Tesla Model 3 First Drive Reviews

[Electroman]

Compromises are: Speed of refueling and number of charging stations. And both of those are handicaps only when road-tripping. On everyday use this is a plus as your refueling speed is technically 30 seconds in your garage.

Neutral: If you have a 300+ mile EV then range is not a handicap.

Positives: Everything else is a plus+

 

[SpiceWare]

There's no question that stinkers have an advantage over EVs in range and refueling. Refueling a stinker is quick and there are stinker stations everywhere. If range and refueling are your only considerations, then an EV is the wrong choice.

If clean, efficient, quiet, and powerful transportation is your priority, and you are willing to compromise on range and refueling, then an EV is a good choice.

I totally agree, and I look forward to taking cross-country road trips in my Model 3. Hopefully I'll get it in time for our upcoming trip to Wisconsin in June, else we're taking my folk' Passat.

I just don't think we're doing the cause any favors by making claims that an EV is "just as fast or faster than an ICE" on a road trip when the ICE in question was cherry picked because of its significantly smaller than normal range per tank (which I've been well acquainted with since getting my first S2000 back in 2002). It makes us look deceptive, and will cause ICE drivers to wonder what else we might be blowing smoke up their ass about as we try to sell them on the benefits of an EV.

 

[Electroman]

I totally agree, and I look forward to taking cross-country road trips in my Model 3. Hopefully I'll get it in time for our upcoming trip to Wisconsin in June, else we're taking my folk' Passat.

I just don't think we're doing the cause any favors by making claims that an EV is "just as fast or faster than an ICE" on a road trip when the ICE in question was cherry picked because of its significantly smaller than normal range per tank (which I've been well acquainted with since getting my first S2000 back in 2002). It makes us look deceptive, and will cause ICE drivers to wonder what else we might be blowing smoke up their ass about as we try to sell them on the benefits of an EV.

Well said. M3 and 100D reduces that gap, but still ICE is king on road trips.

 

[ölbrenner]

Disagree, they've compared better than average EV range with worse than average ICE range. That's cherry picking at its finest.

Okay I can see that too. They do have other "races", I wonder if some of those are with more "average" range ICE vehicles. Have to take a look.

 

[xav-]

Well said. M3 and 100D reduces that gap, but still ICE is king on road trips.

Even if you take autopilot into consideration?

 

[suwaneedad]

First drive review:
Took delivery today in Atlanta.
- Road noise is greater than I expected. It is louder than my 2011 Lexus RX450h, quieter than my 2012 LEAF.
- Zero motor "whine", which is pronounced in the hybrid RX and in the LEAF.
- Stereo is fantastic.
- TACC is impressive; remains to be seen how often I will utilize it though (I don't do much rush hour driving).
- Did not try automatic lane change yet. I wanted to gain comfort with TACC first.
- I found the simplicity of the interior to be liberating. (I enjoy simplicity though.)
- Build quality was fantastic. Zero paint defects noted. Only Due Order is to replace a scratched up charge port door exterior.
- Seat comfort is amazing.
- Rear seat floor height would be a problem for an adult on a trip of any serious duration...hip flexors will be contracted for too long.
- The "feel" of the seats, and of the steering wheel, is terrific.
- The glossy console is just dumb...will be covering it ASAP.
- The panoramic roof is a joy from both the front and rear seats.
- Touchscreen exceptionally responsive. The menu-heavy UX will need to improve with time, otherwise Tesla will only corner the techie market, which would be a pity.
- Voice commands are solid, just need to expand functionality so as to enhance safety.
- I didn't find glancing right to see speed/etc to be a problem at all...just a modest difference for my brain to learn, relative to glancing down for the same info in my other vehicles.
- The acceleration is amazing, even when already going say 75mph.
- Very tight handling, in a good way.
- Stock regen is too high for my liking; the setting is easily changed.

 

[Electroman]

Even if you take autopilot into consideration?

Hmmm.. thats a good point i didn't think about.

For some people like me, AP trumps the extra wait during charging (compared to filling gas). For others it may not be.

One thing though, if you are travelling with family and kids, the wait in SC and the fact that you are forced to look for eating establishments in the SC vicinity is a big minus. AP only helps the driver, not the passengers.

 

[Dynastar]

Hmmm.. thats a good point i didn't think about.

For some people like me, AP trumps the extra wait during charging (compared to filling gas). For others it may not be.

One thing though, if you are travelling with family and kids, the wait in SC and the fact that you are forced to look for eating establishments in the SC vicinity is a big minus. AP only helps the driver, not the passengers.

I also find SC locations to sometimes be inconvenient, especially with my wife having dietary restrictions. However stopping to charge does help the passengers by giving them more frequent breaks then they might otherwise get.

 

[suwaneedad]

Ah one other point I forgot to make re: first drive reviews, and it has to do with the delivery experience. I signed a few pieces of paper, and that was that. The complete and utter absence of a traditional dealership's finance department grind is reason enough for me to buy a Tesla (or via Carvana, perhaps, if not a Tesla). It was so refreshing that I almost didn't even care whether the car was impressive. Almost.

 

[daniel]

Well said. M3 and 100D reduces that gap, but still ICE is king on road trips.

It depends on your priorities. If convenience of refueling is your first priority, then yes, gasoline is king. I take one long road trip a year, and until now I've always taken it in the Prius. I get 50 mpg and the whole time I'm driving I HATE the fact that I'm burning gasoline. I hate gasoline the way a mouse hates cats, the way a gazelle hates hyenas, the way a flat-earther hates the government. This summer, for the first time ever, I'm going to be able to make this trip on electricity because of the Model 3. The trip will take a bit longer as I will take a longer route to hit a supercharger, but I won't be burning gasoline!!!

For me, electricity is king because convenience of refueling is less important to me than not driving a stinker.

... - Stock regen is too high for my liking; the setting is easily changed.

Interesting. I wish it were possible to make it stronger. Coming from the Roadster I'm used to the joy of mostly one-foot driving. (When I first got the Roadster I didn't like regen at all. It took me about five minutes to fall in love with it.)

 

[ForeverFree]

Well said. M3 and 100D reduces that gap, but still ICE is king on road trips.

Model 3's combination of range and rapid Supercharging (400+ mph initial) makes the gap almost vanishingly small.

Prior to getting our Model S in 2015, we drove an Audi S5, a car with mission, dimensions, and performance similar to Model 3. Its real-world highway range with no reserve at 70-75 mph was 330 - 350 miles (15.2 gallon tank x 22 - 23 mpg). For a 300-mile, 7000-foot-climb trip to Mammoth, that meant a five-minute fuel stop on the way up, none on the way back.

At those speeds, on that route, Model 3 gives us real-world range of almost 290 miles. That means a fifteen-minute charging stop on the uphill run, none required on the downhill return.

Net difference in travel time = 10 minutes.

And, those ten minutes disappeared entirely if the Audi didn't magically start each run with a full tank. Typically, the last thing we'd do before road trips was make a quick gas run. Five minutes there, five minutes to fill, five minutes back. Oops, that's fifteen. And, a five-minute fill-up stop before beginning the return trip. Oops, that's twenty.

The advantage of starting road trips with an already-filled tank, at zero time penalty, is not one to be overlooked or under appreciated.

As most hotels or vacation rentals have at least some type of plug, if not a full Tesla charger, that's a similar advantage while at one's destination. Although I do miss the smelly, icy ambience of mountain resort gas stations and the welcoming warmth of their special tourist pricing. (Round trip fuel for the Audi was about $100. For the Tesla, less than $30.)

 

[slipnslider]

Compromises are: Speed of refueling and number of charging stations. And both of those are handicaps only when road-tripping. On everyday use this is a plus as your refueling speed is technically 30 seconds in your garage.

Neutral: If you have a 300+ mile EV then range is not a handicap.

Positives: Everything else is a plus+

You forgot a few more compromises: COST. EVs are still more expensive to buy than their ICE equivalent. And cold weather hurts EV range far more than ICE range. And EVs tend to be filled with techno toys that will be unreliable and expensive to repair as the car ages.

 

[ölbrenner]

Model 3's combination of range and rapid Supercharging (400+ mph initial) makes the gap almost vanishingly small.

Exactly.

I stated beforehand in this thread that Tesla's can be just as fast or faster than ICE on road trips (@SpiceWare ), I planned out every road trip I intend to make in the Model 3 LR via abetterrouteplanner, pitting it against ICE for each. In all cases, the total trip time was about 5-10% longer than the straight-through ICE trip.

BUT...the Tesla trip includes supercharger stops (and therefore also includes most food/bathroom/rest stops). The ICE time does not include gas/food/bathroom/rest stops). Therefore I concluded, for my intended usage, the Model 3 LR would be at least just as fast.

 

[daniel]

To be fair, there are routes without superchargers, and then an EV is a lot slower. My Canada trip will take about 15% longer because I'll need to take a longer route to hit a supercharger. But it will be worth it to make the trip without gasoline. If you love the smell of gasoline, or you live in North Dakota, where global warming seems like a good idea, there are some trips for which a stinker is better.

I hate the stink of gasoline. I hate what gasoline does to the environment. I hate the noise of an ICE. I don't like paying the terrorism tax to the Saudi oil sheiks. I do like the quiet, instant torque of electric. That extra hour will be well worth it.

 

[ölbrenner]

You forgot a few more compromises: COST. EVs are still more expensive to buy than their ICE equivalent. And cold weather hurts EV range far more than ICE range. And EVs tend to be filled with techno toys that will be unreliable and expensive to repair as the car ages.

Agree on initial price (though consumables/running costs over the long haul make them equal or cheaper). And also agree on EV cold weather range.

Mostly disagree on techno toys. Every new car I know of is filled with multiple on board computers, screens, powered doors and liftgates etc. etc. AND in addition has thousands more motivational parts, and usually if one lets loose in the engine or tranny, talk about unreliability and expensive repairs down the road. Both EV's and ICE are expensive to fix imo (fingers crossed my turbocharged diesel holds out till its Tesla time).

 

[DntWryBHpy]

We don't road trip much - three long trips (anything requiring an away from home charge) in 22 months.

For our driving pattern, an EV actually -saves- considerable time that would be spent driving to and sitting at a gas station. We get home, plug in the wall charger (nothing to hook up, just grab the cord and plug it in), and the next day get in a car with a "full tank." It literally takes less than 5 seconds to plug it in. So 50 weeks of the year, we save the 5 or 10 minutes that would otherwise be spent filling up an ICE car. That's 4 to 8 hours -less- time spent refueling with an EV than ICE.

If you routinely drive over 250 miles a day, this wouldn't be the case. For us, EV road tripping was more relaxing, between AP and SC stretch breaks every 2.5 to 3.5 hours. But we enjoyed the stretch breaks, and realize that some will and some won't.

 

[sundaymorning]

Road trips? Sorry I fly. EV wins for me.

 

[Jack6591]

I took delivery on Friday the 13th, just over two weeks ago. As soon as I’m able to wipe this stupid grin off my face—I intend to write an intelligent, objective and coherent M3 review. Those things said, I absolutely love this car.

 

[Electroman]

I took delivery on Friday the 13th, just over two weeks ago. As soon as I’m able to wipe this stupid grin off my face—I intend to write an intelligent, objective and coherent M3 review. Those things said, I absolutely love this car.

Looking forward to your review.. I picked mine a few days ago..

 

[TEG]

I took delivery on Friday the 13th, just over two weeks ago. As soon as I’m able to wipe this stupid grin off my face—I intend to write an intelligent, objective and coherent M3 review. Those things said, I absolutely love this car.

Friday the 13th was your lucky day !