So I have had the Model 3 LR Pearl White (Vin 64XX) for about two weeks now and took one long road trip with it (~5 hours). It has the upgraded wheels and autopilot. This car is really really good and for those of you on the fence about your reservation, I would strongly urge you to keep it. This my third Tesla so from that perspective here are my thoughts:
Performance: The car is very quick, I believe 0-60 is probably less than 5 seconds. You have ample acceleration at any speed. So unless you like to race competitively with high end sports cars you will be happy.
Handling: The 3 is more nimble than the S and honestly more fun to drive. Cornering is great. If you want a touring car get an S.
Comfort - The X and new S are more comfortable to ride for long distance. The seats on the 3 have quite a few adjustments and it took me while to figure out the best setting for me. It’s still very comfortable (especially now that it is adjusted correctly) but the X is better (as it should be for twice the price). Climate control is better in 3. The Dyson-like continuous vent is cool and functional. Heated seats are really good and now they have them in back seats.
Space - The back seat has been fine for all my passengers. All have commented that space is not an issue. The cup holders in center console are nice and rear USB chargers. Trunk is pretty large compared to any other car in this class and you get a deep well and a frunk.
Simplicity- The minimalist design really makes you feel connected to the road. I like it with no clutter but realize not everyone will. I feel my stress level drop when I get in. But I don’t like clutter.
Storage- Way better than my S or X. Cup holders will hold two yetis, two phones, and still has ample storage for sunglasses etc. The center console in piano black looks nice but is hard to keep clean. I had clear film put on it.
Roof- I miss my sunroof on the S. Tint on roof is dark and I don’t notice heat coming through. I had the rest of windows tinted with 3M Crystalline. The glass roof really benefits the rear passengers. It does not have same panoramic feel as the X for the driver, but the rear passengers do.
Sound System - I have never heard one in a car better than this one. It’s that good.
Screen - Response time is near-instant, maps are good with traffic for each individual lane. Resolution is good. Rear camera has greatly improved with software. SC said it was a 4K camera, so maybe more to come here.
Voice Recognition - Way better than S or X. You can ask it to play a song or make a call and the response is very fast. When asking for a call, the dialer actually makes call.I am Sure this will be upgraded soon on S or X. I have had some issues with Bluetooth on my iPhone where it will randomly switch to phone instead of Bluetooth. Not sure if this is an iPhone or Model 3 issue.
Screen placement / Lack of Physical Controls - I don’t have any problems with this at all. Most harder to find settings you set once and save to your profile and never do them again. The main stuff is easy to access. But this is my 3rd Tesla and I am used to a touch screen interface. I feel like reviewers who have complained about this just may not have gotten over the initial learning curve. I would argue this is the same with any car and those that have obscure buttons and stalks are more frustrating and harder to learn for me (e.g., rental cars). In addition, when I have rental cars I inevitably forget to turn them off and lock them.
Convenience - You never have to worry about turning car off, or finding a key. So far my phone as a key has worked perfectly. I had to open the ap one time it didn’t immediately recognize, The 10.5 update is even better since it doesn’t fold out the mirrors every time you walk by the car but waits until you grab handles. For those of you on gas car, no stops at gas stations for local driving saves a lot of time and aggravation. Same with no oil changes.
Range - I really like having the 310 miles for when you take a road trip. Our X is a 75D and now I want to upgrade. The 3 charges faster and it is one less supercharger stop on our 5 hour road trip.
Supercharger - Superfast, I had a charge rate of 448 miles per hour on my first road trip. Pay for supercharging is easy and automatically linked to credit card on your Tesla account. Way easier than dealing with gas station credit card machines. Not as cool as free with S and X, but still seems reasonable compared to gas.
Autopilot- I would say AP 2.5 has surpassed AP 1. It’s not perfect and its not near FSD, but it is really good and we used it for 95% or more of the trip. There is nothing like this from any other manufacturer that I am aware of. Latest update, makes lane changes much smoother. I also prefer the stalk in the X. But if they upgrade the scroll wheel to adjust speed it will be fine. I don’t ever adjust the following distance. Nag on prior version seemed to go off every minute. Seems less now. But see my feature request below.
Wipers- Believe it or not, I haven’t used them yet. So I have no idea if the auto setting works. But we will see.
Buying Experience - At a traditional dealer (which I just experienced by buying my daughter a used Volt). The whole process took 3.5-4 hours and was painful. I was pushed to buy things I didn’t want and I paid cash for the car and it still took that long. With Tesla when I arrived, the paperwork was done and they spent 30 minutes going over car with me. that’s It! There were some logistic issues with my delivery but Tesla made it right. I don’t think they should schedule out of Las Vegas. I think the local service center should schedule.
Service - They Always provide a loaner or rental car, always explain all service, don’t try to push me to buy something I don’t need or want. So far no service for the 3.
Updates- Think there is a lot of potential for updates to really improve the experience. What other car company does that?
Build Quality- Good, but not perfect. One minor paint flaw and one panel not perfectly aligned. I had crystal serum ultra done which I would recommend. Interior appears flawless.
What I miss- The energy monitor ap. Auto bright lights.
What I would like - Kayak roof rack. access to Apple Music integrated. Different sound/color for autopilot versus TACC. Better visual/audio warning for missing autopilot nag.
That’s it for now. I don’t think you can go wrong with this car. It is so far advanced from what is on road now. All ICE cars seem like outdated smoking dinosaurs compared to it.
Performance: The car is very quick, I believe 0-60 is probably less than 5 seconds. You have ample acceleration at any speed. So unless you like to race competitively with high end sports cars you will be happy.
Handling: The 3 is more nimble than the S and honestly more fun to drive. Cornering is great. If you want a touring car get an S.
Comfort - The X and new S are more comfortable to ride for long distance. The seats on the 3 have quite a few adjustments and it took me while to figure out the best setting for me. It’s still very comfortable (especially now that it is adjusted correctly) but the X is better (as it should be for twice the price). Climate control is better in 3. The Dyson-like continuous vent is cool and functional. Heated seats are really good and now they have them in back seats.
Space - The back seat has been fine for all my passengers. All have commented that space is not an issue. The cup holders in center console are nice and rear USB chargers. Trunk is pretty large compared to any other car in this class and you get a deep well and a frunk.
Simplicity- The minimalist design really makes you feel connected to the road. I like it with no clutter but realize not everyone will. I feel my stress level drop when I get in. But I don’t like clutter.
Storage- Way better than my S or X. Cup holders will hold two yetis, two phones, and still has ample storage for sunglasses etc. The center console in piano black looks nice but is hard to keep clean. I had clear film put on it.
Roof- I miss my sunroof on the S. Tint on roof is dark and I don’t notice heat coming through. I had the rest of windows tinted with 3M Crystalline. The glass roof really benefits the rear passengers. It does not have same panoramic feel as the X for the driver, but the rear passengers do.
Sound System - I have never heard one in a car better than this one. It’s that good.
Screen - Response time is near-instant, maps are good with traffic for each individual lane. Resolution is good. Rear camera has greatly improved with software. SC said it was a 4K camera, so maybe more to come here.
Voice Recognition - Way better than S or X. You can ask it to play a song or make a call and the response is very fast. When asking for a call, the dialer actually makes call.I am Sure this will be upgraded soon on S or X. I have had some issues with Bluetooth on my iPhone where it will randomly switch to phone instead of Bluetooth. Not sure if this is an iPhone or Model 3 issue.
Screen placement / Lack of Physical Controls - I don’t have any problems with this at all. Most harder to find settings you set once and save to your profile and never do them again. The main stuff is easy to access. But this is my 3rd Tesla and I am used to a touch screen interface. I feel like reviewers who have complained about this just may not have gotten over the initial learning curve. I would argue this is the same with any car and those that have obscure buttons and stalks are more frustrating and harder to learn for me (e.g., rental cars). In addition, when I have rental cars I inevitably forget to turn them off and lock them.
Convenience - You never have to worry about turning car off, or finding a key. So far my phone as a key has worked perfectly. I had to open the ap one time it didn’t immediately recognize, The 10.5 update is even better since it doesn’t fold out the mirrors every time you walk by the car but waits until you grab handles. For those of you on gas car, no stops at gas stations for local driving saves a lot of time and aggravation. Same with no oil changes.
Range - I really like having the 310 miles for when you take a road trip. Our X is a 75D and now I want to upgrade. The 3 charges faster and it is one less supercharger stop on our 5 hour road trip.
Supercharger - Superfast, I had a charge rate of 448 miles per hour on my first road trip. Pay for supercharging is easy and automatically linked to credit card on your Tesla account. Way easier than dealing with gas station credit card machines. Not as cool as free with S and X, but still seems reasonable compared to gas.
Autopilot- I would say AP 2.5 has surpassed AP 1. It’s not perfect and its not near FSD, but it is really good and we used it for 95% or more of the trip. There is nothing like this from any other manufacturer that I am aware of. Latest update, makes lane changes much smoother. I also prefer the stalk in the X. But if they upgrade the scroll wheel to adjust speed it will be fine. I don’t ever adjust the following distance. Nag on prior version seemed to go off every minute. Seems less now. But see my feature request below.
Wipers- Believe it or not, I haven’t used them yet. So I have no idea if the auto setting works. But we will see.
Buying Experience - At a traditional dealer (which I just experienced by buying my daughter a used Volt). The whole process took 3.5-4 hours and was painful. I was pushed to buy things I didn’t want and I paid cash for the car and it still took that long. With Tesla when I arrived, the paperwork was done and they spent 30 minutes going over car with me. that’s It! There were some logistic issues with my delivery but Tesla made it right. I don’t think they should schedule out of Las Vegas. I think the local service center should schedule.
Service - They Always provide a loaner or rental car, always explain all service, don’t try to push me to buy something I don’t need or want. So far no service for the 3.
Updates- Think there is a lot of potential for updates to really improve the experience. What other car company does that?
Build Quality- Good, but not perfect. One minor paint flaw and one panel not perfectly aligned. I had crystal serum ultra done which I would recommend. Interior appears flawless.
What I miss- The energy monitor ap. Auto bright lights.
What I would like - Kayak roof rack. access to Apple Music integrated. Different sound/color for autopilot versus TACC. Better visual/audio warning for missing autopilot nag.
That’s it for now. I don’t think you can go wrong with this car. It is so far advanced from what is on road now. All ICE cars seem like outdated smoking dinosaurs compared to it.
