Question for Owners of both S and 3

[barjohn]

I have a 3 reservation (Feb-Apr) but I am also considering an S. Setting aside price, those of you that own both cars and have had the 3 long enough to be past the honeymoon period (I know this may not have happened yet), I would like to hear your recommendation as to which Tesla would be best to purchase. I currently own a Bolt and and Genesis but I have owned Mercedes (C class), Porsche (Boxer & 911), BMW (3 series) to name a few. While ride and handling are important to me, so are other factors like reliability, ease of use (great UI), ease of entry/exit, quality of finish, comfort on long drives, acceleration, durability of materials and quality, ease of parking, and visibility to name a few. The basic question is given all of the various factors which car would you recommend buying and why?

Pros I see for the S is that they have been building it for a while and have had an opportunity to work out most of the bugs and the UI seems better from what I have seen and read. The biggest negative is that the technology may be dated in comparison to the 3. As a former software developer/engineer (retired) nether car appears to have adequate technology or computer power to meet the needs of level 5 autonomy so it may be a moot point. I have test driven an S but not a 3 so I can't personally compare the two yet. I have seen the 3 but not up close and personal. I keep seeing S owners talk about how responsive the screen is on the 3 making me think the S must be very bad in comparison. The smaller and more nimble aspects of the 3 are appealing but having to constantly look at the screen and page through levels of menus seems to be poor UI design. I also appears to be lacking some of the information displayed on the S that I liked. For example the Bolt gives you constant data and feedback on battery usage and what you may be doing that is inefficient. I don't see much information on the 3 display in comparison. I really like the view the S gives you of your surroundings and distance to nearby objects. I like the birdseye view on the Bolt as it really helps when parking in tight spots.

Hopefully, you can address the various issues as you have experienced them and provide some guidance.

 

[DrReid]

Well first off, I'm not TOO far from Riverside if you want to come check out my 3. (PM me for details if you are interested)

I have an S and a 3 and can answer most of these things.

The advantages of the S are:
-More comfy ride - this is both the suspension and the width of the seats. It feels more like a luxury car than the 3
-Dual screens offer more options for user interface. ie Can have nav right in front of you, can have the reverse camera up at all times while also having a map, etc.
-Hatchback is awesome and is amazing for transporting items when needed.
-Rear camera is much better quality so you can park easily when backing into spaces. (it will auto-park for parallel parking spots for you)
-Faster options available if you get the P100D vs highest spec'd 3.
-Better user interface for things like wipers, radio, etc since there is more screen space and the buttons are mapped (3 should improve in time on this)

Advantages of the 3:
-Much faster UI/screen.
-Smaller car so easier to park (although both have parking assist with a backup camera so it's not that hard). Auto-park as well but doesn't seem to work as consistently for me as the S yet.
-Better phone dock built in so you can have your phone visible but not obtrusive and charging at all times

I've moved from driving the S full time to the 3 and honestly the thing I notice the most between the two cars is the suspension. The S is just a much smoother ride overall. Besides that, I love the 3. It feels "tighter" when I drive and zips around town. It feels like a super powered go cart at times as the acceleration is great, whereas the S feels like a super powered regular car. Not sure if that makes sense or not.

If you are seriously close to buying at S, remember today is the last day to order and also get free supercharging (by using a referral code). If you are free today and want to see my 3 to help you decide, let me know!

 

[AEdennis]

I have a 3 reservation (Feb-Apr) but I am also considering an S. Setting aside price, those of you that own both cars and have had the 3 long enough to be past the honeymoon period (I know this may not have happened yet), I would like to hear your recommendation as to which Tesla would be best to purchase. I currently own a Bolt and and Genesis but I have owned Mercedes (C class), Porsche (Boxer & 911), BMW (3 series) to name a few. While ride and handling are important to me, so are other factors like reliability, ease of use (great UI), ease of entry/exit, quality of finish, comfort on long drives, acceleration, durability of materials and quality, ease of parking, and visibility to name a few. The basic question is given all of the various factors which car would you recommend buying and why?

Pros I see for the S is that they have been building it for a while and have had an opportunity to work out most of the bugs and the UI seems better from what I have seen and read. The biggest negative is that the technology may be dated in comparison to the 3. As a former software developer/engineer (retired) nether car appears to have adequate technology or computer power to meet the needs of level 5 autonomy so it may be a moot point. I have test driven an S but not a 3 so I can't personally compare the two yet. I have seen the 3 but not up close and personal. I keep seeing S owners talk about how responsive the screen is on the 3 making me think the S must be very bad in comparison. The smaller and more nimble aspects of the 3 are appealing but having to constantly look at the screen and page through levels of menus seems to be poor UI design. I also appears to be lacking some of the information displayed on the S that I liked. For example the Bolt gives you constant data and feedback on battery usage and what you may be doing that is inefficient. I don't see much information on the 3 display in comparison. I really like the view the S gives you of your surroundings and distance to nearby objects. I like the birdseye view on the Bolt as it really helps when parking in tight spots.

Hopefully, you can address the various issues as you have experienced them and provide some guidance.

The S. Additionally, if you have access to a referral code before the end of the day (if you order and deposit I believe) then you will still get Tesla paid-supercharging included. OTHERWISE, it's pay as you go.

I find our S to be more comfortable than the 3 because of the Air Suspension. We have a 2013 and folks have complained about my seats, but I find it plenty comfortable. The 3 is sportier and has a stiffer suspension. But I find the S more comfortable.

 

[JenniferQ]

I agree with the above wholeheartedly. I see the 3 as more a replacement for our Leaf. It's much easier to zip around in, but not nearly so comfortable for those long road trips. And I do agree with the pros listed above for the 3 - I think the stereo is superior, and the screen is much better quality, but I also find a lot more glare from it than I ever get on my S screen. Plus, I'm still on AP1 in my S and it's still better imo than the version that's currently in the 3. Good luck. I'm sure you will love either!

 

[DFibRL8R]

I've got 5 years of Model S driving and 1 week of Model 3.

So far, I am enjoying the smaller car aspects of the 3 in terms of handling, drive and front visibility. I find the comfort of the 3 better for up to 4 people. There is less hip room in the rear so 3 passengers in the back will be tighter. Getting in and out is easier and there is actually more headroom front and rear and similar rear leg room. Much easier to pull into a tight garage or parking space. Less storage will be an issue for family road trips with a tiny frunk and smaller rear cargo area than the S.

I actually like the UI more than the S so far. The touch screen is more responsive and even after just 1 week I don't miss the instrument cluster (though I have a pre-autopilot S). Finding what you want on the touch screen has not been difficult. The UI on the Model S got worse in my opinion when they eliminated many of the icons that were constantly on, now requiring you to touch the screen first then touch again to bring up the "app" you want. On the Model 3, I find most of what I need to use much quicker.

There currently is less detailed feedback on energy usage in terms of graphs etc but I would imagine that might come in future software updates as it did with the S.

As for long term quality and reliability, who knows but the car feels very solid with no weird rattles etc.

 

[barjohn]

If you were taking a road trip which vehicle would you prefer to use? I am planning on replacing the Genesis which is comfortable, quiet, very zippy for a big car and very nice interior. The lease will be up in a few months though I will probably pay and turn it in early once I get a Tesla. It is about the same size as the S and my wife can't park it in the garage or get it out so I have to do it for her each time. The Bolt with its birds eye view is pretty easy for her to park and take out but it is smaller too.

 

[DrReid]

I would definitely use the S for a road trip over the 3. Much more comfortable ride and more spacious.

Another big plus with the S is that it has summon (the 3 will eventually too). I can't fit my S in car and open the door as it's very tight, so I use summon to pull the car in/out and I just get in/out in the drive way.

 

[DrReid]

Also keep in mind if you order a S it takes around 2 months to build it and have it delivered. So if you're looking at a few months from now to actually get the car, you'll want to order soon.

And if you road trip a lot, the free supercharging ends after today so if you care about that, order it today! That's a lot of pressure to decide that fast though - so obviously think it over if you need more time.

 

[barjohn]

In looking at used Model Ss a couple of questions come to mind. In a 2016 with AP 2.0 hardware versus 2.5 hardware, is it then limited from ever being able to fully utilize the software upgrades? Same question relative to AP1.0 versus 2.5. In other words should one avoid 2.0 hardware versions due to being locked into a very limited capability?

Another question has to do with blind spot visibility. In my test drive of the S (2017) the display in the center showed me cars in my blind quarters and displaying the rearview camera in the lower half of the display made for a much easier to see and use rear view mirror. Does the 3 have anything similar? Does it work as well? Also, how good is rear camera at night? Does headlight glare wash it out or make it unusable? The Bolt has a rear view camera that is displayed in the rearview mirror that is pretty good in the daytime but a little grainy and washed out at night. It can also display on the console when driving slow.

 

[DrReid]

In theory the AP2.0 hardware should get the same upgrades as the 2.5 hardware. Elon mentioned if 2.0 caused any limitations, they would upgrade you for free to the 2.5 hardware I believe. (or at least it was implied)

AP1.0 definitely will not get as many software updates going forward. UI changes and such will get ported to AP1.0 but obviously any autopilot improvements will be limited to 2.0/2.5.

The AP1.0 cameras show you cars in the adjacent lanes but Ap2.0/2.5 do NOT as of yet. I'm sure that will get added eventually. The S and 3 are identical in this regard, except that the S has it directly in front of you and the 3 has it off to the side since there is no dash screen in the middle.

Rear camera at night is fantastic on the S, fair on the 3. The 3 camera gets hit by glare but the S camera is fantastically clear. You can't see it in the rear view mirror but if you have the S, you can make it take up half of the center console screen.
The 3 can pull up the rear camera at all times as well, but it takes up the entire "app" section of the center screen so you can't also have the maps or radio up at the same time.

 

[barjohn]

Thanks for explaining the differences. It has not been clear to me from only driving the S once. As I recall, it shows you vehicles in your blind spot on the display in front of the steering wheel (not actual camera images but rendered images of the type of vehicle). I could be wrong on this one as I am going from memory and one test drive. The Bolt shows you cars in your blind spot with symbols in the side mirrors and the Genesis shows in the side mirrors and the heads up display.

The nebulous promise to upgrade HW 2.0 to 2.5 if needed doesn't sound very reassuring. Do both vehicles have the same number of cameras and sensors? If not, how does one do this after the fact?

 

[FreeOfPge]

First off, take @DrReid up on the offer to check out his car. If possible meet somewhere where a Model S is present (supercharger, service center) seeing them side by side helps.

Second, personal opinion only, the Model 3 is by far more fun to drive. Unless you travel extremely luggage-heavy you will be able to make any/same road trips with either.

 

[barjohn]

I know this is a dumb question but how do you do a PM on this site. On other sites, I right click on the member name and PM is an option I can select to private message the person. I can't find anything like that here.

 

[barjohn]

@DrReid, Where would I have to drive to see your 3?

 

[DFibRL8R]

I know this is a dumb question but how do you do a PM on this site. On other sites, I right click on the member name and PM is an option I can select to private message the person. I can't find anything like that here.

Click on the name of the individual in their profile and then click on the link that says "start a conversation".

 

[barjohn]

Why in the world call it anything but PM? I have used that link but it makes it appear like you are starting a group conversation rather than a private message.

 

[The Duke]

The model S is a delight on road trips. It's the first car where the drive is almost as much fun as the destination. We use AP on the boring parts and plan our next stop with iPads and laptops. We do drive the fun parts where we may pull off to look at a moment's notice. My advice is get the S if you travel much and buy all the range you can afford.
I live in Fremont CA, last year alone went to Mt. Rushmore, Aiken SC (sister), Reno x3, LA x3 and Yosemite x5.

 

[Stiction]

The worst thing about the S, IMHO, is the lack of decent blind spot detection. It has some ultrasound
sensors back there but they don't work worth a damn, IMHO (2015 85D)

My wife's prius has radar (I think) for it and it flashes an icon on the mirrors to let you know.
Works flawlessly and with huge range.

I have my mirrors angled out to help with this (always have driven with them this way)
but proper blind spot sensors would be a nice addition to the S.