P3D[+] for a spirited driver

[Ugene]

I am just not into the exterior styling for some reason.

My only complaint about Tesla in general is the build quality. I still saw uneven gaps on the model X I saw on display. This is one of the main reasons I didn't buy the model S when i was one of the original deposit holders many years ago. And the interior material(plastic) on the loaded model S still isn't up to Germans standards.

I too am not a huge fun of Model 3's exterior styling but I find it acceptable given the benefits. I don't admire my car's exterior lines like I did with my last Audi but the design language is consistent and they did try to make it cute. I am OK with a fast sleeper car that does not look as special as some sports cars in the same price category.
I notice one small panel alignment issue because of the way the car is lit in my garage but I am getting used to it.
Interior quality is acceptable too even it is a bit of a step down in some regards from my previous somewhat cheaper car.

I am not sorry about any of these because I was looking for smallest and lightest well handling car into which I can fit things such as a few pairs of skis or a road bike with no problem and P3D exceeded my expectations. So, overlooking all those "acceptable" things and pulling the trigger to order P3D+ was not hard. Model 3 has so much interior space for its outside dimensions I would even be happy with a couple of inches smaller car width and length wise if it came with lower weight.
If I am a bit disappointed with something it is
- exterior paint quality (a surprise how easy it was to chip the paint) and
- the fact that I have to invent ugly ways to fix my phone to be handy to pick my music or look at multiple routes to my destination while driving because Tesla decided to not integrate with smartphones to the same degree other cars do.

 

[Skione65]

I just test drove the p3D today. I was very surprised! Of course the torque and acceleration were insane as expected, but it was the steering and feel that surprised me quite bit. Granted I had it in sport mode so never felt the normal mode.

I am coming from F82 M4 and have previously had a Lotus Elise, Porsche C4S, Audi S4, many BMW M3's so handling is a priority to me.

First thing was the steering feel. Had a lot of road feel and felt German. The steering was heavy which I liked and I am used to this already.
I could feel the rocks and pebble son the road. And turn in was sharp and responsive(more so then I was expecting).

For such a heavy car, the car felt ver very planted with minimal body roll. I don't think i am used to car so heavy with such a low COG. I don't know how much this car weighs exactly but I know its suppose to be a very heavy car but it didn't really feel like that to me. And I was expecting the regen braking to be more intrusive but it wasn't.

And the power delivery on hard accelerations was surprising smooth. I was expecting neck snapping harshness.

The seats felt very grippy and comfy also.

The interior was simple and clean and I didn't even really notice I didn't have a center clusters.

Now did I order a model 3, nope, cause I am just not into the exterior styling for some reason. But I did put a deposit on a performance model Y with long range and dual motor.

This car really surprised me and I have no qualms about leaving the ICE sports car world. Maybe I am getting older now but I didn't even miss the loud M4 exhaust sound I am used to now.

My only complaint about Tesla in general is the build quality. I still saw uneven gaps on the model X I saw on display. This is one of the main reasons I didn't buy the model S when i was one of the original deposit holders many years ago. And the interior material(plastic) on the loaded model S still isn't up to Germans standards.

I can't wait to try auto driving feature and hopefully by the time the Y comes out, Tesla will have figured this out completely.

@mact3333,

You didn’t like the ‘exterior styling’ of the 3 but put a deposit on the Y? Very confusing. The Y is a ‘bloated’ 3 in styling....3 is much sleeker.

Ski

 

[mact3333]

@mact3333,

You didn’t like the ‘exterior styling’ of the 3 but put a deposit on the Y? Very confusing. The Y is a ‘bloated’ 3 in styling....3 is much sleeker.

Ski

Yeah I am not sure why the exterior styling of the 3 just doesn't do it for me...sometimes it looks ok and sometimes it look very plain...in person I may feel the same way about the model Y but when I see pics and videos of it , it just looks better to me....kinda a hybrid of the 3 and Y.

As far as styling, I think the model S looks best but it just feels abit too big for me...and I was going to buy the model X but didn't care for its look either...model Y just appeals to me for some reason...yes there will be sacrifices I will be making by getting one as far as build quality and etc, but there are many new things to be gained compared to ICE cars that's for sure...being fully electric and not going to the gas station being the obvious one, but for me its auto pilot/driving that pushed me to buy a Tesla...Tesla has the lead here and its a game changer for me, who tends to do a lot of bad things while driving like texting, surfing net, eating, drinking coffee....

 

[gilscales]

RE: Handling:
Well, it is hard to state that Model 3 handles better than anything. It is a heavier car and I'd agree that light Porsches such as Cayman and Carrera would be more fun even with slower acceleration. At least from my distant memory. Once I take P3D+'s practicality into account the value equation changes for me, of course.
Teslas, and P3D in particular, handle spectacularly well. From some POV, these are sad days for good drivers because Teslas quite a bit accelerated that narrowing of the gap of how well a really good and a mediocre driver can handle the car.
My concern is that with Tesla I am loosing that understanding and predictability of how the car behaves beyond the limit of traction and how well I can feel the limit. Or at least I am not building it as fast as I did with my previous cars. I don't have a solution in mind. I hope Tesla will improve on that small percent of cases when the car gets me surprised. I don't know if some "predictable" mode is a good solution here. And I am not talking about the tracking here - I imagine very small minority of spirited drivers take their car to the track. I'd like a car that is fun on the streets and country roads. And I don't routinely drive in track mode - I'd like to have fun in Sport please.

Here's a scary example: accelerating into a curved highway entrance (wet road in the 50s F, OEM summer tires) two front tires lost traction and the front shifted probably about 2-2.5ft to the outside of the turn before it very suddenly regained traction and the effect of my steering correction had to wait until the suspension swang the car back. I am pretty sure I stopped accelerating within probably 0.3s (normal human reaction) but I guess expected the car to remove the torque from rear wheels faster or to not put as much in the first place. Unless there was an oily spot on the road, which I doubt because I didn't feel rear wheels got affected by it, I can imagine this happening to me in a couple of Audies and a AWD Acura RDX I used to routinely drive - either the nannies would break some wheels or I would feel that the tires were approaching the limit of traction. I subjectively recall Tesla managed to accelerate faster than I would attempt in an Audi (I use same tires) before the front lost traction but still.

RE: the suspension and suspension kits:
I enjoy and appreciate a lot that P3D+ remains composed in turns while having softer suspension. The softness does limit the speed in curves with uneven surface but it would not be an obvious decision to install a suspension kit for street driving once it becomes available. I don't know how important is the steering quickness between really tight turns for me outside of the track. It just that this softness comes with a surprising steering delay when the car needs to regain traction...

Call Sasha at Mountain Pass Performance in Ontario, Canada, you will be pleasantly surprised at what he could do for you regarding ALL your handling concerns, now the charging.....you’ll have to wait for that to catch up.

 

[Ugene]

I notice one small panel alignment issue because of the way the car is lit in my garage but I am getting used to it.

Stopped by local Tesla Body Shop earlier today and they fixed the panel alignment in 20 minutes while I waited, and they also went further making the gaps on both sides of frunk symmetric as there was a very small difference that I didn't even bring up. I was impressed. I didn't come there out of the blue - I sent email with a question and Tesla Body Shop invited me to stop by.
I now have observed a Tesla Service Center and a Body Shop in Seattle area during quick simple visits for questions and minor fixes and to buy some parts. From what I saw and from my conversations with employees, I was pleasantly impressed how well they run and organized. It felt that efficiency, prompt service minimizing the wait and exceeding customer expectations was the goal and I didn't see any artificial bureaucracy. I liked Audi service in the area but this is a wide notch above.

 

[Magnets!]

Stopped by local Tesla Body Shop earlier today and they fixed the panel alignment in 20 minutes while I waited, and they also went further making the gaps on both sides of frunk symmetric as there was a very small difference that I didn't even bring up. I was impressed. I didn't come there out of the blue - I sent email with a question and Tesla Body Shop invited me to stop by.
I now have observed a Tesla Service Center and a Body Shop in Seattle area during quick simple visits for questions and minor fixes and to buy some parts. From what I saw and from my conversations with employees, I was pleasantly impressed how well they run and organized. It felt that efficiency, prompt service minimizing the wait and exceeding customer expectations was the goal and I didn't see any artificial bureaucracy. I liked Audi service in the area but this is a wide notch above.

Good to hear, thanks for posting. What email address did you send to?

 

[Ugene]

What email address did you send to?

I started from email in Body Shop Support and they gave me the Seattle area Body Shop email.