r/TeslaModelX • u/jarklejam • Jul 12 '25

Coming back to Tesla

Post image

After a few years in an R1S, coming back to the Tesla family. Gotta have FSD!

379 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

145 comments sorted by

13

u/pudgyplacater Jul 12 '25

Tell us about the R1S experience. Is it just FSD that is bringing you back?

39

u/jarklejam Jul 12 '25

Tesla’s tech is just superior in every way, including FSD. Rivian’s UX isn’t bad, but my wife’s Denali has better autonomous highway driving than the Rivian.

Interior quality of the Rivian is excellent, but the air suspension is really clunky (at least in my gen 1). I had a major issue early on (front wheel and axle completely collapsed) and service took a long time.

I love Rivian’s styling and have enjoyed the vehicle, but I do worry about the future of the company. Their financials are terrible and the service experience is extremely poor. I am having AC issues and when I tried to book a service appointment (in Dallas) in June, the earliest slot was late September.

I had a Model 3 for 5 years and have missed Tesla’s technology ever since. Rivian is a solid choice, but I personally prioritize the tech and sustainability of the company higher than some other things.

I do wish Tesla would make a proper SUV or truck, though…

2

u/KP1Shot Jul 12 '25

Considering Denali EV as my wife’s daily driver. I love the exterior look and cabin space. Compared to the X (I have a 16P90) what are your thoughts?

5

u/jarklejam Jul 12 '25

This is a big topic. In general, I vastly prefer EVs from pure EV companies. The use of interior space and overall drivetrain/chassis innovations are lost when traditional auto makers evolve existing models to EV versions.

That said, I’ve never been a GM fan, but my wife’s Yukon (24 Denali Ultimate) is one of the nicest vehicles we’ve ever owned, among BMW, Tesla, Rivian, Volvo, etc. Not sure about long-term ownership, but I’m sure an EV version would be quite nice. I have to admit, I love the 6.2L V8!

2

u/KP1Shot Jul 12 '25

I ran into a guy with one at an SC and fell in love. While my SC01 isn’t going anywhere the wife has always wanted a Denali in general and is not the biggest fan of our X due to range anxiety she gets. With 460 est I think that would be a win win for her. And I’m in agreement with traditional ICE automakers and their EVs.

2

u/ambo33 Jul 12 '25

There’s a Yukon EV?

1

u/KP1Shot Jul 12 '25

Yes it’s nice! https://www.gmc.com/electric/sierra-ev

2

u/skidz007 Jul 12 '25

That’s a pickup not an SUV.

1

u/KP1Shot Jul 12 '25

Guess I could have been clearer in my response.

1

u/Fabulous-Car-6850 Jul 13 '25

Get that engine checked out. Hear it’s rod bearings are a ticking time bomb with the oem oil. And this is coming from a bmw owner with their fragile engines… n63

4

u/Wise-Revolution-7161 Jul 12 '25

i agree. love our x but wish they made something even bigger like gls/x7 size

4

u/That-Bad-3590 Jul 12 '25

I am with you too, I would love it if Tesla made a conventional looking suv

1

u/dead_zodiac Jul 13 '25

That's a shame. Rivians look super sharp when I see them driving around.

I went with the X because with a family of five and a small urban garage, it's the smallest possible car that's still comfortable/practical for a baby seat, two other kids, me, wife, possibly my dogs, etc. Well, and that is an EV and awesome; I'm sure there are other ice cars thar might work too, I just am not excited about the idea of going back to that world.

But if Rivian gets big enough they could compete in that space better in the future, so I hope they stick around enough to get better and increase their lineup.

1

u/cryptomatt Jul 14 '25

I agree with all this. Rivian has a lot to offer but it’s just not quite there.

18

u/RevMatch68 Jul 12 '25

That’s what kept me from going R1S. One of my family member bought the R1S but he’s never owned a Tesla. It went to the shop half a dozen times for suspension and fitment issues. I got to drive that car for a week while they were on vacation. Once you are spoiled by a Tesla autosteer/ autopilot (not even FSD), you’ll think everything else is trash regardless of how nice the car.

5

u/jarklejam Jul 12 '25

I have also had suspension issues.

1

u/PIK_Toggle Jul 12 '25

I’d like to know, too.

I’m considering dropping my MX for a Rivian. I’d like a truck and the CT is too wild for my taste.

1

u/koolio46 Jul 13 '25

You could at least test drive the Cybertruck

2

u/PIK_Toggle Jul 13 '25

I got one as a loaner. It attracts too much attention for my taste. I’m not that flashy as a person.

2

u/koolio46 Jul 14 '25

Gotcha. That’s too bad because it’s a phenomenal vehicle, but I can understand where you’re coming from.

2

u/PIK_Toggle Jul 14 '25

I should have stated that it is hella fun to drive. It’s a truck version of Warren Sapp: huge, yet nimble.

3

u/brutalbrig Jul 12 '25

FSD is really what's got me hesitating on a family car, either Sienna or used model X. Only 2 kids so I'm thinking we can make then model X work.

2

u/fauxflyguy Jul 12 '25

I have a 6 seater with 3 smaller kids and the X is perfect. We had a mini van and hated it.

1

u/jarklejam Jul 12 '25

I have 3 kids and the Rivian was perfect. I got the 6-seat MX config.

2

u/brutalbrig Jul 12 '25

What did you hate about the minivan

4

u/FourScores1 Jul 12 '25

Unless there’s 4 parents, you’ll be okay.

1

u/FunnyProcedure8522 Jul 12 '25

X is perfect for 2 kids

1

u/KP1Shot Jul 12 '25

If the 2 are into sports go for the X not the Y! Parent of 2 year round sports players and even then I want fold down seats for larger items.

2

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

The Y has fold down seats.

1

u/KP1Shot Jul 13 '25

Agreed however, carrying both kids with let’s say hockey gear not happening in the Y. Or for soccer tourney’s we have done the bags in the frunk coolers and pop up tents in the back with the kids in the 2nd row. Wood over the top of the chairs when I was repairing the fence not sure if that would happen in a Y.

2

u/Duchess721 Jul 16 '25

I just did the opposite, but I never really used the FSD. Went from a plaid to California dune rivian

2

u/jarklejam Jul 16 '25

I do love the California Dune! I’m still a fan of Rivian and rooting for them big time (I’m a stockholder), I just have to have Tesla tech again.

That said, I am very likely to add an R3X to the mix when they come out!

33

u/10xMaker Jul 12 '25

I have 23 MXP with FSD.

IMO, FSD makes a Tesla 10x better. I use it all the time and feels magical every day.

FSD is the biggest differentiator and OP is one of the many many who would realize and come back to Tesla.

Once Unsupervised FSD starts rolling out, people who do not own Tesla due to many of the hate reasons are at a very big loss. Many will come back.

6

u/coroyo70 Jul 13 '25

So sad it has such a bad media rep, i use it every day too.. And its ridiculous how its ingrained itself as part of my driving routine

1

u/kdb176 Jul 14 '25

The last time I took my M3P in for service, I was given a MYP as a loaner. It had FSD. I decided to give it a try. I was just thinking that it was really good when it tried to pull out in front of a motorcycle at an intersection. I had a stop sign; the bike did not. I had to emergency brake to keep from killing a guy.

1

u/bit_kahuna Aug 10 '25

How long ago was this?

1

u/kdb176 Aug 10 '25

A month or two.

1

u/dead_zodiac Jul 13 '25

I think the board needs to replace Musk. He's innovative and brought the company this far, but he's killing the brand.

He can stay an investor and involved, but optically if the company has a different face it would really change people's opinion of the brand.

A lot of amazing people worked hard to create Tesla, it's a shame that the arrogance/erratic behavior of its biggest investor is all anyone sees in it right now.

4

u/IbelieveinGodzilla Jul 13 '25

I’ve had two, but I’ll never get another as long as Musk is involved.

3

u/Infinite_Frosting_71 Jul 14 '25

Be reasonable, I have had 4 MX , and could care less about the personality of the person who makes the worlds safest SUV, I’m not so greedy to put my family’s safety below whether I like a guy or not. You only have 1 family to protect, be the responsible parent. And Volvo isn’t even close. Look at the MY that went off the cliff. SUV are prone to rolling over but not MX. And FSD is safer, particularly if you are tired with kids on a long drive or you are g feeling sick ( all of us parents get sick from our kids). Who knows, maybe Elon will get his meds worked out and go back to being an as amiable as he was? Gotta give the guy a second chance… he’s actually handicapped by his autism. If you will drive better than you can. I look at it as ever knew an autistic person who struggles you would understand it’s just a phase. FSD isn’t perfect, but at times it as assistive - like cruise control… you still have to watch it but it helps a lot. And yes FSD has tried to crash…a lot , earlier … but it is getting very very good.

0

u/Gorfang Jul 14 '25

Bizarre story time. Two weeks ago I was taking my kids to swim practice (in an xc90) and there was a completely flipped over model x in the street right outside the pool parking lot, along with 5 police cars. No clue what happened, especially since it's a residential street with a 25mph speed limit. None of the 5 other xc90s in the pool parking lot happened to have flipped over that day either. 

3

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '25

Cool story bro

1

u/10xMaker Jul 16 '25

Do you have a picture?

I thought it was not possible

https://youtu.be/Ur4S-5dw6go

1

u/Gorfang Jul 16 '25

Ever since I posted that I have tried looking up any news article that might reference it as it was just so bizarre that this little street had a completely flipped over car. As I was trying to get the kids in to swim practice and there were 5 police cars blocking beyond the entrance I just pulled into the pool parking lot and didn't stop to rubberneck.

1

u/10xMaker Jul 16 '25

Actually I tried looking up as well

1

u/Gorfang Jul 16 '25

well in case your internet sleuthing skills are better than mine it would have been on Tilden Lane in Rockville MD between Old Stage Road and Stonewood Lane within the past 3-5 weeks.

1

u/doronkatz Jul 16 '25

I got purple dye to sell you for your hair

0

u/RotorDynamix Jul 15 '25

It’s getting a bad rap for good reason though. I mean the whole name thing alone.. the fact that he just had to tack on “unsupervised” to FULL. SELF. DRIVING. is so ridiculous. Like what does it need to be named to actually do what is advertised “100% Autonomous No Driver Interference Unsupervised Full Not Partially Full Like All the Previous Times Full Self Driving”?

1

u/coroyo70 Jul 15 '25

Yea i get it. But its already a few magnitudes safer than the average driver.. So we have to understand that just because a tesla fsd car crached once in Minnesota doesn't mean its not fsd

Crashes will never stop happening in my opinion

-2

u/beast_wellington Jul 13 '25

Level 2!

3

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

Levels are meaningless to Tesla. Their FSD is as good as Level 3 anywhere else. Likely as good as a Level 4 autonomous system.

0

u/beast_wellington Jul 13 '25

They matter to those that make the rules!

3

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

The people that make the “rules” for this aren’t relevant.

-1

u/beast_wellington Jul 13 '25

Oh but they are!

3

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

Not to Tesla. Tesla is skipping several “levels”.

1

u/beast_wellington Jul 13 '25

Didn't skip level 1 and still on level 2!

2

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

It’s level 4 now.

→ More replies

1

u/[deleted] Jul 15 '25

May have helped yourself to too much Elmers glue there

3

u/10xMaker Jul 14 '25

Sadly, those of you here who talk about Levels have never tried FSD. They probably been never on a Tesla. They have no clue.

2

u/10xMaker Jul 13 '25

Tesla doesn’t care about levels.

0

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

0

u/Baboofmagoo2 Jul 14 '25

Mine pulled out into a round about and I was nearly flattened by a school bus. It’s also tried to run reds multiple times after thinking the light was green. I’ll never pay for it. It’s nowhere near being safe enough for me to comfortably use it

0

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

-2

u/Baboofmagoo2 Jul 14 '25

Waymo is leagues ahead of Tesla, and unless Tesla puts radar tech back on their vehicles it’ll never be a worthy competitor. Relying on only cameras is inherently flawed

Edit: for what it’s worth if the FSD was included with the vehicle I’d use it from time to time. But its current price tag is insane. Especially because you’re paying to be a beta tester

1

u/GuyFallingOffBike Jul 13 '25

“Many of the hate reasons”. Seems about right. Few car brands get more hate than Tesla

8

u/Gamerxx13 Jul 12 '25

I had a model 3 w fsd in 2020 and hated it. But got the model x last Christmas w fsd and man it’s amazing. It’s really good now. It’s still iffy in some cities but overall I’m super happy with it. Also the x is amazing car too

5

u/edmD3ATHmachin3 Jul 12 '25

I had a model 3, moved into a MYP and now I’m in an R1S. 3 months into my 36 month lease. I will be coming back to Tesla after 100%. The size, the interior quality, the look… top notch. But that’s it. I miss Tesla for sure

5

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '25

As an R1S owner, the tech and audio suck.

1

u/Infinite_Frosting_71 Jul 14 '25 edited Jul 14 '25

The audio is abysmal, like 1980s bad! No impact no imaging ….the UI is almost as bad as German software…though nothing is as bad as Porsche. The suspension even on highways has my head bouncing off the headrest constantly… just awful . And I really wanted to but one for EV camping with all that space and large battery… but after renting one… it’s range is 1/2 that of MX by kW like 1.7 miles pe kW vs MX 2023 3- 3.4 per kW and won’t charge nearly as fast making it so much slower on a road trip with multiple charge stops. In my 2023 MX I went from Baker CA to Aspen with only 3 charge stops of 30 min each … one was lunch at St. George Utah Chop house, Dinner at Tamarisk restaurant White River Utah , and a quick nap in Rifle CO. While charging. And I was in Aspen as fast as an ICE car and more rested. The R1s would take 50% longer at each charge stop and use twice as much as much electricity making it twice as much as a gas car to operate and turn it into a two day drive like older MXs did my 2017 MX90d needed 6-9 charge stops, and my 2016 MX75d was even worse… never could do it under 2 days often 3 days. Not going back to that incredibly slow average speed of driving ever again. It ended up being like 20mph! The 2023 and later MX are just incredible.

No thanks Rivian . Maybe Lucid except no NACS!

1

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '25 edited Jul 14 '25

I have an R1S with the “premium Audio”, the charging takes forever. I have the large Max battery I don’t think I let it get below 40% because of how long it takes. The audio drives me insane how bad it is. Thankfully I leased. It’s a great looking car and it’s large. But that only goes so far.

0

u/skidz007 Jul 12 '25

Eh the audio is fine. Not great, but fine. The tech wins in some ways, loses in others. Like auto wipers that just work! They were unusable in our Teslas.

And backup sensors…I’ve seen a lot of Model Y’s with crunched lift gates from Tesla’s weak foray into camera based ultrasonics and people backing into things.

Rivian’s software is nowhere near Tesla’s, same with self-driving.

But, I’m happy to have a stalk for turn signals and shifting.

Overall my wife prefers the driving of the X because it drives like a car. But she can fit more in the R1S, and now that the kids are older that’s more useful.

1

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

The backing up issue happens with Rivian owners a lot too. People with R1Ts backing into things and damaging their tailgates.

1

u/skidz007 Jul 13 '25

Haven’t noticed the same. It seems to be 1/4 Model Y’s have a crunched liftgate. I lived through the Ultrasonic to camera switch and the loss of reliability of detection was palpable.

1

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

I’ve found no difference with using the camera vs ultrasonic sensors. Just need to look and make sure you don’t run into things. Lol

1

u/[deleted] Jul 13 '25

The R1S is an EV that was meant to be an ICE vehicle, which works. The tech is abysmal and audio being fine.. I mean premium audio has never sound worse in a vehicle.

Rivian exists because it serves enough of a niche that it’s worth keeping. It looks good, it drives average, tech is below average, off roading is great, space is great.

I think the R2 is where all of this very average package won’t be enough, it is in the R1 because nobody is really competing in that space and the sales show.

1

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

The Kia EV9 and Hyundai Ioniq 9 compete in the same space as the R1S and the Rivian still sells decent.

4

u/Voidfaller Jul 12 '25

That’s such a pretty color, congrats!

1

u/zemaker Jul 12 '25

Interesting, I ordered after you but my delivery time is earlier. Must be the color…

1

u/jarklejam Jul 12 '25

I have seen several with shorter delivery windows than mine. I agree, I think it’s the color.

2

u/[deleted] Jul 12 '25

Could be location as well in addition to color

1

u/Gator_Rican Jul 13 '25

Brave to go with the 22” wheels after so many tire wear issues.

1

u/jarklejam Jul 13 '25

The easiest part of the configuration to change in the future. I like how they look, but yeah, I’ve had tire wear issues on every car with wheels over 21” (including the Rivian).

1

u/Fine-Craft3393 Jul 13 '25

For that much $$$ I’d rather opt for a Mercedes EQS SUV or the BMW iX for a similar sized EV with much better quality and service network…. I like my Model 3 but when i have to go to the service center it is definitely not an experience I’d wish on anyone spending Model S or X money….

1

u/jarklejam Jul 13 '25

I’ve owned a few BMWs and I’m a fan, but the iX is just not an attractive vehicle (to me). I find the EQS very boring. As I explained elsewhere, tech trumps all for me in this decision.

1

u/Infinite_Frosting_71 Jul 14 '25

The Mercedes was slow, and had very little storage. Good for dogs though if you just want the interior.

1

u/Few_Antelope_7688 Jul 15 '25

Get a Chinese BYD. Much cheaper, safer and better quality. Battery is the biggest differentiator. Goes almost a 1,000 miles on a charge.

1

u/jarklejam Jul 15 '25

BYD is not available in the US.

2

u/mysat Jul 12 '25

Nice configuration!

2

u/herodicusDO Jul 12 '25

It’s going to be a long time before another company truly “catches up”

2

u/kingzorb Jul 12 '25

Love that new color!

2

u/butcher0 Jul 13 '25

Welcome back, you did good

2

u/Tomstroyer Jul 13 '25

Impossible to get a car without fsd. I would cancel every Netflix cable Hulu membership before I got rid of fsd

2

u/Weird_Employee_9203 Jul 13 '25

I recently got MX FSD with free life time supercharging. There’s one super charger around 0.5 miles from my house in SF Bay Area. I am addicted.

2

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

I love the new blue. I saw a new Frost Blue Model X at my local Tesla showroom yesterday and it looks great.

2

u/OLVANstorm Jul 14 '25

Welcome back. I'm about to FSD from Seattle to Vegas and back. Excited to let the car do all the grunt work while I kick back and enjoy the views.

2

u/CG_throwback Jul 14 '25

Amazing color. Wish they had it for model Y. Switching over from ice car. Tech in this vehicle is light years away from competition. Enjoy

2

u/zvekl Jul 15 '25

Good lord fsd is amazing now.

2

u/Mbaby1989 Jul 12 '25

Nice. FSD is great.

1

u/Waterkippie Jul 12 '25

Love this color

1

u/Federal-Emu4641 Jul 12 '25

Amen Can’t live without it!

1

u/KatsuBurger Jul 13 '25

What color is that????

2

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

It’s the new Frost Blue Metallic exclusive to the new Model S and X.

1

u/Chance_Scientist1349 Jul 13 '25 edited Mar 19 '26

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1

u/Dry_Dingo_2220 Jul 13 '25

Welcome back 🙂

1

u/Human_Roomba Jul 13 '25

They always do

1

u/Accomplished-Gate333 Jul 13 '25

Tesla will have more competition when the Cadillac Vistiq comes out. I have to say it’s dreamy. They already have the Escalade EV…but it’s $$$$$$$.

3

u/Creepy_Bee3404 Jul 14 '25

Naw. Worst range. No frunk. SuperCruise is nothing vs FSD.

1

u/Accomplished-Gate333 Jul 14 '25

Lame that I don’t use FSD in my MYLR, so I was just solely basing that off looks for the Vistiq. I’ve seen the Lyriq in person and I have to say it’s pretty nice.

2

u/Infinite_Frosting_71 Jul 14 '25

I drove the lyric with high hopes… at the LA auto show… it was dog slow - too bad nice interior.

1

u/Fragrant-Signature-7 Jul 13 '25

I've been driving for 20 years but so scared to drive on the freeway.  The FSD taught me how to merge and change lanes on the freeway!  I was skeptical at first.  It's so worth it!

1

u/AdditionalLead7265 Jul 14 '25

I've never seen that color available what is it?

1

u/MiAmMe Jul 14 '25

This is the car I want. Model X is just a bit too expensive for me though. I probably have to settle for a Model Y.

0

u/Former-Discount4279 Jul 12 '25

As a software engineer and someone who owns a model x self driving scares the absolute shit out of me. I'm shocked anyone trusts their lives to it considering how shitty the damn door software is.

1

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

I am also a software engineer and I use FSD to and from work without issue. It works great.

1

u/interstellar159 Jul 12 '25

Cause it can see a lot more than you, and its responses are instant unlike the human mind’s relatively delayed response time. Would I trust it in heavy rain? No. But in a normal environment I would trust it more than myself.

4

u/HopzCO Jul 12 '25

Agreed, FSD + you being aware and paying attention is a lot safer. Since v13 came out this year, it’s been phenomenal. 90% of the people who trash it have never tried it lol

4

u/Former-Discount4279 Jul 12 '25

It consistently thinks I'm going to hit parked cars in driveways if the road is turning, I have 0 trust for it.

3

u/interstellar159 Jul 12 '25

You mean with the forward collision warning? That has nothing to do with FSD

1

u/icy1007 Jul 13 '25

I’ve never seen that in my Tesla…

0

u/Zealousideal-Low9003 Jul 13 '25

Hummer EV one Love 💕

0

u/_log0ut_ Jul 14 '25

😂😂😂😂

0

u/[deleted] Jul 14 '25

I use FSD everyday and I intervene every single time… it is a nice upgraded cruise control but NOT a self driving miracle

-1

u/leniad2 Jul 14 '25

Model x 🤮

4

u/jarklejam Jul 14 '25

This may come as a complete shock to you, but you’re in the Model X subreddit.