I don't care!

[drj3]

Remember before the Model 3 started shipping when people on twitter were asking Elon Musk if there was going to be a center display and he responded by saying no and "You won't care?" Elon Musk on Twitter
After owning the Model 3 for a couple of months and getting used to driving it, the other night I drove the Ford Fusion Energi that used to be my daily driver. I felt blinded by all the lights and buttons in front of me. I was amazed not only about how quickly I had gotten used to the Model 3, but also that now I much prefer the lack of any distractions between me and the road. So Mr. Musk was more than right, not only do I not care, I now strongly prefer the set up of the Model 3.

 

[xilex]

I would like to have a HUD or something similar with speed and speed limit, because I'm always glancing over and realize I'm overshooting the speed limit. Want to keep going fast. Oops.

If you compare to Prius, that puts the speed in the center of the car (not the instrument panel area) but all the way out in the dashboard, a bit to the left center.

 

[Elmexiken]

A HUD would have been preferable, even if as an option. My 2012 Camaro even had one. Very nice.

 

[jjrandorin]

I am only 2 weeks into my ownership of Model 3, my first EV (so obviously first tesla too). I have had HUDs in my cars for the past 6 years, so I really (really) miss it. I dont miss the instrument cluster that much because I didnt look at it that much (because of the HUD in my other cars).

For such a tech forward car, the lack of a hud is a glaring omission. It could look very good on the big windshield, and I dont know why we dont have it other than cost (and the fact the screen would be in the dash and not be able to be hidden very well by the design).

Other than that, I dont miss the cluster at all.

 

[Uncle Paul]

Some people like HUDs. Others just consider them to be an expensive distracting gimmick.

 

[animorph]

I'm fine with the 3, but I still drive an X as well. So either is great.

The 3 is my wife's car and she does like no dash lights at night.

 

[Brisket5652]

Some people like HUDs. Others just consider them to be an expensive distracting gimmick.

Agree. And I agree with the OP.

Please do NOT add a HUD or any other object, virtual or otherwise, behind the steering wheel. One of the M3 greatest progressive features is the minimalism. For my taste, it can't be minimalist enough. I wouldn't mind an option to hide everything ("dark mode" like the Saab's used to have), but the speed and the autopilot graphics (only if it is engaged).

 

[TT97]

I don't miss the speedo, after the first few weeks you get a sense of how fast you are traveling without needing to look. I do miss having navigation directly in front (although moving to the left side of the center screen has helped) and would like to have blind spot detection in the general area of where I am changing lanes - I'm not looking to the right to change lanes to the left.

 

[EVnut]

I have about three months of Model 3 ownership under my belt now. And when it was in for service two weeks ago, I was given a Model S loaner. I couldn't find the speedo! I had to look through the steering wheel, which felt odd. Not kidding. The folks who haven't driven the car think that the speedo to the side is a non-starter. I knew it wouldn't be, since I've had other cars with the speedo toward the center of the car. And now that I've lived with it for a short while in the 3, definitely prefer it. I definitely prefer driving this car at night over any other car I've owned. not having the distracting lights in front if me is brilliant. Maybe an HUD would be appreciated. I have no idea, as I've never used one. I certainly don't miss it though....

 

[Gordon Parr]

Since I had HUD in the last 2 of my vehicles...give me HUD with the M3 - no dash...just HUD!

 

[jkoya]

I was always reluctant to getting a car with the speedometer in the center. Now I'm so used to the Model 3, driving our Volt and NSX seems weird.

 

[ewoodrick]

I've driven with a GPS on the dash in the center and it is by far, my optimal solution.

Because of height, I generally can't see the speedometer, so dash is always easier to see.

Tesla just implemented my desirable solution

 

[Big Earl]

It's not having information blocked by the steering wheel. I like the Model 3's instrumentation.

 

[Avid]

Transitioning from driving a Prius was easy, don't want anything in the traditional space behind the steering wheel. Don't even care for a HUD, never driven in a car with one, so not missing/wanting it.

 

[SMAlset]

Coming from a MS with the steering wheel display I thought it was one of the changes I would notice and bother me. Didn’t take long to dispell that notion for me.

BTW a while ago we started noticing vehicles at night with this pinky/orange light in the windshields, rather distracting to see while your driving as it pulls your attention away other traffic on the road. Assume these are vehicles with HUD projections on the glass? Kind of a kin to advertising billboards all lit up at night but to a much smaller scale and brightness as far as a visual distraction goes but shouldn’t be noticeable to other drivers. Not so unlike all the undercarriage lights that came out awhile ago that were banned. Pilots of aircraft using HUD aren’t likely to distract or be noticed by other pilots in the air, not so in cars on crowded roadways.

 

[WileyTheMan]

I guess I fall under the "i don't care" column. I actually surprised myself when I took delivery and didn't miss the front-facing gauges at all.

 

[Gavyne]

Due to the way I hold my wheel while driving, I used to have to raise my hand to see the speedo. Very happy now I get to keep my hands on the wheel. And no distracting panel lights at night is definitely awesome.

In hindsight it's crazy we put up with the status quo for so long. I don't miss the meters and info that I never looked at anyway, nor do I miss the buttons and dials that I used once or twice in 10 years.

 

[EVnut]

Coming from a MS with the steering wheel display I thought it was one of the changes I would notice and bother me. Didn’t take long to dispell that notion for me.

I've never *owned* a Model S, but I've driven them plenty. Now that I *own* a Model 3, each time I hope into a Model S I literally can't find the speedometer at first glance. It is now odd to me to have to look through the steering wheel to find the gages.

 

[forkee]

because in "autopilot's self driving future", speedometers are unnecessary. HUDs with fixed digits are locked to display only certain types of info, and creating ones that use a screen would be too costly and might as well have gone in front of the steering wheel.