Thought on my M3 LR after about a few road trips

[bottomsup]

so I've taken it on two ~550 mile round trips so far and really had time to settle in, enjoy the car, and reflect on it outside of quick commutes every day.

Here are my thoughts, issues i saw, and things i liked

• EAP is great. you already knew that but I never realized how much driving fatigue i removes when driving for 4-5 hours at a time. I didn't feel tired when i arrived at my destination and eye strain was not an issue although this could be unrelated. Oddly when I turned it off i almost messed up a few times by forgetting to steer. You get so used to not steering it's weird
• The trip meter was pretty darn accurate and i drove fast. SoCal to Vegas on the 15 fast...for those who know that route. Averaged 271 Kwh/mile with lots of elevation change along that route from ~sea level to 5K or so feet and down again. I no longer have range anxiety. I was nervous when it told me 'charge for 20 mins and you'll have 18% at your destination' especially driving out in the middle of the desert but it was no problem. Temps were ~50-65
• I used 149Kw on my most recent trip which using my household electricity rate is ~$31 (CA electricity is not cheap). That got me 550 miles and free hotel destination chargers are awesomeness. According to the Stats app ~40Kw of that 149 was free!! BTW love the Stats app...check it out.
• Ride is very smooth and quiet at 40-42 PSI. I've heard some complain about road noise. I heard some wind but not a problem for me. My last car was a Nissan sports car so maybe that's what I was used to.

Things I wish were better

• Many times when i had a car in my 5 o'clock position and put the blinker on to change lanes the car wanted to slow down and let them pass before switching even though I had just cruised past them at least 5-10mph faster than they were going. if the car waited just a few seconds we would have easily cleared ahead of them. This feels too conservative. I took over control every time as the slowing was abrupt and unnatural. the people behind me probably thought i was driving like an ass.
• I wish the blind spot warning had an option for an audible alarm. the cheapo orange mirror things Nissan Sentras have are better. Looking down at the screen is not natural. i guess if you rely entirely on it you'd be ok but i still turn and look over my shoulder out of habit...a good habit to keep i suppose.
• I wish the blind spot warning showed green when it was ok....not just red when it isn't.

I guess that's it. It's a pleasure to drive and the fronk was great for bringing home left overs

 

[M109Rider]

I’ve owned a good number of cars over the years.
Loved some of them a lot.
Loved my BMW (last car) as well.
However, I love this car so much more.
Feel the same about most of your comments above.
I find reasons to drive all the time now.
Can’t wait for more summer road trips.

 

[vjason]

Yeah, EAP.

Just did 8 hours yesterday (Columbia SC and back) and it’s really something you have to try (under conditions like that) to understand it’s value.

Part of me feels that offering a popup one time trial (and quick video) when someone enters a long trip into the nav might help sell it even more. I was on the fence testing it during my commute (on a trial), but yesterday sealed the deal.

 

[TT97]

Last month I needed to do L.A. to Sacramento to San Fran and back to L.A. over two days for work. I was a little nervous being fatigued attending multiple meetings while driving 900 miles over two days but the drive was so effortless. I hit 5 SCs during the trip (no charging at the hotel).

Autopilot is perfectly suited for the long stints on the 5. The SC recommendations and trip computer were spot on and all the stops were easy. I can't imagine ever doing that trip again with an ICE car.

 

[eSpiritIV]

One thing about your comment about passing with autopilot. If you have the latest version with Navigate on AP, You have the option to Pass i hear. It will ask to pass the car in front of you and it will do so smoothly. Maybe that's what you need! Anyways i dont have my car yet, but read about it already.

 

[andy92782]

OP, thanks for posting this. I've wondered how accurate the nav's charging recommendations are within the context of the "LA to Vegas" drive on I-15. For those who don't know, I-15N past Baker has two long climbs from close to sea level to almost 5,000ft in elevation. Also, on the flatter portions of the route, if cruise control is set to 80mph expect to get passed constantly. Calculating available range based on driving the speed limit (70mph) is not sufficient.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

SoCal to Vegas on the 15 fast...

I know the route well. What do you consider fast? To me, on that route it’s 85 mph - 90 mph to maintain a flow. At that rate you’re passing some, but infrequently being passed, which to me is about right.

I can’t see getting near your 271 Kwh/mile rate. Might be time for some more efficient wheels/tires instead of my 20s on the P3D.

So what was your MPH on the open stretches?

 

[andy92782]

I know the route well. What do you consider fast? To me, on that route it’s 85 mph - 90 mph to maintain a flow. At that rate you’re passing some, but infrequently being passed, which to me is about right.

I can’t see getting near your 271 Kwh/mile rate. Might be time for some more efficient wheels/tires instead of my 20s on the P3D.

So what was your MPH on the open stretches?

Playing around with the settings on A Better Route Planner (A Better Routeplanner) I come up with 317 Wh/mi average consumption from here in OC to Las Vegas. That's setting reference speed to 115%, which works out to ~81mph on the remote sections of I-15 w/ 70mph limits. With 20% minimum thresholds for SC and destination charge remaining, it suggests one 23 minute stop in Yermo. I also like how this site allows planning for certain target charge remaining percentages for both Supercharger stops and final destination arrival. I wish Tesla's built-in nav planner allowed for this.

 

[bottomsup]

I know the route well. What do you consider fast? To me, on that route it’s 85 mph - 90 mph to maintain a flow. At that rate you’re passing some, but infrequently being passed, which to me is about right.

I can’t see getting near your 271 Kwh/mile rate. Might be time for some more efficient wheels/tires instead of my 20s on the P3D.

So what was your MPH on the open stretches?

85 when I could which was most of the time. Never less than 75.

 

[bottomsup]

Playing around with the settings on A Better Route Planner (A Better Routeplanner) I come up with 317 Wh/mi average consumption from here in OC to Las Vegas. That's setting reference speed to 115%, which works out to ~81mph on the remote sections of I-15 w/ 70mph limits. With 20% minimum thresholds for SC and destination charge remaining, it suggests one 23 minute stop in Yermo. I also like how this site allows planning for certain target charge remaining percentages for both Supercharger stops and final destination arrival. I wish Tesla's built-in nav planner allowed for this.

I did 85 on the open stretches. Car Nav had me charge for 20 mins in baker. Also drove from OC

 

[andy92782]

I did 85 on the open stretches. Car Mac had me charge for 20 mins in baker. Also drove from OC

Excellent. Is yours RWD or AWD? Aeros or 19s?

 

[bottomsup]

Excellent. Is yours RWD or AWD? Aeros or 19s?

RWD and 19s

 

[sreams]

I wish the blind spot warning had an option for an audible alarm.

I think a better solution would be to have the steering wheel vibrate, like it does for the lane departure warning. No annoying beeps in the cabin, then.

 

[Camera-Cruiser]

It will be nice when we can drive from LA/OC to Vegas at speed without stops. I’ve done it many times in all my ice vehicles without worry. Drove around town for a few days and then hit the gas station on my way back.

I’m sure it could be done staying under 70 mph, but that would be dangerous and mind numbing going that slow.

 

[bottomsup]

It will be nice when we can drive from LA/OC to Vegas at speed without stops. I’ve done it many times in all my ice vehicles without worry. Drove around town for a few days and then hit the gas station on my way back.

I’m sure it could be done staying under 70 mph, but that would be dangerous and mind numbing going that slow.

Yeah. I thought this too as I’m always in a hurry and rushing around but getting out to stretch for 20 mins and take a pee break felt relaxing. It is a minor lifestyle change however as are other things about owning an EV

 

[Wizard2416]

It will be nice when we can drive from LA/OC to Vegas at speed without stops. I’ve done it many times in all my ice vehicles without worry. Drove around town for a few days and then hit the gas station on my way back.

I’m sure it could be done staying under 70 mph, but that would be dangerous and mind numbing going that slow.

That's another reason why I'm quite hesitating to trade in my RWD for a P3D+, I thou the experience will be the same as the P85D but it wasn't (acceleration wise) plus you get a hit on range due to extra weight (second motor) and the "Sport" drive option.

I still have few days left to think about the pros and cons haha, that white interior in my red would look nice thou...

 

[Adrien]

It will be nice when we can drive from LA/OC to Vegas at speed without stops. I’ve done it many times in all my ice vehicles without worry. Drove around town for a few days and then hit the gas station on my way back.

I’m sure it could be done staying under 70 mph, but that would be dangerous and mind numbing going that slow.

I've done without stopping several times with my RWD aero. No issues, even in heat. Your problem is probably setting that 20% low limit. Go down to 5%. That still leaves you with 15 miles which doesn't sound like much, but it's plenty of city street driving. If you get a little anxious when getting close, just draft behind a semi at 60mph for a bit and you'll be fine. The closer you are to your destination the better the mileage remaining prediction is accurate.

 

[TEG]

...plus you get a hit on range due to extra weight (second motor) and the "Sport" drive option.

I think the "range hit" on Model 3 AWD isn't just about weight and "sport"...
Part of it is probably the mechanical drag of having to keep 2 motors spinning (there is no clutch to disengage) plus some of the power delivery from the AWD comes from the less efficient front motor. (The Model 3 rear motor is a new design for Tesla which is more efficient than their other pure induction motors.)

If you have the aero wheels, it does help some, but the AWD cars with aero wheels use more energy than the RWD vehicles with the same wheels/tires.

 

[bottomsup]

I've done without stopping several times with my RWD aero. No issues, even in heat. Your problem is probably setting that 20% low limit. Go down to 5%. That still leaves you with 15 miles which doesn't sound like much, but it's plenty of city street driving. If you get a little anxious when getting close, just draft behind a semi at 60mph for a bit and you'll be fine. The closer you are to your destination the better the mileage remaining prediction is accurate.

Drafting behind tractor trailer sounds like rock chip city. Don't you need to be very close to truly draft or have i just watched to much Nascar?

 

[Adrien]

Drafting behind tractor trailer sounds like rock chip city. Don't you need to be very close to truly draft or have i just watched to much Nascar?

Rock chips, maybe. Never experience one when I was behind a trailer specifically.

In my unscientific tests, I've noticed a considerable improvement from drafting. I stayed very far behind one (same speed) for 15 minutes on a straight level highway and then up closer at "1" on Autopilot and noticed the energy graph was much better. 5% - 10% if I recall correctly.

If you're going 70+mph and then get behind a trailer the combo of slowing down and drafting will make a double effect difference and will be very noticable.