Lots of thoughts.
The door thunk, sound insulation and softer ride quality are amazing improvements. I was mentally expecting good improvements but was still impressed. It's like a civic to a Toyota Avalon. Almost felt like magic. BUT there is a considerable loss of steering feel and response. The car is very capable but felt like a high tech appliance to me. Lacking character. I think it will be a home run for 90% of buyers who just want a city commuter. But for sporty buyers I would say buy used. I'm still waiting to try the highland performance which I'm sure will be the goat. For comparison I'd say a stock 2018 3 performance supension is a 1 for harshness. Adding tein shocks makes it a 6-7. Highland on 18" wheels a 10.
The loss of the turning stalks is a huge mistake. Buyers maybe can get used to it but the driving experience is terrible. It's hard to signal. It's hard to activate autopilot. The buttons don't have a good easy feeling. If I worked at Tesla design I would be firing people. Sexy buttons can help fix all these issues though.
The new interior feels generic like I'm inside an IKEA. Not for me but others seem ok with it. The new steering wheel feels opposite of sporty or cool. The new MCU is very snappy. Shifting on the screen is fine. Again I miss the stalks. The cooled seats are very nice vs not having the feature but the cooling effect isn't as strong as other cars I've tried like the model S. But the overall package of the car is just incredible. It's fast. Smooth. Quiet. Ok looking. Autopilot. What a car! That being said I would choose a used 3 performance anyday and travel the world with the money saved.
The door thunk, sound insulation and softer ride quality are amazing improvements. I was mentally expecting good improvements but was still impressed. It's like a civic to a Toyota Avalon. Almost felt like magic. BUT there is a considerable loss of steering feel and response. The car is very capable but felt like a high tech appliance to me. Lacking character. I think it will be a home run for 90% of buyers who just want a city commuter. But for sporty buyers I would say buy used. I'm still waiting to try the highland performance which I'm sure will be the goat. For comparison I'd say a stock 2018 3 performance supension is a 1 for harshness. Adding tein shocks makes it a 6-7. Highland on 18" wheels a 10.
The loss of the turning stalks is a huge mistake. Buyers maybe can get used to it but the driving experience is terrible. It's hard to signal. It's hard to activate autopilot. The buttons don't have a good easy feeling. If I worked at Tesla design I would be firing people. Sexy buttons can help fix all these issues though.
The new interior feels generic like I'm inside an IKEA. Not for me but others seem ok with it. The new steering wheel feels opposite of sporty or cool. The new MCU is very snappy. Shifting on the screen is fine. Again I miss the stalks. The cooled seats are very nice vs not having the feature but the cooling effect isn't as strong as other cars I've tried like the model S. But the overall package of the car is just incredible. It's fast. Smooth. Quiet. Ok looking. Autopilot. What a car! That being said I would choose a used 3 performance anyday and travel the world with the money saved.
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