Despite a flattening adoption curve, we currently have the most competitive EV market ever. Multiple manufacturers offer 800-volt architectures, just about every automaker sells at least one, often multiple, EVs, and the Tesla Supercharger networks has been cracked wide open with other automakers hopping aboard the system and starting to offer NACS support. In contrast, Tesla has just given the Model S sedan another facelift, one that probably won’t turn sales around, considering this sedan’s been on the market since 2012.
Right out of the gate, the first things you’ll notice are the new Plaid-specific front-and-rear bumpers with more aggressive reliefs and styling elements. Considering the Plaid used to look basically identical to the regular Model S, this is surely a welcome upgrade for people who want to show off. At the same time, more aerodynamic wheel designs help boost the range of the standard Model S from 405 miles to 410 miles, and the Plaid sees a boost from 348 miles to 368, while a new frost blue color is, indeed, blue.
As for toys, the updated Model S finally gets a camera on the front fascia like, you know, a $27,570 Nissan Kicks SR. Matrix headlight beams join the party, although they’ve been available in Europe for years. The dashboard and door cards now feature the same sort of ambient lighting you get in a Model 3, and active noise cancellation has been allegedly improved.
As for under the skin, new bushings as part of an updated suspension package are on deck, but that’s about as far as mechanical tweaks go. At the same time, Tesla has hiked pricing by $5,000, meaning the standard Model S now starts at $90,880 including freight, and the Plaid starts at $101,380 including freight. It’s all thoroughly underwhelming to me, and if this is what we can expect for the next few years, the Model S is only going to fall further behind its competition.
Starting ages ago, Tesla fans really loved calling established brands legacy automakers, but now Tesla’s first mass-market product is, in many ways, the legacy car in the entire EV landscape. It’s been around for 13 whole years, and while it’s seen two major updates in that time, it just isn’t fresh enough.
We’ve been seeing the same shape since Lamborghini still made the Gallardo; people can now buy electric sedans that are even quicker than the Plaid and better all-around performers; almost everyone who’s wanted a Model S already owns one; and existing owners who want something new are absolutely spoiled for choice.
For example, if you want a glamorous electric sedan that’s spiritually a successor to Tesla’s once-groundbreaking liftback, the Lucid Air is on the market with Tesla-beating range and charging, great suspension tuning, loads of interior space, competitive pricing against the Model S Long Range, and none of the baggage.
Want either a hatch or Plaid-beating acceleration and aren’t sensitive on price? The updated Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo has an amazing charging curve and proper handling, and the Taycan Turbo GT is a far more impressive overall performance package than Tesla’s quickest vehicle, but they are considerably more expensive than comparable Model S trims.
Yes, if you’re in it for straight-line speed and your local dragstrip has a long shutdown, the Model S Plaid is still the quickest new car you can get for the money, but it’s worth noting that, especially these days, it also comes with some notable compromises compared to the competitive set.
At this point, the Tesla Model S is a dinosaur [Ed Note: I’s weird calling something with the Model S’s level of technology a “dinosaur,” especially given the rolling updates it’s received, but you can’t argue that the competition hasn’t caught up and that this shape is a little too familiar by now. -DT], and another round of updates isn’t going to go very far. Tesla doesn’t seem interested in completely replacing it, which feels like a mistake. Cox Automotive’s Q1 EV sales report found that Tesla had sold 1,280 Model S sedans in America over that period, down 69 percent year-over-year and trailing sales of other similarly-priced luxury EVs like the Porsche Macan Electric (3,339 units), the Rivian R1S (5,357 units), and the BMW i5 (1,899 units). The Model S has enjoyed a good run, but it feels like the time to turn the page is coming soon.
Top graphic credit: Tesla
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It’s as if there are reasons even beyond toxic politics to yeet the company’s leadership or something! Tossing out half-assed, uncompetitive refreshes of the cars at a car company while betting the farm on “self-driving” tech that can’t and remote-controlled robots is a complete farce.
The biggest issue with the Model S isn’t the age of the design. The design was way ahead of its time when it came out. So I think it’s still competitive today.
The real issue holding back Model S and all Tesla sales is Elon Musk’s involvement with the company.. and the political blowback he caused by backing and helping get elected a group of deplorables.
There are very few parts on a 12 year old Model S that will fit on a new one.
Tesla is an IT company first, car company second.
Their products are developed iterative.
Mac OS X also had the same name and roughly the same look for 20 years.
Apple changed it’s naming strategy but fundamentally Max OS 15 it still looks very similar to it’s first Unix-based first release from 2001.
Yet it consistently blew multiple Windows versions out of the water in terms of usability, stability and elegance.
There is plenty on the Model S that has been the way it is for it’s entire run but calling it an old can isn’t the full truth.
The Model X is also 10 years old but it’s update from last year was universally praised.
Does this company have any future cars planned that don’t look like these ugly egg shaped things they already make? How are they worth more than every other automaker? A meme stock that will crash and burn.
I think the turning of the page you suggest might just be the death knoll of the company. Sales cratering, Leon Skum being Elon. And truly ugly cars that have somehow morphed into ungainly curves and dimensions, sort of like Leon. Personally the original S looked great. Reminded me of a cross between an Aston Martin and a yet to be released Jaguar. But that was yesterday and yesterday’s gone. In its place is the dystopian Cyberbullytruck(fuck) and a whole bunch of stupid. RIP Tesla, we hardly knew ya
Tesla probably keeps the S/X around because they sell just enough of them to justify keeping them around
It’s a bit of a shame they didn’t transfer some of the cybertruck tech over. The S/X would be the perfect place to put steer-by-wire and the 42v stuff, but their volume probably isn’t high enough to justify those updates
Anyone having a business background knows the EV only requirement by 2035 is gone. The whole EV Replacing ICE is over. By 2035 EVs will be gone except for small fan areas
Next election cycle could change it back. Things tend to swing back and forth a lot these days.
ICE sporting PHEVs are EVs and have been included in the mandate since day one. So I don’t see the mandate disappearing altogether, just requiring far fewer BEVs and more PHEVs and EREVs
Oil is a finite resource, you can’t just keep pumping the stuff up forever. Eventually fossil fuels will be gone, or scarce enough to be very expensive.
ICE won’t die, not when you can make your own fuel at home and make your own engine with basic tools, but most car drivers don’t care what sort of engine it has as long as it works.
Given that the rest of the world is going EV only most global OEMs will phase out ICE even in the US as the technology improves.
I’m probably in the minority who usually isn’t in a rush to have manufacturers change vehicle generations, particularly if it’s a decent design/good car to begin with. Miatas seem to go about/at least a decade between generations, probably due to the fact that Mazda is such a small company and can’t afford the R&D costs of doing a major redesign every 5-6 years for a niche product (I’ve got a NA w/a hardtop and of course love it). The Volvo 240 lasted from 1975 to 1993, and outlived the model that replaced it (the 700 series) by a year. That’s 19 years w/the 240 being relatively unchanged on the exterior, other than the hood/headlights/minor trim bits (I just bought my first 240 wagon, it’s my third Volvo).
I know that some companies (looking at you Toyota) go from one generation of car to the next in what seems like as little as five years. Than means if you buy a new one (say a Rav4 or Corolla or Camry, all of which they sell zillions of) you will soon be driving the ‘old one’ in just a few years on average. I don’t like that, but it’s just MHO. I’d prefer that the model runs at least a few years longer (a decade+ seems fine to me) and put that development savings into reducing the cost of the car for buyers, but I know that’s not proper capitalism and thus, never would happen. 🙁
In my fantasy universe, Hyundai will keep making the Ionic 5 for many more years, with just updates to the modular tech bits where possible. I’d love to see them get the price down for base Ionic 5s over time, when all the tooling has been amortized. It’ll never happen, but I’d be happy if the base Ionic 5 were still sold as-is (only w/minor tweaks) a decade from now, for as little as $25K MSRP (again: I know this will never happen for a variety of reasons… it’s just my fantasy). A base $25K Ionic 5 would let a lot of potential buyers get into their first EV, and the Ionic 5 is a good-enough car to work well for a lot of people.
I don’t love the Model S in general… it looks fine more or less for what it is, but like all Teslas it’s a bit generic, to my eyes anyway. And of course, buying one new gives a bit more money to the wealthiest man in the word, who doesn’t seem to be a nice guy/decent human being at all, so there’s that too if such things matter to you. But if I were a Tesla Model S owner, I’d be fine with the overall/general body having a lengthy lifespan, though of course I know that replacing it with a new model (or a heavily/obviously revised Model S) would probably be better for the company sales-wise.
The S actually looks pretty fetching in that light silver. I don’t recall ever seeing one in that color.
What surprised me from reading this article, is that Rivian sold 5,357 of something so ugly.
And I may be in the minority, but the Lucid Air looks bloated to me.
They are all cars that I will never spend that kind of money on.
The upcoming Rivian R3 and R3X look very nice IMO. I agree that the vertical headlight on Rivians is a bit weird, but I usually prefer weird to generic. I’d have preferred simple round/wideset lights that mimic old sealed beam units (maybe w/some internal LED frippery to create a design signature, like BMW halo headlights) but of course, nobody at Rivian saw fit to ask for my input.
Still, I love the beefy VW Rabbit (A1/first gen) look of the R3/R3X. It might be my first EV if I live long enough and don’t wind up getting a Hyundai Ionic 5 or used Mazda MX-30 before then.
Yeah… I just can’t get past the headlight styling they chose. Even on the R3s. I guess they are doubling down on that design. The best headlights I’ve ever driven behind (not necessarily the most attractive styling-wise) were in a 2018 Acura MDX. Incredibly bright low beams, but also with a precise and humane cutoff not to blind oncoming drivers. Unlike oh, a litany of Ford pickups.
Honestly, I don’t think ANY of the 15ish cars I’ve owned in my life have had particularly great headlights (function wise). Presumably, the new ’98 Benz CLK 320 was the best, but I only kept if for a year (it was such a lemon) and that was over 20 years ago, so I don’t recall what they were actually like. But I like to imagine that when I first turned them on at night, I was all like “Wow! That’s how headlights are supposed to work!” but to be honest, I don’t remember and am just basing my imagination on the car being expensive and German with a capital G.
My former neighbor had a recentish BMW 5 series GT thing (the hatchbacky looking one that’s not lifted as much as SUV coupes) and his bill to change out one headlight assembly was over $2,200. But his particular car had the optional ceramic audio controls, so I guess that’s a thing, and it makes the headlight cost OK somehow (I touched those radio knobs and they just felt like thick plastic… they weren’t even cold to the touch when I put my greasy mitts on ’em).
I think all Rivians would have just looked better w/plain round headlights pushed out to the corners, especially the R3/X. It’s not like they’d use halogens or sealed beams now, but something a bit anachronistic like 6-7″ rounds (maybe twinned rounds for upper trims) would have been nice on such a moderne looking vehicle.
But again: they never ask me.
PS: I have that same neighbor’s old(er) BMW stored under a cover behind my house in case anyone’s jonesing for an mid-90s 3 series automatic/convertible. It’s kind of a muted metallic teal (body and paint in decent shape) and tan leather inside, with a black top in good shape. Hasn’t been smogged in years, and the AC isn’t working, but it looks nice for its age. No idea what they’re worth (maybe $3-5K in great shape?) but he’d probably take a grand for it. I’m in LA and here most days if anyone’s interested (it starts w/a jump and I’ve got a key).
PPS: I know they don’t exist yet, but I’d like to own a R3/X at some point.
My issue with most the Tesla’s style-wise is that they all look way too similar. Back when they were the only game in town, maybe it didn’t matter so much. Seems they wanted to take the same tack as Apple in that every iPhone pretty much looks the same: you have to count the number of cameras on the back or check out the sides of a model to figure out if it’s a Pro or standard model. I’m surrounded by Teslas (Los Angles) and it’s often hard to tell the Model S from the Model 3. And if you’re shelling out that much money, you want people to be able to tell the difference. Cars are about swagger. Maybe after another generation or two dies this will change, but they aren’t just toasters yet.
It’s the Crown Victoria of luxury ev’s.
I’d say it’s more like the Chrysler/FCA LX cars… since the LX cars had some true high performance variants (the SRTs and the Hellcats).
The Crown Vic nor any of the other Panther cars had any true high performance variants. The closest thing to a performance variant that platform had was the Mercury Marauder… and even that was a weaksauce attempt compared to even the non-SRT Chrysler LX vehicles with the Hemi V8.
The S, design-wise, is aging like the best wine out there.
It started out bland, soft, with good proportions but sort of wobbly and weak.
And it’s been going more toned and different yet the same with every subtle restyling, looking better and better. It turns out it needed so, so little to look good.
I am not commenting on interior, on steering wheels, blinker stalks and intermittent wipers through touchscreen menu, which I’ll attribute as generic elonisms. It’s just that it looks better, and better, and better, at every itteration.
And it doesn’t hurt that so far it has not decided it needs to reinvent the wheel as far as wheel design goes, and keeps them good looking as well.
A Lucid, I must say, despite its overwhelming overall betterness, looks like a 90s Buick made of chocolate that half melted on the shelf and was frantically put in the freezer. The sedan one. The Gravity is doing better.
Disagree about the Lucid Air. It looks sharp, elegant, understated, yet desirable with the je ne sais quoi of classic sporty sedans like the E38.
A Lucid Air is physically as close to an E38 as Lilly Tomlin is to Alexandra Daddario.
I didn’t say they look alike. I meant the E38 has something ineffable, which most cars don’t have, and the Air has it too.
I kind of like that about the Lucid. It looks classy and comfortable, without trying to be over the top and garish. The Buick comparison is a pretty good one, since a Cadillac would always be more ostentatious.
The Model S is starting to look as oldas the Model T.
Hyperbole much?
No, just a minor joke about “model S”and “model T” being alphabetically adjacent. It had never occurred to me before that “model S” as a name was far from a name that would imply luxury and exclusiveness and modernity.
I see a good number of Lucid Air sedans around here and it is head, shoulders, knees, and toes above the Model S in nearly every way. The S retains some nice surfacing and Plaid models have a great wheel to body. But that interior. Ooof. The Lucid has just a lovely place to be in.
It’s two cars in one. The best looking Tesla you’ve ever seen, and the best looking Tesla you’ll ever see.
The mk1 Roadster was attractive, too, but pretty rare
The looks were all Lotus, not Tesla, though.
Not really, no. The interior was pure Elise, but the exterior body panels were completely different
I thought about that, but since the skin is Lotus I didn’t extend credit.
The skin is one of the things that ISN’T Lotus, Tesla changed literally every exterior panel, ended up with only 6% total parts commonality with the Elise
Oh yay. They keep making it uglier. The first facelift that removed the gloss-black fake ‘grille’ was the best iteration. It’s been downhill since.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/14/2018_Tesla_Model_S_75D.jpg/960px-2018_Tesla_Model_S_75D.jpg?20190222024203
I like the first gen, myself. But yeah, they made it less pretty. Not that I was going to be one anyway…
I think their design language looks better on this car than anything else, but thats about the only argument I can think of for keeping it around.
The design is boring and dated AF, it still has an interior made of Fisher-Price-quality plastics, and probably looks like it was assembled by a bunch of drunk 7-year-olds. Why anyone would pay almost $100k for this when there are so many better options now is beyond me.
I honestly wonder how hard these depreciate, given the variety of a reasons a tesla might lose value in 2025. You could buy a model 3, set 50 grand on fire and be realistically in almost the same spot
To be fair, the 2021-era update improved materials in a big way. I still think it’s got some cheap bits for the price, but so does my 2025 Lyriq.
Still, the 2021+ Model S and X are heads and shoulders above the earlier runs.
Hey, now. Fisher-Price doesn’t deserve this comparison.
It’s a tired, low effort facelift for a supposedly flagship model.
They’ve could’ve at least adopted the design language of the facelifted 3 and Y.
I guess when the cybercuck is your “true” flagship even the car that built the company gets left behind
Makes you wonder if Musk & Co are trying to match a record for longest production timeframe for a modern car without structural updates….
….or if his development staff are just lazy.
As long as Chevy continues making the Express, Tesla’s got a loooooong way to go.
I don’t think it is a problem of the development staff being lazy, just Elon had them work on stupid projects like the Cyber Turd, which was a serious, if misguided, task.
Maybe it’s just seeing too many of them around town but the average Tesla just feels very boring and generic. Their owners seem to never personalize them beyond factory stock. There are never any bumper stickers or anything. Just blue model 3, red model y, another blue model 3, etc.
Which is a bummer because they do have some fun colors. Never buying one what with the CEO sieg heiling and everything else though.
I’ve been seeing a lot with bumper stickers lately. Most saying “I bought this before Elon went crazy”
“I hate Elon but can’t afford to get rid of this” would be a good sticker.
I’ve seen quite a few with “Anti Elon Tesla Club” and one ” F Elon” sticker. There are a handful of wrapped ones too. But yeah sitting at pretty much any given light and you’ll see at least 2 white 3’s around here.
I saw a Model 3 today that had a bumper sticker with Elon and a red international NO diagonal slash through his name.
I don’t think I’ll ever do something similar with Sochiro.
Round here (Edinburgh) most of the Teslas I see are taxis, so they must be economical at least. Seems to be the same thing in many EU countries too.
I call them the NPCs of Need for Speed: MoPac for a reason. They’re frickin’ everywhere and have all the character of Generic Car. The original Model S was pretty, but every iteration since then has dumbed down the character, and then every other Tesla save for the Cyberschmuck has just been a Model S that was stretched or compressed in Photoshop. It’s so tired.
Then again, they could’ve made this refreshed S pretty again and I still wouldn’t touch the thing. Buying one of these half-assed refreshed Teslas is a choice, and it’s a morally repugnant one. We all saw that sieg heil. Two of them! Screw that guy.
Tesla has adopted the Apple iPhone philosophy of updating its products in small increments. Thing is, even Apple does a good aesthetic and features added update every other year, and its product is a rectangle.