Model 3 Mule Sightings

[ModelNforNerd]

another thing I just sorta noticed.....thicker sidewalls on the tires of the black and blue PC's, as compared to the low-profiles on the Alpha/Reveal cars....


I'm wondering if the wheel/tire combos we saw on the A/R's were the performance combo, and the new PC setups are the "base" package....?

 

[Garlan Garner]

Am I missing it or do the newer shots of the black and the blue M3 RC not have the extra "sensor" on the C pillar?

Shhhh..... you aren't supposed to talk about that because that technology isn't on the Model S yet.

 

[Garlan Garner]

So I think the Model 3 PC has become less angular and more rounded as evidenced by this nose comparison. Notice the angular crease line just below the front headlights on the lower pics and the one on the right. The PC pic in the upper left no longer has this angular crease line. Man, I really hope some aftermarket folks bring back the old alpha front end. Looks so much nicer / more premium.
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I disagree. I like the new PC nose much better. Great job Tesla.

 

[ohmman]

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They may just be indicator icons, but the two "seats" on the side of the zoned HVAC temperatures are similar to the heated seat controls on the S/X.

 

[206er]

Very curious to learn how well the floating center screen will hold up in crash testing. I assume that it won't be easy to snap off and become a projectile, but it does seem like a potential extra danger to the driver/passengers versus flush dashes in other cars.

 

[North75]

It might be just me, but I don't think they made any body changes between the alpha and release candidate.
I have this vision of the folks at Tesla laughing at the internet for seeing changes that aren't there.

In all honesty its really hard to tell where some of the body creases are on the black car because of the way the light reflects off of it.

The one thing that is definitely different is the internal design of the headlight. What's going on there?
I'm not sure I see any sign of a LED daytime running light like the one that was on the Alpha cars. Hopefully these are functional because they look kind of ehh..

 

[Garlan Garner]

Boy...that Model 3 looks much narrower than the BMW.

 

[mrkymarc]

My evaluation of the screen UI. Looks mostly ok to me, but there are a few curious things. Speed not being tucked up high is interesting. Also seems like the app control buttons for the nav will be a pretty far reach. And where will the icons be to switch apps?

 

[ModelNforNerd]

They may just be indicator icons, but the two "seats" on the side of the zoned HVAC temperatures are similar to the heated seat controls on the S/X.

I'm curious about the red lighting on the center console, down at lap level, on the passenger side.

Is it just lighting, or are there buttons we can't make out?

 

[Jayc]

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Is this what we are getting? The screen looks totally out of place against the dash. In fact it looks like a DIY tablet attachment contraption fixed to the dash. Why should the screen be floating anyway? Tesla you can do better.

 

[ohmman]

My evaluation of the screen UI. Looks mostly ok to me, but there are a few curious things. Speed not being tucked up high is interesting. Also seems like the app control buttons for the nav will be a pretty far reach. And where will the icons be to switch apps?
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A couple of things.

First, the speed indicator supposedly comes and goes "as needed," depending on the screen. In this case, they seem to have some kind of circular speedometer/energy meter loaded, but they're stopped.

The items you have listed as "secondary app controls" are the map controls. From the top to bottom, heading (compass north or vehicle heading), zoom in, zoom out, show satellite, show entire route, charging locations. The map is not visible on this vehicle, obviously.

Other app controls are going to be auto-hidden like with the S and X, I'm guessing. And if I were to guess, they'll come from the left.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

Speed not being tucked up high is interesting.
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Remember though, Elon mentioned in a tweet, its opacity would change according to its relevance......for all we know, this particular spy shot was taken when the Model 3 wasn't moving, making speed irrelevant, and perhaps that's why you can't make it out in this photo.

 

[jelloslug]

I'm curious about the red lighting on the center console, down at lap level, on the passenger side.

Is it just lighting, or are there buttons we can't make out?

I'm positive those are just reflections of stop lights on the side glass.

 

[Bokonon]

My evaluation of the screen UI. Looks mostly ok to me, but there are a few curious things. Speed not being tucked up high is interesting. Also seems like the app control buttons for the nav will be a pretty far reach. And where will the icons be to switch apps?
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If you look a the other interior shot, where the left-hand section isn't obscured by that black object, it kinda looks like that section depicts an overhead diagram of the car surrounded by a faint circle. That could either be autopilot sensor feedback (if in motion), or door/trunk status (if stationary). Given that Elon has said that the speedometer's opacity (which, presumably, could be 0, a.k.a. invisible) would vary according to context, my guess is that the car has decided that speed is not currently relevant (e.g. if the car is stopped), which is why it does not appear to be visible. (If the car were stopped, I would expect that it would tell me whether the car is in P / R / D / N, though...)

EDIT: ModelNforNerd and ohmman beat me to it.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

I'm positive those are just reflections of stop lights on the side glass.

Might be right. Does add to the "spaceship" vibe though. LOL

 

[jelloslug]

Might be right. Does add to the "spaceship" vibe though. LOL

I was thinking the exact same thing....

 

[WarpedOne]

There is just ONE pic of a blue M3RC?

 

[ohmman]

I'm curious about the red lighting on the center console, down at lap level, on the passenger side.

Is it just lighting, or are there buttons we can't make out?

They are quite curious. I get the feeling they're reflections of the device plugged in below the screen, shown in your second photo here:

That device is likely related to release candidate testing, as it looks industrial and not part of the vehicle.

edit: or, more likely, what @jelloslug said above.

 

[jelloslug]

They are quite curious. I get the feeling they're reflections of the device plugged in below the screen, shown in your second photo here:

That device is likely related to release candidate testing, as it looks industrial and not part of the vehicle.

It's an emergency stop button. You see them often in test vehicles.

 

[jelloslug]

There is just ONE pic of a blue M3RC?

I have not seen any others.