ICE-EV conversion, but I have to give Ford credit given the order demand.

 

[2kwik4u]

And a sneak peak of the new Silverado EV according to Rivian forums (seems legit). Less mainstream than Ford for sure. I like the idea of a platform specifically designed for EV like Rivian/Tesla/Chevy versus Ford's temporary and short-lived ICE-EV conversion, but I have to give Ford credit given the order demand.

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Got a little Brazilian S10 mixed with Avalanche vibe going there.

Reveal is in 4min. I'm watching live: Future & Upcoming Chevy EVs | Chevrolet

 

[Peelz]

Got a little Brazilian S10 mixed with Avalanche vibe going there.

Reveal is in 4min. I'm watching live: Future & Upcoming Chevy EVs | Chevrolet

watching now!

 

[2kwik4u]

watching now!

Same.

LOVE the shot with the Pure Watercraft.......Of course they did

 

[Peelz]

Same.

kneejerk reaction I LOVE IT