How are Europeans liking Model 3?

[Arpe]

My dad got his Tesla Model 3 AWD (Blue, EAP, 19"). I took a day off work to be there at delivery. We spend about 1 hour at Tesla, mostly waiting for staff and an additional 45 minutes at the SuperCharger (car came with 170 km / 105 miles), looking around the car for 5-10 minter. Only remark about the car was a non-flush chargeport, Tesla will take care of this at a later point.

The vehicle, WOW what a car. Insanely fast, super grippy and silent (at low speed). The handling is just amazing, my I20 with 78 HK is of cause no match but I know this car inside-out in the corners. The Tesla just blasted though at corners with much higher speed without showing any limitations of the tire, I still have no feeling of how grippy they really are... just amazing!

If you just touch the accelerator pedal, then you are already above the speed limit. Even at highway speed (130 km/h / 80 mph) it still pulls heavily. Few seconds and we are far above any speed limits.

Yes, either me or my dad have had any fast cars before but we both like speed and have previously tried a few AMGs some years back. This instant torque just blows anything away and accelerator response though corners are easy to control.

So far we are on 270 Wh/km (430 Wh/mile) surely this will drop a bit when everyday use is done.

Just a perfect car and so beautiful here in my driveway for the next few hours until my dad takes it home!

10/10 from Denmark.

 

[voip-ninja]

My dad got his Tesla Model 3 AWD (Blue, EAP, 19"). I took a day off work to be there at delivery. We spend about 1 hour at Tesla, mostly waiting for staff and an additional 45 minutes at the SuperCharger (car came with 170 km / 105 miles), looking around the car for 5-10 minter. Only remark about the car was a non-flush chargeport, Tesla will take care of this at a later point.

The vehicle, WOW what a car. Insanely fast, super grippy and silent (at low speed). The handling is just amazing, my I20 with 78 HK is of cause no match but I know this car inside-out in the corners. The Tesla just blasted though at corners with much higher speed without showing any limitations of the tire, I still have no feeling of how grippy they really are... just amazing!

If you just touch the accelerator pedal, then you are already above the speed limit. Even at highway speed (130 km/h / 80 mph) it still pulls heavily. Few seconds and we are far above any speed limits.

Yes, either me or my dad have had any fast cars before but we both like speed and have previously tried a few AMGs some years back. This instant torque just blows anything away and accelerator response though corners are easy to control.

So far we are on 270 Wh/km (430 Wh/mile) surely this will drop a bit when everyday use is done.

Just a perfect car and so beautiful here in my driveway for the next few hours until my dad takes it home!

10/10 from Denmark.

Sounds like Tesla sold another one to you after this experience.

What was your experience of road/wind noise in the car at those highway speeds compared to your other vehicles?

 

[Arpe]

Sounds like Tesla sold another one to you after this experience.

What was your experience of road/wind noise in the car at those highway speeds compared to your other vehicles?

Well my Hyundai I20 (2010 model year) is horrible for wind noise. So bad that I can't compare it to any other car.

At first we did notice some wind noise, but we do think it is on par with my dads previous car a VW Polo Bluemotion 2015 which I have always found silent. I do think that no engine noise makes tire and wind noise more noticeable but we think it is acceptable.

It has been to long ago since i drove any Audi, BMW or Mercedes to compare with any of those.


- I have been on reservation list since January 2018, wanted to be there since 2016 but I was a student back then. We are waiting for a cheaper Model 3, preferable RWD Long range.

 

[Arpe]

Also I was very impressed by how fast Autopilot came active. After just 10 miles of driving Autopilot was calibrated and ready for action. I do think it will take some time to get used to it. For the short time I had the pleasure to drive the car, AP was on for just 2 minutes. The car is too much fun to let the computer drive!

 

[ricohman]

Looking forward to your driving impressions when your long-awaited delivery finally happens! How exciting.

As far as reports of "soft paint", I think there is some misunderstanding. Paint continues to cure for up to a full year (or even longer in cold environments) after manufacture. Because Model 3's have a much quicker trip from paint shop to the customer (compared to a car that has sat in a dealership lot waiting for a buyer) it's likely the paint is actually softer on initial delivery. But it becomes a lot harder once it has baked in the sun. As far as I know, Tesla uses the same class of paints used by most modern automakers, water-based polyurethanes. These modern paints are incredibly tough compared to previous solvent-based paints but they do take longer to cure.

My advice, park it out in the sun when possible for the first month or two. The heat will accelerate the cure to final hardness. Also, avoid following too closely, particularly on high-speed roads before the paint has had adequate time to reach full hardness.

Enjoy the new car!

This is completely wrong.
And I have been painting for decades.
Unless you are talking about single stage enamel in the 1970's, by the time you get the car the paint is as good as its going to get.
The low VOC top coat still utilizes hardeners and its force dried at the factory. And this has to be what you are referring to as the base must be completely cured before the top coat.
And new low VOC paints are not near as durable as the previous generation. That is a fact. These and water based paints still contain acetone and chlorobenzotriflouride and such as they are VOC exempt but the killers iso's remain. Without these iso's no paint hardens. No state requires auto makers to use water based clear. Not even California. Are you certain Tesla uses this?
Bake in the sun, wow.

 

[michelcolman]

LOL you will NOT see that kind of driving behavior in major American metro areas, only on the interstate highways that stretch for hours between metro hubs.

Well, I've done the LA freeways (which, according to Elon, are supposed to be worse than "Mad Max") and I thought it was all extremely civilised. There's quite a bit of variation between states, but I have yet to experience anything resembling Belgium (or Germany, or France, or Italy,...)

I do agree that AP is good at certain tasks. For me, it's pretty good in either very slow traffic (following the car in front at slow speed) or with hardly any traffic at all. But anything in between, I prefer to drive myself.

I must add that I always drive at the shortest distance setting, and this could very well result in the car reacting a bit more nervously as it does not want to go below the minimum. Maybe higher settings are smoother, but then traffic behind me will get upset and people will overtake via the right and cut in.

But: even at the shortest setting, the car starts to slow down for trucks that are still more than a hundred meters ahead and while I'm already blinking to change to a lane that's completely free. (According to the manual, TACC is supposed to accelerate when you're leaving a blocked lane for a free lane but it's obviously not doing that).

Also, in traffic jams, I wish it would leave less distance at a standstill. I normally leave about a meter or so, trying to make the jam as short as possible so people behind the jam can take their exit, but M3 leaves more than a car's length. That's a big waste of concrete. (I do leave more space if I'm last in line, in case someone hits me from behind, but then close the gap when there are a few cars behind me).

What I often end up doing while trying AP, is keeping my foot on the accelerator to keep it from slowing down. But that's hardly ideal.

 

[michelcolman]

What was your experience of road/wind noise in the car at those highway speeds compared to your other vehicles?

Wind noise at high speeds is a bit more than what I'm used to on the Merc. Doesn't bother me too much, but I can't really call it quiet. At 160 km/h the difference is quite noticeable.

 

[banned-66611]

Lots of people enjoying that EV performance for the first time!

Noise seems to be a weak point of the Model 3, compared to other EVs.

 

[StealthP3D]

Lots of people enjoying that EV performance for the first time!

Noise seems to be a weak point of the Model 3, compared to other EVs.

Obviously, you've never driven a Chevy Bolt at 80 mph! Or a Nissan Leaf. Scratch that second one, you're not going to get very far at that speed!

 

[buckerine]

Lots of people enjoying that EV performance for the first time!

Noise seems to be a weak point of the Model 3, compared to other EVs.

I’m coming from an Audi and a BMW. The Model 3 is louder, but not to the point where I’d consider it a nuisance. The Audi was like a library on the inside, which was nice but also completely unnecessary.

 

[GolanB]

Curious what the European's think of the Model 3's driving performance is on the autobahn as compared to the ICE cars they've been driving. Here in the US, we seldom if ever have an opportunity to open up the car to its highest speed, let alone for a sustained period of time. From the few videos I've seen online from Germany, the Model 3 picked up quite well but was challenged when sustaining high speed, encountering numerous slow-down / recover events. In one of the clearest examples, the car was limited to about 90 kmh for a short period while cooling down (check nextmove on YouTube and enable subtitles for translation). Here is an example:

I don't believe the Model 3 was designed for the German autobahn and struggles to compete with high-end ICE equivalents for sustained high speed driving, but for most of us living outside of Germany, this is not something we would ever encounter. I would love the opportunity for there to be a highspeed freeway system here in the US, but its doubtful this will ever happen. Until then, the only way for Americans to test the full capabilities of our cars safely and legally is on a racetrack.

As an aside, I got to spend quite a bit of time with the formula-E racing team from NIO (all industry veterans who've come over from other manufacturers.) One of the points they stressed to me was how Tesla needed to improve on thermal management in their batteries as it relates to racing performance. It was pretty clear to me that they completely reverse engineered the Tesla during their analysis. Of course, the Tesla was not designed to compete with formula-E, but I'd expected it to do better with its new battery design on the Model-3. That said, it still is an impressive car.

 

[banned-66611]

Obviously, you've never driven a Chevy Bolt at 80 mph! Or a Nissan Leaf. Scratch that second one, you're not going to get very far at that speed!

Not driven a Bolt (can't get them in Europe) but I have drive the old and the new Leaf. The new Leaf in particular is quite quiet at 75.

Bjorn tests all the EVs he drives for noise, the Leaf is a lot quieter than the Model 3. In fact the Model 3 is pretty much the worst!

 

[GolanB]

Not driven a Bolt (can't get them in Europe) but I have drive the old and the new Leaf. The new Leaf in particular is quite quiet at 75.

Bjorn tests all the EVs he drives for noise, the Leaf is a lot quieter than the Model 3. In fact the Model 3 is pretty much the worst!

Keep in mind Bjorn's tests aren't purely scientific, but they can provide some general guidance in terms of over all road noise. He announced plans on adding insulation to his new model 3, and I would expect to see results from his new testing.

Here were the results of his noise testing in the model 3 versus others. Keep in mind that road conditions and tires play a critical roll here as well.

Video here:

 

[kengchang]

Do note Model 3 has the smallest sidewall aspect ratio

 

[StealthP3D]

Do note Model 3 has the smallest sidewall aspect ratio

I know. Who drives a 20" rim with Winter tires mounted and then complains about noise? Bjorn hasn't even driven a Model 3 with the 18" Aeros. Also, the Performance Model 3 has stiffer springs and a lower ride height which is also going to transmit more road noise than the other models.

 

[StealthP3D]

Not driven a Bolt (can't get them in Europe) but I have drive the old and the new Leaf. The new Leaf in particular is quite quiet at 75.

The old leaf was MUCH louder than my Model 3 at freeway speeds! I haven't tried the new one but I suspect, with comparable tires, the Model 3 would win again.

Bjorn tests all the EVs he drives for noise, the Leaf is a lot quieter than the Model 3. In fact the Model 3 is pretty much the worst!

No, you can't compare a car running a thin sidewall Winter tire like the Nokian R3 with taller sidewall tires of different brands/models of tire. It's more of a tire noise road test than anything. You will notice the other cars wearing R3's also tested nearly as loud as the low profile R3's on the Model 3 and they had taller sidewalls to absorb more road noise. The R3's are just loud tires, more so in a low profile size with a large rim.

Anyone who presents this as a fair comparison of car noise levels has a few loose nuts rattling around inside their head.

 

[srs5694]

Not driven a Bolt (can't get them in Europe)

The Chevy Bolt is (or was; I don't know about current status) sold as the Opel Ampera-e in Europe.

Keep in mind Bjorn's tests aren't purely scientific, but they can provide some general guidance in terms of over all road noise. He announced plans on adding insulation to his new model 3, and I would expect to see results from his new testing.

Here were the results of his noise testing in the model 3 versus others. Keep in mind that road conditions and tires play a critical roll here as well.

This was a test with (non-stock?) 20-inch tires. He posted a follow-up video with tests using 19-inch tires, and the results were much better (but still not great). I don't have a URL handy, and I don't recall exactly where it fell, but I seem to recall the results improving to about the same level as the Hyundai Kona. AFAIK, he hasn't tested with the stock 18-inch wheels.

 

[souslik]

Took delivery three days ago and I'm as happy as can be. Great car. No issues significant enough to make me want to complain. Only annoying thing is arriving after a nice long drive and having to exit and leave the car parked.

 

[Sousagil90D]

I'm from Portugal and I got my model 3 about two weeks ago and the car is amazing! They're selling like hot cakes here.

 

[StellarRat]

I had a Leaf. The M3 LR RWD with 18" wheels is much quieter. Absolutely no question about that.