500 mile update

[KingTito]

I’ve owned a lot of cars but I’m thoroughly impressed with this one.

I’ve posted my take on EAP but thought I’d give a general update.

I’m VIN 74XXX. Build quality is great - panel gaps etc. I went over the paint at delivery and my detailer also went over it during paint correction prior to film and coating.

I indentified three spots I wasn’t happy with but chose not to have anything done with them. One is a spec of something and two small runs. None are in a very visible area so instead of dealing with matching issues etc. I chose to leave it.

My detailer said it’s one of the better Tesla paint jobs he’s seen and they’ve been getting a lot of M3s recently so perhaps the trend is one of improvement.

I’ve had no key card or functional issues.

Minnesota roads can be pretty beat up and I’ve had no rattles develop.t

I’ve had my 29er mountain bike inside it 6-7 times and I’ve been extremely careful with towels and sheets to keep the interior clean and it still amazes me that this car is so practical this way. I wanted a hitch but I’m not willing to do the disassembly to put on the Ecohitch and I’m not sure I trust anyone else too.

I will wait for a roof rack.

I’m surprised Ecohitch was out so fast but Yakima and Thule are still in the design and development phase.

I keep looking at SeaSucker but haven’t made the leap to trusting that.

I’m monitoring the snow tire/wheel situation as I’d like to go with 18’s and will likely go with Tsportline with Nokian Hakkapeliittas.

Overall an amazing car. All of the technology works and the ride is comfortable and the acceleration is amazing.

I’m impressed with the usability of everything and how everything is well integrated.

For example I’m impressed with the regenerative braking and how well it works and if you are slowing too fast you can add a touch of accelerator. You are still in regen but the rate of deceleration changes.

I think someone put a lot of thought into that. I haven’t had card or phone issues. The screen works great and is easy to navigate through.

It’s my first Tesla and my first EV and I’ve been fortunate to have owned a lot of great cars.

I’m impressed. 500 Miles is but a short period of time. I don’t think I’m a pushover. I keep cars a long time and I’m finicky about them. But so far so good.

 

[ecarfan]

It’s my first Tesla and my first EV and I’ve been fortunate to have owned a lot of great cars. I’m impressed.

Glad to hear it! My 3 is my fourth Tesla and honestly I’m as excited about it as when I took delivery of my 2013 Model S. The 3 is an amazing car. It’s incredible to see how far Tesla has progressed in such a short period of time. While the S and the X offer more space and have some very cool fancy features, I think the 3 is on the whole more advanced in it’s overall concept.

The interface between car and driver is superior to the S/X, in my opinion: it feels like there is almost nothing between the driver and the road in terms of visibility and steering feel. The handling is better. The user interface is astonishingly good, and I am very impressed by the ease of use of the single display and the utility of the two steering wheel buttons. The interior feels spacious and the trunk has plenty of capacity. Plus, it looks so damn good!

 

[Electroman]

Link to your EAP post please..?

 

[achilles992000]

would you recommend the S over the 3? i have an S and am thinking i like the smaller size of the 3, better range, and increased visibility.

 

[Bobsil]

would you recommend the S over the 3? i have an S and am thinking i like the smaller size of the 3, better range, and increased visibility.

Test drove both, def enjoyed P3D more than P100D. Felt very connected to the road.

 

[KingTito]

Link to your EAP post please..?

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/autopilot-impressions.128391/add-reply

 

[KingTito]

Glad to hear it! My 3 is my fourth Tesla and honestly I’m as excited about it as when I took delivery of my 2013 Model S. The 3 is an amazing car. It’s incredible to see how far Tesla has progressed in such a short period of time. While the S and the X offer more space and have some very cool fancy features, I think the 3 is on the whole more advanced in it’s overall concept.

The interface between car and driver is superior to the S/X, in my opinion: it feels like there is almost nothing between the driver and the road in terms of visibility and steering feel. The handling is better. The user interface is astonishingly good, and I am very impressed by the ease of use of the single display and the utility of the two steering wheel buttons. The interior feels spacious and the trunk has plenty of capacity. Plus, it looks so damn good!

I think your point about visibility is one I missed. I’m impressed. A lot of cars these days have a tall nose. Perhaps it’s due to the space requirement between the hood and the hard parts in the engine bay to meet pedestrian safety requirements?

The 3 has such a low nose and sloping nose that visibility is unbelievable.

 

[KingTito]

would you recommend the S over the 3? i have an S and am thinking i like the smaller size of the 3, better range, and increased visibility.

I’ve put several hundred miles on an S and and X that relatives have. I love the S. It’s spacious and I love the hatchback. Sure the 3 is smaller and it drives smaller. I would be hard pressed to the say the visibility is dramatically better. In fact I could be wrong as I haven’t driven an S in months but the rear visibility with the S may be better.

All in all the 3 is a great car but if I had an S I don’t think I’d be compelled to switch as the S is a great car as well. For me the single feature that would cause me to keep the S would be the hatchback.

 

[chronopc]

In fact I could be wrong as I haven’t driven an S in months but the rear visibility with the S may be better.

The rear visibility in an S is piratically useless. You pretty much have to keep the reverse camera on. The Model 3 rear view is much better. Closer to a normal car.

 

[KingTito]

The rear visibility in an S is piratically useless. You pretty much have to keep the reverse camera on. The Model 3 rear view is much better. Closer to a normal car.

Good to know. Will revisit that if I drive one soon.

 

[ba2002]

Model 3 rear visibility is average to below average.

Model S is a delivery truck.

 

[ibdb]

The rear visibility in an S is piratically useless. You pretty much have to keep the reverse camera on. The Model 3 rear view is much better. Closer to a normal car.

The rear beltline in the 3 is much higher than I'm used to. My perspective might change after some more time behind the wheel (we picked up less than 24 hours ago), but my initial impression was that visibility in our S was better. The issue in the S is seeing between the rear seat headrests, but in the 3 it seems like I'm trying to look over the trunk.

Front visibility in the 3 is phenomenal. I feel like I could reach forward and touch the ground in front of the car.

 

[chronopc]

The rear beltline in the 3 is much higher than I'm used to. My perspective might change after some more time behind the wheel (we picked up less than 24 hours ago), but my initial impression was that visibility in our S was better. The issue in the S is seeing between the rear seat headrests, but in the 3 it seems like I'm trying to look over the trunk.

Front visibility in the 3 is phenomenal. I feel like I could reach forward and touch the ground in front of the car.

Model S

Model 3

 

[chronopc]

Model 3 rear visibility is average to below average.

Model S is a delivery truck.

Rear visibility on my accord was better than the Model 3 so below average might be accurate.

 

[Abstrakt1]

I am a 74xxx vin as well with almost 500 miles. Virtually same experience. Panels were perfect (or good enough that neither me nor my detailer who also drives a 3 don't notice any problems). Paint had some small hard to see flaws that seemed like more work to fix than it was worth. I have not had any issues (clearbra has a wrinkle but that is someone else's fault and will be fixed) no key card problems, no weird errors and no rattles.

 

[Crispix]

would you recommend the S over the 3? i have an S and am thinking i like the smaller size of the 3, better range, and increased visibility.

Don't test drive a 3. It'll be an expensive day.

 

[ibdb]

Model S Interior Picture Was Here

Model 3 Interior Picture Was Here

The 3 provides a better panorama of the landscape behind you, but I'm referring to the view directly over the trunk to cars behind you. I had a Grand Cherokee behind me at a light this morning. I could just barely see the top of the hood. At the next light, I had a Honda Insight behind me. I could just see the rear view mirror of the Honda, but the driver was below my line of sight. As low to the ground as the Model 3 is, that surprised me.

My S is in a body shop right now, so I can't do a direct comparison, but it seems like there's more of a blind spot lower in the driver's rear vision in the 3 that's partially offset by increased visibility of things further away. When I was teaching my sons to drive, I walked around the car and asked them to let me know how far away I needed to be for them to see my feet so that they would get a better sense of visibility and blind spots. It seems like I'd need to be much further back in the 3 than the S.

All that said, the first 71 miles I've put on the car have really impressed. I'm already looking for an excuse for a road trip.