CR full test of Model 3 - falls short on recommendation

[Trevor B]

This is really the reality distortion field

See his response??? Pretty much admitted there's a problem.

Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update. Will be rolling that out in a few days.

Not sure Elon really confirmed there is a problem, only that if isn't as good as they would like, it is no big deal to update. Which is correct.

And it does matter zilch compared to the bigger picture because even at the highest distance they have, cars still stop fine.

 

[mongo]

That wasn't the initial response or tone from Tesla ... but kudos to CR for uncovering this.
Not really. You can thank CR for making your ride a lot safer (once the fixes are rolled out).

Is this what you meant by tone?

In a statement, a spokesperson maintained that its testing showed a 133-foot braking distance using the 18-inch Michelin all-season tires. The company also claimed that CR's test units may have been affected by a number of factors, including temperatures (both for the tires and the environment), the road surface and even "past driving behavior." And if there were issues, the spokesperson said, Tesla was in a better place to "address more corner cases" through software updates that could improve the stopping distance.

That seems pretty factual and non-antagonistic.

Elon went from 'that doesn't match our results, we'll look into it' to 'got a fix' in ~ 2hours. CR's methodical testing was likely a big help in showing a reproducible failure mode.

 

[Driver Dave]

Except that they do own and drive one..

Well, not really. Driving around a test track is like trying out an iPhone in a store thinking you know what it is like to have one.

Just reading the article, it is totally clear they don't really get it.

 

[Driver Dave]

This is really the reality distortion field

See his response??? Pretty much admitted there's a problem.

Looks like this can be fixed with a firmware update. Will be rolling that out in a few days.

Fine, and good for Elon.

CR still sucks though.

They just don't get it.

When it comes to Tesla, they like to get the click bait headlines, focus on the negatives, and then ignore the fact that "It doesn't have a crappy gas engine that make all cars today suck!" and "It doesn't require a dealer that will steal money from you"

I wonder if they will write an article how amazing it is that the CEO of the company responded immediately, figured out how to make better, and got updates out to all cars to address.

Nah, they probably will just go back to raving about how great the gas mileage of the Toyota Corolla is.

 

[insaneoctane]

It appears there IS an issue. The model 3 should NOT be out-braked by an Odyssey mini-van or Ford F150 truck. Tesla is committed to identifying it and fixing it. Fantastic. Don't hate the messenger here! IMO, CR, has totally earned their keep with this. With tens of thousands of 3's on the road already and that number growing very rapidly, even a few cars exhibiting this behavior could be devastating. CR might have just helped Tesla's world-class accident metrics by having Tesla fix this now and avoiding a few crashes resulting in injuries or just poor metrics. My car, at some point in the future, is going to brake even better than it does today.....I'm happy about that.

I'm not saying I love CR, rather they did a good thing in this case.

 

[mtndrew1]

Well, not really. Driving around a test track is like trying out an iPhone in a store thinking you know what it is like to have one.

Just reading the article, it is totally clear they don't really get it.

Well *I* own one and am very grateful that CR uncovered a potential safety concern. Repeated panic braking is going to be an edge case for sure, but if you need to repeatedly panic brake you’re gonna want that extra 20 ft of space.

There’s a difference between not liking a tech or retail implementation and identifying a safety issue. CR’s review is a little of both, but it appears what kept the car from being recommended is that it has a braking flaw that likely wouldn’t have been corrected in such short order without CR’s sterile and methodical testing regimen.

 

[0ptions]

I wonder if they will write an article how amazing it is that the CEO of the company responded immediately, figured out how to make better, and got updates out to all cars to address.

Nah, they probably will just go back to raving about how great the gas mileage of the Toyota Corolla is.

Only Electrek or Ars Technica will do that.

 

[bro1999]

Fine, and good for Elon.

CR still sucks though.

They just don't get it.

When it comes to Tesla, they like to get the click bait headlines, focus on the negatives, and then ignore the fact that "It doesn't have a crappy gas engine that make all cars today suck!" and "It doesn't require a dealer that will steal money from you"

I wonder if they will write an article how amazing it is that the CEO of the company responded immediately, figured out how to make better, and got updates out to all cars to address.

Nah, they probably will just go back to raving about how great the gas mileage of the Toyota Corolla is.

Were you complaining about CR when it published this review of the Model S? Back then you considered them awesome, right?
Tesla Model S - The electric car that shatters every myth

 

[mongo]

If CR does agree to retest after the update/fix is issued, I hope they don't accept Tesla's offer of using a Tesla-provided car to do the retests. Should be done with the same car(s)

From the follow up post:

Once an update for the Model 3 is sent to our vehicle CR will conduct more tests, says Jake Fisher, director of auto testing. “If Tesla can update the brakes over the air, we will retest our Model 3,” Fisher says. “It would be an industry first if they could improve brake performance remotely.”

 

[mtndrew1]

If CR does agree to retest after the update/fix is issued, I hope they don't accept Tesla's offer of using a Tesla-provided car to do the retests. Should be done with the same car(s)


Were you complaining about CR when it published this review of the Model S? Back then you considered them awesome, right?
Tesla Model S - The electric car that shatters every myth

In the past when a similar thing happened with CR for the Summon and AEB functionalities they tested the same car they owned when it received the respective firmware updates. I presume they’ll do the same here with the Model 3 they own and the outside owner’s car they borrowed.

The hardware changes (aside from the suspension retrofit) would of course require a new car.

 

[jtpassat]

They would never accept a manufacturer loaner because the manufacturer could "enhance" the car beyond production specs.

If CR does agree to retest after the update/fix is issued, I hope they don't accept Tesla's offer of using a Tesla-provided car to do the retests. Should be done with the same car(s)


Were you complaining about CR when it published this review of the Model S? Back then you considered them awesome, right?
Tesla Model S - The electric car that shatters every myth

 

[Jaguar]

Not sure why reviewers constantly complain that having controls on a central screen "takes your eyes off the road". They don't seem to realize that you take your eyes off the road whenever you turn a knob or push a button and when you check your speedometer even when it's directly behind your steering wheel. On my ICE I have so many buttons and knobs I don't even remember what half of them do.

 

[MP3Mike]

If CR does agree to retest after the update/fix is issued, I hope they don't accept Tesla's offer of using a Tesla-provided car to do the retests. Should be done with the same car(s)

@bro1999 You keep saying that but Elon never offered to provide them a car for testing. All he said was "Also, Consumer Reports has an early production car. Model 3 now has improved ride comfort, lower wind noise & many other small improvements. Will request that they test current production."

In other words they know early production had issues, so how about you try to get a car more recently built to see how we are doing now instead of how we were doing almost a year ago.

 

[bro1999]

Frankly, we should all be thanking CR for their test work. They found a flaw, brought it to Tesla's attention, and now Tesla is going to issue a fix that makes their cars safer. What is up with villainizing CR like they are the devil?

 

[dhrivnak]

Not sure why reviewers constantly complain that having controls on a central screen "takes your eyes off the road". They don't seem to realize that you take your eyes off the road whenever you turn a knob or push a button and when you check your speedometer even when it's directly behind your steering wheel. On my ICE I have so many buttons and knobs I don't even remember what half of them do.

Or look at a road sign including speed limits?

 

[N8Howell33]

Where did this statement come from? I think everything has been conjecture so far. Tesla hasn't even acknowledged CR results to my knowledge.

From Musk

 

[insaneoctane]

From Musk

I think your statement was before his?

Elon Musk‏Verified account @elonmusk 18h18 hours ago

Replying to @ElectrekCo @FredericLambert

Very strange. Model 3 is designed to have super good stopping distance & others reviewers have confirmed this. If there is vehicle variability, we will figure it out & address. May just be a question of firmware tuning, in which case can be solved by an OTA software update.

Your statement was 25 hours ago....
Oh, the trouble with being Nostradamus!

 

[seattlite2004]

Frankly, we should all be thanking CR for their test work. They found a flaw, brought it to Tesla's attention, and now Tesla is going to issue a fix that makes their cars safer. What is up with villainizing CR like they are the devil?

Right....glad there is Edmund's and CR....and about 13k+ owners to test out these Mod 3s. Wonder if there is indeed a test team at Tesla...or they just decided that "we'll do it live" due to schedule pressure.

 

[mongo]

I think your statement was before his?

Elon Musk‏Verified account @elonmusk 18h18 hours ago

Replying to @ElectrekCo @FredericLambert

Very strange. Model 3 is designed to have super good stopping distance & others reviewers have confirmed this. If there is vehicle variability, we will figure it out & address. May just be a question of firmware tuning, in which case can be solved by an OTA software update.

Your statement was 25 hours ago....
Oh, the trouble with being Nostradamus!

@N8Howell33

The media relation person at Tesla referred to a software updates solving problems (before knowing if the problem was, or what is was).
From jalopnik:

Unlike other vehicles, Tesla is uniquely positioned to address more corner cases over time through over-the-air software updates, and it continually does so to improve factors such as stopping distance.

Later, Musk Tweeted.

 

[AWDtsla]

Not sure why reviewers constantly complain that having controls on a central screen "takes your eyes off the road". They don't seem to realize that you take your eyes off the road whenever you turn a knob or push a button

No you don't, you operate them by touch. Believe it or not human machine interaction is a real field of study. These are not guesses.