Front End... Hmmmmmm

[Captain Semtex]

The Model 3 nose is like a supermodel with a zit... stunning looks, but that one little thing steals your attention away from everything else that is superlative.

The Model S has a fake grill. The Model X prototype had the same grill, which was then removed in the production version. IMHO the prototype looked better. Now with the Model 3 the fake grill has gone completely. It's a challenge... to me the front of the car looks like it is sad :-(

Fortunately there's still time for Tesla to make some tweeks.

 

[Joules Verne]

The Model 3 nose is like a supermodel with a zit... stunning looks, but that one little thing steals your attention away from everything else that is superlative.

The Model S has a fake grill. The Model X prototype had the same grill, which was then removed in the production version. IMHO the prototype looked better. Now with the Model 3 the fake grill has gone completely. It's a challenge... to me the front of the car looks like it is sad :-(

Franz seems to be more of an a$$ guy than a nose guy.
He just can't seem to get the front right. Although he's real close with the Model3.
Some additional tweaks will get it there.

 

[Bruin1996]

By the time the final production version appears, you are going to love the front end.

Owning Model X, I am pleased to see what Tesla Motors has done with Model 3. It will fit nicely in the short third parking spot in the garage.

It's a perfect solution for those of us who cannot fit three S or X without parking them outside.

I have the same problem with my 3-car garage. I have one parking space shortened by a built-in cabinet. I considered getting another CPO Model S 70D but can't park it in the garage with my current Model S and Honda Odyssey Minivan. The Tesla Model 3 will be perfect for that 3rd garage spot.

 

[favo]

Edit:
Picture isn't mine. Just found it somewhere and I know this is what a lot of people are thinking.

I like the Porsche nose tweak. I hope they do this.

 

[Takumi]

I like the Porsche nose tweak. I hope they do this.

Interestingly, I think you should review the videos and see the actual car in person first. Somethings the camera just can't capture.

 

[David J]

Like one reader noted, "pig snout". What a shame, and here I was so excited about it. Hopefully, they can/will modify it because I can't get beyond that front - laughing stock. If not, then everyone behind me will move up one place.

 

[arjay]

I think the design/styling team did a great job of maintaining the magic of the S while still giving the 3 its own unique feel. The way they resolved the surfaces at the rear of the car is wonderful. If they can do that, I think they are perfectly capable of tweaking the front creases to make the nose more graceful. The overall stance of the car is terrific.

 

[Jack6591]

The most insulting thing in the world is to be called ordinary. I was hoping that Chris Porritt would have a little more influence in the design, that said, the car is distinctive, and unique. I will anxiously await delivery.

 

[eisbock]

Not too ecstatic about the front.

Just because you don't need a grill doesn't mean you have to completely ignore the styling elements behind grills. It gives the face a mouth. It gives the car character. Sure, they were born of necessity, but have evolved into a stylistic choice. Having absolutely nothing there, but retaining a shape that suggests something should be there just looks absurd!

I'm not even asking for a grill-looking grill. It could be some other design, something nobody has dreamed up before. Something to fill the empty void! Anything!

Oh well, I'm sure there will be some nice vinyl stickers and *sugar* to improve the frontal appearance and make it look less like the original miniature clay model fell off the table and they decided to go with that.

 

[arjay]

There may be some design constraints to accommodate the sensors behind the front surface, but that should not prevent some artful tweaking to resolve the surfaces (where is my handy full scale clay mock up when I need it?) A complaint of mine of all cars has been poor accommodation of the front license plate, hopefully these elements will be combined to make for one nice sculptural form.

 

[arjay]

PS: I fully agree that when we see the car in touchable-real-life this front end issue may just go away.

 

[dgpcolorado]

Gonna have to clean lots of bugs off that thing.

That's already true for my Model S with the rounded nose cone. Not much can be done about the front end of a car being a bug catcher.

 

[Big-T]

I've got mixed feelings about the front end myself, but (and I apologize for my horrible photoshop skills in advance) I stuck a front license plate on the thing and I think it looks waay better. The plate should break up that nose nicely.

 

[eisbock]

PS: I fully agree that when we see the car in touchable-real-life this front end issue may just go away.

Right, but half the fun of owning a snazzy car is that when people first see it, they go, "Damn, that's a nice-looking car."

The first impressions for a lot of people around here are, "Yikes, That's a weird-looking car."

This is exactly what everybody on the road who sees it is going to think too. They're not gonna have the time to get a 360° view and spend some time thinking about and rationalizing to themselves that it looks good.

The fact that there even is wide-spread discussion questioning the, well, questionable design elements right off the bat is cause for concern and I have a feeling this will not go away unless the design is changed. Incredibly frustrating because the rest of the car is beautiful.

 

[porc]

The problem with the front end in my opinion is not the lack of a grill but the fact that it is too short. It looks like (as some have said) a pig snout. Also the transition to the wind shield is quite steep and abrupt. It has some great elements but the snout is just laughable.

This picture reveals the pig snout problem:

 

[CHG-ON]

I just can't get past that nose. The rest of the car is pretty much perfect, IMO. But that nose...

 

[Ltespd]

This car is suppose to compete with the BMW 3 series. That should not just include performance ...but also appearance. I've never owned a BMW. So no bias here. But I definitely think the BMW and especially the BMW M3 is much more attractive.

 

[James Anders]

No, no, no, no! Why do people keep harping on the lack of a grille?!?

It is not the lack of a grill that makes it look weird. It's the completely flat front nose, that looks like if could be made from a sheet of plywood. It looks completely un-aerodynamic and "un-sleek", almost as if a last minute styling decision was to run it into the wall a couple of times.

It looks weird because it doesn't look finished. Like they got to the front of a rectangular block of clay and stopped rounding the front, vs sticking on 4" more clay and rounding it off.

I'm no aerodynamic engineer, but I don't see how that flat front helps the Cd.

Exactly!! I get that there's no grille in the front. Even most ICE cars are "bottom breathers" today.

It not the lack of the grille.

It's the blunt nose in the center. Yes, it does look better with a license plate. But there's a lot of us that don't have front plates.

And there are many many cars that don't have this blunt nose that have acceptable means to attach a front plate.

Why cripple the Cd of those cars that don't have a front plate?

 

[James Anders]

I agree completely, getting everyone accustomed to getting away from a grille one step at a time and this is the final step. Get out of the past and into the future, people!

I personally think it's also a nod to the fascia/bumper of the EV-1:
View attachment 169986

Not at all. If they followed the EV-1 it would be OK (following the accent lines under the headlights of the M3).

I don't see a flat blunt section on the EV-1 at all.

 

[FloridaGary]

I reserved a 3 and like everything about it, but like many of you I had to pause regarding the front. I expect there will be aftermarket products to modify the space or Tesla will tweak it. I see the space as an area for a great deal of stone chips.