-
Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Random Internet Guy's 26 Hour Test Drive Impressions
- Thread starter lapolak
- Start date
Yeah I guess I’m as impatient as you guys too. If I had a chance to configure now I’d probably have the same dilemma going on.
mtndrew1
Active Member
Excellent write up; it mirrors my experiences with a ~2300 VIN from December that I rented on Turo. As I’m only considering EVs I don’t have to wrestle with the CPO European choices.
For what it’s worth when I see more recent builds of the Model 3 a lot of the little sloppy bits on the car I rented have been addressed. I saw a ~12000 VIN on Saturday that had clearly just been delivered and there’s a ~10000 VIN in my office parking garage delivered about ten days ago and they’re both beautifully assembled. Perhaps on par with a 3-Series, or awfully close.
Whether or not the overall noise level (fine but not great) or the back seat comfort (the bottom cushion needs some thigh support) have been addressed will remain a mystery until I take delivery.
For what it’s worth when I see more recent builds of the Model 3 a lot of the little sloppy bits on the car I rented have been addressed. I saw a ~12000 VIN on Saturday that had clearly just been delivered and there’s a ~10000 VIN in my office parking garage delivered about ten days ago and they’re both beautifully assembled. Perhaps on par with a 3-Series, or awfully close.
Whether or not the overall noise level (fine but not great) or the back seat comfort (the bottom cushion needs some thigh support) have been addressed will remain a mystery until I take delivery.
I think I rented the same one as you. Met them at the burbank supercharger.
I noticed the bad fitment of the rubber around the seals too. Also looked to me like the fake leather on the steering wheel had an ugly wrinkle in it on the right spoke.
It had alcantara too, which makes me thing it's an early build, and likely had the original firmer springs, but they didn't feel too harsh to me.
I noticed the bad fitment of the rubber around the seals too. Also looked to me like the fake leather on the steering wheel had an ugly wrinkle in it on the right spoke.
It had alcantara too, which makes me thing it's an early build, and likely had the original firmer springs, but they didn't feel too harsh to me.
I’m in the same boat as you and if I don’t get the M3 I would be the new accord too. For the money it’s such a great car. Decisions decisions....
I think the wind noises that some have reported are probably easy to fix. Road noise is another story though. When I did my test drive I noticed that environmental noises were much louder in the car than my regular vehicle, and pavement noises were very audible as well (there was a stretch of freeway with grooves in the pavement were the whole car started humming).
Regarding the back seats, unfortunately I forgot to test them, but I think taller guys will not be very comfortable due to how low they are. Here is a screenshot from one of Bjorn Nyland's videos:
Good to hear.
While charging at a supercharger a lady drove up in her X and began chatting with me about the 3. I showed her the issues with the seals, she said her husband just got one in early March and she doesn't recall noticing any such issues. So I hope that is a sign of things to come!
I haven't considered an accord, but I am looking around overall. I was even thinking about a new Jeep Grand Chereokee, since last year's models (new) are being cleared out at dealers near me. Too bad the reliability of Jeeps is notorious.
No, I'm not opposed to the standard range model. I think it would likely make a great daily driver.
However, my romanticized idea of owning a Tesla is to take it on monthly road trips for the weekend to Vegas, NorCal or elsewhere. I would definitely want the longer range model.
It would be great to be able to choose packages as with other car makers. A car without PUP but with the long range battery would be wonderful! But I doubt that Tesla will provide such options anytime soon since it would require diversification on the production line.
Glad to hear about the improved quality, especially that you think its on-par with a 3-Series, that would be great! I hope that improvements continue!
Yes, I did rent that same car and the owners were great.
I did notice that the headliner was alcantara, which surprised me. I wonder what the more recent ones with cloth materials look like.
I noticed the road noise as well. I wonder if upgrading the tires would improve road noise? The Tesla I tested already had Michelin tires...
Regarding the back seats, unfortunately I forgot to test them, but I think taller guys will not be very comfortable due to how low they are. Here is a screenshot from one of Bjorn Nyland's videos:
That is very much my experience. It is in my opinion the 2nd "worst" thing about the car; the first being the seals (on my model at least) and the third being the cabin noise.
Uncle Paul
Well-Known Member
When people compare car prices, they should compare the net street price. Two cars, identical sticker prices don't compare if one has $15,000 in rebates while the other had + $5,000 in dealer market adjustments.
Glad you liked the car. Tesla's are different than other cars, and comparisons to ICE vehicles often miss the mark.
Glad you liked the car. Tesla's are different than other cars, and comparisons to ICE vehicles often miss the mark.
alseTrick
Active Member
Regarding the back seats, unfortunately I forgot to test them, but I think taller guys will not be very comfortable due to how low they are. Here is a screenshot from one of Bjorn Nyland's videos:
That's awful. What does the head room look like on that guy?
Seems like they just needed to rake the back seats at a more significant angle, shouldn't affect headroom as long as they just support the legs in the front? Perhaps there's an aftermarket opportunity here... though you'd possible lose the seat warmers if you merely had an add-on cushion?
Sunlight
Member
This is a useful and interesting thread. Sadly I think people renting the Turo car to assess the M3 are most probably reviewing a car that is now 'out of date' so I'm not sure it helps them (or Tesla).. It needs to be clear whether any driven older car has the revised suspension or not.....
We need a more detailed review from someone who has a new car (late March/early April) which is comparative - all opinions in isolation are so subjective.
My guess is that a lot of the road and wind noise in earlier cars is from the poor door seals so a direct comparison with new cars would be helpful. Even C&D's noise test is really meaningless as the 'quality' of the noise is important and EVs are different to ICE cars so the noise quality will be different I imagine. (More emphasis on tire noise?)
Some have reported that their M3s are quieter than the MS; others have said that the M3 is really quiet and then we get the 'noisy' brigade. How objective are these observations?
Maybe Tesla would be wise now to release some carefully checked/prepared cars out to road testers and magazines as poor reviews from non-representative cars are not helpful. We can see how this has put many people into 'sitting on the fence'
With regards to the rear seats - this has no bearing on my decision as our cars are driven 95% of the time with only the driver (and occasionally two) and the rear seats would be down anyway. In the odd situation of having people in the rear seats it would be a short journey and they'll just have to 'lump it'! The bad step in the load area of the Leaf when the rear seats are down excludes the Leaf as an option....
We need a more detailed review from someone who has a new car (late March/early April) which is comparative - all opinions in isolation are so subjective.
My guess is that a lot of the road and wind noise in earlier cars is from the poor door seals so a direct comparison with new cars would be helpful. Even C&D's noise test is really meaningless as the 'quality' of the noise is important and EVs are different to ICE cars so the noise quality will be different I imagine. (More emphasis on tire noise?)
Some have reported that their M3s are quieter than the MS; others have said that the M3 is really quiet and then we get the 'noisy' brigade. How objective are these observations?
Maybe Tesla would be wise now to release some carefully checked/prepared cars out to road testers and magazines as poor reviews from non-representative cars are not helpful. We can see how this has put many people into 'sitting on the fence'
With regards to the rear seats - this has no bearing on my decision as our cars are driven 95% of the time with only the driver (and occasionally two) and the rear seats would be down anyway. In the odd situation of having people in the rear seats it would be a short journey and they'll just have to 'lump it'! The bad step in the load area of the Leaf when the rear seats are down excludes the Leaf as an option....
Totally agree. I honestly went into the rental with the hopes that all the doom-and-gloom reports about quality (like those from Munro & Associates) were based upon REALLY early builds because I've always wanted a Tesla and wanted to convince myself its ok to splurge on the Model 3. And I was surprised, even with the seal issues and road noise, at how much I liked the interior.
I agree that it would be wonderful to read a review of a more recent model, preferably one built during March after their late February week-long shutdown. I wish I was able to test drive one as well, but the Turo listings don't specify
.The one thing I will say though is that at the very least I now have a barometer of what to look for in more recent builds and even my own build should I choose to go through with the reservation (which it looks like I will).
I am also a bit worried that even in the more recent builds the seals, caps, and linings will begin to show issues at nearly new mileage (like 4,500 as in the case of this car) but that initially it won't be noticeable by new owners that post reviews since the car will obviously be new.
It is my hope that the Model 3's produced for reservation holders within the first 12-24 months turn out to be more reliable and problem free than the early few years of the Model S. I really want Tesla to succeed.
However, I admit it was disappointing to see these issues in a production car that was delivered to an actual customer; even though it may be among the earliest of the early cars, these seal issues are evidence that Tesla likely should have inspected the car better or waited a bit longer and worked out kinks prior to producing and delivering cars to paying customers.
Another member just posted a few photos with a more recent build...
A-Pillar Misalignment - Serious Issue?
His question is about A-pillar misalignment. But for me -- and I hate to become the "seal" guy -- the seals look poorly fitted!
In fact, they look like they were actually cut for a small portion and are not continuous from the hood to the window... I'm not an expert so I don't know if that is normal (I checked my own car and my realtive's cars and they have continuous seals), but that does not look right to me and makes me a bit concerned that the issues I experienced and noted in my write up still persist.
A-Pillar Misalignment - Serious Issue?
His question is about A-pillar misalignment. But for me -- and I hate to become the "seal" guy -- the seals look poorly fitted!
In fact, they look like they were actually cut for a small portion and are not continuous from the hood to the window... I'm not an expert so I don't know if that is normal (I checked my own car and my realtive's cars and they have continuous seals), but that does not look right to me and makes me a bit concerned that the issues I experienced and noted in my write up still persist.
navguy12
Active Member
I have often wondered if they could simply use sofware and the existing stereo system for active noise cancellation.
sotagear
Member
I rented a M3 on Turo a few weeks ago and loved the car...for the first hour. Then after that, the road noise and wind noise was getting to me. This is well before I had heard anything about this issue. After taking it out a 3rd time in the evening, that ruined it for me, my ears started to bother me and I'm obviously very sensitive about that. I also found myself having to turn up the stereo much louder than I wanted to at 45mph+ which just made things worse.
But I loved driving the M3 so much, as did my wife, so I kept trying to forget about it - unfortunately I couldn't. In this case it wasn't just the level of road noise, it was the resonant frequencies that were bothersome to me - ymmv.
So a few days later my wife and I drove out to Fremont to test drive the new Model S. No question - not even close. Yes, the M3 is sportier and in some ways more fun to drive and zip about with, but the MS just won me over. As my wife said after our first test drive in the MS - I'm ruined for any other car. Bought the MS from inventory and drove home that day with our new Tesla - 12 days ago. After all was said and done I paid about $25k more for a new Model S than the current Model 3 with similar options. So not exactly a cheap alternative.
At the end of the day, for those that don't worry about this stuff as much as I did, I know you are going to love the M3. It's an awesome driving machine that is fun as hell to drive and a joy from so many different perspectives. I would without question reconsider buying a M3 when, and if, they were to come out with better noise dampening, and even more so when they have an air suspension option.
But I loved driving the M3 so much, as did my wife, so I kept trying to forget about it - unfortunately I couldn't. In this case it wasn't just the level of road noise, it was the resonant frequencies that were bothersome to me - ymmv.
So a few days later my wife and I drove out to Fremont to test drive the new Model S. No question - not even close. Yes, the M3 is sportier and in some ways more fun to drive and zip about with, but the MS just won me over. As my wife said after our first test drive in the MS - I'm ruined for any other car. Bought the MS from inventory and drove home that day with our new Tesla - 12 days ago. After all was said and done I paid about $25k more for a new Model S than the current Model 3 with similar options. So not exactly a cheap alternative.
At the end of the day, for those that don't worry about this stuff as much as I did, I know you are going to love the M3. It's an awesome driving machine that is fun as hell to drive and a joy from so many different perspectives. I would without question reconsider buying a M3 when, and if, they were to come out with better noise dampening, and even more so when they have an air suspension option.
Totally understand where you're coming from and agree with your observations. About the Model 3 you rented off Turo, were the wheels 18" or 19" and was it a pre-12/27/17 build?
sotagear
Member
It was an early model, before Dec 27th and had the 19" wheels. I had the opportunity to drive a M3 that was bullt after Dec 27th as well that I was considering buying used (under 200 miles) and it was better, but not enough to make the difference - again - for me. It also had the 19" wheels btw.
John Beans
Member
Perhaps many of the quality problems have been addressed?
My Model 3 was VIN 9371, almost two weeks old, and it's flawless.
When I hear comments about highway noise, it's along the lines of "Wow, this car is so quiet!" Talking on the handsfree at 75 MPH sounds REALLY clear, both ways. You feel like you're in an office on a headset.
Driving a car with such a modern UI that is this quiet and sporty has spoiled me for other cars, I'm sure.
My Model 3 was VIN 9371, almost two weeks old, and it's flawless.
When I hear comments about highway noise, it's along the lines of "Wow, this car is so quiet!" Talking on the handsfree at 75 MPH sounds REALLY clear, both ways. You feel like you're in an office on a headset.
Driving a car with such a modern UI that is this quiet and sporty has spoiled me for other cars, I'm sure.
What do you refer to when you mention resonant frequencies?
I am actually a bit more particular about sounds as I went through a bout of anxiety due to intrusive Tinnitus (haha) so I became much more peeved by noises that annoy me ;P.
It wasn't horribly loud, its quieter than most cars I've been in. I was just expecting it to be on-par or better than the Chevy Bolt... which was quieter than the Dec 2017 model I test drove.
I also actually noticed the call quality was superb -- very sharp and extremely clear.
Similar threads
