XM radio too costly

Does anyone besides me feel upset at being required to buy the premium sound system in order to get sirius/xm?

I have had xm in three cars and it normally is just part of the basic radio system. i think all radio units come with it built in. Why should i pay almost $1000 for speakers I do not want, just to get xm. It came for free in my excellent Nissan Leaf, which also, incidentally, has no serious software glitches.

I camry came with sirius.

I wanted the premium sound system but I didn't want serius/xm. It's just the nature of options that sometimes you have to pay for something you don't want in order to get something you do want.

@DouglasR - Yea, kind of like the Nav in the Tech package. I'm a 2012 Leaf owner in addition to a non-Tech package Model S. It is surprising that even the base model of the Leaf (not 2013) comes standard with both XM/Sirius and TBT Nav, and Model S doesn't. Oh well... it is what it is.

I had XM for free for the first week, but then it turned off (I'm not a subsriber). I don't miss it. Slacker is great.

Plus, note that XM isn't free--someone has to pay for it!

I had XM for 3 months in my LEAF, and basically only used it for sports. For music, I would rather listen to my music in Google Music via my phone/Bluetooth. I do the same in the Model S, though I have played with Slacker.

Then as my free trial came to an end, they called me dozens of times asking if I wanted to sign up, sent tons of spam (which I still get a year later), etc. So, I resent having to pay for XM support in the Tech Package, and I don't particularly like paying for navigation as part of the tech package (I have been using it on my phone for years, and it is better integrated into my calendar/etc) -- thus is the nature of package deals.

Tesla can't separate every option so that it can be chosen independently of everything else, and so they have to group things together that they think people are likely to want together.

I can't believe how whiny people are here -- saying "I can't believe the Model S doesn't come with FEATURE_XYZ". They can't please everybody, and if they try they won't be around for anyone. A startup has to be laser-focused on building their vision of the product and delivering it.

If you can't live without XM, then either pony up the dough or don't by the car. If you have to have parking assist because you can't use your mirrors and the rear-view camera, then don't buy the car. Etc etc.

I posted this elsewhere on a similar thread but here it is again.

Is it not possible to get XM into your car by just using your smart phone's browser to listen to it? XM subscribers can tune in to XM on the internet...bring it up on your smart phone, pair the phone with your car using blue tooth and there you are.

Am I missing something here?

Joyrider, you presume good cell phone service. Both of my homes are in locations with no AT&T service and very limited Verizon service. We do have a Verizon network extender through DSL (slow Internet service), but it only works to about 100 feet from the garage. After that it is 16 miles to reliable cell coverage. Many of us are in this boat.

Yes, if you can listen to XM radio on your phone (you can verify this today) and your phone can use the Bluetooth A2DP profile, then you could listen to XM in your car via the phone.

I normally listen to my music via Google Music on my phone in exactly the same way. You don't get voice search, but generally in the car I just select a predefined playlist and let it play.

Music on a radio? How quaint.

I thought that is what iPods etc were for.

Thanks for your thoughts regarding music and using the phone over bluetooth.

However i prefer to listen to NPR or BBC or other talk programming and it is far easier to receive that over XM than using the modes you suggest. Can tune in in SF and listen all the way to LA without losing signal and without relying on network service.

Yes, Yes, YES...this sucks. I thought Tesla was unique, but not offering XM hook-up without spending money to purchase other stuff, makes them like all the other auto makers...selling a good product for a fair price, then screwing you on upgrades.

Does anyone sell Sirius/XM as a standalone upgrade? I've had a Toyota Camry, a VW Beetle, and a Nissan Leaf. The satellite radio was always part of an upgrade package that included other stuff.

You may find that TuneIn is sufficient. you can get NPR, BC etc. Yes it may go in and out every now and then. I have the premium sound package, but not XM... Some like the 'enhanced sound' others do not. I use 64 Gig drives for my music, TuneIn and Slacker for 'radio stations'. By the way, those stations are quite diverse and international. I usually listen to ESPN, NPR, stations in Fargo. Singapore and college stations everywhere.

I don't think of it as being screwed for upgrades, I think of it as finding different options to meet a need

I have a Lifetime subscription w/ XM satellite. XM told me I'd be able to transfer it to my next 4 cars. Now I'm ready to order my Model S and the Tesla guy says I gotta buy this package. He says my transfer of xm won't work. That sucks! And I don't understand why. Can somebody explain it to me??

I would suspect their is some confusion at large here. You have to get the optional sound system to get the xm radio but the subscription is between you and xm. You just give xm the radio id and transfer your subscription.

You can transfer the subscription, but you need the package to have the XM hardware in the car.

Why can't you just get XM on your smartphone and bluetooth it to the standard radio. I have 3 XM subscriptions right now and am canceling 1 of them and transferring one to my phone. The other is in the house for major league baseball and other sports. The phone will be the new xm radio when I get my model S in September, earlier I hope.

Elon reiterates in most investor calls that Tesla makes a large profit on options. Good for them, it hastens the Model X and Gen 3.

I have XM in one car which I'll be keeping when my MS arrives. It's nice but not great. Most of the channels I like are only available online or via the iPhone app. Even in the car with XM I find myself using my phone and playing it through the sound system to get the channels they don't offer via satellite, so that's what I'm planning to do with my MS. One subscription, stretched out this way helps justify its cost better, at least for my situation. Just a thought you might want to mull over while making your decision.

I have XM in my Lexus and will not miss it once my MS arrives. Some channels keep disappearing and I find that I only listen to bbc and one or two music channels. I think BBC is available on TuneIn and slacker can cover all music needs.

I kept my Xm primarily to keep traffic navigation.

I really enjoy Satellite radio in my Volt. I will miss it for sure. I'm upset that I have to spend $2500 on what most people have admitted is not a worthwhile upgrade so that Satellite radio can be included.

I do not understand why an aftermarket upgrade of the sound system cannot include Satellite radio.

But I have made the tough choice to give up Satellite radio when I order my model S. $2500 is too much to pay for that alone.

I really got the Tech package for xm radio also, I haven't listened to regular radio in 10 years (I can't stand commercials!).

Turns out that I like slacker so much better than xm that I canceled my xm subscription right away.


I bfelt exactly the same and in fact six months ago posted a similar comment. I love satellite, because we travel a lot, and cannot live without it.

So I bought the premium sound package, which I normally never do, and absolutely love it. I never used to listen to music, and now I do a lot, and the car gives you great options for music.

In my experience, high-end cars like Mercedes always require you to purchase a package to get satellite. The cheaper the car, the more likely it is to be included. An analogy is Wi-Fi and hotels. It is free at the Motel 6 but costs $20 a day at the Ritz.

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