Model 3 Review after 5 months

[AdaKyle]

Hope this review helps those considering a Model 3.

I have a Midnight Silver M3 LR I picked up new in February.

Likes

• Fun to drive. Cant overstate this. This car is a delight to drive.
• Acceleration - amazing.
• Comfort, feel, interior/exterior styling I still enjoy and like
• Technology. I do like the tech overall
• I listed what I like before I jump into the non likes (I dont want to be all negative about a car I actually love).
• Quietness. Now I will say I wish it were quieter. But it is quieter than the test drive model at my local store. It was my one concern. But, I will say it is fairly quiet. I think the dual pane front windows helped improve.

Dislikes

• Steering wheel. For whatever reason, I have easily scratched the wheel as I slide into the seat. I am more careful now. And I did repair with a kit. It is just a bit disappointing. I have never had this issue with cars in the past.
• Iphone interface. I wish I could pay to have apple play on the car. Admittedly, the Tesla interface is nice. But I would love Waze and google maps; along with a mirror image of my phone on the screen.
• Data subscription. I have it free for a year. But paying to have nav month to month is BS. Especially, when you have a smart phone. Hoping for a long term resolution for this.
• Windshield wipers. One of my biggest gripes. The lack of adjustment is terrible. IMO, the wipers wipe too quickly in automode. And auto is on if you use AP. And I think knob control for wipers would be nice.
• Autopilot. AP needs improvement. The phantom braking has improved. But I wish Tesla would have a dumb cruise control option. Especially, while they improve AP (which has improved over the 5 months I have owned the car).
• Floor mats are flimsy. Driver mat doesnt stay in place very well.
• Frunk. Closing this is not hard. But not exactly easy either. Its odd. Luckily I barely use it.
• Rear view mirror seems cheap and could be bigger and more stylish
• Carwash mode is very hard to get free roll working. I have to brake and hit free roll multiple times to get it to work. I make it work but it is frustrating
• Range. The range is very misleading. I suspected this would be the case but I am surprised how much it is overstated. I understand weather, hills, curves, number of passengers etc all have an affect on mileage. However, on an 80 degree day, flat with only the driver. An 80% charged car stating 290ish miles of range will only yield about 200 miles in reality, in my experience. This is driving 5-10 over speed limit. I suspect if you drive the speed limit and dont accelerate then you may get 250 miles of range on 80%.

 

[Kandiru]

Don't go through car washes requiring "free roll" as all of these have scrubbers or attendants rubbing at your paint with sand from the previous car, e.g. Buddy returning from the desert or "mudding", line up behind one of those and it may take your paintjob down to basecoat.

 

[tapau]

I agree with you on the steering wheel, it's ridiculously cheap. I've stitched leather steering wheel covers on my kids' Hondas and I know they sell them for the Model 3. I think I'll order it cause the steering wheel is bound to look bad within the year.

 

[cusetownusa]

I agree on the frunk...should be powered. Floor mats...I have never used the supplied mats in my car as I always get all weather mats so no opinion on them. Wipers have been great for me so far, albeit, only about 2500 miles on my car.

I believe for car washes you want to put it in car wash mode and then when needed, put it in Neutral.

 

[house9]

Data subscription. I have it free for a year. But paying to have nav month to month is BS. Especially, when you have a smart phone. Hoping for a long term resolution for this.

Basic navigation is included standard, no premium connectivity needed
I subscribe to premium so I can use Spotify - it is only $99 if you pay by the year

- Connectivity

Will Standard Connectivity affect in-car maps and routing?
No. All cars with Standard Connectivity will continue to receive the same core maps & navigation functionality as cars with Premium Connectivity, including traffic-based routing, Trip Planner and Supercharger stall availability. Premium Connectivity will add satellite-view maps and live traffic visualization.

 

[AdaKyle]

Basic navigation is included standard, no premium connectivity needed
I subscribe to premium so I can use Spotify - it is only $99 if you pay by the year

- Connectivity

Well scratch that negative point then. I thought nav would be extra. You can use spotify thru bluetooth as well? If you want to avoid the 99 per year alogether.

 

[AdaKyle]

I agree on the frunk...should be powered. Floor mats...I have never used the supplied mats in my car as I always get all weather mats so no opinion on them. Wipers have been great for me so far, albeit, only about 2500 miles on my car.

I believe for car washes you want to put it in car wash mode and then when needed, put it in Neutral.

Correct on wash mode. That is simple. Its the free roll part. I always have to try to get that activated a couple of times. I get it to work but it takes 2 or 3 attempts to get it to turn on. I have run it thru a car wash (Tommy's here in Grand Rapids) about 20 times at least. And I still fumble around getting free roll activated. Its why I switched to a Tommy's subscription from Mister that I used with my last whip.

 

[cusetownusa]

Correct on wash mode. That is simple. Its the free roll part. I always have to try to get that activated a couple of times. I get it to work but it takes 2 or 3 attempts to get it to turn on. I have run it thru a car wash (Tommy's here in Grand Rapids) about 20 times at least. And I still fumble around getting free roll activated. Its why I switched to a Tommy's subscription from Mister that I used with my last whip.

Do you have to get out for your car wash or do you stay in as it pulls you through? If you stay in it you should be putting it in neutral and not try to mess around with the free roll.

That is all I was trying to explain.

 

[CheapBastid]

Data subscription. I have it free for a year.

I picked my 2022 M3LR and only got it free for a month, how did you get a year?

You can use spotify thru bluetooth as well?

Yes. I use YouTube Music through Bluetooth.

 

[breatheasy]

I picked my 2022 M3LR and only got it free for a month, how did you get a year?

Yes. I use YouTube Music through Bluetooth.

Unfortunately - any orders after October 2021 - only come with 30 days now. This should be the case for all deliveries that were ordered prior to October 2021. I was able to get one year even though I just received delivery, but ordered prior to October 2021.

Tesla Premium Connectivity Explained – What's New in 2023?

Tesla Premium Connectivity – how does it work? How much does it cost? What about Model 3? We cover everything you need to know right here!

www.findmyelectric.com

 

[father_of_6]

I agree with many of your points, and the pros for me still vastly outweighs the cons.

After my year of free premium connectivity, I paid for a few months before deciding to let it expire. There's very little value for me in the premium... it seems to be just for using the browser and for streaming music.

You can indeed use Spotify and any other premium music service through your phone and Bluetooth. I've read that traffic data (colored lines on the roads) requires premium subscription, but I don't value it much and haven't even noticed if they're still there or not.

WARNING: The driver's floor mat not staying in place is incredibly dangerous, and people have died from this before. If your mat slides up and presses the accelerator, you're a goner. Please get some good fitted all weather mats (I recommend SUMK brand from Amazon, they're great).

As for car washes, you're definitely going to get swirly scratches on your paint... that said, I've done it and don't use carwash mode... just neutral, wipers off, fold mirrors.

The wipers are AWFUL! The automatic wiping is mediocre at best, the manual settings are severely lacking (should allow scroll wheel with many more speeds), and the sprayers don't really spray... they pour (and they pour into the driver's side window).

Regarding range - sure... not everyone will get rated range, but it's definitely possible. I drive spirited, *crank* the A/C in the Summer, and we get about 5 months of snowy Winter months in my area. In 18 months and 29k miles of ownership, I'm at 262 Wh/mi (vs 234 rated). I'm confident I could get to rated range if I cared enough to try. How many people actually get rated range in their ICE vehicles? Definitely the minority.

Edit: actually, I'm confident I could get *better* than rated range if I cared about it. I've definitely done it while watching the energy graph and driving conservatively, even at faster speeds.

 

[Jclboston]

I have a couple of tips to consider:

1. Steering wheel - Have you tried setting your "Easy Entry" mode such that the steering wheel tilts up all the way? That may help with avoiding scratches when entering and leaving.

2. Floor mats - Invest in a nice set like Maxpider, Tuxmat, or other. Probably one of the first things I do with any car since I think the default mats suck on most cars, not uniquely a Tesla weak point.

 

[AdaKyle]

I picked my 2022 M3LR and only got it free for a month, how did you get a year?

Yes. I use YouTube Music through Bluetooth.

I ordered my M3LR in May of 2021. I didnt accept delivery until Feb 2022. I wanted to order to lock in the price. I didnt need it until early 2022.

 

[AdaKyle]

I agree with many of your points, and the pros for me still vastly outweighs the cons.

After my year of free premium connectivity, I paid for a few months before deciding to let it expire. There's very little value for me in the premium... it seems to be just for using the browser and for streaming music.

You can indeed use Spotify and any other premium music service through your phone and Bluetooth. I've read that traffic data (colored lines on the roads) requires premium subscription, but I don't value it much and haven't even noticed if they're still there or not.

WARNING: The driver's floor mat not staying in place is incredibly dangerous, and people have died from this before. If your mat slides up and presses the accelerator, you're a goner. Please get some good fitted all weather mats (I recommend SUMK brand from Amazon, they're great).

As for car washes, you're definitely going to get swirly scratches on your paint... that said, I've done it and don't use carwash mode... just neutral, wipers off, fold mirrors.

The wipers are AWFUL! The automatic wiping is mediocre at best, the manual settings are severely lacking (should allow scroll wheel with many more speeds), and the sprayers don't really spray... they pour (and they pour into the driver's side window).

Regarding range - sure... not everyone will get rated range, but it's definitely possible. I drive spirited, *crank* the A/C in the Summer, and we get about 5 months of snowy Winter months in my area. In 18 months and 29k miles of ownership, I'm at 262 Wh/mi (vs 234 rated). I'm confident I could get to rated range if I cared enough to try. How many people actually get rated range in their ICE vehicles? Definitely the minority.

Edit: actually, I'm confident I could get *better* than rated range if I cared about it. I've definitely done it while watching the energy graph and driving conservatively, even at faster speeds.

I agree with your points as well. I plan to get all weather mats once I get into winter. For now, I make sure to reposition the mats regularly to avoid any issues. I agree positives outweigh the negatives. I did mention that I love it in my OP.

 

[masotime]

• Range. The range is very misleading. I suspected this would be the case but I am surprised how much it is overstated. I understand weather, hills, curves, number of passengers etc all have an affect on mileage. However, on an 80 degree day, flat with only the driver. An 80% charged car stating 290ish miles of range will only yield about 200 miles in reality, in my experience. This is driving 5-10 over speed limit. I suspect if you drive the speed limit and dont accelerate then you may get 250 miles of range on 80%.

In my experience, EPA ranges in general are overstated. The car I owned before my Model Y was a Prius with a rated range of 571 miles. I really only got 400 miles (i.e. 70%) out of it on a full tank. I think 70% is a good ballpark of “real world” range - so in your case, 290 * 70% = 203 miles… which is pretty close.

 

[AdaKyle]

I have a couple of tips to consider:

1. Steering wheel - Have you tried setting your "Easy Entry" mode such that the steering wheel tilts up all the way? That may help with avoiding scratches when entering and leaving.

2. Floor mats - Invest in a nice set like Maxpider, Tuxmat, or other. Probably one of the first things I do with any car since I think the default mats suck on most cars, not uniquely a Tesla weak point.

Yes. I have easy entry mode on. My point is that the steering wheel is very susceptible to scratches. Its very delicate for such a high contact/rub area of a vehicle.

I agree on the mats. I do, however, think Tesla mats are uniquely even more terrible than other OEMs.