Model 3: Pros and Cons

[Nova8]

I've owned my Model 3 Standard Plus for a year now, and here are some of the issues I wish they would fix. I am not a tech geek, and have not searched high and low to see if there is a way we drivers can alter some of these ourselves. I don't do twitter, and don't know if Tesla engineers actually read these posts, but it's worth a try.

Cons; please fix:
1. The car needs to drive right-of-center in the lane when in autopilot (in the US, not England). Right now, the car does its Tesla Sway near the center of the lane, but it is way too close to the road median line for comfort. When oncoming traffic with texting drivers or icy roads is coming at me at 70mph (or 1mph), I want as big a cushion for reaction time and distance as possible. Please direct the car to hug off-center right rather than off-center left or centered.
2. When someone turns into traffic in front of me or across my lane, or there is a curve in the road, the car does an unreasonably fast break as if there will be an accident. I have set the follow-distance at a low number of car lengths, but this still happens with cars and curves more than 5 car lengths away.
3. When traffic goes from one lane to 2 lanes wide, or there is a sudden left turn lane, the car gets confused sometimes. I have had some scary moments with the car making drastic corrections while in autopilot. Please make the car hug the fogline and stay in the right-hand lane when there are any alterations in lane numbers or widths.
4. It wold be great to have different playback speeds for reviewing sentry reports. Reviewing initially at double time would be helpful.
5. The seat needs better lumbar support. It causes too much of a scoop in the back for me, even though the lumbar cushion is at full-expansion.
6. It would be great to have a window-tint option.
7. The A/C vent needs to blow way more forcefully next to the driver window. My left arm is burning in summer and freezing in winter.
8. Door locks often do not open fast enough. This is a serious safety hazard when walking alone to your car at night when you are potentially being followed by a criminal. I have stood by the car pushing the door handle about 20 times and it does not unlock unless I open the Tesla app on my phone at tell it to unlock. The car is supposed to recognize my phone as I approach and open immediately when I push the handle.
9. No door locks. When I open my drivers side door, that automatically unlocks the passenger door. This is a huge safety hazard if I am followed to my car by someone with criminal intent. The passenger door should not unlock unless the driver pushes a button inside the car. Once I am in the car, do the doors lock instantly? again, this is a safety hazard if they do not lock instantly once inside.
10. The steering wheel vibrates quite a lot with road conditions.
11. People need to be aware the seats are really low on this car. I found as i'm exiting that if I put my right knee to the floor, I can push off the center counsel base with my right foot to help exit.
12. The energy consumption was a shock after purchase. I only get about 1.5 miles per 1% charge when driving 60-70mph in spring and autumn when air/heat use are off. I get 1 mile per 1% in summer and winter....sometimes less with high heat use in winter. This is with the Standard Plus that should get over 230 miles per full charge. I cant even go 100 miles without charging in summer or winter. A tip to others: I bought some thin gloves with grips and touchscreen ability (Burton Saphire, $35) that work great in winter. They keep my hands warm so I can drop the cabin heat and save energy, but they are thin for dexterity, have grips that allow good steering wheel control, and have touchscreen fingertip necessary for changing the screen settings.
13. The windshield wipers are not very good at gauging the rain conditions, and changing them on-screen is a hazard when taking a curve at 70 in the rain on the expressway and a semi truck throws spray at your windshield. I've gotten in the habit of turning them on high pace when a semi is anywhere near me in rain or snow. Lots of time spent changing this control.
14. While the steering wheel looks cool being shaped like a T....it is not comfortable to not have a hole for my hand at the bottom center. Maybe there can be a pop-off panel option if people want the hole.
15. Garbage can tip: I buy the small cube kleenex boxes for my bathroom. Once they are empty, I put a tiny bag inside (dog poop bag) and this fits perfectly inside the front counsel cubby as my garbage can. When full, I throw the whole thing out since I have a constant supply of empty kleenex boxes.

Pros:
1. I love that it is 100% electric and far better for the environment than an ICE car.
2. I love how quiet it is with no exhaust stench.
3. I love never going to gas stations and getting oil changes. Most stops at superchargers are an easy time to check emails, take a nap, or get some food. 99% of my charging is done at home.
4. I love the minimalist design inside, and I really like the appearance outside.
2. I love the vegan fabric. Cattle cause more and worse greenhouse gases and global destruction than fossil fuels.
3. It is really fast, even though this wasn't a priority for me. I admit to leaving the occasional ICE car/truck full of confederate flag wavers who think coal and oil are their god-given rights to burn in the dust
4. I love the gadgetry and software updates, even though I probably don't use or know about many of them for lack of time to investigate. Lots of ways to micro-adjust things for each individual, and to save settings, which is wonderful.
5. I really like the assisted autopilot, but am sure I will love the full autopilot when I can afford it.

Overall, it's the best car i've owned.

 

[Marius A]

2: WARNING: Do not use Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on winding roads with sharp curves, on icy or slippery road surfaces, or when weather conditions (such as heavy rain, snow, fog, etc.) make it inappropriate to drive at a consistent speed. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control does not adapt driving speed based on road and driving conditions.
3: WARNING: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is designed for your driving comfort and convenience and is not a collision warning or avoidance system. It is your responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, and be in control of the vehicle at all times. Never depend on Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to adequately slow down Model 3. Always watch the road in front of you and be prepared to take corrective action at all times. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or death.
8: If you're followed by criminals use your phone to call the police and have your key card ready when you reach the car.
9: Why wouldn't they just stop you from entering the car? Why would they enter through one of the passenger doors? Can they only harm you from the passenger seat? Also, sounds like you need something else, like a bullet proof diplomat car.
11: You need to be aware that a low-sitting sedan has low-sitting seats, and that hot coffee is hot.
13: If you light press the window washer button on the turn signal stalk you can manually wipe. You can press it repeatedly or hold it there for continuous wipe action. When the curve is finished, light press it to get the wiper options up, then switch to whatever you need.
15: Con?

 

[Mr X]

I8. Door locks often do not open fast enough. This is a serious safety hazard when walking alone to your car at night when you are potentially being followed by a criminal.

 

[XLR82XS]

Best car you've owned but a giant list of cons......

 

[chinney]

[...]

12. The energy consumption was a shock after purchase. I only get about 1.5 miles per 1% charge when driving 60-70mph in spring and autumn when air/heat use are off. I get 1 mile per 1% in summer and winter....sometimes less with high heat use in winter. This is with the Standard Plus that should get over 230 miles per full charge. I cant even go 100 miles without charging in summer or winter.

[...]

I must admit that your experience does not match mine on this point, at least during the summer. The air conditioning seems to be pretty efficient. Even on warm days, provided I kept it steady at about 110 km/h (just under 70 mph) on the highway, the official range and the actual range seemed about spot on. That is better than advertised by Tesla, since the official range is based, I think, on 100 km/h speeds. On really hot days, or if conditions are poor because of rain or wind, you do lose some of the actual range - although not nearly as much as I expected. Overall, I was really impressed by the range this past summer.

This is our first winter with the Tesla, so I do not have a good sense yet of the range on cold days, but certainly it will be considerably less. There are techniques you can use to help maximize cold weather range, but even with those it will be less. I'll be interested in seeing how much the heat pump helps, though that unfortunately will not benefit me, since ours is an early 2020 version, without the pump.

 

[KenC]

One, your lane position seems off. Mine is centered, and doesn't sway.

Your door lock issue, may be a phone issue, since mine never hesitates to open. I would bet if you put your car in D, the doors would lock.

Steering wheel vibration? Do you have your auto lane leaving set so that it vibrates? My steering wheel never vibrates unless it's supposed to.

As for the seating position, it's a "sedan". When you buy a sedan, it's inherent that the seating position is lower. Maybe you should set your EasyEntry position to push you up, like mine is set. It raises my steering wheel, pushes my seat up and forward.

Your efficiency should be great, but it's terrible. At 65mph, my 3 is calibrated at 235Wh/mile. At 75/80mph, I get 265Wh/mile. Try ABRP, it can calibrate your vehicle at 65mph so you get a real reference point.

4. I love the gadgetry and software updates, even though I probably don't use or know about many of them for lack of time to investigate. Lots of ways to micro-adjust things for each individual, and to save settings, which is wonderful.

You may find things that bother you, can be adjusted if you "investigate"d.

 

[coleAK]

2. I love the vegan fabric. Cattle cause more and worse greenhouse gases and global destruction than fossil fuels.

yeah, don’t feel good about that one. That is a myth brought on by the PETA crowd. Vegan leather has not cut down on the number of cattle. It is more polluting to make the (plastic) vegan leather then use the real leather from already dead cows. Many ranchers now give away or throw away hides with the steaks headed to you local market. And even for those that do sell hide, Ranchers make more on the steric acid used to make tires and rubber hoses/gaskets/seals then on leather. Another fun fact, you can’t buy a vegan bike tire in the USA.

 

[HarleyW]

yeah, don’t feel good about that one. That is a myth brought on by the PETA crowd. Vegan leather has not cut down on the number of cattle. It is more polluting to make the (plastic) vegan leather then use the real leather from already dead cows. Many ranchers now give away or throw away hides with the steaks headed to you local market. And even for those that do sell hide, Ranchers make more on the steric acid used to make tires and rubber hoses/gaskets/seals then on leather. Another fun fact, you can’t buy a vegan bike tire in the USA.

And they taste great too!!!

 

[Nova8]

2: WARNING: Do not use Traffic-Aware Cruise Control on winding roads with sharp curves, on icy or slippery road surfaces, or when weather conditions (such as heavy rain, snow, fog, etc.) make it inappropriate to drive at a consistent speed. Traffic-Aware Cruise Control does not adapt driving speed based on road and driving conditions.
This does not answer my concern with #2. The assisted autopilot is supposed to recognize gentle curves and is not supposed to slam on the breaks when someone turns across traffic 5 or more car lengths ahead of you on a highway.
3: WARNING: Traffic-Aware Cruise Control is designed for your driving comfort and convenience and is not a collision warning or avoidance system. It is your responsibility to stay alert, drive safely, and be in control of the vehicle at all times. Never depend on Traffic-Aware Cruise Control to adequately slow down Model 3. Always watch the road in front of you and be prepared to take corrective action at all times. Failure to do so can result in serious injury or death.
Obviously. The point I made is the car when in assisted autopilot takes actions that are inappropriate.
8: If you're followed by criminals use your phone to call the police and have your key card ready when you reach the car.
That hasn't worked for the hundreds of people car-jacked or assaulted on their way to their cars in the US. Things must be different in Norway where they give you time to call the Police before attacking.
9: Why wouldn't they just stop you from entering the car? Why would they enter through one of the passenger doors? Can they only harm you from the passenger seat? Also, sounds like you need something else, like a bullet proof diplomat car.
Again, Norway must be a special place where people don't carjack from the passenger seat and stalkers/thieves don't try to enter the passenger seat.
11: You need to be aware that a low-sitting sedan has low-sitting seats, and that hot coffee is hot.
Yeah, i've owned them. This one is lower. Being immature will only gain you points from the immature.
13: If you light press the window washer button on the turn signal stalk you can manually wipe. You can press it repeatedly or hold it there for continuous wipe action. When the curve is finished, light press it to get the wiper options up, then switch to whatever you need.
15: Con?

Whoops, you got me there. I put a helpful tip in the con section on accident.

 

[Nova8]

Best car you've owned but a giant list of cons......

Not so much a giant list. Most are minor annoyances I wish they would fix or someone would let me know if there's a solution.

 

[Nova8]

One, your lane position seems off. Mine is centered, and doesn't sway.

Your door lock issue, may be a phone issue, since mine never hesitates to open. I would bet if you put your car in D, the doors would lock.

Steering wheel vibration? Do you have your auto lane leaving set so that it vibrates? My steering wheel never vibrates unless it's supposed to.

As for the seating position, it's a "sedan". When you buy a sedan, it's inherent that the seating position is lower. Maybe you should set your EasyEntry position to push you up, like mine is set. It raises my steering wheel, pushes my seat up and forward.

Your efficiency should be great, but it's terrible. At 65mph, my 3 is calibrated at 235Wh/mile. At 75/80mph, I get 265Wh/mile. Try ABRP, it can calibrate your vehicle at 65mph so you get a real reference point.

You may find things that bother you, can be adjusted if you "investigate"d.

Thank you for the feedback. The sway is very minimal, but still perceptible. The car is centered at times in the lane but generally drives about 1' off-center left. I wish the car would drive off-center right by 1' or 2' for extra cushion when oncoming traffic crosses the median. As for the other issues, I will have Tesla evaluate the problems when I have the next maintenance. While many Teslaphiles enjoy reading forums and every page of manuals, most of us do not have the time to do significant extra research into these sorts of issues I indicated. Most of the issues I indicated should not exist, or be functional, without tweaking things.

 

[Nova8]

yeah, don’t feel good about that one. That is a myth brought on by the PETA crowd. Vegan leather has not cut down on the number of cattle. It is more polluting to make the (plastic) vegan leather then use the real leather from already dead cows. Many ranchers now give away or throw away hides with the steaks headed to you local market. And even for those that do sell hide, Ranchers make more on the steric acid used to make tires and rubber hoses/gaskets/seals then on leather. Another fun fact, you can’t buy a vegan bike tire in the USA.

The cattle industry is worse and has nothing to do with PETA. Read the peer-reviewed scientific research papers and statistics rather than documents put out by the cattle industry and their reps. Yes, plastic is terrible, but the lesser of 2 evils.

 

[dmurphy]

Cons; please fix:
1. The car needs to drive right-of-center in the lane when in autopilot (in the US, not England). Right now, the car does its Tesla Sway near the center of the lane, but it is way too close to the road median line for comfort. When oncoming traffic with texting drivers or icy roads is coming at me at 70mph (or 1mph), I want as big a cushion for reaction time and distance as possible. Please direct the car to hug off-center right rather than off-center left or centered.

Disagree. If anything, I want it to shade to the left, closer to the oduble-yellow than the center.

2. When someone turns into traffic in front of me or across my lane, or there is a curve in the road, the car does an unreasonably fast break as if there will be an accident. I have set the follow-distance at a low number of car lengths, but this still happens with cars and curves more than 5 car lengths away.
3. When traffic goes from one lane to 2 lanes wide, or there is a sudden left turn lane, the car gets confused sometimes. I have had some scary moments with the car making drastic corrections while in autopilot. Please make the car hug the fogline and stay in the right-hand lane when there are any alterations in lane numbers or widths.

Updates are coming with the new FSD software. Seeing the world in 4 dimensions gives the car much greater capabilities.

4. It wold be great to have different playback speeds for reviewing sentry reports. Reviewing initially at double time would be helpful.

Take the card out and put it in your computer. Can play back at any speed you wish.

5. The seat needs better lumbar support. It causes too much of a scoop in the back for me, even though the lumbar cushion is at full-expansion.

Personal preference; I don't like any lumbar support in any car.

6. It would be great to have a window-tint option.

Illegal here.

7. The A/C vent needs to blow way more forcefully next to the driver window. My left arm is burning in summer and freezing in winter.

Never had that problem. Try "splitting" the driver's vent into two and pointing the left side at your arm?

8. Door locks often do not open fast enough. This is a serious safety hazard when walking alone to your car at night when you are potentially being followed by a criminal. I have stood by the car pushing the door handle about 20 times and it does not unlock unless I open the Tesla app on my phone at tell it to unlock. The car is supposed to recognize my phone as I approach and open immediately when I push the handle.

The phone-as-key is neat but the Tesla app gets "put to sleep" routinely by the phone's operating system. If this is a true concern, get a key fob. Problem solved.

9. No door locks. When I open my drivers side door, that automatically unlocks the passenger door. This is a huge safety hazard if I am followed to my car by someone with criminal intent. The passenger door should not unlock unless the driver pushes a button inside the car.
Once I am in the car, do the doors lock instantly? again, this is a safety hazard if they do not lock instantly once inside.

I believe that's a setting but I could be wrong. As far as re-locking, I've never had a car do that until the vehicle is in gear. Same with the Tesla. You can always push the lock icon on the display if you need an immediate lock.

How bad is your neighborhood for this to be a concern?

10. The steering wheel vibrates quite a lot with road conditions.

Are your wheels balanced correctly?

11. People need to be aware the seats are really low on this car. I found as i'm exiting that if I put my right knee to the floor, I can push off the center counsel base with my right foot to help exit.

It's a small sports sedan.... if you prefer a taller seat, Model Y might be a great option.

12. The energy consumption was a shock after purchase. I only get about 1.5 miles per 1% charge when driving 60-70mph in spring and autumn when air/heat use are off. I get 1 mile per 1% in summer and winter....sometimes less with high heat use in winter. This is with the Standard Plus that should get over 230 miles per full charge. I cant even go 100 miles without charging in summer or winter. A tip to others: I bought some thin gloves with grips and touchscreen ability (Burton Saphire, $35) that work great in winter. They keep my hands warm so I can drop the cabin heat and save energy, but they are thin for dexterity, have grips that allow good steering wheel control, and have touchscreen fingertip necessary for changing the screen settings.

Many factors here, but short drives are most definitely not good for range. Driving style, speed and weather are the three largest factors, by far.

13. The windshield wipers are not very good at gauging the rain conditions, and changing them on-screen is a hazard when taking a curve at 70 in the rain on the expressway and a semi truck throws spray at your windshield. I've gotten in the habit of turning them on high pace when a semi is anywhere near me in rain or snow. Lots of time spent changing this control.

Agreed -- one of the major "misses" with the Model 3 design. Try using the voice controls - it's quicker. By a lot.

14. While the steering wheel looks cool being shaped like a T....it is not comfortable to not have a hole for my hand at the bottom center. Maybe there can be a pop-off panel option if people want the hole.

10 & 2.... or as my niece reminds me... it's 9 & 3 now.

15. Garbage can tip: I buy the small cube kleenex boxes for my bathroom. Once they are empty, I put a tiny bag inside (dog poop bag) and this fits perfectly inside the front counsel cubby as my garbage can. When full, I throw the whole thing out since I have a constant supply of empty kleenex boxes.

Good thought! I like that.

 

[karbomusic]

2. I love the vegan fabric. Cattle cause more and worse greenhouse gases and global destruction than fossil fuels.

That's why I'm eating all the cows.

 

[Sam1]

2. I love the vegan fabric. Cattle cause more and worse greenhouse gases and global destruction than fossil fuels.

* all fabric is vegan, unless you're ted bundy

 

[alexgr]

10. The steering wheel vibrates quite a lot with road conditions.

This is strange, on my car the steering wheel feels rock solid. Does it vibrate in all 3 driving modes?

12. The energy consumption was a shock after purchase. I only get about 1.5 miles per 1% charge when driving 60-70mph in spring and autumn when air/heat use are off. I get 1 mile per 1% in summer and winter....sometimes less with high heat use in winter. This is with the Standard Plus that should get over 230 miles per full charge. I cant even go 100 miles without charging in summer or winter.

This seems to be just terrible. Do you mean you have an average consumption of over 400 Wh/mile? If so, I would pay a visit to a service center.

 

[jjrandorin]

This is strange, on my car the steering wheel feels rock solid. Does it vibrate in all 3 driving modes?


This seems to be just terrible. Do you mean you have an average consumption of over 400 Wh/mile? If so, I would pay a visit to a service center.

Usually (like almost every single time) someone says anything like "i can only go 100 miles on a charge" they dont have home charging, or dont charge every day, and seem to have an opinion that "my car has 230 miles range, I only drive 20 miles a day, I should be able to charge every 6-7 days or so".

Very rarely its something else, but I feel pretty comfortable predicting that based on that statement, this OP doesnt charge every day for "some reason", either because they dont have home charging, or they think that its better for some reason to run the car battery down before charging it back up.

 

[Candleflame]

The AC comment is rediculous. the model 3 as can kee up easily when its over 45 degrees here. It only blows on like level 6 to 7.

And lumbar support is so far out it feels like someone is kicking your lower back. you do know how to activate lumbar support, do you?

steering wheel doesnt vibrate, make a service centre appointment.

Seats can be adjusted to be so high that you bang your head on the ceiling. in fact, most ppl complain that they are too high.

To get rated range drive at 95km/h with heater off. your gas car doesnt get 5L/100km either.

i dont know why you grab the bottom centre of the steering wheel.

if the doors dont unlock quick enough take the phone out of your pocket while a criminal chases you or tilt your pelvis towards the car. it will unlock instantly.

windshield wipers come on ok, tbh though with some sealant on the window you dont need to use them anyway.

 

[Fernand]

Some good points, but mostly things you can set differently if you delve a little.

 

[EAV1]

This is the only significant con I have encountered. Almost feels like a fraud.

12. The energy consumption was a shock after purchase. I only get about 1.5 miles per 1% charge when driving 60-70mph in spring and autumn when air/heat use are off. I get 1 mile per 1% in summer and winter....sometimes less with high heat use in winter. This is with the Standard Plus that should get over 230 miles per full charge. I cant even go 100 miles without charging in summer or winter. A tip to others: I bought some thin gloves with grips and touchscreen ability (Burton Saphire, $35) that work great in winter. They keep my hands warm so I can drop the cabin heat and save energy, but they are thin for dexterity, have grips that allow good steering wheel control, and have touchscreen fingertip necessary for changing the screen settings.

This is by far my favourite pro:

3. I love never going to gas stations and getting oil changes.

In Finland the government really really really really hates owners of private cars. Now it feels that I'm hated a teeny-tiny bit less. Every time there is a need for additional revenue for the state, some idiot suggests to raise gas prices. And almost every time they implement the raise. Well, not my problem anymore! Until they come up with some way to tax electricity that goes into EVs, that is.

Back to the topic, I really love how my Tesla can heat itself even without being plugged to a power outlet. Feels amazing to enter a warm car in the winter even outside your own yard. The app is good, but it has so much potential to become even better.