Well I've just had the best drive of my life!

Just back from a 52 mile drive in the country. Wow!

My 55kWh LFP RWD Model 3 car is so gorgeous, windows down, air-con off and music blaring. It's just the best car I've ever owned. Cruising through the bends, applying power on the apex, pushing on, so quiet yet so smooth! It's almost as good as when I had a motorbike when I was a teenager.

Well, when I was 21, I had a 4-speed mini. It would wear out front tyres every 5K miles and need a new fan belt at the same time. Going above 70 was only possible down hill... And music came out of a small crappy speaker, along with electrical interference from the engines ignition. If only, I could be 21 again and have this car, wouldn't life have been great! Still, it's great to be able to have this experience now, even though I'm approaching my 70th birthday...

Looking at the Highland refresh; there is nothing it has, that I really want or need. My car is really quite except when on crappy tarmac roads. I don't need a screen in the back and I'm no need of ambient lighting to shine in the windscreen. My music plays great to my ears, and the car is certainly fast enough for me. I would possibly like the vented seats but on the other hand my air-con works really well. Plus, I like my USS and stalks, so I think I will be keeping this car for some years yet...

And the icing on the cake; The car averaged 182 Wh/mile, to have this wonderful drive, on this pleasant sunny day. So total cost only around 85 pence!

 

[AndyFov]

Funnily enough I've just had a 50 mile wazz around country roads in the 20 yr old Merc SLK 320 that I bought as a stop gap when Tesla let me down on their inventory sale. It's the most enjoyable drive I've had in years and years.

Probably best for me to not to talk about economy though.

 

[DoricJim]

Think I’ll stick to our Z4 M40i for weekend drives in the sun. Best of both having the 3 as a daily and a silky in-line 6 cylinder roadster for the weekend

 

[pgkevet]

That's all I need. Another noisy yahoo ruining the peace.!

 

[WannabeOwner]

That's all I need. Another noisy yahoo ruining the peace.!

Well you'll be pleased to hear that I got rid of my Hooligan (Lotus-7 thingie with a V8 300BHP) ... Never drove it after getting the MS-Performance ...

Mind you, I'm nowhere near you ... and the new owner might be!

 

[DoricJim]

That's all I need. Another noisy yahoo ruining the peace.!

 

[Adopado]

That's all I need. Another noisy yahoo ruining the peace.!

Today there was a closed road cycling event here ... not often you get a combination of a warm sunny Sunday AND a totally quiet road! Bliss (well at least until lunch time when it opened up and the yahoos wanted to try out their paddle shifters as well as listening to the pops and bangs on their engine over-run ... and the din and the waft of unburnt fuel from a motorbike with an illegal exhaust because the fuelling wasn't properly re-tuned). Ah the delights of being in the unspoilt countryside!

 

[WyoDude]

Just back from a 52 mile drive in the country. Wow!

My 55kWh LFP RWD Model 3 car is so gorgeous, windows down, air-con off and music blaring. It's just the best car I've ever owned. Cruising through the bends, applying power on the apex, pushing on, so quiet yet so smooth! It's almost as good as when I had a motorbike when I was a teenager.

Well, when I was 21, I had a 4-speed mini. It would wear out front tyres every 5K miles and need a new fan belt at the same time. Going above 70 was only possible down hill... And music came out of a small crappy speaker, along with electrical interference from the engines ignition. If only, I could be 21 again and have this car, wouldn't life have been great! Still, it's great to be able to have this experience now, even though I'm approaching my 70th birthday...

Looking at the Highland refresh; there is nothing it has, that I really want or need. My car is really quite except when on crappy tarmac roads. I don't need a screen in the back and I'm no need of ambient lighting to shine in the windscreen. My music plays great to my ears, and the car is certainly fast enough for me. I would possibly like the vented seats but on the other hand my air-con works really well. Plus, I like my USS and stalks, so I think I will be keeping this car for some years yet...

View attachment 970680

And the icing on the cake; The car averaged 182 Wh/mile, to have this wonderful drive, on this pleasant sunny day. So total cost only around 85 pence!

Sounds like a great day to me

 

[MrBadger]

Well you'll be pleased to hear that I got rid of my Hooligan (Lotus-7 thingie with a V8 300BHP) ... Never drove it after getting the MS-Performance ...

Should have got a proper Lotus/Caterham rather than an anti-lotus with heavy V8 engine then you might have stuck with it

I had the last ever carburettor based Caterham on order, an HPE that was just shy of the JPE performance wise which was then the fastest 0-60 accelerating and 0-100-0 (mph) production car. Never took delivery having *sugar* myself on a test drive so used the deposit to buy my first house. It may have been just shy of outright Tesla performance numbers even to this date, but it could also achieve those in the most challenging of roads, which was the problem as it could exceed my talent limits. It would have got me into a lot of trouble, or worse. But I would have gone out with a grin so wide that I would have needed a bigger coffin.

 

[Buzzliteyear]

The other day I jumped into my 21 Lfp and ended up in Scotland, definitely the best car I have ever had. definitely economical and cheap to run compared with other non Tesla’s.

 

[MrBadger]

The other day I jumped into my 21 Lfp and ended up in Scotland,

Is that a highland car?

 

[WannabeOwner]

heavy V8 engine

750kg (the whole thing, not the engine!) and 300BHP ... it wasn't too sluggish, and sounded a lot better than a 1400 Cortina engine Hehehehe!

it could exceed my talent limits

Yeah, common complaint with TVRs too - most get parked in a hedge. The Dax I had was very tame, I thought their engineer-designers did a really good job on the handling, but ... that was yesteryear.

I wonder if I'll ever actually want to have anything like that again. A Cobra EV maybe ...

 

[DoricJim]

PS Thank you @kelvin 660 for such a positive post highlighting the pleasure that can be had from car ownership. Makes a nice change from all the 1st world negativity you see with most threads on the UK section of TMC

 

[Ti317]

I’m old and have had a cavalcade of interesting cars:
A 998 mini clubman built to 997 Cooper specs
A 2800 Capri built to output north of 190 bhp
A Chevy Monte Carlo SS (Tuned 305 cu in motor) would get sideways if the sun went behind a cloud.
5 different BMWs 4 six cylinders and 1 v8.
A V8 Audi S4, slightly tuned, big brakes and coil overs
I have also driven many exotic cars.
My M3 performance is probably the fastest I have owned, only my S4 came close in launch and handling, my tuned 335d came close in torque and mod range power and smooth highway driving, my 540i came close on top end, but none approached the overall experience of the Tesla.
The handling takes a little getting used to as the weight transfer is not as pronounced as in an ICE powered car, body roll is negligible. It’s like driving a 400hp go kart.
put it in chill mode and drive in traffic and it is one of the most well behaved cars on the road.
Only put a couple thousand miles on mine in the 2 1/2 months I’ve had it but I’m sold already.

 

[Whyone]

For me, the Tesla is not a hi-days and holidays car, just an efficient, reasonably comfortable way for getting from A-B.

Coincidentally I've also just come back from a spirited and enjoyable drive (yes, it's still possible in the SE if you choose your time and roads carefully) in my 22 year old Honda. It's now sat on the drive ticking and clicking away to itself as it all cools down.

 

[bargrens@gmail]

Just back from a 52 mile drive in the country. Wow!

My 55kWh LFP RWD Model 3 car is so gorgeous, windows down, air-con off and music blaring. It's just the best car I've ever owned. Cruising through the bends, applying power on the apex, pushing on, so quiet yet so smooth! It's almost as good as when I had a motorbike when I was a teenager.

Well, when I was 21, I had a 4-speed mini. It would wear out front tyres every 5K miles and need a new fan belt at the same time. Going above 70 was only possible down hill... And music came out of a small crappy speaker, along with electrical interference from the engines ignition. If only, I could be 21 again and have this car, wouldn't life have been great! Still, it's great to be able to have this experience now, even though I'm approaching my 70th birthday...

Looking at the Highland refresh; there is nothing it has, that I really want or need. My car is really quite except when on crappy tarmac roads. I don't need a screen in the back and I'm no need of ambient lighting to shine in the windscreen. My music plays great to my ears, and the car is certainly fast enough for me. I would possibly like the vented seats but on the other hand my air-con works really well. Plus, I like my USS and stalks, so I think I will be keeping this car for some years yet...

View attachment 970680

And the icing on the cake; The car averaged 182 Wh/mile, to have this wonderful drive, on this pleasant sunny day. So total cost only around 85 pence!

They are just amazing !!!!

 

[Darmie]

Great post. I felt the same way with our first 2017 MS 75 RWD. We use to do many day trips. Loved rolling from a stop sign with the windows down listening to the birds chirping and the gravel leaving the tires. So enjoyable.

I’m old and have had a cavalcade of interesting cars:

That's an awesome report. it's amazing the Model 3 P is as quick as the Model S non Plaid. Years ago use to tune in to Ryan, Ride the Lightning podcast and he was so giddy with his M3P. My wife traded in her 18 MX for the MX Plaid. Give that some stick and it fells nice and light on the skids cutting up some curves even though it's 6,000 Lbs. I wanted a MS Plaid myself but right now, I'm so enjoying how much fun and spirited my 2018 Model 3 LR RWD feels. Light up front, and the acceleration helps the rear rotate the car in a curve. I equate this to driving a Mazda Miata with an LS1 swap.

 

[spdpsba]

For me, the Tesla is not a hi-days and holidays car, just an efficient, reasonably comfortable way for getting from A-B.

What do you mean by that? Or is it one of your another post?

 

[Whyone]

I simply mean that it isn't a car I drive for fun...it was bought to do mundane things, which it does reasonably well. I don't much enjoy driving the thing.

What do you mean by this?
"....Or is it one of your another post?"