Tesla Model 3 initial impressions (and compare to. BMW 5-series)

[Philh2o]

Bottom line - the Tesla is an awesome car, much better than I expected - despite some things it is missing.

Excellent post, thanks. If I weren't so lazy I could have put down something nearly identical replacing all BMW refs with specs from my 2018 Audi A5 Sportback Prestige. Heated steering wheel, check; top camera; check, interior quality, check; and so on.

A couple of differences I note: First, the sensitivity of the headlamps automatic brights is better on the Audi. The last 4 miles of mountain road to my home includes 63 curves so that gets used a lot. It seems to sense oncoming vehicles at just the right time; and gets the brights on quickly after they pass. Second, the blind spot warning on the Audi is far, far superior. I'm actually a bit skittish driving the Tesla at night on a busy freeway and having to make quick-decision lane changes. The Tesla doesn't warn you proactively, rather, it alerts you once you put on the turn signal. (But then again, so does the horn from the guy in the other lane.) Oh, sure, I guess I could check the side mirror, then turn my head 35º to the right toward the center console display and try to find a little red line about the size of a ballpoint pen all while flying along at 65mph. Heck, let's even throw in a blizzard to make it really fun. (Like during our 'bomb cyclone'—with slower speeds.) But with the Audi—and most other premium and even average vehicles today—you can see the warning light illuminate on the side mirror using one's peripheral vision while your eyes are on the road ahead.

Nonetheless, at nearly the identical price, the Audi and the Tesla are very different animals, each with particular charms and both a lot of fun to drive. I prefer the Audi for longer trips and anything where snow may be involved as the Quattro system works seamlessly while I get the tiniest bit of slip in the Tesla before the AWD engages, and for the the interior comfort and quiet. The Model 3? Well, that's just about the best errand, day-trip, city (t)ripper imaginable. Now that spring has arrived I'll be interested in taking the Tesla on longer trips where range estimates aren't adversely affected by cold weather.

 

[Sriii]

Couldn't get it to auto-park either. In my few tries - it only recongnized parking spot once, and then when I put the car in reverse and pushed the button to auto-park, it basically didn't do anything.

This is kind of tricky for me, car parks in reverse, you have to drive pretty close by (usually will drive away from) open spot to recognize there is parking space, second it has to find spot in between the cars, there should be another car or wall in the front of open spot, it is like if three sides are covered and if you drive pretty close by then it will find. At least these are the only times I have observed auto parking detects open spot.

 

[Saguarojoe]

Excellent write up. I’ll note that the Model 3 does have separate headrests but you really have to jam your fingers in there to adjust them.

When you say autosteer disengages what do you mean? Mine has never done such a thing unless I manually turn the wheel.

We have had our M3 LR AWD for about 3 weeks now, in general I would have to say we love it.
But regarding the auto steer, we found that out on the freeway it did quite well, it never did auto steer to navigation. However, we live in the sticks. The snows have just melted in the last week.
The state highway a 2 lane to the nearest town runs along the Columbia River. In and out of shade, wet patches from snow melt etc. the Auto steer will work on the clear sunny straight section, as soon as we hit a shadow or wet section, the AP cuts of.
We reset it and then it kicks of again as we enter a bridge that has lines but a nontangential entry. Essentially it sucks in anything but bright highway conditions, with spotlessly clear road markings.
But we didnt buy the car just for that, which gives Tesla time to refine the system so that in my dotterage I can tell “Scarlet” to take us shopping or to our favorite pub and then home of course.

 

[Saguarojoe]

This is kind of tricky for me, car parks in reverse, you have to drive pretty close by (usually will drive away from) open spot to recognize there is parking space, second it has to find spot in between the cars, there should be another car or wall in the front of open spot, it is like if three sides are covered and if you drive pretty close by then it will find. At least these are the only times I have observed auto parking detects open spot.

Park assist works flawlessly but you must do the following. Drive slowly within foot or so of the parked vehicle you want to park next to. The space must be lined and between two vehicles or one vehicle and a curb, pillar, wall, etc. . You must see a gray "P"on the screen. Park assist only works in reverse ie only backs in. When you shift to reverse and start to move a start button will appear on the screen. Touch it and the process will begin. Don't touch any controls or the wheel. The car will exactly center it self. Truly jaw dropping. Great for impressing your passengers.

 

[T-Will]

Second, the blind spot warning on the Audi is far, far superior. I'm actually a bit skittish driving the Tesla at night on a busy freeway and having to make quick-decision lane changes. The Tesla doesn't warn you proactively, rather, it alerts you once you put on the turn signal. (But then again, so does the horn from the guy in the other lane.) Oh, sure, I guess I could check the side mirror, then turn my head 35º to the right toward the center console display and try to find a little red line about the size of a ballpoint pen all while flying along at 65mph. Heck, let's even throw in a blizzard to make it really fun. (Like during our 'bomb cyclone'—with slower speeds.) But with the Audi—and most other premium and even average vehicles today—you can see the warning light illuminate on the side mirror using one's peripheral vision while your eyes are on the road ahead.

I'm not sure why Tesla doesn't consider lighting up the entire left/right edge of the screen in red as the blind spot warning (after the blinker has been engaged). Might be worth tweeting at Elon.

 

[st_o_p]

If you have an Apple watch (maybe exists in Android ecosystem too), you can download the Stats app and set up siri to open trunk or frunk. Super convenient to just say "open trunk" into your wrist or Airpods and have it open within a few seconds.

Nice trick - thanks for sharing.
But I don't have Apple watch so doesn't work for me.

 

[brianman]

I'm not sure why Tesla doesn't consider lighting up the entire left/right edge of the screen in red as the blind spot warning (after the blinker has been engaged). Might be worth tweeting at Elon.

Do it.

 

[st_o_p]

Great writeup. One thing that caught my eye (sorry, not the main point of your post, I know) is the garage door. Which smart home garage door are you using, and what do you think of it? I was looking at the Chamberlain myQ, but I see that there are several other options.

My house came with a LiftMaster - was installed about 7 years ago, and works fine.
I have no special insight if it's better or worse than other brands.

======

On unrelated note - thanks to all other posters for the replies - I'm not going to be able to reply to everyone so just posting when there's relevant info for me to post.

 

[dmurphy]

Second, the blind spot warning on the Audi is far, far superior. I'm actually a bit skittish driving the Tesla at night on a busy freeway and having to make quick-decision lane changes. The Tesla doesn't warn you proactively, rather, it alerts you once you put on the turn signal.

While I appreciate all Tesla is and does, that's slightly crazy. The user experience of a mirror indicator is sublime - it's data that's right where I need it, when I need it. Why they'd put it somewhere I DON'T need it baffles me.

Several features missing from the Model 3 that are really giving me pause - you mentioned most of them, but I'll also throw in Caddy's rear view camera mirror. It's fairly unique in the market but once you get used to it, my goodness is it excellent. Having the rear view up instead of the moving map on the display just isn't the same thing.

If I do make the switch, I'm going to miss these advanced features.... things that Tesla could adopt very easily, but haven't.

 

[Fully Charged]

I'm not the OP but can tell you that with my 'dumb' 2001 Raynor garage door opener the Tesla auto open/close setup integrated just fine.

I can't believe I didn't know about this feature. I am going to set it up as soon as I get home tonight! I found a YouTube video showing how to set it up, so hopefully my garage door supports it. Awesome, thanks.

 

[TXLA]

Finally - the autopilot. To me the $8K spend on AP+FSD was the least justified part of the purchase.

Autopilot is actually the ultimate luxury in a car.

I would love to see a more luxurious interior in a Tesla, but to me the car driving itself is most luxurious and convenient feature I’ve ever experienced in a car. I have a long and tiring commute (3-4 hours in a day), Autopilot made my commute from dreadful to enjoyable. No other luxury car comes close compared to this.

I value it much more than leather wrapped dashboard, nice trims and ambient lighting etc.

 

[gilscales]

My wife had a 2014 535d fully loaded with an msrp over 70k, it was a lease and she LOVED the car, July of 2017 we had to turn it in and I asked her to drive my 2013 Passat TDI until the model 3 came out, she hated my car compared to her beloved BMW and it was not until April of 2018 nine months later that we took delivery of our model 3, I must have heard 100 times that we should just lease her another BMW and I would drive the model 3.

5 minutes after driving off in the model 3 she said she liked the car better than the BMW so easy convert, 11 months and 21k miles later we both feel this car blows away any other car we ever owned or even rented and we have tried a few! some over 100k priced cars that cannot compare to the drivability, comfort and overall enjoyment.

We did not buy the car to save the planet, we do like clean air and water though, I have said it before though that if the EV is going to help clean up the environment then is has to appeal to the masses, this is that car!

 

[afty]

I can't believe I didn't know about this feature. I am going to set it up as soon as I get home tonight! I found a YouTube video showing how to set it up, so hopefully my garage door supports it. Awesome, thanks.

This is one of my favorite features. I had a bad habit of forgetting to close my garage door after backing out in my old car. No more!

 

[Slarty_B]

Great writeup. One thing that caught my eye (sorry, not the main point of your post, I know) is the garage door. Which smart home garage door are you using, and what do you think of it? I was looking at the Chamberlain myQ, but I see that there are several other options.

I have a myQ, works basically flawlessly in my smart home ecosystem. Never has any problems with connectivity and works great with the model 3.

 

[moltenfire]

The myQ has a auto-close timer so if you forget to close the garage door after (say 20 mins) it'll automatically beep and then close it for you.

 

[st_o_p]

So I was going to edit the original post to add this at the end - but apparently I can't (the post too old now maybe??).

I was able to get the car to auto-park itself - after some experimenting. It was really cool actually. Not sure I'll be able to do it reliably every time I need - but I think I'm getting how it works.

I was also able to get the auto-steering to work. Turned out I was applying too much pressure to the steering wheel so it was disengaging. It's a bit of an art right now - too little pressure and the car complains, too much and it disengages - but I'm getting the hang of it - and yes when it works it works great.

I was also able to hardwire my radar detector though that was a royal PITA. BMWs are way easier to hardwire things.

 

[buckerine]

So I was going to edit the original post to add this at the end - but apparently I can't (the post too old now maybe??).

I was able to get the car to auto-park itself - after some experimenting. It was really cool actually. Not sure I'll be able to do it reliably every time I need - but I think I'm getting how it works.

I was also able to get the auto-steering to work. Turned out I was applying too much pressure to the steering wheel so it was disengaging. It's a bit of an art right now - too little pressure and the car complains, too much and it disengages - but I'm getting the hang of it - and yes when it works it works great.

I was also able to hardwire my radar detector though that was a royal PITA. BMWs are way easier to hardwire things.

There’s an easy fix to the auto steering thing. Rather than feeling like you have to modulate pressure in the wheel all the time, just turn the volume knob up and down. Does the same thing. Thank me later.

 

[EdisonDrvr]

First post here - cross-posting with other forums (like bimmerfest).

I took delivery of a new Tesla Model 3 LR AWD few days ago, and had a chance to put it through its paces. It is a really impressive car in many ways.

First - build quality. My car is early 2019 build. I do NOT have any panel gaps or misalignments - with one exception, the rear driver-side door chrome edge is slightly misaligned (but not enough to bother me). Did not find any other issues whatsoever, inside or out. There are no rattles at all inside the cabin so far (I know it's still early days) - but very happy about that. In short - the car has been perfect.

I got the car fully loaded (to the extent that term applies). The only thing I didn't get is the white interior - as I don't think it looks better. I got the 19" wheels - that is the one option I was undecided about; good arguments both ways; in the end I went with it because the car I test-drove had the 19" - and I liked the ride. Also the reviewers said that (1) the 19" stock tires have much better stopping distance than the 18", and (2) - counterintuitively - the 19" offer more compliant ride as the sidewall of the stock tires is softer. I know those are both the tires, not the wheels - but since I don't intend to change the stock tires until I wear them out - the arguments apply. The ride on the stock 19" is nice, a bit stiff but not harsh at all.

I will compare the Tesla to our other car - BMW 535 (also fully loaded). I realize the BMW is higher class car - and a lot more expensive. It has a number of bells and whistles not present on the Tesla. Surprisingly though - overall the Tesla comes ahead. And also surprising - it has a number of luxury features where I didn't expect it will match the BMW but it does.

Some areas where Tesla is better:
(I will not get into the advantages of electric vs. ICE - those are well known. To me the only downside would be driving long distance - and since our household has also the ICE car - I will never use the Tesla for that - so zero downside on the electric). On the actual driving experience:
* Driving dynamics - the Model 3 is outstanding. Acceleration/handling/braking/etc. - absolutely great! Better than any BMW I've owned.
* The navigation - no comparison. Way better than what I have on the 5er.
* The seemless experience. I thought the BMW keyless entry is great - but man the Tesla just smokes that. You only need your phone - which I always have with me - never a danger I will forget my car key. Exit the car - don't touch anything, walk away - the car locks itself. Approach the locked car - grab the handle and open the door. (As opposed to the BMW where you grab the handle and the car unlocks but if you don't wait for a bit you pull and the door is still locked). The Tesla leaves the garage - and the garage door closes (without me having to touch anything). Come back to the house - the garage door opens by itself. The expirience is awesome, and can't keep but ask - why is it otherwise with any other car??
* The phone app - the functionality it offers remotely is fantastic (and improving further as more features like advanced summon get rolled out).
* Over the air upgrades. Major advantage (though I admittedly have not had a chance to experience yet).
* Number of other things I'm forgetting - the huge screen, the always functioning browser in the car is nice when you need quick info, and so on.

About on par:
* The air-conditioning. People rave about the air-conditioning system in the Tesla. I don't find it that superior. It is good and works well - but I don't like it better or worse than the more traditional system in the BMW. Both are good. My BMW does have 4-zone climate control - so for the rear-seats it's better.
* The entertainments system. I guess Tesla is better - but for my purposes both work equally well. The BMW has Sirius (with lifetime subscription) which Tesla doesn't have. Also my BMW has rear-sear entertainment system with screens where you can watch from a USB drive (or DVD but we never use DVD). I intend to get Kindle Fires for the Tesla - but cannot figure out how to attach to the back of the front seats (as Tesla seats are monolitic rather than having separate headrest).
* Seats - comfort and adjustability. I guess BMW is better - but for me they both work fine. Also - 4 heated seats on both cars.
* Some other things - like lane-departure warning work exactly the same. Not talking about auto-pilot, simpy that the steering wheel vibrates when you hit the divider. I like that feature - and didn't expect to get it in the Tesla, so nice surprise.
* I believe the front colision warning (and auto-stop) should be the same - but didn't get a chance to test on the Tesla. Works great on the BMW.

Some areas where the BMW is better:
* HUD. Surprisingly I do not miss the instrument cluster. But Model 3 badly needs HUD. In fact I would have never bought a car without HUD - except for the Tesla factor.
* The doors. The Tesla doors are horrible. We do have soft-close doors on the BMW and I guess we got used to those. Never thought I'd consider them more than minor. However - half the time I close the Tesla door it tells me it's not actually closed. I noticed after that happened couple of times to my wife, she started slamming the doors real hard. Not good. It's kind of Ok when you're sitting in the car and have to re-close. But when you're walking away - and expect the Model 3 to lock itself - and it doesn't because it thinks a door is open - that's a recipe for disaster.
* Top camera on the BMW. Can survive without it - but am missing it badly.
* Automatic trunk. And I don't just mean motorized, I mean the feature where you kick under the rear bumper and the trunc opens (when your hands are full).
* Heated steering wheel - as mentioned in many other posts.
* The headlights on the BMW are better, though the auto-headlights on the Tesla work pretty well.
* The finish / interior quality in the BMW is much nicer.

Now I do realize the BMW advantages are luxury features of a higher priced car. When it comes to driving experience - the Tesla really smokes the BMW out, it's all one-sided. However I have to say this - I would have paid another $10,000 for a luxury pack on the Tesla containing those features. As it is I purchased the highest prices Model 3; the only way I could go higher was extra $10K for performance model - which I don't need as performance of my car is already fantastic. Would have paid more for luxury though - if offered. I am sure I am not the only one cross-shopping mid-level luxury sedans with Tesla so they could make some extra $$ offering that. (The only way to get higher end car with Tesla was to go with Model S - however that is $30K more so not really comparable; plus I liked how Model 3 drives a lot better than the S so wouldn't go there).

Finally - the autopilot. To me the $8K spend on AP+FSD was the least justified part of the purchase. As an adaptive cruise-control it works very well. I had trouble getting the auto-steeting to work (it keeps disengaging - I'm sure I'll figure it out, but it's not seemless or intuitive). Couldn't get it to auto-park either. In my few tries - it only recongnized parking spot once, and then when I put the car in reverse and pushed the button to auto-park, it basically didn't do anything. So maybe the software upgrades will get the FSD to a point where it is worth the money - in fact I'm counting on that - but for now I find it not very impressive.

Bottom line - the Tesla is an awesome car, much better than I expected - despite some things it is missing.

I came over to Tesla from a 2016 F80 BMW M3....I consider Tesla to be a superior brand over BMW. My P3D with FSD is so much better than the BMW that it’s not even a fair comparison. The BMW feels like a dinosaur compared with the Tesla. Having been a BMW fanboy prior to Tesla ownership I can say the Tesla is the true ultimate driving machine and a much more prestigious brand and car to own. I no longer even look at a BMW, Porsche, Benz or Audi...just not interested. Also...my M3 BMW had a HUD...It was fine because otherwise you’d have to look down to see the instruments.... the Tesla display is almost like a HUD...it keeps you head up at road level and the speed and NAV info is just offset slightly to the right. I don’t miss the BMW HUD at all...thought I would but I don’t. The only thing I miss at all was BMWs superior media player integration. Still can’t believe that I can’t use the big beautiful Tesla display to access media on my phone. I could use iDrive display on the BMW to see...select and play audio files. Tesla media player integration sucks.

 

[st_o_p]

There’s an easy fix to the auto steering thing. Rather than feeling like you have to modulate pressure in the wheel all the time, just turn the volume knob up and down. Does the same thing. Thank me later.

Yeah, but if you do that you have to constantly move that volume knob. If I'm letting the car drive itself I don't want to have to move something constantly. I have my hand on the steering wheel, and every now and again shake it slightly - that's the least possible movement.
I haven't done a really long drive in the Tesla though so until then this is just initial impressions.

 

[st_o_p]

.... My P3D with FSD is so much better than the BMW that it’s not even a fair comparison. The BMW feels like a dinosaur compared with the Tesla. Having been a BMW fanboy prior to Tesla ownership I can say the Tesla is the true ultimate driving machine and a much more prestigious brand and car to own. ....

While I agree that as "ultimate driving machine" the Tesla is dramatically better, I wouldn't say that it's "more prestigious". In fact I would list that as one of the advantages of driving BMW over Tesla - on the street my BMW is immediately showing as a high end premium car with all the prestige and "status" if you care about that. The Model 3 on the other hand just shows as any other car - nobody random on the street will get impressed that you're driving one. If you want to impress the ladies - this ain't gonna do it.