Quick impression of Model 3 after 2 weeks

[llngoc]

Some quick personal impression of my 2 weeks old Model 3. There are tons of review out there about various features so I will not waste time on those as all of you can probably recite all the features better than I can.

Pros:

• Sporty handling - We have a 90D Model X and both my wife and I prefer the drive of the Model 3 much better than the Model X
• Acceleration - It is a very quick car and the 5.1s 0-60 is definitely understated. It is definitely a lot faster than the 2014 Model S 85 which we used to drive
• Better efficiency - We got average of 400wH/mile on the X and I am getting <300Wh/mile
• Spartan/clean interior - I personally prefer the clean and minimalist interior. But I am the type that won't leave even one piece of paper in the car if I can help it
• Fit and finish - Much better than expected. Our Model X actually had some of the interior trim pieces came loose just a few days after delivery but on the M3, so far everything is solid (knock on wood...)
• Storage - Both interior and trunk storage is very well designed. I cannot see how most people will run out of storage in this car

Cons:

• Software is definitely beta. Quite a few features like scheduled charging, WiFi, ... are missing. I know it will come eventually but surprised that some of these should have been basic features and is still missing. Also, AP2.5 seems like it still needs more love, the speed limit recognition definitely does not work as well as the X
• Spartan/minimalist interior - My wife does not like the interior. She prefers the Model X interior, especially the wood trim but this is really a personal taste
• Piano Black trim - They are really scratch magnets. We did not like it in the S and X and now the 3...
• The portrait mode 17" Model X display with split screen works a lot better than the single 15" display. We like to have map and another function on display while driving

Some other random thoughts:

• The fully loaded model is a fair value at ~$58000 but the $35000 base model if it is even at 80% of the current configuration will be a steal even without the incentives
• The center console speedometer takes a day or so to get use to and if you are someone who likes to fiddle with climate controls/radio/etc a lot, I do see that it can be a bit busy with the single display. Let's see how well the voice control will be once it is released. Personally, I get everything set up the way I want before I drive so I am okay. Or I use autopilot then adjust the settings

Am I happy with the car? Definitely. The sportiness and solid build quality of the car definitely surprised me. And as I repeated many times, I think the $35000 base model will sweep the entry luxury sports sedan segment. If anyone is the market for a base BMW 3 or MBZ C class, I cannot see how they can skip the M3. As for the ~$58000 current configuration, I would say that it is a good value against a fully loaded BMW 340i especially after incentives.

 

[preilly44]

Thanks for the review! Just as a side note, they did release a software update with scheduled charging about a week ago.

 

[llngoc]

And as always, I am the last one to get it.

Thanks for the review! Just as a side note, they did release a software update with scheduled charging about a week ago.

 

[gregincal]

• The center console speedometer takes a day or so to get use to and if you are someone who likes to fiddle with climate controls/radio/etc a lot, I do see that it can be a bit busy with the single display. Let's see how well the voice control will be once it is released. Personally, I get everything set up the way I want before I drive so I am okay. Or I use autopilot then adjust the settings

I've only had my 3 for 2 days, so I'm still forming my impressions. However, as far as the speedometer I just know that about 15 minutes after starting to drive home from the delivery center I suddenly thought "hey, I'm supposed to notice whether having the speedometer on the central panel is hard to get used to." Since I realized I had already checked my speed quite a few times without ever thinking about it, I decided it must not be an issue for me. I had never even sat in a Model 3 prior to this, but had spent a 20 minutes staring at the screen through the orientation.

I do agree some of the other layout stuff takes a bit of getting used to from the S. For me so far it's having the media section being really small.

One other thing, it rained on my way home from the factory, and I thought that the automatic windshield wipers worked better than my pre-AP Model S (oh, and the acceleration is faster than my S85).

 

[llngoc]

The media section can be expanded to full screen. Just have to press the up-arrow twice.

I've only had my 3 for 2 days, so I'm still forming my impressions. However, as far as the speedometer I just know that about 15 minutes after starting to drive home from the delivery center I suddenly thought "hey, I'm supposed to notice whether having the speedometer on the central panel is hard to get used to." Since I realized I had already checked my speed quite a few times without ever thinking about it, I decided it must not be an issue for me. I had never even sat in a Model 3 prior to this, but had spent a 20 minutes staring at the screen through the orientation.

I do agree some of the other layout stuff takes a bit of getting used to from the S. For me so far it's having the media section being really small.

One other thing, it rained on my way home from the factory, and I thought that the automatic windshield wipers worked better than my pre-AP Model S (oh, and the acceleration is faster than my S85).

 

[EV-lutioin]

(knock on wood...

Luckily, your Model 3 has a nice long strip of wood on the dash to knock on when needed.

 

[206er]

how do you feel about the backseat size-wise? Enough room for 2 car seats behind a couple of 6-footers in the front seats?

 

[Sandiegodoug]

One of my favorite features of our x is you press voice button on steering wheel and ask it to play a certain type of music and it does. Hope 3 does this too

 

[SlicedBr3ad]

i like how everyone who's against model 3 or posts price as a negative things "oh my god, they force autopilot and/or FSD on me for $59000". please tell me that BWM has a functionality (not what they're actually selling) that's comparable to at least autopilot (hint, its not!). ugh.

quick disclaimer: saw m3 today in person in miami. BMW can suck it.

 

[gregincal]

The media section can be expanded to full screen. Just have to press the up-arrow twice.

Yes and no. It shows more controls, but the part with the album art and song information stays the same size. Unless I'm mistaken you can't get it to show like this:

 

[Futuresystem]

Some quick personal impression of my 2 weeks old Model 3. There are tons of review out there about various features so I will not waste time on those as all of you can probably recite all the features better than I can.

Pros:

• Sporty handling - We have a 90D Model X and both my wife and I prefer the drive of the Model 3 much better than the Model X
• Acceleration - It is a very quick car and the 5.1s 0-60 is definitely understated. It is definitely a lot faster than the 2014 Model S 85 which we used to drive
• Better efficiency - We got average of 400wH/mile on the X and I am getting <300Wh/mile
• Spartan/clean interior - I personally prefer the clean and minimalist interior. But I am the type that won't leave even one piece of paper in the car if I can help it
• Fit and finish - Much better than expected. Our Model X actually had some of the interior trim pieces came loose just a few days after delivery but on the M3, so far everything is solid (knock on wood...)
• Storage - Both interior and trunk storage is very well designed. I cannot see how most people will run out of storage in this car

Cons:

• Software is definitely beta. Quite a few features like scheduled charging, WiFi, ... are missing. I know it will come eventually but surprised that some of these should have been basic features and is still missing. Also, AP2.5 seems like it still needs more love, the speed limit recognition definitely does not work as well as the X
• Spartan/minimalist interior - My wife does not like the interior. She prefers the Model X interior, especially the wood trim but this is really a personal taste
• Piano Black trim - They are really scratch magnets. We did not like it in the S and X and now the 3...
• The portrait mode 17" Model X display with split screen works a lot better than the single 15" display. We like to have map and another function on display while driving

Some other random thoughts:

• The fully loaded model is a fair value at ~$58000 but the $35000 base model if it is even at 80% of the current configuration will be a steal even without the incentives
• The center console speedometer takes a day or so to get use to and if you are someone who likes to fiddle with climate controls/radio/etc a lot, I do see that it can be a bit busy with the single display. Let's see how well the voice control will be once it is released. Personally, I get everything set up the way I want before I drive so I am okay. Or I use autopilot then adjust the settings

Am I happy with the car? Definitely. The sportiness and solid build quality of the car definitely surprised me. And as I repeated many times, I think the $35000 base model will sweep the entry luxury sports sedan segment. If anyone is the market for a base BMW 3 or MBZ C class, I cannot see how they can skip the M3. As for the ~$58000 current configuration, I would say that it is a good value against a fully loaded BMW 340i especially after incentives.

Thanks for that.

I figured the shiny black trim would scratch easily. You wouldn't want to rest anything on that shiny black console lid- I'd be adding something to protect it.

As for the off centre speedo display, (and as I said in another thread) lots of other cars have it and whether you are looking down centre through the steering wheel, or down slightly and off to the right, your road vision for that split second is totally peripheral vision, and no different in either case.
ie: The merchants of doom who have suggested that it's "dangerous" are talking total and complete rubbish.

In any event of course, for cars like this with smart adaptive cruise control, the number of times you have to check your speed is reduced very dramatically compared to older cars without adaptive cruise control. I firmly believe that autopilot and cruise control, when used sensibly, are a huge safety advantage, allowing you to relax a little and watch the whole scene in front without worrying about staying in the centre of your lane at exactly the right speed. ... And that's exactly what I experienced last year in a long highway drive in a Model S.
That's also how it is for me as a commercial airline pilot- the autopilot and auto throttle are not foolproof, you still have to watch it all, but it allows us to "oversee" the whole thing and not get loaded up on simple stuff, thus a huge safety advantage.



I'm jealous- we have a long wait ahead of us for our M3.

Cya

 

[llngoc]

Yes.

how do you feel about the backseat size-wise? Enough room for 2 car seats behind a couple of 6-footers in the front seats?

 

[llngoc]

I see...

Maybe next software update.

Yes and no. It shows more controls, but the part with the album art and song information stays the same size. Unless I'm mistaken you can't get it to show like this:

View attachment 274734

 

[llngoc]

Agreed the center speedometer is really a no big deal but having all the controls on one display for everything does post some potential hazard if the driver if not responsible but heck, I am still seeing people texting with their heads down or putting on makeups while driving so there is nothing much you can do with human stupidity.

As I posted in another threads many months ago, AP is godsend for stress relief. Both in long distance boring drive and stop-n-go traffic jam. It promotes safe driving behavior as I just turn it on and follow the car in front and rarely do I have the impulse to switch lanes anymore. It just turns a stressful driving experience into a passive experience. And I am sure it helps to reduce accident rate as the car is now travelling at a constant speed which is usually at or only slightly above limit and also the driver is not being aggressive due to reduction in stress.

Thanks for that.

I figured the shiny black trim would scratch easily. You wouldn't want to rest anything on that shiny black console lid- I'd be adding something to protect it.

As for the off centre speedo display, (and as I said in another thread) lots of other cars have it and whether you are looking down centre through the steering wheel, or down slightly and off to the right, your road vision for that split second is totally peripheral vision, and no different in either case.
ie: The merchants of doom who have suggested that it's "dangerous" are talking total and complete rubbish.

In any event of course, for cars like this with smart adaptive cruise control, the number of times you have to check your speed is reduced very dramatically compared to older cars without adaptive cruise control. I firmly believe that autopilot and cruise control, when used sensibly, are a huge safety advantage, allowing you to relax a little and watch the whole scene in front without worrying about staying in the centre of your lane at exactly the right speed. ... And that's exactly what I experienced last year in a long highway drive in a Model S.
That's also how it is for me as a commercial airline pilot- the autopilot and auto throttle are not foolproof, you still have to watch it all, but it allows us to "oversee" the whole thing and not get loaded up on simple stuff, thus a huge safety advantage.



I'm jealous- we have a long wait ahead of us for our M3.

Cya

 

[mic.rempel]

Can anyone tell me if you can have the rear camera display at the same time as another function like maps or music? I use that functionality almost always when changing lanes in my MS as it helps me see my blind spots.

 

[Cnasty]

Can anyone tell me if you can have the rear camera display at the same time as another function like maps or music? I use that functionality almost always when changing lanes in my MS as it helps me see my blind spots.

I'd like to know this too!

 

[gregincal]

Can anyone tell me if you can have the rear camera display at the same time as another function like maps or music? I use that functionality almost always when changing lanes in my MS as it helps me see my blind spots.

No, the rear camera covers the section of the display where maps and music normally shows. That said, I feel the Model 3 has better visibility than the Model S.

 

[llngoc]

No as stated and it is one of the thing we missed as stated in my list of "Cons", The 17" portrait mode display in the X is really versatile to be able to display 2 functions at once.

No, the rear camera covers the section of the display where maps and music normally shows. That said, I feel the Model 3 has better visibility than the Model S.

 

[wraithnot]

how do you feel about the backseat size-wise? Enough room for 2 car seats behind a couple of 6-footers in the front seats?

Depends on the type of car seat. I'm 6'1" and our 3-year-old in his front facing seat (Peg Perego Primo Viaggio) fits behind me just fine in our new Model 3. But I have to move my seat up a bit to fit our 11-month-old in his rear facing car seat (Chicco key fit 30). My wife is 5'8" and both car seats fit behind her just fine.

To put some more numbers on things, I took some measurements just now. In our Model S there is 3.5" of clearance between the rear facing car seat and the driver's seat using my wife's seating profile. In the Model 3, there is only 1" of clearance between the rear facing car seat and the driver's seat using my wife's seating profile.

Here is a photo I took a few days ago using my wife's seating profile. She adjusted things a bit yesterday to get a higher seating position so things aren't quite as close now.

 

[Cnasty]

No as stated and it is one of the thing we missed as stated in my list of "Cons", The 17" portrait mode display in the X is really versatile to be able to display 2 functions at once.

But it is possible to have the camera be live while you drive like in the S, correct?

That’s all that matters to me from this scenario. I don’t need anything else showing.