2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD review – graduating from a Camry
Ordered and took delivery on a 2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD back when wait times were ungodly. There are a million of these reviews on here, so I’ll try to give a perspective not often discussed.
My prior car: think mid-2010s Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, etc. It was a basic model, cloth seats, no collision avoidance/techy safety features. No apple carplay. Just a backup camera.
This whole review is from that perspective. If you have a fast or techy car to begin with, most of below probably won’t be useful. All comparisons will be against my old, basic, extremely unremarkable sedan. So if that’s your current daily driver, read on…
Pros:
Cons: note, most of these are moreso "personal preference" than objective criticism
Personally observed charging speeds:
Unsolicited advice:
"Tesla Model 3" by Seluryar is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Ordered and took delivery on a 2022 Tesla Model 3 RWD back when wait times were ungodly. There are a million of these reviews on here, so I’ll try to give a perspective not often discussed.
My prior car: think mid-2010s Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, etc. It was a basic model, cloth seats, no collision avoidance/techy safety features. No apple carplay. Just a backup camera.
This whole review is from that perspective. If you have a fast or techy car to begin with, most of below probably won’t be useful. All comparisons will be against my old, basic, extremely unremarkable sedan. So if that’s your current daily driver, read on…
Pros:
- The Tesla is ****ing fast. Snaps your head back. Acceleration hasn’t gotten old, even a year+ in. To this day I still get that stupid grin. And remember, this is just the RWD.
- FWIW, the acceleration feels more intense if I slowly apply the gas pedal as I gain speed, rather than slamming to the floor @ the start
- My god the instant torque is nice
- I feel more in control of the Tesla vs. my old sedan. The instant torque means I can easily “time” my turns, overtaking, etc. Feels cerebral in dynamic situations
- One pedal driving with regen is really nice, especially in traffic. Took a few months to get it smooth, though. Lots of little nuances with hills, driveways, tight merges, etc. that I never thought about with a gas car. Lots of microscopic adjustments with your right foot on the pedal, although it eventually becomes subconscious. Makes it a little more interesting to drive.
- Fun to take on curvy roads
- “Phone as your key” is convenient af
- Frunk + trunk + “under” trunk (where the spare would normally be) = lots of storage space
- Included sentry mode, multi-camera dash cam, and USB drive for video storage = peace of mind
- Autopilot is clutch for long, boring drives.
- It’s saved me from a few accidents. I drive in SoCal, where you could be going 80 in the middle lane, have a car still tailgate you, and then suddenly overtake you on the left lane… just as you’re switching to that same lane. Don’t know why I didn’t see him switch lanes, that’s on me. In any case, my Tesla’s collision avoidance system took over to literally swerve away from the car trying to overtake me, and back into my original lane. Autopilot was off the whole time.
- Minimalist aesthetic is super nice
- Infotainment system is solid. Plenty to do while you’re supercharging, or better yet, while waiting for the “your table is ready” text from the restaurant. Gf appreciates that.
- Sound system is solid. Tuned and EQed well, plenty of bass, and very satisfying to listen to. Sounds best thru a mainstream streaming app (Spotify, Apple Music, etc.).
- Creature comforts are great. AC, heated seats, heated steering wheel. Being able to activate all of this remotely as you’re walking back to your car? ****ing incredible. Gf loves having a pre-heated seat on a cold night.
- Maintenance is minimal. No tire rotations needed yet. Refilled wiper fluid twice which was easy.
Cons: note, most of these are moreso "personal preference" than objective criticism
- As of October 2023, autopilot WILL **** up as you use it. Will obviously get better in the future, and HAS gotten way better in the year I’ve owned my car. All that means is, don’t get complacent. As long as you’re still watching the road, you’ll be fine, even when it messes up.
- It’s only a con if you’re a dumbass like me and didn’t research ahead of time:
- NO SPARE TIRE.
- NO JACK.
- Ran over a nail, tire started bleeding air fast. Limped home. Buddy had a portable tire inflator, used that to keep the tire inflated while I waited for mobile service to arrive. Royal PITA, had to top off air pressure every few hours, as I wanted to keep the weight of the car away from the rim itself. Couldn’t get a hold of a jack/jack stands in time. Now I keep a jack at home + Tesla tire repair kit in my trunk. Will probably get jack stands or a “donut” spare tire eventually. Open to critiques/comments here. I am NOT a maintenance guru lol.
- Not ideal for long road trips, TO ME AT LEAST. LA to SD is fine, LA to SLO is fine. I'm talking LA to SF or father. It’s OK when you’re rested and not cranky. But.. when you feel “over it” and just want to blast out a 4-6 hour stretch of driving with minimal stops? Not happening with current battery range. You’re supercharging every 1.5-2 hours
- NOTE: plenty of folks don’t mind the “stop every 2 hours” cadence, YMMV.
- Con with EVs in general: going up mountain slopes bleeds battery pretty quickly. Need to be mindful of range.
- If you drive more than 50 miles a day, you need level II charging at your home, or at least overnight access to a “regular” outlet. Otherwise, charging could become annoying.
- Internal parts creak a bit when you accelerate aggressively or go over uneven terrain
- Windshield wiper fluid, when deployed, bleeds onto passenger windows. Not sure if fixed in the Model 3 refresh, but other cars seem to divert that excess fluid away from reaching the side windows somehow. My old car did at least
- Car’s collision warning system beeps like a ************ when pulling close to a drive-thru window or a parking garage gate. This is background noise to me, but I know that could annoy the hell out of others
Personally observed charging speeds:
- Supercharging is fast, simple, easy, works as advertised. Works even faster if your battery has enough time to pre-condition
- “Level 2” charging: if you charge overnight, you’ll probably wake up to a 100% charge or close to it
- Regular outlet: 20% charge every 12 hours.. ish?
Unsolicited advice:
- Get all-weather floor mats + all-weather rear trunk mats. You’ll thank me later
- Keep a mobile charger in your car
- Get some kind of portable tire pump that plugs into your car’s 12V outlet. The Tesla one is great, I use that one personally
"Tesla Model 3" by Seluryar is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
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