Reviews
Lloyd Rubbertite All-Weather Floor Mats for Model S
When it comes to selecting floor mats for your car, you have dozens of options. You can go the simple route by choosing thin, same color and style carpeting used by the factory delivered floor material. That’s what I got when I picked-up my Model S in June of 2013. Nothing impressive at all about them. Second is to get those laser cut, weather guard, plastic molded trays that resemble what’s found in elementary schools or home mud rooms. Another choice is go all out and get the super plush, luxury, triple nap mats that will not necessarily protect your car’s floor any better but will cost you a lot more.
I would prefer to not have mats at all, but living in Chicago kind of makes that not so practical. I’m also reminded of my childhood, when my mother would insist on getting those plastic, see thru seat covers for our new car. My father bought a new car every two years and my mom was on a continuous mission to keep everything look as new as the first day she got it. But I digress.
I was never a big fan of the laser cut mats. I don’t doubt they do a superlative job of protecting your car’s floor My wife has a set for her Venza and they seem great. But they just don’t feel right to me. And, if you have black ones, they never hold that shine after a season (channeling mom here). If I was going to get mats then I wanted something different for my Model S. I think I’ve found it.
Lloyd’s Rubbertite Floor Mats
I opened a box of Lloyd’s Rubbertite Mats custom cut for my Tesla. You can get a complete set that covers all floor surfaces of your Model S; that is front, rear, trunk and below trunk storage as well as the frunk.
Out of the box they don’t look that impressive. Various sizes of black rubber with no edging. But once you get them in the car they take on an entirely different look. The mat surface has a recurring pattern of depressed circles that are pleasing to the eye. When you peer into the car that subtle difference provides an appropriate accent to the strong interior of the Model S. It adds a sprinkle of that industrial look, but the smallness of the circles keeps them from taking control of your eye. Oh, and they have a dual purpose of capturing dirt and grime until you clean them.
The interior of the Model S, particularly in black, is the quintessential minimalist look. There is a sameness inside the cabin that causes the seats and floor to blend in and literally vanish from your mind’s eye. The touch screen is elevated to be the hero of the interior, transforming it beyond a dashboard into more of a command center. At night, the screen is supported by the LED accent lights beneath the armrests in the front and under the forward seats as you ride in the rear. I think driving, or riding for that matter, in a Model S at night, especially when the sky is clear and stars abound, does not get nearly enough attention.
Since the Model S has no drive train to interrupt the cabin floor, mat makers have a new challenge. How to run a single mat from left to right. The rear Lloyd’s mat along with the frunk, trunk and trunk stowaway fit absolutely perfectly. The front mats are a bit small. I’d love to have them come a bit further back toward the seat. One major advantage of the laser cut mats is they can be molded around the driver’s side left foot support. The Lloyd’s mats must leave that exposed to wear and dirt. The driver’s side mat has safety fasteners, just like the other premium mats, to hold it safely in place, keeping it from riding up on the control pedals.
When I dropped the mats in, which took all of one minute, and took a spin, I noticed a very strong rubber smell. So heavy in fact that it overpowered the trace of that new car smell still wafting through the air a year and a half after delivery. Leave your windows down when you can to accelerate the dissipation of that smell. It goes a way in a few days.
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It’s early days in the cruel Chicago winter. In fact not a flake of snow or super cold temperatures as of yet. I’ll be looking for how much these Lloyd Rubbertite mats remain flexible, how well they clean up and the endurance of their shine.
News
Tesla’s AI Chief just hinted at something big for FSD v14 lite owners
Tesla’s AI chief suggests the newest FSD v14 Lite build may finally go wide release.
Tesla’s head of AI, Ashok Elluswamy, noted on Sunday that the newest FSD v14 Lite build rolling out to Hardware 3 cars is likely the version that goes to wide release, the strongest signal yet that Tesla is near to closing out an early access phase that Hardware 3 owners have waited more than a year for.
Elluswamy made the comment in response to an extensive review from Tesla owner Zack, known on X as @BLKMDL3, who tested software version 2026.20.6.10 and detailed the changes in a lengthy post. “FSD v14 Lite (for Tesla AI3 hardware vehicles) review.
The update restarts a rollout that had stalled after its initial release. Tesla began pushing FSD v14 Lite to Hardware 3 early access drivers on June 29, bringing driving behavior learned on the newer Hardware 4 computer down to the more limited chip that has powered Tesla vehicles built between 2019 and early 2023. That release, as we covered in detail, gave roughly 4 million HW3 vehicles their first meaningful update since being frozen on version 12.6 in early 2025.
Tesla Full Self-Driving v14 ‘Lite’ Release Notes: new capabilities and features
The latest build adds features that bring Hardware 3 closer in line with what Hardware 4 owners already have. FSD can now start directly from park without a brake pedal confirmation, a change Zack called a small but meaningful quality of life improvement. The interface also picks up the blue “P” park icon, approaching destination alerts, and a dedicated Self-Driving app with streak tracking, all details previously exclusive to the AI4 branch of v14, as outlined in Tesla’s original release notes.
The stakes around Hardware 3 go beyond software polish. Tesla sold the Full Self-Driving package for years on the promise that every vehicle equipped with it had the hardware needed to eventually drive itself without supervision. That promise broke down during Tesla’s Q1 2026 earnings call, when Musk acknowledged HW3 cars could not run unsupervised FSD, prompting Tesla to offer trade-in discounts and hardware retrofits alongside the Lite software track.
Tesla confirmed HW3 can’t do Unsupervised FSD but there’s more to the story
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Tesla has continued to frame v14 Lite as the primary path forward for the HW3 fleet, telling owners in April that international markets would follow the U.S. rollout once regulatory approvals came through. For now, HW3 owners in the early access group are the only ones running the new build. A broader rollout would mark the second major software delivery to the legacy fleet since Tesla first released FSD v14 to Hardware 4 vehicles, and the first sign since June that the Lite program is still moving rather than stuck in early access limbo.
The Tesla Model Y has won U.S. News award for “Best Luxury Electric SUV,” beating out a heavy lineup of worthy battery-powered sport utility vehicles.
The Model Y first was delivered to owners in early 2020 and was the automaker’s answer to the widely-popular crossover SUV sector. A sibling of the first mass-market vehicle the company offered, the Model 3, Tesla’s Model Y has quickly become the company’s best-selling electric car, and that’s saying something considering it is not the most affordable Tesla vehicle and starts at $62,990.
U.S. News recognizes Tesla’s influence in the changing automotive market, identifying that it was likely the catalyst in bringing EVs to mainstream status. Despite the rapid expansion of the EV segment, Tesla has remained at the top of the hill, fending off worthy competitors like Volkswagen, Ford, and General Motors, who have spent decades developing some of the best automotive technology the world has seen. However, Tesla has also managed to stay above tech-focused and savvy automotive startups entering the electric sector, with battery powertrains being their only focus. Rivian and Lucid, two of the most notable names to fit that description, still have not managed to catch up with Tesla.
The Model Y effectively expanded Tesla’s product line to include a new body style. While the Model X has been offered for seven years, the falcon-wing door-equipped SUV is still only produced for sentimental reasons, according to CEO Elon Musk. It also is much more expensive than the Model Y, and starts at $114,990.
Tesla plans to produce Model Ys with both 4680 and 2170 cells at Gigafactory Texas this year
Those who do not quite have the means to spend over $100,000 on an all-electric SUV have plenty of options, but if a consumer is looking for luxury, the Model Y may be the best choice. U.S. News highlights that, while the Model Y does offer less overall cargo and utility room than the Model X, it still boasts many of the same tech features that Tesla has been known to put in its cars. The Model Y has plenty of performance too, and its premier trim level will get you from 0 to 60 MPH in just 3.5 seconds, while still having over 300 miles of range and a 155 MPH top speed.
“Despite the onslaught of new competitors, the Tesla Model Y is one of the most capable and well-rounded luxury electric SUVs that you can buy at the moment,” U.S. News writes. “If you’re in the market, this is an option that’s well-worth a test drive.”
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I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
The Tesla Model Y has captured Cars.com’s “Best Electric Vehicle of 2022” award, beating out several worthy competitors to be named the best EV of the year.
The Model Y is Tesla’s newest addition to its purchasable fleet of vehicles, and the first all-electric crossover to come out of the Fremont factory in Northern California. Tesla developed the Model Y to be a mass-market vehicle capable of handling a variety of tasks. Not only is the vehicle lightning fast in typical Tesla fashion, but it also packs enough cargo space to give full-sized SUVs something to sweat about. It is truly Tesla’s most well-rounded vehicle, suitable for nearly any lifestyle and at a price point that won’t break the bank.
“Tesla is an electric car innovator, and the Model Y reflects that leadership with its efficiency, charging capability, range, and options,” Cars.com’s synopsis of the Model Y said. “It checks a lot of boxes for consumers who have been considering making the jump to an EV.”
The Tesla Model Y. (Credit: MotorTrend)
EVs are still a small slice of the overall passenger vehicle market in the United States. While EV adoption is continuing to grow at a fast rate, Cars.com says that about a third of active car shoppers are considering an electric vehicle. Additionally, the site stated that occurrences of searching for an EV on Cars.com have doubled in the past year, while inventory levels of EVs have dropped 30 percent since 2021, showing there is plenty of interest from consumers.
The Model Y may be one of the most appealing options for those who are considering switching to an EV from a gas car. Cars.com notes the Model Y’s incredible efficiency, which is paired with 326 miles of EPA-rated range in the Long Range All-Wheel Drive variant. Not only will the Model Y get you to where you need to go in a minimal number of charging stops, but it also gets better with age. The vehicle, like the rest of Tesla’s fleet, receives Over-the-Air software updates to upgrade vehicle capabilities, fix bugs, or increase performance.
The Model Y is also great for those who have a focus on purchasing cars with a focus on American manufacturing. The vehicle was ranked third on the 2021 American-Made Index, trailing its sibling in the Tesla Model 3 and Ford Mustang.
Cars.com’s list is void of the Lucid Air, Rivian R1T, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6. The publication noted demand and production growth of electric vehicles will allow more models to be considered for the award in the future.
I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or questions, please email me at joey@teslarati.com. You can also reach me on Twitter @KlenderJoey, or if you have news tips, you can email us at tips@teslarati.com.
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Tesla Full Self-Driving v14.3.6 review: a rare regression, but some bright spots
Musk’s massive Terafab project will get final location soon
