FSD V14 is on both my Cybertruck and Model Y — and after 300-400 miles, I still can’t stop disengaging it.

Not because it’s bad. It’s actually the best it’s ever been. But that lane-changing hesitation is still there, and it’s the one thing keeping me from going full hands-off. I even broke down and subscribed to FSD — something I never thought I’d do — so the bar for what I expect has gone up. Here’s where things actually stand, plus some December updates across the whole fleet.

Digital car driving visualization with FSD v14.2.1.25 release notes below.

FSD V14 — real-world impressions after 400 miles

Both vehicles got the holiday OTA — V14.2.1.25. I’ve put a combined 300-400 miles across the Cybertruck and the Juniper and I’m seeing improvement, just not enough to stop second-guessing it. The lane-change hesitation is still the main culprit. It’s the kind of thing where FSD will wait, wait, wait — and I’ll just take over. Every time that happens, my engagement score takes a hit.

V14.2.2 is sitting in my queue. I haven’t installed it yet, but I’m genuinely hoping it targets this specific behavior. If it does, that changes the daily driving experience significantly. I’ll do a full breakdown once it’s on.

The bigger story here is that I’m paying for the FSD subscription now. That’s not something I said lightly — I went years without it. The software has matured enough that I’m using it consistently, and that’s a meaningful shift. Still not perfect, still not set-it-and-forget-it. But it’s in a different league than it was two years ago.

Road trip incoming — and it’s not the Tesla

I miss road-tripping in the Rivian. The R1S has been doing school runs and weekend errands, but it hasn’t had a proper road trip in a while. That’s changing soon — Team Rivian is getting the next one.

Only problem: I still don’t have Rivian’s holiday update. Not even in queue. Rivian ROR hasn’t flagged it for my VIN yet — shout out to Chad for building that tool, by the way. Check out Rivian Roamer if you own a Rivian and want actual vehicle stats beyond what the app gives you.

The update is supposed to bring a new UI to the driver display and expand hands-free driving to more roads. I’d love to test both on a real trip. We’ll see if it lands before we leave.

White Rivian R1S SUV parked near Tesla Superchargers with a white Tesla car behind it.

How I went from minivans to a Cybertruck and R1S

My parents’ first car was a white-and-beige Toyota van with brown stripes. Then came a Dodge B350 — ceiling-mounted 13-inch CRT TV, curtains, the works. My dad drove that van from Chicago to California with a mattress strapped to the roof. That’s how we moved.

Smiling boy in blazer with two men and vintage cars, a gold sedan and a white Toyota van.

I didn’t realize until much later how much that shaped what I look for in a vehicle. Every car I’ve owned as an adult has been about utility. Toyota Sienna, Honda Odyssey, then the Model X — which was the closest thing to a minivan that made sense once we went electric. Two of them, actually. First one got bought back. We replaced it. It worked, but barely, and eventually we had to let it go.

Model X and Rivian R1S at a parking lot

The Cybertruck replaced the Model X. The R1S is now the seven-seater. Neither has sliding doors, and I genuinely miss sliding doors. But the R1S can go off-road. The Cybertruck hauls everything else. And both run on electricity, so we’re saving money every month compared to what two gas SUVs would cost us. It works.

For what it’s worth — the Lucid Gravity almost got me. Almost. But it starts at $80K and by the time I spec it the way I’d want it, we’re at $130K. First Model X was $120K and that nearly broke us. So I’m grateful the Gravity doesn’t have sliding doors. Truly.

December shoutouts

A few people in the community took delivery this month and I want to call them out:

  • Jennie — first EV, brand new Model Y Juniper, used my referral code. Congrats. Let me know how you’re liking it in the comments.
  • Robert — my neighbor. Traded in his previous Model Y lease for a Juniper the same week. Blue one, parked next to his Hummer EV. Fellow December birthday too.
  • John — my birthday twin. Same birthday as me, taking delivery of a Model Y on that day. He and his wife Autumn now have two Junipers in the garage.
  • Two new Rivian owners — Rivian notified me this week that two people used my referral code and took delivery. No idea who you are — get on the comments and say what’s up.

Birthday is the day after Christmas. I’m forcing myself to take a break this year — no livestream, at least not on the birthday. Maybe New Year’s weekend. Let me know in the comments if you want to do a Q&A hang that weekend.