I took delivery of my 3 on Monday. It’s apparently the 10th black Model 3 in New Jersey. I’ve been driving a Model S P85D for almost 3 years, so I thought I’d share initial thoughts from that perspective... and probably put together a video comparison. (I’ve also driven a recent P100D, so when I compare to the S, I’m also taking into account the latest iterations.) Also, note that I went into this knowing I’d be “beta testing” to a degree.
High level thoughts:
The design of the 3 feels cohesive and cleaner. For example, the latest S has some odd angles where the center console meets the 17” screen. At a certain point, you need a full refresh as opposed to making minor upgrades. That’s one example.
The 3 has superior sound in comparison to the S with premium audio.
The 3 has more refinements, like coat hooks, lighted vanity mirrors, better integrated (eg door) storage. It has a back seat arm rest with cup holders build into the center seat. Even simply things like the glove compartment... on the S, a pair of earbuds or a pen can “jam” the door by falling in the hinge. The 3 solves this.
The 3 has a much improved display, albeit smaller, with significantly faster response time. The interface itself looks more modern with clean, flat white icons that feel like 2018. The S interface still retains some older icons. Moving the map is noticeably faster and feels like a current generation iPad. Button presses don’t lag. Voice control feels faster, but that’s subjective.
The 3’s vent control system is really slick. Even though it’s one slit, you can use the screen UI to move the air flow by dragging circles with your fingers. No positioning vents manually. It all happens behind the scenes. The driver and passenger can set the flow individually. I’m not sure if it does this yet, but this makes air flow position a possible driver profile save.
The 3 has music that increases in volume with speed. (Coming to the S, but not there yet.)
The dual phone dock is slick and works well with an iPhone X with thin case. A thicker case needs modifications.
I don’t mind the lack of an instrument cluster. I like the clear view of the road more than I miss it.
The simple interior button press to open the door on the 3 is much more refined than the S interior handle.
Overall, it just feels more modern. Just like the original S felt like a “car from the future” to me 3 years ago, this one feels like it’s from the future today. Being in it feels better than the photos, in my opinion. That flat, unobstructed dash with a single piece of wood across it is fantastic. The front end evokes Porsche more than I got from the photos.
Not having to use a keyfob also feels more modern. Just walk up with your phone and it lights up, unfolds the mirrors, and you’re ready to go. It’s almost as cool as the welcome of the S self-presenting handles. Almost. (The credit card keys are also beautiful.)
Yes, the glass roof is huge and gorgeous. My 5 year old daughter commented that it feels being in a submarine while looking at the sky. (On that note, she says the 3 is cooler looking inside.)
This is in addition to my previous comments elsewhere about the 3 having redundant wiring and a redundant steering motor, plus an extra internal camera.
On the negative side, some nitpicks:
Who decided to put such a lousy backup camera on this amazing vehicle? The one on the S is vastly superior.
The premium package should include a power liftgate.
The exterior door handles take some muscle memory. You must let go of them completly before shutting the door or it won’t close. You also need a little more force than expected to close the doors.
The piano black center console came with subtle scratches like paint swirling. It’s a fingerprint magnet and I suspect scratch magnet as well. I’ll probably get it wrapped.
When I reach for the seatbelt, I’ve scratched that cloth headliner material a couple times. I feel like that could be an issue over time. Maybe they should’ve made the headliner a different material? Heh. (Seriously, the cloth looks fine... just concerned with this one area.)
I miss the energy graphs. Maybe with a software update?
You can’t connect to home Wi-Fi yet. It connects at the Service Center, but tapping on LTE doesn’t allow you to add your access point yet.
Autopilot is almost there, but still feels a little “glitchy” in comparison to AP 1.
Performance:
In terms of performance, clearly the S is superior at accelerating. However, it’s unfair to compare a single motor non-performance model to a dual motor performance. Subjectively, the 3 feels like it has more power in the higher end than the acceleration should allow. In other words, it feels like the acceleration could be software limited at 0-60. I wouldn’t be shocked if there was an eventual uncork after the S refreshes. (I repeat: subjective... not trying to start a rumor.) Overall, it feels like you’d expect... a smaller, slightly more nimble Model S with less powerful acceleration.
Child car seats:
We have Diano Radians. In the S, you can fit two and still fit another (small) adult in the back seat. You can squeeze someone in, but it doesn’t feel safe.
With two car seats on the outside positions, you can use the armrest and cup holder.
With one car seat behind the passenger, you can still lower the 60% back seat for extended trunk space.
Delivery and Issues:
First, let me be clear there is nothing major that Tesla hasn’t already resolved (or agreed to resolve).
Upon delivery, they pointed out a small cluster of dents and a paint chip on the center of the hood. It was clearly visible... a white chip against black paint with a couple dents nearby. They offered to take it to a body shop or allow me to wait for a new hood. I bought a brand new car, so I opted for a replacement.
The GPS was stuck showing me in California. It didn’t resolve in a few days. A reboot of the car by a ranger fixed this in minutes.
The right rear light didn’t work. The ranger fixed a wiring harness connection literally in seconds.
Conclusion:
This is an interim car for me until the next S refresh. When that happens, the 3 will go to a family member. (I need the extra room... with two children and a dog, the hatchback is a must.) I really like what I see, though. If they can churn these out, they have a hit. At the same time, it really makes me feel like the S is being neglected. I’m disappointed they couldn’t introduce a refresh with the release of the 3 but I’m sure “production hell” isn’t helping.
When you take into account price and range, I have a difficult time justifying an S in its current state unless you absolutely need more trunk space/wider cabin and performance/acceleration. To me, the 3 feels like the latest technology and platform. Not just a smaller economy Tesla. I’d imagine dual motors and a performance version will be particularly exciting.
High level thoughts:
The design of the 3 feels cohesive and cleaner. For example, the latest S has some odd angles where the center console meets the 17” screen. At a certain point, you need a full refresh as opposed to making minor upgrades. That’s one example.
The 3 has superior sound in comparison to the S with premium audio.
The 3 has more refinements, like coat hooks, lighted vanity mirrors, better integrated (eg door) storage. It has a back seat arm rest with cup holders build into the center seat. Even simply things like the glove compartment... on the S, a pair of earbuds or a pen can “jam” the door by falling in the hinge. The 3 solves this.
The 3 has a much improved display, albeit smaller, with significantly faster response time. The interface itself looks more modern with clean, flat white icons that feel like 2018. The S interface still retains some older icons. Moving the map is noticeably faster and feels like a current generation iPad. Button presses don’t lag. Voice control feels faster, but that’s subjective.
The 3’s vent control system is really slick. Even though it’s one slit, you can use the screen UI to move the air flow by dragging circles with your fingers. No positioning vents manually. It all happens behind the scenes. The driver and passenger can set the flow individually. I’m not sure if it does this yet, but this makes air flow position a possible driver profile save.
The 3 has music that increases in volume with speed. (Coming to the S, but not there yet.)
The dual phone dock is slick and works well with an iPhone X with thin case. A thicker case needs modifications.
I don’t mind the lack of an instrument cluster. I like the clear view of the road more than I miss it.
The simple interior button press to open the door on the 3 is much more refined than the S interior handle.
Overall, it just feels more modern. Just like the original S felt like a “car from the future” to me 3 years ago, this one feels like it’s from the future today. Being in it feels better than the photos, in my opinion. That flat, unobstructed dash with a single piece of wood across it is fantastic. The front end evokes Porsche more than I got from the photos.
Not having to use a keyfob also feels more modern. Just walk up with your phone and it lights up, unfolds the mirrors, and you’re ready to go. It’s almost as cool as the welcome of the S self-presenting handles. Almost. (The credit card keys are also beautiful.)
Yes, the glass roof is huge and gorgeous. My 5 year old daughter commented that it feels being in a submarine while looking at the sky. (On that note, she says the 3 is cooler looking inside.)
This is in addition to my previous comments elsewhere about the 3 having redundant wiring and a redundant steering motor, plus an extra internal camera.
On the negative side, some nitpicks:
Who decided to put such a lousy backup camera on this amazing vehicle? The one on the S is vastly superior.
The premium package should include a power liftgate.
The exterior door handles take some muscle memory. You must let go of them completly before shutting the door or it won’t close. You also need a little more force than expected to close the doors.
The piano black center console came with subtle scratches like paint swirling. It’s a fingerprint magnet and I suspect scratch magnet as well. I’ll probably get it wrapped.
When I reach for the seatbelt, I’ve scratched that cloth headliner material a couple times. I feel like that could be an issue over time. Maybe they should’ve made the headliner a different material? Heh. (Seriously, the cloth looks fine... just concerned with this one area.)
I miss the energy graphs. Maybe with a software update?
You can’t connect to home Wi-Fi yet. It connects at the Service Center, but tapping on LTE doesn’t allow you to add your access point yet.
Autopilot is almost there, but still feels a little “glitchy” in comparison to AP 1.
Performance:
In terms of performance, clearly the S is superior at accelerating. However, it’s unfair to compare a single motor non-performance model to a dual motor performance. Subjectively, the 3 feels like it has more power in the higher end than the acceleration should allow. In other words, it feels like the acceleration could be software limited at 0-60. I wouldn’t be shocked if there was an eventual uncork after the S refreshes. (I repeat: subjective... not trying to start a rumor.) Overall, it feels like you’d expect... a smaller, slightly more nimble Model S with less powerful acceleration.
Child car seats:
We have Diano Radians. In the S, you can fit two and still fit another (small) adult in the back seat. You can squeeze someone in, but it doesn’t feel safe.
With two car seats on the outside positions, you can use the armrest and cup holder.
With one car seat behind the passenger, you can still lower the 60% back seat for extended trunk space.
Delivery and Issues:
First, let me be clear there is nothing major that Tesla hasn’t already resolved (or agreed to resolve).
Upon delivery, they pointed out a small cluster of dents and a paint chip on the center of the hood. It was clearly visible... a white chip against black paint with a couple dents nearby. They offered to take it to a body shop or allow me to wait for a new hood. I bought a brand new car, so I opted for a replacement.
The GPS was stuck showing me in California. It didn’t resolve in a few days. A reboot of the car by a ranger fixed this in minutes.
The right rear light didn’t work. The ranger fixed a wiring harness connection literally in seconds.
Conclusion:
This is an interim car for me until the next S refresh. When that happens, the 3 will go to a family member. (I need the extra room... with two children and a dog, the hatchback is a must.) I really like what I see, though. If they can churn these out, they have a hit. At the same time, it really makes me feel like the S is being neglected. I’m disappointed they couldn’t introduce a refresh with the release of the 3 but I’m sure “production hell” isn’t helping.
When you take into account price and range, I have a difficult time justifying an S in its current state unless you absolutely need more trunk space/wider cabin and performance/acceleration. To me, the 3 feels like the latest technology and platform. Not just a smaller economy Tesla. I’d imagine dual motors and a performance version will be particularly exciting.
