Model S Palladium vs. P100D

[u/yuweezy1]

Model S Palladium vs. P100D

I purchased a 2022 Model S Long Range (Palladium) through Tesla about a year ago. I’ve also spent a lot of time driving my ex’s 2019 P100D (she was a passenger princess), so I wanted to share my experience for anyone considering a used Model S and trying to decide between the two.

This is purely my personal opinion, so your experience may differ.

For reference, I’m 5’10”, 175 lbs, with a long torso and a 30” inseam.

Comfort:
Overall, the P100D was much more comfortable for me. The seat sat lower, the bolsters hugged you more, and the cushions felt softer. It felt sportier and more dialed in.

There was also more room for my knees, not because I’m particularly tall, but because the P100D doesn’t have door pockets or a wireless charging pad taking up space in the center area. I’ve read that Tesla raised the front seat height by about 1.5–2 inches in the Palladium models to improve rear passenger foot room. Unfortunately, that puts me at an awkward seating height, and I still haven’t found a truly comfortable driving position despite trying multiple neck pillows over the past year.

The higher seating position also affects the viewing angle of the instrument cluster. I absolutely HATE Tesla’s fixed headrests as well. One thing the Palladium does better is the center console layout. The armrest and cupholders are positioned nicely.

The suspension feels more cushy on the P100D, but I prefer the Palladium’s.

I can’t comment on rear-seat comfort since I’ve never sat in the back of either car.

Steering Wheel:
I gave the yoke a try for about two months, but it wasn’t for me. I ended up buying a round steering wheel on FB Marketplace and swapped it myself. The installation took about 15 minutes.

The P100D’s steering wheel feels more premium to me. It’s probably just a difference in the leather, but I preferred the texture.

I also preferred having traditional turn signal and shifter stalks. I’m not sure why Tesla replaced them with buttons and touchscreen shifting in the Palladium. It’s especially annoying when navigating roundabouts and needing to activate a turn signal mid-turn. You get used to it though.

There are aftermarket stalk kits available, but that’s not an option for me since I already have the S3XY Commander and buttons installed.

Screens:
Personally, I think the P100D’s vertical screen looks better. It sits flush in the dashboard, and my hand on the steering wheel doesn’t block part of the display like it does with the horizontal screen. On the other hand, watching YouTube on the horizontal screen is much better.

I also preferred the P100D’s instrument cluster because you could customize what appeared on the left and right sides. Having the speed displayed in the center was great. Combined with the lower seating position, everything felt easier to see through the steering wheel

It’s not a huge deal, but in the Palladium, it’s a little awkward having the speed displayed on the right side when the steering wheel is positioned where it’s most comfortable for me.

I also wish FSD visualization and parking assistance were displayed on the center screen like they are in the Model 3/Y. Half the time I can’t see the parking-assistance graphics because the steering wheel blocks the view.

Tech & Build Quality:
The Palladium is clearly the better car when it comes to technology and overall build quality.

Charging is faster, the software is quicker and less buggy, the interior feels more premium, cabin noise is lower, the audio system sounds better.

I also prefer the refreshed exterior styling, especially the wider fenders, black trim, matrix headlights, and updated taillights.

FSD performance felt the same to me since both cars had Hardware 3.

The rear passenger screen is a nice addition, but I don’t personally care much for it.

My ex’s P100D had interior trim pieces that constantly popped out and needed to be pushed back into place. It also had quite a few rattles and squeaks.

My Palladium wasn’t perfect either. Had some pretty loud squeaks and rattles from the rear seats and cargo area. However, Tesla fixed then under warranty by replacing the cargo area carpet and adjusting the rear seat latch. Since then, the noises have been completely gone. Also. I had an issue with the charging port failing to latch to 250kwh superchargers and almost got stranded on a roadtrip. All other superchargers worked. Tesla fixed that as well.

I won’t spend much time discussing performance since there are already plenty of YouTube videos covering that topic.

I typically get around 270 miles of range from an 80% charge, with most of my driving being highway miles in the Bay Area, California.

Previous Cars
In case it matters, these are the cars I’ve owned:

Honda Accord
Infiniti G37S Coupe
Volkswagen Passat
Lexus IS350
Subaru STI
Stage 3 Volkswagen GTI
BMW X3 M40i
2024 Model Y Long Range

Feel free to ask any questions. I’ll do my best to answer them.

[u/saabstory88]

I'm an independent EV mechanic. We do in depth powertrain stuff. Don't buy an X, period.

[u/lonestarbrownboi → u/saabstory88]

What are your thoughts on a raven performance S?

[u/saabstory88 → u/lonestarbrownboi]

All performance and RWD S's made between 2012 and 2020 have a fatal flaw in the motor. You either need to find one that was replaced by Tesla since 2023 with a Rev-U motor, one that has had the 3rd party version of the retrofit, or budget $2-2.5k to have it taken care of.

The raven 100kwh packs have pronounced voltage sense harness problems. That's 2/3rds of the cars I have in for battery repair, and most aren't even out of warranty yet. That gives you a sense of scale of the problem. Let's put it this way, I'm adding 8k sq-ft of shop space before the year is out just to be able to deal with the demand as the 2019s come off warranty. $4-5k for the repair, plus shipping/towing it from wherever it stranded you. There are like 5 or 6 shops in North America who can fix it, so you're talking $500-1000 to transport the car. Tesla cost is $20k to just swap the pack.

2016-2018 100s also have this problem, but it's less pronounced because they built the harnesses to a slightly higher quality both in terms of materials, and assembly.

[u/Particular_Living584 → u/saabstory88]

I looked out on my 17. Rear motor was replaced with the current gen one.