The reliability and fit and finish are some reasons that Consumer Reports has not been a huge “Tesla” booster.
They once heralded the Model S when it debuted, as the future of cars and was very impressed.
Since then, the brand has continually struggled in their testing and rankings.
They still like the Model 3, but have started to recommend competitor’s offerings over the Tesla, due to the issues noted in the thread above. I mean, it makes sense. Tesla is a new car company, they don’t have tons of experience making cars yet, and you could expect issues like detailers find.
Many industry observers say that Tesla’s focus on speed and nimbleness has put some dents in the quality of its product. The Model S has repeatedly lost its recommended status from CR due to reliability woes, and initial quality has also suffered. Owners have complained to CR about display screens that freeze up, dust and defects in the exterior paint, trim pieces that come loose, and a suspension system that makes rattling and squeaking noises.
Fundamentally, today’s Model S is less enjoyable to drive than its predecessors. “Today, more often than not, they’re almost trying to get your hands off the wheel. It’s noisier, it rides harsher,” says CR’s Fisher. A yoke-style steering wheel is harder to hold, and the lack of a traditional turn signal stalk or shifter can be off-putting for many drivers.
The CR retrospective is an interesting read, and really speaks to the fumbles and issues that the company has had since their first CR reviewed vehicle (which they called a triumph). The company has focused on things besides quality and driving experience, and more on weird side things, like odd steering wheels, self driving tech, and other things that take time and energy away from producing consistently excellent vehicles.
It seems like the Twitter acquisition is a sped up version of this, where Elon comes in and meddles with an already fundamentally solid product, trying to shoehorn in a bunch of unneeded stuff.
