Tesla Model S Center Console From EVANNEX (#CleanTechnica Review)
The good folks at EVANNEX were kind enough to send us a Center Console Insert for the Tesla Model S to use in our Tesla Shuttle fleet right after we launched the company. Yes, I assume they expected a review for the gift (which is worth $530–630), but they haven’t said so or pressured us in any way. (I have to say, though, it was weird when a 6’7″ thug-looking character with EVANNEX tattooed on his forehead showed up at my door holding a long iron rod. And I have to disclose that he did ask me if I needed any help evaluating the console.)
Before receiving the console, I wasn’t too sure if I actually wanted it. I liked the empty tray between the front seats and didn’t think they looked too cluttered. My computer bag fit pretty nicely there and I could easily move from one seat to the other in cases where that was convenient. Nonetheless, I figured it was worth trying out and might be helpful.
Putting the center console in was super easy. No tools required, unless you decided to wire a phone charger through the bottom of the console to the charging outlet, which we did. (Note: That’s not required in order to use the phone chargers, but it helps to hide the wires a bit.)
Pretty quickly, I felt like the console fit right into the car. In fact, I’d say almost everyone assumes it was originally part of the car (some people do know it’s an aftermarket product). The materials — carefully matched to the interior trim of our car — matched perfectly and the console so elegantly fit in between the two front seats that it seemed like it was part of the car from the beginning. I did quickly appreciate the extra cupholder, the covered storage space (especially as we added a valuable high-speed WiFi router and credit card machine). The console doesn’t cramp the space at all and I don’t miss the huge vast of empty space that was between the front seats. Our main driver definitely preferred the console.
I probably should have reviewed the center console months ago, but I honestly forgot about it, which I’d say is a testament to how well it fits in and seamlessly blends with the interior of the car.
Additionally, the benefit of taking so long to review it allows some commentary on its durability. After approximately 50,000 kilometers of use, multiple drivers, a trip from Poland to Paris and back, and a hundred or so passengers, the console seems like new to me.
I already had this article draft open and pictures taken, but then got the perfect additional note to add in. We recently got a newer 2017 Tesla Model S 90D for the week. I asked one of our drivers how he liked it. Well, I asked him “have fun? cool roof, eh?” (The car has the full glass roof, which is awesome, especially from the back seat.) He said without any further solicitation that the interior in our car was nicer, and with a little bit of extra questioning to try to clarify, he highlighted that our center console is nicer than the Tesla-incorporated one (two pictures of the latter below).
The Tesla center console that is now provided in the Model S is pretty slick, imho. I like the way the covers open and close, which is smoother than our wooden console cover, and there are more cup holders that I think are a bit nicer to use. The iPhone charger is superbly hidden as well — cord not showing at all. However, I would say that the EVANNEX console has a nicer, more elegant look to it. It better matches the artistic, beautiful design of the Model S, even if the new Tesla console is a bit more functional and has slick opening and closing mechanisms.
I should add that we also got the little Cubby Compartment (pictures above) when we got the Center Console Insert. There’s a little unclosed box or tray underneath the Tesla touchscreen and above the center console. The Cubby Compartment is a little drawer that fits into that space. It’s useful to hide the stuff you put in there and to keep it from flying all over the car when you show off the instant torque and insane acceleration. Again, I initially wasn’t sure how much we needed it, but now it’s hard to imagine not having it and we definitely find it useful. It is light and seems a little flimsy, and at first glance it didn’t seem to match the class of the Model S, but it fits into such a tiny space in the car and fulfills its purpose so discreet that I hardly think about those initial impressions and don’t think anyone else has such thoughts or observations. It just seems to be part of the car and blends in as you would hope.
In the 90D that we have for the week, I noticed that there’s still no drawer or door incorporated into that spot, just the open tray. It made me realize how much I appreciate and prefer our Cubby Compartment, which stores all kinds of useful things I don’t want out in the open and definitely don’t want flying under the seats during quick accelerations.
All in all, I’d say that we unanimously love our Center Console and Cubby Compartment. They add great functionality and make it much easier to hide a variety of important and frivolous items while elegantly blending into the interior of the Model S.
Thanks, EVANNEX! And we’d be especially happy to review that Rear Center Console of yours if you’ve got a few too many stored in your garage. 🙂
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