So. This is on a 2024 Model 3 Highland, so it’s using AP4 hardware.
Last weekend we did a day trip to Frostburg to visit some friends (and provide tech support). On the way there, FSD 13.2.9 nearly drove us driveway to driveway, the only reason I can’t say that is because their driveway is really weird to access. For all intents and purposes, 13.2.9 drove us there (from Silver Spring) with no interventions. Well, OK, I did have to goose the accelerator because it refused to speed up to the new speed limit on the non-highway roads in Frostburg and highway driving still fails to consistency read speed limit signs and it still ignores the speed limit offsets setting for 50mph roads. Mostly impressed, FSD did what I expected it to do.
On the way home, I had to take over after about 15 minutes. Skidmarks on the highway caused it to slow down and swerve. Not brake-slamming slow down, but enough to annoy the guy behind me (he was following too close anyway, so too bad for him), and it refused to keep the speed limit reasonable after that.
FSD 14.1.4 dropped early Monday morning. My first local drive with it was absolutely horrible, had to disengage within a mile. Things that it got right before, like picking the correct turn lane, it bombed. Swirling leaves caused it to slam the brakes (no one was behind me this time at least). It also wanted to go way too fast, not even on highway roads, in Standard mode.
Today, I had it drive me to a doctor’s appointment, all local roads (no highway). The proposed navigation when I got in the car was .. questionable, so I didn’t turn on FSD until getting past the questionable bit. From there it did the rest nicely, even automatically parked in the parking lot which was a first for me.
ON the way home, it nearly did parking lot to driveway with no interventions, except once again there’s this weird navigation issue that cropped up, where it thinks it has to take a right turn on the road past my driveway to get to my driveway.
But also on the way home, it actually, finally, honored NO TURN ON RED. Granted, there was no UI indication that this is why it didn’t try to take that right turn, but there was a good 30-45 seconds when it could have safely albeit illegally made the turn and it didn’t even try. I’m hopeful they finally read that sign now, but it will take more successful handling of that situation to convince me.
It even stopped at a crosswalk with a waiting pedestrian, which surprised the pedestrian more than it did me.
That whole “choose how to park when you arrive” thing may be neat, but the UI for it doesn’t seem tor early exist in any obvious way. Certainly doesn’t ask you for your preference, you have to go dig for it. I would have liked to see if “back up into garage after door opens” was an option.
The one thing I really dislike about FSD 14, though, is the inability to set the speed limit. You’ve got your five modes - Sloth, Chlll, Standard, Hurry, and Mad Max. Your speed limit is determined “by a number of factors” based on which mode you’re in, but none of those factors seem to be speed limit and speed limit offset. Unless and until we can send speeding tickets to Tesla without any impact to, say, insurance rates or driving records, this to me is unforgivable. I do not trust Tesla to make that decision for me as it’s consistently failed.
Also, it should be noted that I no longer give Tesla the benefit of the doubt on FSD. It’s been way too long for the promised features to appear and they really haven’t yet, and it looks like there isn’t even any promise of level 5 autonomy now. I purchased the perpetual license (and had it transferred) back in 2018 when it was only $2000. I would not pay the current price for it no matter how cool it ends up being. The monthly subscription is one option, but seems to be more of a sales gimmick to try and convince you you really want to buy it (or keep it on subscription, which after a while is better for Tesla).
But, I have to admit, FSD 14 is further progress, once they smooth the edges out.
