We drove our LR AWD for a year and over 10k miles and just sold it. While we loved the car, with covid we went down to one car in the household and with two little kids needed a larger vehicle than the Model 3. Here is a quick summary of our year with the Model 3, first the positives:
- Amazing performance - so much so that LR AWD feels overkill. Even SR+ acceleration should be giggle-inducing for most everyone
- Superb range - never once had range anxiety. In fact I almost felt like the LR battery was overkill since we never had a situation where we went below 35% SoC. Plus the supercharging network has really good coverage
- EV/powertrain smoothness - I can't imagine how the regen and friction braking tuning can be improved. We now have a BMW X5 45e and the braking linearity is not as good as Tesla as I can certainly tell when we run out of regen and friction brakes kick in. Tesla's EV powertrain is just unmatched
- Excellent UI - from the touch screen to the phone app, Tesla shows that it is a tech company as much as it is a car company
- Great visibility - loved the low dash and great forward visibility
- Weight balance and steering feel - steering is very direct and nicely weighted. Combined with the great front to rear weight distribution and low center of gravity the car always felt like a tiger ready to pounce
- Efficient packaging - both front and rear legroom was excellent considering the exterior dimensions of the car. Frunk is a nice bonus too and came in handy more than I had expected
- Great value - it ended up being the cheapest car I have ever owned. Not only the running costs were low with no oil change or the super efficient EV powertrain using very little electricity but also we traded in the car for the net price we bought it for (after factoring in the tax credit).
And a short list of cons:
- Winter usability - while the traction was not an issue, lack of winter friendly features was my biggest complaint. Heated steering wheel is a cheap addition that provides ton of convivence. Windshield wipers are borderline dangerous, in cold weather they freeze up and little to no washer fluid can be sprayed onto the windshield. I had a few situations where I drove blind until I could pull over to clean my windshield. Not only heated wipers are needed (even the sub-$20k Corolla has them) but the washer jet location needs to be revisited. Glass roof lets in a lot of cold into the cabin, requiring more heater use, which in turns hurts the range. Frameless doors are potential damage hazard in cold weather
- Cabin noise - while I had a late 2019 built car with supposedly bunch of sound deadening improvements, the cabin was never really quiet. Wind and tire noise can use improvement and I guess the new windows show that Tesla is working on this
- Harsher ride - the suspension felt a little bouncy and unsettled over broken surfaces. I understand Tesla's suspension tune has to factor in the weight and performance of the car but adaptive dampers can really help and they are not very expensive piece of hardware. I always kept my tire pressure slightly below factory recommendation but the ride still left something to be desired...
When covid is over and we go back to a 2-car setup, the Model 3 will be at the top our list again. My wife, who is not a car person, was truly sad to see the car go. Since I felt like the LR AWD was more than what we needed in a second car in terms of performance and range, this time I will probably consider an SR+ if the MY21 refresh addresses some of my complaints above.
- Amazing performance - so much so that LR AWD feels overkill. Even SR+ acceleration should be giggle-inducing for most everyone
- Superb range - never once had range anxiety. In fact I almost felt like the LR battery was overkill since we never had a situation where we went below 35% SoC. Plus the supercharging network has really good coverage
- EV/powertrain smoothness - I can't imagine how the regen and friction braking tuning can be improved. We now have a BMW X5 45e and the braking linearity is not as good as Tesla as I can certainly tell when we run out of regen and friction brakes kick in. Tesla's EV powertrain is just unmatched
- Excellent UI - from the touch screen to the phone app, Tesla shows that it is a tech company as much as it is a car company
- Great visibility - loved the low dash and great forward visibility
- Weight balance and steering feel - steering is very direct and nicely weighted. Combined with the great front to rear weight distribution and low center of gravity the car always felt like a tiger ready to pounce
- Efficient packaging - both front and rear legroom was excellent considering the exterior dimensions of the car. Frunk is a nice bonus too and came in handy more than I had expected
- Great value - it ended up being the cheapest car I have ever owned. Not only the running costs were low with no oil change or the super efficient EV powertrain using very little electricity but also we traded in the car for the net price we bought it for (after factoring in the tax credit).
And a short list of cons:
- Winter usability - while the traction was not an issue, lack of winter friendly features was my biggest complaint. Heated steering wheel is a cheap addition that provides ton of convivence. Windshield wipers are borderline dangerous, in cold weather they freeze up and little to no washer fluid can be sprayed onto the windshield. I had a few situations where I drove blind until I could pull over to clean my windshield. Not only heated wipers are needed (even the sub-$20k Corolla has them) but the washer jet location needs to be revisited. Glass roof lets in a lot of cold into the cabin, requiring more heater use, which in turns hurts the range. Frameless doors are potential damage hazard in cold weather
- Cabin noise - while I had a late 2019 built car with supposedly bunch of sound deadening improvements, the cabin was never really quiet. Wind and tire noise can use improvement and I guess the new windows show that Tesla is working on this
- Harsher ride - the suspension felt a little bouncy and unsettled over broken surfaces. I understand Tesla's suspension tune has to factor in the weight and performance of the car but adaptive dampers can really help and they are not very expensive piece of hardware. I always kept my tire pressure slightly below factory recommendation but the ride still left something to be desired...
When covid is over and we go back to a 2-car setup, the Model 3 will be at the top our list again. My wife, who is not a car person, was truly sad to see the car go. Since I felt like the LR AWD was more than what we needed in a second car in terms of performance and range, this time I will probably consider an SR+ if the MY21 refresh addresses some of my complaints above.
