I’m still in my honeymoon, but as someone who buys a car and keeps it for 10 years, I don’t have the sheer numerical experience that the other posters have, but I have owned two German cars, so that should make my opinion valid. My first nice car was a 1998 Audi A4 manual. Fun to drive, but from day one it had serious quality problems: speedometer that failed on the way home, cv joint boot breaks that let dirt in and destroyed the joints, burned out info displays, etc. It was a real dog, but like I said, fun to drive and quiet and just nice interior. My 2008 BMW 135i was a no brainer: incredibly fast, “no lag,” much, much, much more nimble than the 335i, great visibility, endless power reserve, nice interior, great tech, but abysmal climate control. Nevertheless, as I started to think about getting a new car this year, I felt sad. Realizing that the Model 3 could perform similarly made me even more sad thinking that the romance with my beloved 135i would eventually end.
My decision to buy the Model 3 was half love of tech, half love for performance. It still amazes me how well this thing handles. And it is insanely quick. I’ve taken co-workers for rides; there is a stereotypical response to acceleration from 0-40. The same applies to 60-75. You pick the range. People put their hands to their chests and say OMG or something similar. I feel the same every time I punch the accelerator. But that’s just a stupid pet trick. Steering, when set on sport mode has the same feel as my 135 did. Cornering at high speeds has about the same body lean as the 135 (reviewers who compared the 135i to the Porsche Cayman picked the Cayman for its lack of lean). Braking in the AWD LR Model 3 is every bit as good. Regen braking takes some acclimation. The day I took ownership the car made me a little queasy.
This car is not just insanely fast, it’s insanely smart. Yes, the GUI can be a little convoluted, but for the number of features, it is actually easy to use.
The sound system is very good but not top notch, and probably not as good as the Model S, but as good as I need.
Charging at home is so completely awesome. Charging at the grocery store in completely awesome. Scheduling a charge to start at 2:00 AM is completely awesome. Getting up at 1:00 AM to unplug your car when you hear a thunderstorm approaching kinda sucks...
I finally have a car with perfect climate control, one that I can precool or preheat without idling a gas engine.
I didn’t buy a car made by sorry-excuses-for-human-beings emissions cheaters who should never get another dime from people who want environmental responsibility from corporations. That includes BMW.
I bought American...FWIW. The car was made in America! Of course, if you dig deep enough, batteries and parts are ultimately sourced from other continents, but when someone give me grief about my pseudo-elite car, that’s my retort: “I bought American. Maybe I should have bought a Kia or a Benz, or a Toyota?”
The Model 3 is a multi-camera dash cam that wakes up when someone approaches it.
Didn’t think that I would care so much about headlights, but the Model 3 gives great road illumination.
Back to my old BMW. Now I’m REALLY regretting not trading in the 135. Its old and needs some work. I don’t feel like driving it, especially on hot days. Could’ve saved money on a trade in and I suppose on sales tax.
Things I don’t like about the Model 3:
Interior isn’t as nice as either of my German cars were.
It’s inexcusable that the rear seat release is in the cabin and not in the trunk itself. That has created a security nightmare for owners, whether they keep things in the trunk or not.
Road noise could be better muted with better insulation.
Rear visibility isn’t as good as I would like.
No blind spot monitor blinkers on the side view mirrors.
Each of my new cars has been the best I’ve ever owned, and each has seemed to be an order of magnitude better than the last. If I’m lucky enough to live another 10 years, my next car is going to be incredible.
My decision to buy the Model 3 was half love of tech, half love for performance. It still amazes me how well this thing handles. And it is insanely quick. I’ve taken co-workers for rides; there is a stereotypical response to acceleration from 0-40. The same applies to 60-75. You pick the range. People put their hands to their chests and say OMG or something similar. I feel the same every time I punch the accelerator. But that’s just a stupid pet trick. Steering, when set on sport mode has the same feel as my 135 did. Cornering at high speeds has about the same body lean as the 135 (reviewers who compared the 135i to the Porsche Cayman picked the Cayman for its lack of lean). Braking in the AWD LR Model 3 is every bit as good. Regen braking takes some acclimation. The day I took ownership the car made me a little queasy.
This car is not just insanely fast, it’s insanely smart. Yes, the GUI can be a little convoluted, but for the number of features, it is actually easy to use.
The sound system is very good but not top notch, and probably not as good as the Model S, but as good as I need.
Charging at home is so completely awesome. Charging at the grocery store in completely awesome. Scheduling a charge to start at 2:00 AM is completely awesome. Getting up at 1:00 AM to unplug your car when you hear a thunderstorm approaching kinda sucks...
I finally have a car with perfect climate control, one that I can precool or preheat without idling a gas engine.
I didn’t buy a car made by sorry-excuses-for-human-beings emissions cheaters who should never get another dime from people who want environmental responsibility from corporations. That includes BMW.
I bought American...FWIW. The car was made in America! Of course, if you dig deep enough, batteries and parts are ultimately sourced from other continents, but when someone give me grief about my pseudo-elite car, that’s my retort: “I bought American. Maybe I should have bought a Kia or a Benz, or a Toyota?”
The Model 3 is a multi-camera dash cam that wakes up when someone approaches it.
Didn’t think that I would care so much about headlights, but the Model 3 gives great road illumination.
Back to my old BMW. Now I’m REALLY regretting not trading in the 135. Its old and needs some work. I don’t feel like driving it, especially on hot days. Could’ve saved money on a trade in and I suppose on sales tax.
Things I don’t like about the Model 3:
Interior isn’t as nice as either of my German cars were.
It’s inexcusable that the rear seat release is in the cabin and not in the trunk itself. That has created a security nightmare for owners, whether they keep things in the trunk or not.
Road noise could be better muted with better insulation.
Rear visibility isn’t as good as I would like.
No blind spot monitor blinkers on the side view mirrors.
Each of my new cars has been the best I’ve ever owned, and each has seemed to be an order of magnitude better than the last. If I’m lucky enough to live another 10 years, my next car is going to be incredible.