Model 3 Notchback Trunk - Deal-Killer?

[Autolycus]

Lift or not?

I posted this in another thread a zillion yea....I mean, 12 or so hours ago, but given the proliferation of threads and posts there really is no way to keep up any more.

At any rate, I absolutely cannot see how Mr Musk could have made the claim that he did - "The Model 3 Can Fit a 7-Foot Surfboard" - unless there is indeed a lift.

Not nohow not noway.

Am I somehow wrong?

Yes, you're somehow wrong. Back seats drop. Front passenger seat might also drop. Surfboards aren't terribly wide or thick, so they could easily slide straight through the trunk opening laying flat.

I'd love for a hatchback variant, but the Model 3 is clearly a straight up traditional sedan.

 

[Steve Martin]

If you can get a bike in back without removing handlebars I am good with it.

I was disappointed with the trunk because I don't think my bike will fit in the trunk.

 

[AudubonB]

Yes, you're somehow wrong. Back seats drop. Front passenger seat might also drop. Surfboards aren't terribly wide or thick, so they could easily slide straight through the trunk opening laying flat.

I'd love for a hatchback variant, but the Model 3 is clearly a straight up traditional sedan.

I've got it, I think: you're saying that there is a traditional trunk-style gate, though which something flat like a surfboard can be inserted; it's just not so gaping as is a hatchback?
Maybe I should have googled "notchback", which is a term I don't know.

 

[Steve Martin]

Having recently been to Europe for the first time, I can understand disappointment in the design decision. Hatchbacks are everywhere there. I literally did not see any trucks, and there were only a few SUVs. Thus I can understand why they'd want as much utility as possible in a compact to mid-size car. Plus I've seen a lot of people say that the Model S is too big for streets in Europe. From what I saw I tend to agree. For Tesla to want to be a worldwide company, I'm surprised they've taken this route.

Agree

 

[Autolycus]

I've got it, I think: you're saying that there is a traditional trunk-style gate, though which something flat like a surfboard can be inserted; it's just not so gaping as is a hatchback?
Maybe I should have googled "notchback", which is a term I don't know.

I've never seen the term "notchback" before this forum either. It's a sedan trunk or "boot", same as an A4 sedan, Corolla, Civic, etc. If the surfboard is laid parallel to the ground, it'll slide into the trunk and across the back seats, if those are folding forward and flat. 7' is 84". An A4 has 35.2" of rear legroom, so that's 35" from the front of the rear seatback to the back of the front seat. Add that, plus a few inches for the depth of the seat, and you're looking at maybe 40". If the trunk is 44" deep, there you go, 7' surfboard.

 

[P85DEE]

Definitely not a deal breaker for me. It has a frunk, so it's not that important to me.

 

[shade_tree]

Lift or not?

I posted this in another thread a zillion yea....I mean, 12 or so hours ago, but given the proliferation of threads and posts there really is no way to keep up any more.

At any rate, I absolutely cannot see how Mr Musk could have made the claim that he did - "The Model 3 Can Fit a 7-Foot Surfboard" - unless there is indeed a lift.

Not nohow not noway.

Am I somehow wrong?

8' surfboard inside a Mazda6

8' board inside newer Sentra

That said, a 7' board is an odd duck, not really a more popular short board or a long board, more like some kind of hybrid

 

[DrManhattan]

That said, a 7' board is an odd duck, not really a more popular short board or a long board, more like some kind of hybrid

Most short boards are mid 6, to 7 feet. Not really a lot of 7 foot long boards.

 

[Justmurr]

I drive a '14 base stang right now so I can't complain about trunks but I do understand people's angst with this one.
It can remain just 'as is' for me.
Elon said there would be some things that evolved... he and Franz will find the right balance... If I had to guess I'd see some things with the nose, the dash and this trunk configuration that could see some minor modifications but I wouldn't expect anything drastic.

 

[doublejj]

are you guys looking for some kinda electric woody?....

 

[Luke42]

Model 3 is not a prototype. Pre-production version is more accurate.
It was never going to fit your dog or bike in the back. A stroller and some groceries is about it, and I'm fine with that. I don't know why people had other ideas.

I'm in the pro lift back camp, so much so that this was the main question I wanted answered in the reveal. I jumped the gun and made my reservation as soon as I saw the profile. I still like the car and am looking forward to delivery, but the trunk is definitely a compromise I had to think about making for a sweet EV.

Why was I expecting a liftback? I've never had much interest in the 3-series or the A4, so those cara don't shape.my expectations -- I'm coming from a Prius. The Prius's liftback is one of the aspects of the Prius which makes it disproportionately useful for its size and fuel burn, because you can fold down th seats and load awkwardly shaped cargo. I figure that Tesla's "from basic principles" approach would come up with th same answer.

The visual design of the car is growing on me, and it's definitely something special. I'm in! But an optional liftback would make the Prius obsolete in every possible way.

 

[Tennisballer]

Dude I live in Fresno and my pano Model S doesn't get any hotter than a solid roof. I guarantee you Fresno in August makes Atlanta feel air-conditioned.

Are you kidding you somehow think that 1/4 inch glass insulates against heat as well as a 4 inch barrier with steel and insulation. Have you had a solid roof? Because you can feel the heat coming through putting your hand near the roof you don't feel that in a solid roof.

 

[Luke42]

I bet some people don't want a lift back, especially in cold climate. Your rear passengers get very cold whenever you lift the back and the cold air rush in.

The real problem in a cold climate is that snow and ice accumulate on the liftback.

Passengers are wearing jackets when it's cold enough to matter, and the body adapts to winter as the seasons change. In inrush of cold air isn't a shock to the system the way it is when you spend a few weeks in a warm climate.

But, yeah, 6" of snow and ice on the liftback is a pain, and you have to clear it where the top hinge of the liftback meets the roof. I'm amazed that I never removed paint or damaged the metal on our Prius over the 12 years we had it.

The other problem is that snow and ice freeze the sliding doors on my minivan shut.

But these openings are so useful for my lifestyle that I'll out up with both inconveniences. It's not that hard to sweep snow off, or remove ice.

P.S. I am concerned about what a coating of ice will do to the flush door handles I saw in the Model 3/videos. If you push the back of the handle in (so that the front of the handle swings out), a sheet of ice will probably make the handle unusable. Also, sometimes it can take a surprising amount of force to yank a frozen shut door open. The door handles I saw on the Model 3 didn't have any obvious provisions for this situation, and there aren't a lot of chances to test this sort of thing in The Bay Area. But I know Tesla hires engineers from Detroit who've lived with winter, and the Model S seems to do fine in winter -- so I'm willing to give Tesla benefit of the doubt for now!

 

[stopcrazypp]

P.S. I am concerned about what a coating of ice will do to the flush door handles I saw in the Model 3/videos. If you push the back of the handle in (so that the front of the handle swings out), a sheet of ice will probably make the handle unusable. Also, sometimes it can take a surprising amount of force to yank a frozen shut door open. The door handles I saw on the Model 3 didn't have any obvious provisions for this situation, and there aren't a lot of chances to test this sort of thing in The Bay Area. But I know Tesla hires engineers from Detroit who've lived with winter, and the Model S seems to do fine in winter -- so I'm willing to give Tesla benefit of the doubt for now!

For the handles, I don't think it is as big a deal. As long as the button is not frozen solid and unlatches the door, then you can just use the edge of the door to open it. That is what all the Tesla personnel were doing anyways (none of them actually used the handle).

 

[EVnut]

I'd have preferred a hatchback, but it still has a frunk, right? Sow what's the problem?

The problem is that you can't cut your larger cargo in pieces to fit some in the back and some in the frunk.

 

[EVnut]

Hatchbacks simply aren't popular in the US.

The certainly don't shy away from the Model S and the Prius and the Volt and the Leaf and the Fit and....

 

[EVnut]

It was never going to fit your dog or bike in the back. A stroller and some groceries is about it, and I'm fine with that. I don't know why people had other ideas.

But we all expected the Model S to have an enormous, practical hatch? When was it announced that the Model 3 would avoid being as practical as possible? I totally missed that.

 

[Knobby]

The problem is that you can't cut your larger cargo in pieces to fit some in the back and some in the frunk.

Maybe the back seats fold down and there is a pass through. My BMW 3 series sedan does that. That and hard points for a roof rack system. But I wonder how you mount a roof rack on that all glass roof.

 

[Bimbels]

About headroom for rear passengers - at least initially I think people who rarely had adult passengers in the rear will find they constantly do, since they will always be the ones driving when there is more than one couple. Because everyone wants to ride in your awesome car, you will constantly be giving demo rides.

I think we've had more rear passengers in the 10 months we've owned our model S than we had in both our lives combined. Seriously.

 

[BlairC]

My concern is, can I fit a large cooler? Our family of 4 travels for lacrosse tournaments. For this, we need a cooler full of water, sports drinks, snacks etc. Looks like it can fit a gear bag in the frunk. Could I put the cooler there? Does not look like it would fit through that rear opening.