Blog Consumer Reports Now Recommends Model 3 After Software Improved Braking

Consumer Reports now recommends the Tesla Model 3 after the automaker made improvements to the car’s brakes via an over-the-air update.

Consumer Reports said the Model 3’s stopping distance in initial tests of 152 feet from 60 mph was far worse than any contemporary car they have tested. Responding to the criticism, Tesla CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the company would “make sure all Model 3’s having amazing braking ability at no expense to customers.”

Following a software update, Consumer Reports found that the car’s braking distance improved by almost 20 feet.

“I’ve been at CR for 19 years and tested more than 1,000 cars and I’ve never seen a car that could improve its track performance with an over-the-air update,” said Jake Fisher, director of auto testing at Consumer Reports.

Musk tweeted thanks for the magazine’s critical feedback and noted that fixes for other complaints were either addressed or in the works.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1001863039308595201

Consumer Reports had previously said the Model 3’s stiff ride, unsupportive rear seat, excessive wind noise at highway speeds, and touch screen controls hurt its road-test score. Musk said brakes and user interface improvements will be pushed to all Model 3s, but an improved windshield and suspension are “major ops.”

“Unless you’re really bothered by them, don’t replace,” he tweeted.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1001865846338215936

He also said an upcoming version of software will enable drivers to report a bug or ask for a feature by pressing the voice button and saying “bug report” followed by issue description.

Consumer Reports said it will continue to evaluate updates and make changes to its scores as necessary.

 

[Driver Dave]

This scoring is ridiculous.

How can you even compare a model 3 to a gas car?

I would never ever buy an Audi A4 or BMW 3 now that Model 3 is available.

Why would I ever want a gas engine car, that requires tons of maintenance, from a dealer who is skimming money off of me just wanting to purchase the car, that if you leave on in your garage it kills you, that when you step on the gas it makes a lot of noise but takes a long time to accelerate, that requires I go to gas station to fill up every week or so with gas that keeps going up, that doesn't have over the air updates, that has tons of switches all over the place, that has technology and interface that feels like it is from 5 years ago, and never gets updated, that requires slamming on the brake every time I want to stop, that keeps on burning gas I paid for even though I'm not going anywhere at a light, and if something goes wrong, a dealer is there to bilk me for even more money?

Consumer Reports really needs to look at the big picture and stop ignoring how sucky current gas cars are.

Seriously, if an Audi gas car is an A4, add a 1 to the Model 3 score... should be 177.

After owning a Tesla, I laugh at the thought of even considering an Audi or BMW. It's ludicrous

 

[MHarrigan]

Yes, exactly! I'm driving a Model S but the story is the same for the Model 3. Driving a Tesla reminds me of when I replaced my Motorola flip phone with an iPhone. It's not just an electric car - it's a whole new user experience, a paradigm shift. People who don't get that today (and many don't) will eventually figure it out - some just take a little longer than others, so we have to be patient with them.

 

[dknieriemen]

I agree completely. I also have a Model S and would never go back to any ICE car. I even traded in my Porsche for my Tesla. I have to warn everyone "do not take a test drive in a Tesla unless you are prepared to buy one". You will never go back.

 

[Driver Dave]

my Motorola flip phone with an iPhone

Ha, it's like if this review was:

85 Motorola Flip Phone
78 Blackberry
77 iPhone
73 Nokia

 

[California]

Kudo to everyone. Even ‘consumer market’ forgets their original mission. You can’t compare old ICE and a fully electric car like TESLA. What is the recommemdation? Of course TESLA. Maybe they can give a fair review in 5 years when their comparisons are also electric. I do give them a credit as they restate their original review after OTA update by TESLA.

 

[Plug Life]

How can you even compare a model 3 to a gas car?

Erm... both are cars?

 

[Krugerrand]

Erm... both are cars?

Right. Like comparing a Thoroughbred to a Percheron; both horses so must be the same and therefore comparable.

 

[NCAviator]

I think you should be able to develop an evaluation system for transportation vehicles. Whether their criteria has scores for global warming or other environment factors is up for debate.

For me, ICE and EV are devices to get you from A to B. The scoring system should consider how well it transports me. How safely it transports me. How nice it transports me.

 

[Krugerrand]

I think you should be able to develop an evaluation system for transportation vehicles. Whether their criteria has scores for global warming or other environment factors is up for debate.

For me, ICE and EV are devices to get you from A to B. The scoring system should consider how well it transports me. How safely it transports me. How nice it transports me.

Even the categories you suggest are, well, subjective. How well it transports you? How nice it transports you? What exactly does that mean? Do you want it to make toast for you and rub your feet? Or are you content with working heat and AC?

Safety is self explanatory, but all the other is subjective. The idea of this kind of evaluation system should be objective (and CR at least tries to be objective but that’s nearly impossible because humans are involved and they are notoriously biased) so that people can decide for themselves which criteria to go from A to B is more important to them. Example: if getting from A to B is more about speed for them (Thoroughbred) or comfort (Percheron); back seat of a Bentley trumps the back seat of a 3 - that’s factual.

CR’s scoring system was broken down on this forum in great detail before when they first evaluated the S. Back then it was quite apparent their scoring system was lacking in a few areas and made EV to ICE comparisons inaccurate and weighted unequally; as in ICE favored, which was to be expected because up until then there wasn’t anything in personal automobile transportation that was different to ICE in those specific categories.

Only people who haven’t lived with a Tesla and been honest about the experience think an ICE is comparable to a pure EV. All cars are not created equally and comparable anymore than a Thoroughbred and a Percheron are comparable.

 

[Plug Life]

Right. Like comparing a Thoroughbred to a Percheron; both horses so must be the same and therefore comparable.

Yeah, there are horses. And there are cars. You see? it's easy.

 

[Driver Dave]

Erm... both are cars?

True, but if I ranked a VW Beetle to a Yukon XL you might say you can't really compare them because though they are both "cars" they are very different things.

I then will maintain that a Tesla EV Model 3 is a vastly different thing than a BMW Series 3 and if you put them in the same category, you are absolutely missing the very huge differences between them.

And if you rank the Model 3 below the Series 3, then you are really really missing things.

 

[tc232]

has anybody seen a good explanation of how a firmware update improves breaking performance? I assume this is all drive by wire so the firmware needs to translate brake pedal pressure into actual braking. But haven't seen that confirmed. Neither have I seen anywhere somebody speculating on what the trade off is. More wear and tear? More noise? More chance of wheels blocking? If there was no trade off, why would they not have written the FW the first time this way. Also not clear on why this longer stopping distance happened not on the first stop by subsequent stops even when letting the brakes cool (or so I understood). Questions, questions, questions,...

 

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

has anybody seen a good explanation of how a firmware update improves breaking performance? I assume this is all drive by wire so the firmware needs to translate brake pedal pressure into actual braking. But haven't seen that confirmed. Neither have I seen anywhere somebody speculating on what the trade off is. More wear and tear? More noise? More chance of wheels blocking? If there was no trade off, why would they not have written the FW the first time this way. Also not clear on why this longer stopping distance happened not on the first stop by subsequent stops even when letting the brakes cool (or so I understood). Questions, questions, questions,...

ABS software and/or hydraulic pressure management?

 

[Knightshade]

has anybody seen a good explanation of how a firmware update improves breaking performance? I assume this is all drive by wire so the firmware needs to translate brake pedal pressure into actual braking. But haven't seen that confirmed. Neither have I seen anywhere somebody speculating on what the trade off is. More wear and tear? More noise? More chance of wheels blocking? If there was no trade off, why would they not have written the FW the first time this way. Also not clear on why this longer stopping distance happened not on the first stop by subsequent stops even when letting the brakes cool (or so I understood). Questions, questions, questions,...

Someone mentioned it's ABS calibration (it would kind of have to be ABS algorithim related to actually be able to improve stopping distance)

Also- the brakes are still hydraulic (hence why the car uses brake fluid)

The implication is it wasn't written correctly the first time because Tesla didn't bother testing repeated high speed stops as CR did

Anyway- given it'd only be any different during an ABS-engaging panic stop, which should happen pretty near to never in the life of the car, I don't expect it'd make any difference at all to wear/tear/noise or anything else.