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My new car today on its first test drive!
The build on this one is comparatively good but not perfect. (For example, see the difference along the seam separating the driver side front fender and the driver's door. Specifically look at the difference in the height of the two panels relative to each other at the top vs. at the bottom. In real life it's actually not as noticeable as it is in the photo but it is still noticeable if you're looking for it.) Still this car is better than the average I saw at the factory when looking at all the panel gaps and joins on all the cars there.
I've already mentioned in a previous post that the exterior build quality of the current cars vs. the early ones from 2017 is much improved but still not what I would consider good by luxury car standards. The interior quality of the current cars is also greatly improved vs. my old 2018 Model 3. I loved that 2018 but I always felt that the interior felt just a bit little chintzy and cheap. Tesla has made a lot of subtle tweaks to the interior of the current Model 3 and they add up to an excellent, quality feel. It still feels spartan (as intended) but it now just feels like quality in a way the older cars didn't. I love it!
I've thoroughly inspected this new car and I can find
nothing so far that I need to schedule an initial service appointment for! (Well, there is one rattle that is coming from the passenger seat belt buckle vibrating against the side of the passenger seat but I think I should be able to easily fix that myself.) This is in sharp contrast with the bad, bad luck I had with my early 2018 Model 3 where I no joke had over a dozen separate and distinct rattles, creaks, squeaks and noises on delivery. I also had a few other component failures in that first year or so of that early Model 3. To Tesla's credit, they did patiently fix (almost) all of those noise issues without complaint over several service visits. Tesla's willingness to make all of my issues right is a big part of the reason I decided to buy another Model 3. After the first 1.5 years or so my first 2018 Model 3 almost never saw a service center.
This new Model 3 is also much quieter than my 2018 with much less road and wind noise. It still isn't quite as good as some other luxury brands but it's perfectly acceptable. The suspension of the new car feels slightly more responsive and sporty than in my old Model 3 while also feeling more composed and more refined. The Model 3 suspension is now very good for a regular sedan but in my opinion isn't right for a car that can perform like the Model 3 does. It really needs a sport suspension that handles flatter with less body roll when cornering. But that's a personal taste thing. I'm very seriously considering getting the Mountain Pass Performance coilovers put in... Finally the new AWD Model 3 is of course much faster than my old 2018 RWD!
The verdict: The new AWD Model 3 is still a blast to drive and now simply feels much higher quality than the older ones. If someone asks me now if I think it's an unqualified good value for $50k+ there won't be any hesitation. Yes it is.
If anyone has any questions feel free to ask!
