Model 3 2023 updates? Or what would you guys like to see?

[Sam1]

They need to get rid of the rear seat folding latches and make something more secure. The quarter window break-ins should have prompted that re-design after the first year. Unsecure latches exist in hatchbacks and SUVs since the cargo area is exposed due to the car design, but a sedan should have a secure trunk/cargo area. Even in the 90's, sedans had a latch in the trunk to release or to stick your key in the rear deck to drop the seats (but I guess that wouldn't work since we don't have a key...)

If you're just worried about security, have those windows covered with 3m security film. Thieves won't be able to break through the window. It will still break, but just won't be knocked out.

 

[RayK]

If you're just worried about security, have those windows covered with 3m security film. Thieves won't be able to break through the window. It will still break, but just won't be knocked out.

I've contemplated that action but my gut says that even if I cover the quarter window with security film, that will just make the thief break the door window. They were going to break it anyway if they found something interesting in the trunk when the seatback was folded down.

 

[Sam1]

I've contemplated that action but my gut says that even if I cover the quarter window with security film, that will just make the thief break the door window. They were going to break it anyway if they found something interesting in the trunk when the seatback was folded down.

Not necessarily, because they know if they break the big window, the alarm can go off. It doesn't go off with the small rear window.

 

[jackmott]

Car isn't wide enough to hold two model 3 motors like the plaid on the rear.

We would have to do some kind of innovative engineering like:
make the car wider
shrink the plaid rear power-train package a bit

 

[EVer Hopeful]

I think what would be really good is maybe make it a a little taller, add a tow package, remove the cross bar so it has a one piece glass roof, then definitely replace the trunk with a lift gate at the back . . .

Other than that though . . .

 

[EVer Hopeful]

ok, a serious response

A HUD would be nice and in keeping with the futuristic nature of the vehicle
A decent dashcam that functioned as a dashcam
Ditch the glass roof (you can't even see through it if you're in the front seats)
A tilt/slide opening sunroof for those few days when you could actually use it
A motorised frunk lid
Some kind of option for a spare wheel for long road trips
Jacking pucks included with the vehicle
TACC that didn't just slam on the brakes

 

[W___Z]

There will definitely be exterior changes, as that would make it a refresh.

Can't wait for that to happen!

The 3 main things that I would like to see are:

1. Better back seats comfort
2. Real blind spot monitoring, not the on-screen display. It is ridiculous there is no actual blind spot mirroring on a vehicle with 50k price tag.
3. Facelift

Maybe I should just tweet Elon

 

[Sam1]

We would have to do some kind of innovative engineering like:
make the car wider
shrink the plaid rear power-train package a bit

Doubt you can shrink the powertrain because it's 2 model 3 motors bolted together. They had to make the model S wider to accept it already. On a model 3 it would stick out like 12 inches lol.

 

[jackmott]

Doubt you can shrink the powertrain because it's 2 model 3 motors bolted together. They had to make the model S wider to accept it already. On a model 3 it would stick out like 12 inches lol.

Looking at the plaid rear cradle here:

Seems like there is still lots of halfshaft at each end. Maybe can't be shrunk without ruining suspension geometry? Oh and I suppose, duh, the halfshafts need to be long enough for the suspension to be able to move without them binding up I guess.

 

[Sam1]

Looking at the plaid rear cradle here:

Seems like there is still lots of halfshaft at each end. Maybe can't be shrunk without ruining suspension geometry? Oh and I suppose, duh, the halfshafts need to be long enough for the suspension to be able to move without them binding up I guess.

No clue on the specifics, but with shorter links and halfshafts, that wheel travel may put the joints at a questionable angle. When I converted an old supra from a two piece driveshaft to a single piece driveshaft, the shop that built it gave me an absolute cutoff limit for shaft RPM because the u joints hit some critical issue if it reached that speed, because the angle of the shaft had changed. Would assume a similar issue applies to the CV joints on the axles with this setup even though CVs can deal with more extreme angles than a u joint.

 

[RG129]

If you're just worried about security, have those windows covered with 3m security film. Thieves won't be able to break through the window. It will still break, but just won't be knocked out.

If they design it so that you actually cannot fold the seatback down by just lifting a latch in the passenger compartment (key, electronic lock, etc.), then people wouldn't break the window in the first place. A sedan trunk was usually designed to be a secure area. That's why most passenger sedans back in the day had everything lockable and unable to open when you gave a valet driver the valet key. There was a lock to stop a valet driver from opening the trunk through the trunk latch inside, through the exterior trunk key lock, ski passthrough was lockable and seatback folding was lockable.

 

[Jason1652]

I‘d like to see the odometer reading on the Home Screen.

 

[SalisburySam]

I want a gigacast chassis with structural pack that actually pulls some mass out of the car. Then I want the P edition to get serious. Dual rear motor package from a plaid, no front motor. Composite roof inside of glass, carbon fiber body panels to replace all the steel ones, aluminum trunk lid. Suspension with adjustable camber from the factory.

Cast chassis, composite roof, carbon fiber panels, all nice-to-haves, but just how much more expensive can repairs get? As it is, it doesn’t take much damage to total a vehicle presumably because of ultra-high repair costs. Crack a casting and the car’s finished, cost-wise.

 

[Sam1]

If they design it so that you actually cannot fold the seatback down by just lifting a latch in the passenger compartment (key, electronic lock, etc.), then people wouldn't break the window in the first place. A sedan trunk was usually designed to be a secure area. That's why most passenger sedans back in the day had everything lockable and unable to open when you gave a valet driver the valet key. There was a lock to stop a valet driver from opening the trunk through the trunk latch inside, through the exterior trunk key lock, ski passthrough was lockable and seatback folding was lockable.

I see you're from sanfran, nothing will help anyone there. You could own an M1A1 tank and it would still be vandalized.

 

[canasion35]

Elon said a few weeks ago absolutely not an option for a plaid M3, the cost of manufacturing changes defeated the purpose of making the model 3 (a somewhat affordable car).

This is a joke....the car is already out of I'd say 80% of most peoples price range.....

 

[Sam1]

This is a joke....the car is already out of I'd say 80% of most peoples price range.....

That's why I put it in parentheses. It's went up massively just in the past few years though, my first stealth M3P was $49,000. Now to get an identical car without any real significant upgrades, that same car costs $14,000 more or $10,000 more now if you bought the PUP package in 2019. Same reason why I stopped telling people that it pays for itself; at this point they're so expensive they do not unless you use it for business purposes.

 

[3sr+buyer]

How about more intuitive inside door handles?

First time passengers seem to be likely to look for (or use if in front) pull handles instead of the buttons. In addition, there is no backup mechanical open in the back doors.

A better design would be pull handles that activate the electric open (that lowers the frameless window a bit) on the first pull, then the mechanical open (as a backup if no 12V power) on the second pull. The latter would be similar to other cars that you pull twice if the door is locked (first pull unlocks, second pull opens).

 

[deuskid]

That's why I put it in parentheses. It's went up massively just in the past few years though, my first stealth M3P was $49,000. Now to get an identical car without any real significant upgrades, that same car costs $14,000 more or $10,000 more now if you bought the PUP package in 2019. Same reason why I stopped telling people that it pays for itself; at this point they're so expensive they do not unless you use it for business purposes.

what is the PUP package ?

@Sam1

 

[johnnycnote]

This is a joke....the car is already out of I'd say 80% of most peoples price range.....

IMHO... I expect EV prices (including Tesla) to drop significantly when other manufacturers scale up and China increases imports

 

[jackmott]

Cast chassis, composite roof, carbon fiber panels, all nice-to-haves, but just how much more expensive can repairs get? As it is, it doesn’t take much damage to total a vehicle presumably because of ultra-high repair costs. Crack a casting and the car’s finished, cost-wise.

This is for a halo M3 CSL style car so not really a concern. Supposedly the gigacast chasis doesn't actually change the repair cost equation any. The kind of accidents that screw up the castings would also total a normal car. This is according to engineers in the industry I've seen talk about it. I have no idea personally how that all works.