First impression of driving a Model 3

[elechead]

I rent a Model 3 via Turo for a day trip from San Francisco to San Jose. This is my first extended experience behind the wheel of a Model 3. All previous experience was with test drives which allowed for only 30 minutes or so of actual driving.

My impressions:

Positives:
- The car drives very tightly. Don't know how my passengers will like the ride but it has a very sporty handling.
- I was nervous to let autopilot took over at first. It brakes later than I normally do (or just that I did not feel I was in control). But after it was simply magic. The first few auto lane change was similarly scary but I got used to it by the night. Traffic cruise control makes cruising through traffic jams a peace.
- The screen shows distance to other objects in front and behind the car which assist parking tremendously.
- Plenty of superchargers in the area. A trip to San Jose and back costs $10 in electricity.

Negatives (I am admittedly nitpicking here):
- The screen was unviewable in bright sunlight. I later found out that there are matte screen cover for the Model 3 but the car I rented didn't have it.
- Navigation was very distracting. I was totally unfamiliar with the area (coming from Calgary, Alberta) and had to rely on GPS for directions. The zoom level is too far: I don't need to see 10 miles ahead, just the next intersection where I need to make a turn. Lane guidance was similarly hard to see. I had to turn my head and take my eyes off the road to look at the screen. Google Maps on my phone was easier to navigate. It would help tremendously if the screen was angled toward to the driver. A HUD would have been fantastic.

I was deadset on making the Model 3 my next car but now I'm holding back a bit. Most of the technologies in the Model 3 will show up in other cars within the next couple years, when I plan to change my car. And I frankly don't know when Autopilot will move up to Level 3 self-driving. Level 2 is pretty easy to find in modern cars. Even the base Honda Accord 2019 looks very compelling at half the price of the (still unicorn) base Model 3. Of course, all Teslas have the advantage that is OTA updates.

What do you think?

 

[kbecks13]

Whoa i'm surprised you thought your phone was better, i think the model 3 navigation is amazing! I think the one thing you could have done differently is tap on the navigation tab that shows your route, this makes the map zoom in on the next turn instead of showing the whole trip. It's nice to jump back and forth once you know that the option is there.

Not sure how turning your head to the center console is different than looking at your phone though? I really do think its something you get used to, you're probably already a bit used to using a phone.

 

[elechead]

Even the zoom option didn't zoom close enough for me. The navigation was on the right two-third of the screen and like I said, it was washed out by the bright sun light. it would have been better if the screen was angled toward me. Also driving on unfamiliar roads increase the stress that I miss my turn, stay in the wrong lane, ... not counting I'm in a completely different car to what I drive daily.

Another nitpick: the mirror adjustment requires tapping on the screen, which was a nuisance when driving. On my current car I can control mirrors with buttons on the door handle. I see this as a tiny issue because if I own the car, I don't have to play with the side mirrors often and there are driver profiles for when I need to switch drivers.

 

[Avid]

Most of this is a matter of acclimation, one day may not be enough for you. We don't have any screen protector, matte or otherwise, on the monitor haven't seem to be an issue for us.

 

[SMAlset]

You are suppose to adjust your mirrors before you start driving on any car. Shouldn't be messing with seats or mirrors while moving.

I was initially hesitant and had my doubts about adjusting to the center only screen and I have progressive lenses that require me to focus straight on for best in focus viewing. I also thought because of that that I would want the screen angled more like on our Model S. However it didn't take me long to adjust though and haven't had any problems. Tesla orginally had the directions on the far right of the map screen and moving to the left was a good move and nice they could do easily in software update. Not sure what your issues were with zoom, I've been able to zoom out for when highway driving a longer distance and don't need to see much detail and zoom in for more street by street driving in unfamilar areas. I have never wanted HUD and still don't.

To each his own. Sounds like you have convinced yourself you want a different vehicle. If you aren't planning on buying a car for a few more years not sure why any of this is really relevant to you. With cars ultimately becoming more like Tesla and Tesla continuing to improve with it's over the air updates and other improvments in car and battery design, much will be different by the time you are ready to seriously look at a car to purchase. I think other competitors are going to find competing with what Tesla has in software (and hardware) to be more of a challenge than they expect. And many are starting out so late in to the game. Given all the miles that Teslas have on the road and the years in advance planning and implimentation I think they will still be the leader in the field.

 

[buckerine]

Most of this is a matter of acclimation, one day may not be enough for you. We don't have any screen protector, matte or otherwise, on the monitor haven't seem to be an issue for us.

I agree. OP sounds just like a guy who just switched operating systems on his new phone and can't get used to it yet. Give yourself a few days and all of the nits will go away. We've got both an X and a 3. Got the 3 after the X and have had zero problems acclimating to it. You'll figure out what part of the navigation to pay attention to (don't look at the map portion, look at the next step in the directions) and it'll all feel much more intuitive.

 

[John Beans]

Most of these nitpicks share a theme with early magazine reviews: when you jump into the car some things take getting used to, and the interface is really geared (at least a little more) toward experienced users. In other words, after you are used to things, it's nice that many UI elements are subtle. But when you first drive the car, you wish the turn signal arrows were more obvious, etc.

And with the navigation interface, though I agree some cues are a little too subtle, it does get easier because you learn where to look. But a cool thing about a Tesla is that there's a good chance stuff gets tweaked and fixed as you own the car. For instance, early owners complained that the turn-by-turn was too far away when it was on the right. Now, it's on the left. What other brand ever does that?

 

[EV-lutioin]

Like all cars, it takes a few days to get fluid with it's operation. Within a short period of time, every function in your Model 3 will become intuitive. A lot of thought has gone into every gesture and the improvements keep rolling in with each over the air update.

 

[JG T3SLA]

Before I took possession of my 3 I watched a lot of YouTube videos and reviews. When I finally got behind the wheel there was still an acclimation phase, but I think it was definitely shortened by those videos. If I had not watched those videos I would have been pretty lost on a lot of small but meaningful aspects of the 3’s interface.

 

[JeffK]

Most of the technologies in the Model 3 will show up in other cars within the next couple years, when I plan to change my car.

You'd better hope so...
I'm in the market for a compact SUV and Model Y isn't out yet. When looking at all the compact SUVs on the market and even the luxury ones... not a single one has all the safety features of the Tesla. The only one that comes close is the 2019 RAV4. Even the Luxury compact SUVs lack may of these features.

Many of these also have rear cross traffic detection and some even have AEB in reverse both of which Tesla does not have but could probably add via software... Maybe I'll tweet Elon.

 

[bpjod]

16K km of driving in sunny Alberta (you mentioned you're from Calgary) and not once has the sun on the screen ever been an issue. My screen does not have a protector on it. Maybe the screen brightness was turned down? I simply leave mine on Auto.

As you approach an intersection, then Nav automatically zooms in so it's very easy to see where you need to turn. I used to be a Waze addict, but never use it in my Model 3. I couldn't imagine going back to trying to use such a tiny screen for Nav.

 

[chronopc]

The screen was unviewable in bright sunlight. I later found out that there are matte screen cover for the Model 3 but the car I rented didn't have it.

Interesting. I've never experienced this problem. I having experience any situation where the screen was unviewable.

- Navigation was very distracting. I was totally unfamiliar with the area (coming from Calgary, Alberta) and had to rely on GPS for directions. The zoom level is too far: I don't need to see 10 miles ahead, just the next intersection where I need to make a turn. Lane guidance was similarly hard to see. I had to turn my head and take my eyes off the road to look at the screen. Google Maps on my phone was easier to navigate. It would help tremendously if the screen was angled toward to the driver. A HUD would have been fantastic.

I love the Navigation on the Tesla. It automatically zooms in when the turn is approaching. There are a few different views you can have for Navigation. One will show you the next few steps. Google Maps on my phone was my go to for many years, but I don't miss using it at all now.

 

[nvx1977]

Even the base Honda Accord 2019 looks very compelling at half the price of the (still unicorn) base Model 3. Of course, all Teslas have the advantage that is OTA updates.

If you weren't blown away by the experience of driving electric (either by efficiency or performance), then clearly you should be looking at cheaper and equivalent-featured ICE vehicles.

 

[elechead]

16K km of driving in sunny Alberta (you mentioned you're from Calgary) and not once has the sun on the screen ever been an issue. My screen does not have a protector on it. Maybe the screen brightness was turned down? I simply leave mine on Auto.

I didn't pay attention to where the brightness was set at. My car had black interior and its reflection on the screen made things pretty hard to read. Plus I don't have any driving experience in California so had to look longer at the navigation. It was much more readable by night time.

As you approach an intersection, then Nav automatically zooms in so it's very easy to see where you need to turn. I used to be a Waze addict, but never use it in my Model 3. I couldn't imagine going back to trying to use such a tiny screen for Nav.

Interesting. I've never experienced this problem. I having experience any situation where the screen was unviewable.

I love the Navigation on the Tesla. It automatically zooms in when the turn is approaching. There are a few different views you can have for Navigation. One will show you the next few steps. Google Maps on my phone was my go to for many years, but I don't miss using it at all now.

The Tesla navigation screen takes some time getting used to. It tended to overestimate the distance to the intersection so sometimes I thought I should turn at the next one. I can pinch to zoom further in, but after a minute or so it bounces back to the original zoom level. My eyesight isn't that good these days.

If you weren't blown away by the experience of driving electric (either by efficiency or performance), then clearly you should be looking at cheaper and equivalent-featured ICE vehicles.

I was impressed, but not blown away. Not much of a car guy, I want a tech box on wheels. I'm picking between a high-end ICE car and the Model 3. Total Cost of Ownership matters but I'm willing to spend a little more on the Tesla. The driving part was good but I found the navigation part underwhelming for me. May be I'm so used to having a phone screen stuck to the lower left of the windshield.

 

[NathanielHrnblwr]

As many have said, it is mostly acclimation. It took a while for me to get used to the Model 3, get the mirrors set right, seat, etc. Everything from where to look for the speedo to waiting to get to a stop to make some touch screen adjustment (radio, etc.). Coming from 15 year old cars, I did not have navigation other than on a phone, but the Tesla nav is easier for me now that I am used to it.

Driving in a new area can be overwhelming in general, more so in a car you aren't familiar with. Having traveled a lot for work in past times driving random rentals with varying levels of visibility and nav systems (Love you, Hertz Alwayslost), I can relate.

I now find myself trying to use brake hold, the non existent steering wheel buttons to adjust volume and music, and get annoyed with stop and go traffic due to no autopilot in my other cars. It's worse acclimating back.

 

[Electroman]

IMO navigation in a Tesla is very good. The search capabilities are just on part with Google maps.

 

[T34ME]

I now find myself trying to use brake hold, the non existent steering wheel buttons to adjust volume and music, and get annoyed with stop and go traffic due to no autopilot in my other cars. It's worse acclimating back.

True all that. My wife has been driving our 3MR for 6 weeks now. She had to drive our unused and neglected Prius last week due to a scheduling conflict. She came back into the house perplexed and said she tried to put the Prius into "drive" and turned on the windshield wipers instead! She (the very definition of a non-tech person) said she hates driving anything but HER model 3 now.

Zero problems with screen glare, navigation, and mirrors after the first couple of hours use. You just set it before driving off and forget it.

 

[gilscales]

IMO you need more time in the seat, the more you drive it the better you will like it, everything becomes second nature in a hurry in this car, once you get used it then everything else feels antiquated.

It really is that easy!

 

[Mysta]

You'd better hope so...
I'm in the market for a compact SUV and Model Y isn't out yet. When looking at all the compact SUVs on the market and even the luxury ones... not a single one has all the safety features of the Tesla. The only one that comes close is the 2019 RAV4. Even the Luxury compact SUVs lack may of these features.

Many of these also have rear cross traffic detection and some even have AEB in reverse both of which Tesla does not have but could probably add via software... Maybe I'll tweet Elon.

Hmm, Rav4 didn't come close to Volvo XC40 imo.

 

[RSL2020]

The screen being washed out comment sorta discredits your whole write-up. In 6 months of ownership I haven't had this happen at all. Was the screen set to black (night) mode?