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Yes, you read that correctly. I drove over 100 miles on my trip to San Francisco, but didn’t do any of the driving.
In fact, I’m not sure I touched the steering wheel at all. You see, The latest version of Tesla’s self-driving car (FSD) The system handled everything for me. It’s amazing, and I’m absolutely convinced that this is the future of driving.
Let’s support the rhythm. FSD from Tesla is Electric car The company’s vision-based driver assistance system that’s designed to get you from point A to point B with as little human involvement as possible. It’s not cruise control, it’s not lane keeping — we’re talking traffic lights, intersections, highways, downtown chaos — it’s all handled by the car.
I was behind the wheel Model 2026Y (the non-performance version of my own car at home), and driving around the Bay Area. Think Cupertino, Palo Alto, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the inner city of San Francisco.
He guided me through it all. Narrow sidewalk streets, rickety parking lots, rainy freeways, and even the twisty mess of Lombard Street—in dry or wet weather—all without a hiccup. I handled it better than some people I’ve seen backing down the hallways.
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Raise your hands and feet up…almost
This is not like AutopilotOur semi-autonomous system is available in the UK. FSD v14 does not require steering thrusts or wheel drive to prove you are awake. Although human oversight is still required. The in-car camera monitors you to make sure you’re paying attention to the road.
My hands were usually in my lap. He told me many times that I was looking around at my surroundings, but mostly I was just a passenger in the driver’s seat – watching the Tesla and glancing at the scene.
I never felt the need to take charge. Merging onto freeways, dodging cable car tracks and cyclists, reading construction signs like a seasoned local – the car started down the road. There was even a moment when I negotiated one of San Francisco’s terrifying peaks. You know, the ones you can’t see at the top. Didn’t blink. I mean, he doesn’t have eyelids, but you get the point.
Some visual UI updates to the navigation interface included in Tesla’s FSD v14. Here, you can start FSD playback and choose different speed profiles.
FSD v14 gives you options. Standard mode was my favorite, matching surrounding traffic and occasionally exceeding posted limits (you can adjust that). I felt human. Not outlawed, just in tune with everyone.
Chill mode adheres to the limits more tightly and drives more conservatively, while Mad Max and Hurry are more aggressive with speed and trajectory changes. I tried it briefly, but honestly, I was enjoying the ride too much to rush. Even the sloth mode held up well, with a little more restraint.
Lane changes were mostly smooth. Once or twice, my Tesla would signal and then change its mind, which could be confusing for others on the road, but it never felt dangerous. Even on the highway, it handled the ride like a seasoned commuter.
Lombard Street? please.
Lombard Street was a highlight. Everyone knows it as the crookedest street in the world, the kind of road that makes you sweat. FSD not only dealt with it, it crushed it.
Cornering felt smoother than I had controlled it myself, and the car felt confident in turns, navigating as if it had done it a thousand times. There was no weirdness in the map, no ghost braking, no nonsense. It was almost boring. In this case, it is a compliment.
Every day is impressive
The system has excelled where I expected it to falter. Someone pulled out without warning? Her reaction was immediate. Pedestrian swinging in the road? I slowed down respectfully. Construction cones, disoriented Waymos, weird intersections – I spotted them without hesitation. San Francisco is known for its difficult traffic, funky lanes, and some strange parking habits. The car felt like a home of chaos.
My only real gripe? Stop signs. It’s a bit reserved. Sometimes he would wait a full 10 seconds, even if it was blatantly obvious. Sure, this is school driving, and safety is what we like to see. But there is such a thing as too much caution.
Weather resistant independence
It rained. It became blurry. But FSD kept moving forward.
When the cameras got a bit messy, the wipers cleaned them up, including the front camera placed behind the rearview mirror. A small warning pops up every now and then, alerting me to possible performance degradation due to visibility. But if anything had deteriorated, I didn’t notice. He never misread a cue or lost the plot.
Parking was the cherry on top. It will pull into or reflect into spaces, even in tight garages. Sometimes, I would choose exactly the space I wanted, but most of the time, I would let it do its thing. And she did it well.
This changes everything
I’ve used autopilot a lot, in the UK where there’s no FSD. But FSD is miles ahead. There’s no need to prove you’re paying attention every few seconds. It feels natural, smooth and even comfortable. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a bit magical.
I had never driven in San Francisco before. I didn’t know the streets. But the car did. And I trusted him. These are the key takeaways here: I trusted the system. At no time did I feel panicked, panicked, or even hesitant. This is not what I would expect from something called “full self-driving.” Especially after screaming on autopilot for a bit at home.
Version 14 of Tesla’s Full Self-Driving system is currently only available in the US and Canada, with no confirmed timeline for international expansion. Although it will come – soon, I hope. Access requires compatible Tesla model and Subscribe or purchase an active FSDPriced at $199 per month or $8,000 upfront.