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

[voip-ninja]

Hilarious that someone gives an owner with direct experience of two different manufacturers products a thumbsdown for relaying those experiences.

This place is a riot.

 

[Pmurphjam]

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've got exactly the same Model 3 as you do, Dual Motor with AutoPilot. I'm running firmware 2019.5.15 which is rolling out to most users now. There are some changes in this version concerning AutoPilot so hopefully these will benefit you. AutoPilot requires the car to be going about 18 mph before it will engage, sometimes the double downward tap on the control lever doesn't always work to engage it also. A recent change is if you hit Navigate On AutoPilot, now it nags you about a possible lane change coming up. I find this kind of annoying since my lane change is literally 5 miles away wish it would inform me when it's about a mile away. Also most of the time if your on the freeway the car will take the exit off the freeway, but I've seen it disengage when the traffic is very heavy also, it's pretty smart. I've also seen the car not proceed ahead in the passing lane if the car in the right lane is driving on or near the dividing lane marker since it thinks it's going to turn into your lane, and I've noticed that it's pretty much human nature that people tend to hug the left lane marker while driving. You can also tell if a Tesla is using AutoPilot because it's always exactly in the center of the lane and never follows the car in front very close, kind of wish everyone would drive like this now.

 

[st_o_p]

Ugg. I mean if it is really small difference? Indeed that person could have just been giving you the brush-off to get things out the door.

However yes, I just had them do that as part of a few other tweaks that were higher priority. Tesla has been pretty responsive to my request to fix squeaks and such. Beyond what I even went in for, once, as they found an extra one and fixed by replacing a shock that had started generating a bit of noise.

The misalignment is not huge - but it's noticeable. I wouldn't make a huge deal out of it - but yes thanks to your feedback I now think they should have fixed. I'll ask whenever I do my first service. Thx for the tip.

 

[st_o_p]

Does it disengage with a friendly beep, or with the read warning and warning noise? It sounds likes it's doing the friendly beep disengagement, and that usually means your applying enough pressure to the wheel to stop it from steering. It's doesn't take much force to disengage steering, and that's on purpose. Try keeping your hand on the wheel, but applying zero turning pressure, or keeping your hand very close, but not touching the wheel. When autopilot asks you to apply pressure you can either squeeze the wheel or roll one of the knobs on the wheel (volume or speed adjustment) up or down to clear the alert. I travel 120 miles daily for my commute and auto pilot makes it an absolute breeze.

It is entirely possible I applied some pressure on the steering wheel. I kind of thought the car expects me to - to prove that my hands are on it. We'll see how it goes next time. I won't get a chance to drive the M3 until the weekend. Thx

 

[st_o_p]

Can all of you please tell me how you find the seats? Does anyone have the new back seat? Is it more comfortable? How about the front seats?

The front seats on the Model 3 are more comfortable than the ones I had in my 2016 F30. However the Tesla headrest is angled a bit forward for my taste and is not adjustable. I also find the lumbar controls much more difficult to operate on the Tesla... at one point when I was trying to set the lumbar it seemed to become frozen with maximum extension and was uncomfortable, I just ended up moving it to the position where it doesn't do anything and have left it there.
...

My experience is somewhat opposite to voip.
I believe I was a bit unfair to the BMW on the seating - at least the front ones. My 535 seats do have ventilation and massage options, and I believe more adjustability than the Tesla. (I never use the ventilation, but the seat massage is useful after you've been driving for few hours non-stop - even though it feels a bit weird it works). When I said it was a tie between the 2 cars - I simply meant I find both cars seats comfortable for my particular needs.

 

[traxila]

It is entirely possible I applied some pressure on the steering wheel. I kind of thought the car expects me to - to prove that my hands are on it. We'll see how it goes next time. I won't get a chance to drive the M3 until the weekend. Thx

FYI, You can use the scroll wheels on the steering wheel to prove your presence. I do not bother trying to jiggle the wheel anymore. Much easier.

 

[Zaxxon]

Nice write-up. The only quibble I have is with this piece:

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).

As I detailed in this thread, a friend and I just did a 2,749-mile road trip in 4.5 days in a Model 3. We spent a total of 30 minutes waiting for the car to finish charging. The Supercharger network is just insanely good, and road-tripping in a Tesla is far better than most people seem to realize. And this was all before the OTA upgrade from 120 kW to 145 kW max Supercharger power.

Which is not to say that you're wrong or that you'd love road-tripping in a Tesla--it can certainly be worse if you're traveling far off the beaten path (and thus out of range of Superchargers), or if you are one of those people who really wants to go 1,000+ miles in a day with only 5-minute gas/bathroom stops. But for the great majority of folks, I think it's a great experience.

 

[StellarRat]

I remember reading that Tesla looked into a HUD for the M3, but I guess they decided not to do it (too expensive?) The other things about the M3 vs. BMW series i.e. the luxury add-ons, I bet they'll all be available in the future on the M3. I'm sure a HUD will come along as well. It's an excellent safety feature. Maybe it will even add night vision .

 

[Neo101]

I was thinking of writing a very similar post but you beat me to it... and I am glad you did. Better written than I could have!

I do have some differences though - I got a SR+ with AP only and am coming from a loaded 2012 528. My thoughts so far...

- M3 is quick but not considerably.. I suppose that's cos it's a lower trim.
- My M3 fit and finish were quite good. Alignment is pretty good as much as I can see. Had 2 minor paint issues that were fixed after I pointed them out.
- Funny thing is the delivery person never checked my ID. I just walked in, told them my name, and they walked me to the car. I guess the fact that the car connected to my phone was proof enough but was still interesting.
- The delivery experience was smooth but short to the extent that it didn't feel adequate. Tesla is definitely making an assumption that you know quite a bit about the car before picking it up.
- Drove 100 miles on the first day (as I had to pick from another state) and found the ride to be quiet and comfortable but not to the extent that it feels different. I felt at home. Ride is a little stiffer than Comfort or Comfort+ modes on the BMW though.
- The seat does feel tight. I was feeling my wallet in the back pocket a lot more than I do on the BMW, which is almost not at all. Also haven't been able to figure out the perfect seat position yet.
- Music system felt more than adequate.
- I have some gripes about the AP. There were at least 3 instances of phantom braking in the 60 mile freeway drive. The first time it did that, it was really confusing but I had read about this, so was quick to realize what was going on. I did get a new update today, so will see if that improves.
- Not having driver initiated auto lane change is a serious bummer with AP. Every time I change lanes, which I am now realizing is quite a bit, AS disengages and has to be re-engaged. that's clunky. Sent Elon a tweet to consider adding the driver initiated lane change to AP, so should be done soon ;-)
- Giving control to the car definitely feels weird, especially when passing semis, when I tend to hug the away lane marking but the AP wants to stay centered.
- I find myself looking behind the wheel for speed/ cruise info, so that'll take some getting used. I will be switching between the M3 and BMW, so don't know how well that'll go.

 

[zhu-]

* 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).

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.

 

[Gray468]

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.

There is a stretch of highway near me where auto-steer will not engage. So I wonder if it is a geographic thing.

Never had issues with my doors. Maybe yours need a warranty tweak?



I can’t imagine long road trips in anything other than my Tesla now. Met many M3 folks at charging stations that said the same (I have a loaded 2017 S 100D). I did a 10k mile one in 2017, a 2K and 4K in 2018 and about to head out on a 4K one next week. For me, and this is before the upgraded SC, timing breakfast lunch and dinner with charging was/is part of the fun and taking a useful break. I am actually worried the faster rates will be an annoyance as I won’t have time to enjoy a meal before being nagged that loitering charges are about to start. Ahh.... the problems we are privileged to wrestle with that ICE folks will never get to enjoy.

But I get it. If you are a nuthin’ but drive and pee breaks kind of driver, you may find the Tesla adventure annoying.

Thanks for the write up.

 

[voip-ninja]

I was thinking of writing a very similar post but you beat me to it... and I am glad you did. Better written than I could have!

I do have some differences though - I got a SR+ with AP only and am coming from a loaded 2012 528. My thoughts so far...

- M3 is quick but not considerably.. I suppose that's cos it's a lower trim.
- My M3 fit and finish were quite good. Alignment is pretty good as much as I can see. Had 2 minor paint issues that were fixed after I pointed them out.
- Funny thing is the delivery person never checked my ID. I just walked in, told them my name, and they walked me to the car. I guess the fact that the car connected to my phone was proof enough but was still interesting.
- The delivery experience was smooth but short to the extent that it didn't feel adequate. Tesla is definitely making an assumption that you know quite a bit about the car before picking it up.
- Drove 100 miles on the first day (as I had to pick from another state) and found the ride to be quiet and comfortable but not to the extent that it feels different. I felt at home. Ride is a little stiffer than Comfort or Comfort+ modes on the BMW though.
- The seat does feel tight. I was feeling my wallet in the back pocket a lot more than I do on the BMW, which is almost not at all. Also haven't been able to figure out the perfect seat position yet.
- Music system felt more than adequate.
- I have some gripes about the AP. There were at least 3 instances of phantom braking in the 60 mile freeway drive. The first time it did that, it was really confusing but I had read about this, so was quick to realize what was going on. I did get a new update today, so will see if that improves.
- Not having driver initiated auto lane change is a serious bummer with AP. Every time I change lanes, which I am now realizing is quite a bit, AS disengages and has to be re-engaged. that's clunky. Sent Elon a tweet to consider adding the driver initiated lane change to AP, so should be done soon ;-)
- Giving control to the car definitely feels weird, especially when passing semis, when I tend to hug the away lane marking but the AP wants to stay centered.
- I find myself looking behind the wheel for speed/ cruise info, so that'll take some getting used. I will be switching between the M3 and BMW, so don't know how well that'll go.

Which AP package did you purchase? If you can't do signal initiated lane changes on the highway with AP then you probably have the newest budget AP option which does not include that feature. I don't know that tweeting Elon Musk is going to do anything, you would need to purchase the enhanced AP that includes the lane change features (which soon will allow the car to do the lane changes with no human intervention if you sign a digital waiver).

 

[Perry]

Due to the design of the Tesla with the enormous mesh pass through from the trunk to the cabin you can hear every little noise coming from items in the trunk, if I hit a bump I can hear the zippers on my laptop bag rattle. I wish they would have used a noise dampening foam baffle or something to make this less noticeable.

Since the sub-woofer is in the trunk they had to put the mesh there for sound to pass through so you could hear the bass. They would need a sound system redesign to insulate the trunk for sound.

 

[voip-ninja]

Since the sub-woofer is in the trunk they had to put the mesh there for sound to pass through so you could hear the bass. They would need a sound system redesign to insulate the trunk for sound.

It appears they already redesigned the part to do exactly what I'm describing (allow the subwoofer to operate properly but reduce ambient noise coming from trunk objects);

Rear deck cutout

 

[Rownolds]

Some comments:
"not having driver initiated auto lane change on AP, it disengages every time I change lanes" - my AWD M3 with AP and FSD changes lanes on it's own when I engage the turn signal. And this is one of my favorite features, since I am notorious for not checking my blind spot. Now when the car changes lanes for me I do this: Check rear mirrors, engage turn signals, then turn and check my blind spot (about the same time as the AP is initiating my requested lane change).
Keyless entry - be careful, when I don't have my cell phone on me, or a few times I've left it in the car (i.e. plugged into the USB to charge) I've walked away and the car has stayed unlocked. It's just that I've gotten out of the habit of doing anything and I'm not used to thinking about it anymore.
Dude, totally take it on a road trip sometime. Try it, you might like it.
My M3 has three rear heated seats.
Front collision warning: I have mine set on 'supersensitive' and I get a false negative warning about once every 2 months (usually it's that an oncoming car has decided to turn left in front of me (not in a way that would have freaked me out if I was driving, but the FCW alarms, and also the auto emerg braking engages), and one time the guy in front of me braked real hard and I got the FCW alarm. But I'd rather have a few false alarms and also have an extra 1/2 second to react when there's a real alarm when I'm looking at a bald eagle overhead or o/w not paying attention like I should.
Top Camera - Oh yeah. We got to drive a Bolt for a weekend and I Loved that! I really wish the 3 had it. Maybe it'll come in a future software update.
Auto steer disengaging: I think when it disengages on its own it also disengages the cruise control (help me out here, anyone know this for sure?), but when I yank on the wheel and disengage autosteer myself the cruise stays on, so agree w/ others that's likely what's happening. Do this: go out and practice disengaging the autosteer a few times, so you get a feel of how much wheel turning pressure you need to do that. I know when I got the car it needed only a little pressure to sense that my hands were on the wheel, and then after the controversy that led tesla to decrease the warning interval (blue flashes on the screen) I had to put more pressure on it, but after my last update I've found the pressure I need to apply is again quite gentle - I was having to give a conscious pull on it, but now just resting my hand on it is enough.
I had the autosteer disengage just yesterday when I didn't intend it to (and it was me, not the car, that did it) - The car was steering at 70 mph around a relatively tight turn to the right and a van was approaching in the oncoming lane. The car was unsure WTH was going on and seemed to think the van was encroaching on its space (it wasn't, but it was directly ahead, because of the curve). The AP yanked the car to the right (never out of the lane) and I reacted by pulling the wheel back hard left, and that's what disengaged the AP. I'm sure the AP would have done nothing unsafe, but it was unexpected so I reacted. Note that when the AP disengages on its own there are loud alarms and red flashes on the screen. Can't miss it.

Great post, thanks for the thoughtful comparisons and welcome to the Tesla Family.
Check my blog: teslatent(d0t)wordpress(d0t)com

 

[Fully Charged]

...
* 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??
...

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.

 

[slee29]

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.

 

[slee29]

We sold a fully loaded BMW x5 35d when we bought the M3D and these are things we miss very much:
1) Soft close doors make all doors "seem" like they need to be slammed. So you do.
2) We miss the 20-way BMW Contour seats very much. Blows away anything Tesla has used yet.
3) The premium interior finish (minus all the damn buttons)
4) Suspension. The BMW adaptive drive is killer.
5) HUD HUD HUD
6) Heated steering wheel but it is listed last here.

These are things we don't miss about the BMW.
1) The amount of research you have to do to maintain them and not pay a small fortune.
2) The constant recalls and scheduled maintenance requiring the whole dealership song and dance
3) The wimpy NAV
4) The worthless IOS app.

Overall we love the M3D but do miss the "luxury" of the X5.

 

[Philh2o]

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'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.

 

[DRCAL]

We sold a fully loaded BMW x5 35d when we bought the M3D and these are things we miss very much:
1) Soft close doors make all doors "seem" like they need to be slammed. So you do.
2) We miss the 20-way BMW Contour seats very much. Blows away anything Tesla has used yet.
3) The premium interior finish (minus all the damn buttons)
4) Suspension. The BMW adaptive drive is killer.
5) HUD HUD HUD
6) Heated steering wheel but it is listed last here.

These are things we don't miss about the BMW.
1) The amount of research you have to do to maintain them and not pay a small fortune.
2) The constant recalls and scheduled maintenance requiring the whole dealership song and dance
3) The wimpy NAV
4) The worthless IOS app.

Overall we love the M3D but do miss the "luxury" of the X5.

Agreed! I too returned our leased and fully loaded 535d, bought a MS. (My wife got a M3 to replace her old MB E350). One thing we miss the most about the BMW (and MB E350) is the top camera view during parking. My wife also complains about not having automated trunk door for her M3. But we both love the Tesla and would never go back to ICE cars for sure!