I have read countless Model 3 reviews with similar details, so I will try to make this as distinct as possible!
Background
I am coming from a Mercedes CLA 250 that I drove for 5.5 years/ 67k miles. My wife drives a 2017 Mazda 3 - which we both like for the incredible value for money it is! We bought a Blue Model 3 LR AWD/ AP-FSD/ Aero wheels (we had ordered sports wheels, but there was an aero available so we picked that up with the Sports wheels currently on order - scheduled to be delivered soon). Got our delivery on 24th March 2019. A 2019 Inventory car from January with a $400 adjustment!
Delivery
Overall painless delivery experience! trade-in was a breeze and we got great value for the CLA (almost the KBB value and $1k above carmax). We looked really closely for any paint/ panel defects that we can find and found 3 tiny scratches (looked like loading/ off-loading scratches) and promptly given a due bill for it. The paint finish is acceptable, not stellar but I looked at 5 cars ready for delivery and our car was par for the course.
About the panel gaps etc. for which there was furore - after getting my CLA in 2013 November, I noticed the interior panel gaps after a week - they were brutal! They never came up in media, but the forum was filled with many such reports (CLA Interior Door Gap). Similarly, when my friend took delivery of his BMW 3-series back in the day - he noticed 5 scratches on his white car after couple of days. Guess what the dealer said about those? Tesla gets scrutinized way more than these traditional behemoths. In a sense, I am glad it came up coz my car is perfect as far as panel gaps and fit and finish goes!
Usage
My wife's commute is brutal! 4 day/week - 90 miles RT with the return trip consuming close to 70 mins on average. My commute is 25 miles RT and I use the vanpool 3 days a week. So we decided to split the Tesla for our commutes. She uses it 3 days a week while I use it the rest 2.
The Amazing
Posting picture here of what we do with each of our cars as part of "Baptizing" them - Take it to Mount Saint Helens which is closed until May 1s. Its about 50 miles of backroads with no cops and close to zero traffic since the observatory is closed for the season. During our road trip - I had the chance to humble a Dodge charger SRT. I drove until 108 MPH at which point he gave up, not able to overtake - Boy, was it fun
Background
I am coming from a Mercedes CLA 250 that I drove for 5.5 years/ 67k miles. My wife drives a 2017 Mazda 3 - which we both like for the incredible value for money it is! We bought a Blue Model 3 LR AWD/ AP-FSD/ Aero wheels (we had ordered sports wheels, but there was an aero available so we picked that up with the Sports wheels currently on order - scheduled to be delivered soon). Got our delivery on 24th March 2019. A 2019 Inventory car from January with a $400 adjustment!
Delivery
Overall painless delivery experience! trade-in was a breeze and we got great value for the CLA (almost the KBB value and $1k above carmax). We looked really closely for any paint/ panel defects that we can find and found 3 tiny scratches (looked like loading/ off-loading scratches) and promptly given a due bill for it. The paint finish is acceptable, not stellar but I looked at 5 cars ready for delivery and our car was par for the course.
About the panel gaps etc. for which there was furore - after getting my CLA in 2013 November, I noticed the interior panel gaps after a week - they were brutal! They never came up in media, but the forum was filled with many such reports (CLA Interior Door Gap). Similarly, when my friend took delivery of his BMW 3-series back in the day - he noticed 5 scratches on his white car after couple of days. Guess what the dealer said about those? Tesla gets scrutinized way more than these traditional behemoths. In a sense, I am glad it came up coz my car is perfect as far as panel gaps and fit and finish goes!
Usage
My wife's commute is brutal! 4 day/week - 90 miles RT with the return trip consuming close to 70 mins on average. My commute is 25 miles RT and I use the vanpool 3 days a week. So we decided to split the Tesla for our commutes. She uses it 3 days a week while I use it the rest 2.
The Amazing
- We paid around $65.5k including taxes but even then - its a lot of car for that money. I had driven an Audi S5, Porsche Macan S and BMW 435i grancoupe, but nothing comes close to the overall package Tesla delivers! The drive experience is that of a nimble sports car and the composure on corners is amazing. Also, with our annual mileage, we are saving close to $2.5k compared to Macan and around $1.5k compared to Audi and the Beamer. The neat little tricks of having my mirrors fold as I enter my driveway to have the car out of garage through summon to preheating the cabin before I enter - all add subtle value to my experience. I fall in love each time I enter the car!
- The Sound System! Porsche Macan requires $3.2k to add the high-end B&O system, which I would say is the closest in quality to what Tesla is delivering in Model 3 - all without a markup! Even BMW and Audi cost about $1k for the upgraded music system. The crispness of the sound system in Model 3 is at a different level altogether and I have a hard time appreciating the Bose system that's in our other car. Its exquisite!
- Autopilot - "I can't think of how we can ever buy another car which doesn't have this" - my wife's words after commuting using autopilot for a week. Autopilot is so in-the-future, you will giggle when you use it the 1st time. The nuance and detail where it is able to distinguish a mini van from a sedan from a bus from a motorcylce from a pedestrian is a different level of engineering marvel - all without a single stutter in the system (Try loading 10 Image Processing software processes in your MacBook/ Windows laptop and see how it behaves)! We have seen some weirdness at particular places, but if you keep your eyes open - this thing is here to make your life so much easier!
- People have different takes on this based on their taste - but I love Model 3's interior! The seats are comfortable (and I love the vegan leather), the glass roof adds the drama to the ambience as well as makes the interior feel much more roomier than it is, the center console has tons of storage and provides good support, the screen is excellent and front dash is understated but pleasant. Also, the interior fit and finish on our car is excellent. I have looked everywhere and there are no flaws at all!
- The Screen - Glorious! The UI is amazing and so is the UX. The smoothness of the screen rivals iPads and the functions are so well thought out and built. We love it!
- Back to point 1 - The many neat tricks that Model 3 has up its sleeve! From summon to easy entry to home link integration to climate control through app to various other autopilot features to driver profiles to inbuilt dash cams and sentry mode. It all makes the car so much more useful and delightful. Also, our app based key experience has been consistent until now. We have had maybe 2 instances of having to takeout our key card, but overall its been fine.
- Slacker - I think enough has been said about it so I won't add more but I hate it! I am at a point where I have stopped using Slacker completely due to its small selection of songs! I love the Tune-In integration though.
- Some of the interior materials were abruptly changed in 2018 - like the Alacantra headliners! The textile headliners in the current car look cheap and the color is not great - ripe to get dirty. Why not put a black headliner in a black interior car?
- It has happened once, but was scary - our car was in autopilot on the freeway and suddenly the screen went blank and then restarted. It was scary. I am sure it was some software glitch but it scared the hell out of us!
- Bluetooth connection to phone has been a hit and miss. Lot of times the car loses connection to phone and I have to re-establish it. Also, the bluetooth profile is a bit limited with text messages etc. not readable on car screen.
- Why not put a wireless charging mat instead of the wired solution that currently comes with the car?
- Navigation lacks adding stops. Its minor inconvinience but requires manual planning when doing long road trips.
- Lack of HUD is our single biggest complaint until now! We have got used to the screen for speedometer, but having to look at through corner of our eyes is not the most pleasant of experiences.
- The autopilot sensors to have hands on wheels! it comes on despite of having hands on wheels and sometime we miss the notification coz its on the screen. Again - a HUD here is a must and should solve this.
Posting picture here of what we do with each of our cars as part of "Baptizing" them - Take it to Mount Saint Helens which is closed until May 1s. Its about 50 miles of backroads with no cops and close to zero traffic since the observatory is closed for the season. During our road trip - I had the chance to humble a Dodge charger SRT. I drove until 108 MPH at which point he gave up, not able to overtake - Boy, was it fun
