I find the M3’s rear visibility poor

[seyclone]

I've been having rear visibility problems, mostly with moving from the left lane to the right lane. The rear head restraints interfere with watching the transition of right lane cars from the side view mirror to the rear view mirror (also not being able to see the headlights

I've done two things:
1. whenever possible, I lower the right rear passenger seat so that the headrest doesn't block vision.
2. I've sent a request to the Tesla executive committee to add a rear view mirror sized video image to the display screen whenever the directional signals are on. If they implemented this they could electronically get rid of the wide angle view. I got a very positive response, but I think all requests are given positive responses.

However, I may give the Broadway mirror a shot and see if it helps.
The video rear view mirror on the Bolt Premier also is a great Idea.

Has anybody actually mounted a video rear view mirror over the existing mirror?

 

[Reid]

If you think rear visibility is bad from a 3, never drive an S.

Actually, I was driving my dad's S75D over Christmas, and am in an S75 loaner now. Visibility is better out the rear, IMO. Lower rear deck, better view on shoulder check to the left (not sure why.. but I can see continuously to the back, out the driver's side small triangle window.. seems there are fewer obstructions from trim pieces?).. and also to the right, where I can see better because the rear 3/4 view is not obstructed by the combination of high rear deck (out the rear window) and the smaller triangle window (passenger side).

I think the headrests probably stick 'up' more in the S, apparently blocking more of what you *would* be able to see if they weren't there, but in the 3 it's less of an issue merely because the rear deck blocks what the headrests in the S would block.

Bigger side mirrors in the S too, which help a *ton* on the driver's side.

On the passenger side, I don't 'lose' as much in the transition between rearview and sideview mirrors, and the blind spot check lets me see a lot more (again, lower rear deck).

 

[artsci]

Agree. Which is why I nearly always drive with the rear camera on. Even with EAP it adds an extra margin of safety to be able to watch the traffic behind.

 

[dave999z]

I find the side mirrors on the Model 3 pretty bad too (not just the rearview mirror). They simply don’t extend out wide enough to see around the rear fender flares.

Between the poor rearview mirror and poor side mirrors, there is a huge blind zone behind the car.

Wish they would mount the rearview up higher and replace the sides with ones that go out at least a couple inches more. Those seem like pretty minor tweaks. As opposed to a redesign that lowers the rear shelf, which is not going to happen.

Love the car, but in all my previous cars have never had a blind zone like this behind me. Makes me very nervous.

Did they not asses the rear visibility in the car when designing it, compared to other cars? That’s a rhetorical question.

 

[Daniel in SD]

Did they not asses the rear visibility in the car when designing it, compared to other cars? That’s a rhetorical question.

It is comparable to other cars. Modern cars have crap visibility. High door sills for safety/style, thick pillars for safety, high trunk lid for aero and large enough trunk opening.
The solution is to make a wagon!

 

[dave999z]

It is comparable to other cars. Modern cars have crap visibility. High door sills for safety/style, thick pillars for safety, high trunk lid for aero and large enough trunk opening.
The solution is to make a wagon!

There are plenty of other current sedans with far better rear visibility than the M3. E.g., many Hondas, Toyotas, & VWs. Tesla should be aiming for more than just comparable to other cars on this anyway.

Whereas the M3’s front visibility beats most other cars I can think of.

 

[pFCap]

I have been having extreme problems with my Model 3 rear.visibility and side view mirrors and I am not getting used to it. I find the rear view mirror less of a problem then the high deck. I cannot see cars close behind me in the city at night (I do little freeway driving with the Model 3) and I have had so many close calls with lane changes to the right that I have become a very timid driver in the Model 3 and stick to the right lane. We've played with the mirrors and seat height and found some improvement, but I can't find a way around the fundamental problem. My husband drives with the rear camera on all the time, but that makes me crazy. Lately I have just stopped driving my Model 3 at night and take our Prius instead. I just drive the Model 3 to work during daylight. The first model Prius had the same problem and then they added the lower window in the second model. Does anyone know if Tesla is doing anything to address this issue as it perfects the Model 3?

 

[StealthP3D]

Does anyone know if Tesla is doing anything to address this issue as it perfects the Model 3?

I hope not. Automotive design always involves trade-offs and I have zero issues with rear visibility. I would be vigorously opposed to a lower trunk lid height and turning it into a wagon would reduce it's freedom loving range. On the other hand, there are driver skills that can completely overcome any visibility issues you are having. It's a matter of situational awareness. I've driven plenty of vehicles that have ZERO visibility to the rear except what you get from the side view mirrors. There are no cars that are so low they do not show up in your rearview mirror so the Model 3 is already WAY ahead of vehicles like that. Do not depend upon seeing headlights or making other assumptions. Every car is a little different but I find the rear visibility of the Model 3 to be very similar to our previous 2000 Volvo S80 sedan. When we purchased that car, I realized I had to adapt to the different view out the rear. After about a week, the learning was complete and the transition to the Model 3 was even easier.

 

[Magnets!]

I find the side mirrors on the Model 3 pretty bad too (not just the rearview mirror). They simply don’t extend out wide enough to see around the rear fender flares.

If your side view mirror is adjusted so that you see the rear fender you are not adjusting it properly and will have a huge blindspot. Edit: But I agree rear visibility isn't great, but comes down to design and aerodynamics. To extend the rear window down further would mean a tiny trunk lid and my bike wouldn't fit

 

[Jetstreamsky]

@pFCap, the rear view is fairly limited, I’ve been surprised a few times to notice a car behind so close it disappears from view.(standard practice in Quebec unfortunately). Now this is their problem if they can’t behave with any courtesy and good driving sense. The thing is to drive confidently, make use of the sensor display on the main screen showing vehicles around you, let the car work for you and if you can’t see, then nothing wrong taking your time and enjoy the ride.

 

[puckpurnell]

I find the view out the rear view mirror to be very limited vertically. I’m coming from a VW GTI, which had far better rear visibility. Before that it was a Honda Civic, which was also better than the M3 in this respect. I love much about my M3, but not the rear view mirror visibility. It seems like the top of the back seats and/or the ledge behind it is too high. (Feels very American!) In addition, the angle of the rear roof glass is taking some getting used to. In my GTI I could see the headlights of a car approx. one length behind me. In the M3 it feels like a car tailing me needs to be back like 25 feet in order for me to see the headlights. Obviously not something they can change. So I’m just disappointed and whining I guess.

In contrast, the low dash in front provides spectacular forward visibility.

I agree. I’d like another inch or two out the back. I’d also love a rear window wiper. As for visibility else where, I find there’s a serious blind spot on the right side at the front window vertical (sort of vertical) stanchion. I notice it taking right hand turns when I can’t quite judge the clearance on the right of a curb but also looking afar to see if there’s traffic coming. Picky, picky, picky.

 

[vikefan]

There aren’t any blind spots if you’re adjusting your mirrors as you should. Anyone saying there’s a space between where the side mirror vis drops and where the car becomes visible to the driver directly on the side of the car, their mirrors are turned too far inwards. Most people do this, just like most people tend to drive too closely to whichever lane marker is on the driver side of the car.

Adjust your mirrors outward and you’ll eliminate your blind spots. Yes, the M3 shelf is higher than some other sedans, and I do find that a little annoying and makes it harder to gauge distance between you and a car directly behind you (without turning on the camera view), but that’s it

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I have been having extreme problems with my Model 3 rear.visibility and side view mirrors and I am not getting used to it. I find the rear view mirror less of a problem then the high deck. I cannot see cars close behind me in the city at night (I do little freeway driving with the Model 3) and I have had so many close calls with lane changes to the right that I have become a very timid driver in the Model 3 and stick to the right lane. We've played with the mirrors and seat height and found some improvement, but I can't find a way around the fundamental problem. My husband drives with the rear camera on all the time, but that makes me crazy. Lately I have just stopped driving my Model 3 at night and take our Prius instead. I just drive the Model 3 to work during daylight. The first model Prius had the same problem and then they added the lower window in the second model. Does anyone know if Tesla is doing anything to address this issue as it perfects the Model 3?

I would take the advice here on mirror positioning; the small mirror size (aero) and the large blind spot from the high rear deck (aero) are probably the source of your frustration. The mirrors have to be adjusted perfectly and there is less room for error in that adjustment than in many other cars.

There is certainly a vulnerability to vehicles approaching quickly from the rear in an adjacent lane. It takes some getting used to, but I think correct mirror adjustment followed by confidence about what you can and can’t see is important.

I still am cautious about changing lanes after 5 months of ownership. But I am getting more comfortable driving the car and have more confidence in what I can and can’t see. It is definitely true that at night you cannot see people stopped directly behind you unless you spend some time carefully looking for a windshield - because the headlights are generally completely blocked if they are close enough. And the on-screen display sometimes decides to ignore them, too.

I think the solution is:

1) fine tune mirror adjustments to eliminate the “standard” blind spot. You could also set then to see traffic further back if that is more your issue but that would be risky as you would then really have a blind spot.
2) drive the car more to become comfortable and be cautious in the learning period, especially at night. You will get used to it. A big part of it is confidence based on experience.
3) make use of the blind spot detection (but don’t rely on it!) and reconsider the use of the rear camera.

Rear visibility is not the 3’s strong suit, but the technology does definitely help mitigate the problem - just use caution when trusting it, until you know the ways in which the technology fails.

 

[pFCap]

Thanks for all the tips. I will work on the mirrors more, but the find the blind spot detection screen unreliable. I find that whenever I try to look at it I lose situational awareness and feel more uncertain about lane changes than just using the mirrors and windows. The cars popping in and out of the screen is distracting. I would have appreciated more time getting these adjustments right at the dealership before I left with the car. Presumably they understand these issues and could help.

 

[AlanSubie4Life]

I find that whenever I try to look at it I lose situational awareness and feel more uncertain about lane changes than just using the mirrors and windows

I wasn't suggesting that you look at the screen (that's the last thing you want to be doing when changing lanes). Just listen for the beeping. As I said - don't RELY on it just yet; I wouldn't trust it further than I can throw my Tesla, yet. Since the beeping has only been out for a few weeks, it probably doesn't work in various ways. However, I have ascertained that it DOES beep in some situations. Whether it beeps in all appropriate situations? Doubtful. I don't mind the false positives, but if you're relying on this, the false negatives would be a concern. So, trust but verify. Establish the limitations (possibly through experimenting in comfortable circumstances), but I think you'll find it can help make up for the poor rear visibility.

Personally, I don't find this visibility issue overall to be a huge problem, as I get more comfortable. Not ideal, and not nearly as good as a Forester (probably one of the best in my experience due to the beautiful box shape), but workable when combined with the technology.

Another option is adding fisheye stick-on mirrors to your side mirrors. I don't think it is necessary, but I've seen a few people with them on Model 3s - and there's a reason for it!

 

[Cnasty]

I ride with the backup camera on 99% of the time and it is a great option on top of the mirrors for viewing my surroundings.