Yep, my thoughts exactly. Not so great when it works the other way around: https://jalopnik.com/tesla-remotely-...mer-1841472617

 

I think since you were singling out Ford / GM, he was referencing BMW. No auto manufacturer can offer this easily because of the inherent way they build their cars due to their sophisticated supply chain. We will see if they can overcome their industry inertia to become more competitive in this regard in the future.

 

I can objectively say that my car has become noticeably better over time due to these free updates. When I bought the car, I was pushing 450hp but now, its more 500-550hp (anyone's guess). It also received voice control and track mode. Lets hope other manufacturer's follow soon.

 

I would imagine this would have considerable appeal to some folks. I don't know how big that number is. I would have assumed that the Tesla engineers went through a thousand iterations and picked the optimum values for all-around utility and another collection of settings for "track mode" but I don't have any insider knowledge of this.

 

20 inch wheels on the actual track package look great!!

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/news/t...c-sedan-order/

 

I't's been just over 1 year of ownership, time flies! Quick update.

I've driven an unprecedented (to me) ~23k km (15k miles) which really speaks to my overall pleasure in owning this car so far!

On that positive note:

- Incredibly low operating costs, about $380 for the electricity (3807 kwh x average $0.10/kwh) for 15k miles! The Stinger would have been about $3.5-4K. UXh about $1.5K. Additional costs: two washer fluid gallons! No other maintenance costs.



- Build quality, although initially average at best (no Lexus here), it has not deteriorated. Car feels very solid and relatively quiet at speed.
- Car remains fun to drive, especially love the instant torque. I could only imagine the M3P and its AWD traction!
- Surprisingly good winter traction, arguably better than the UXh e-AWD with all-seasons. It goes to show how big a contributor winter tires are.
- Brake wear... virtually none. I have 90% remaining which is in line with how little I use the mechanical brakes thanks to the aggressive regen.
- Very roomy interior and cargo including the subfloor cargo and frunk - we've done a handful of smallish road trips (<200 miles) with it instead of the UXh (tighter interior). Haven't formally measured the overall cargo capacity but easy 19-20 cu ft of cargo.
- Has gotten more positive attention than I expected in the looks department. People compliment the wheels.
- Love the OTA updates. Average an update every month or so. So many new unexpected features added such as street signs/traffic lights,/road markings etc displayed in the driving display; a 360 cam; and the improved recording viewer.
- Love the convenience of no key fob, no "Start/Stop" button, and door auto-locking. Just walk in or out of the car and everything is automatic, with of course your cell phone with BT on you.
- The large 15" touch screen control for media and entertainment (yes, Netflix, Youtube, Internet browser only when Parked), Nav search, and voice controls are so intuitive, easy and reliable. When I drive the UX, I can (finally) understand the clunky RTI /interface complaints from owners and journalists. No comparison here.
- Have had to Supercharge only about 10 or so. My home charging on the standard 110V 12A more than suits my daily charging replenishment needs.




On the negatives...
- Winter charge capacity is significantly reduced. Whatever range you see, knock off 45-50% on the coldest sub-freezing days (with heater and heated seats on).
- Virtually no rain/water channeling. Forget keeping a crack of the window open - rain will trickle down from the roof over into the cab. Even applying windshield fluid will enter once the wipers wipe towards the A-pillar. Same with the rear - water easily enters the trunk if lid is open. The price to pay for a smooth aerodynamically-optimized body and glass roof.
- No cooled or ventilated seats, you feel the sweat in summer. It would be worse had I ordered the black interior instead of white.
- Ride is a bit bumpy. I'll blame the 1"in Eibach spring drop since OEM is fine.
- Had a click noise when accelerating from a stop. Repaired under warranty. Known issue with the driveshaft needing a re-tightening (due to the tremendous torque at 0 rpm)
- The car does not always sense me/phone when approaching the vehicle. As frequent as 1 in 5 times. A bit annoying especially in the rain. I have to sometimes turn the BT off and on.
- Autopilot is excellent 99.5% of the times. It's the 0.5% that scares me. I've experienced some false positives (no car in front, yet sudden deceleration, sudden lane correction, etc).
- The all-glass roof is nice and sleek looking but you pay a price in summer. Thankfully, I have a heat repellent window tint on all windows including the roof which helps reduce the heat transfer somewhat.

Overall, surprisingly reliable, convenient, extremely low-cost, practical, peppy, easy-to-use tech, and looks good (to me). (P.S. I'd love to be in a Lexus EV, but can't hold my breath for 3+ more years for one)

 

great real world report, thanks!
your car looks GREAT and glad it's been a joy to own!

 

The water channeling on the trunk lid is the worst. I swear that thing is designed to just pour the water directly into the trunk.

 

this was a great read, I am happy that you like the model 3. I seriously thought about getting it before picking up a GSF. I drove my friends model S performance once few times and while I appreciated the quickness of the car the car itself didnt appeal to me much. Model 3 I hear good things from Alot of folks. Seems like Tesla is moving to a better direction.

 

Lookin' good! Thanks for the update!

 

i guess you just get a weathertech like trunk liner to catch the water?

 

Hey, Joe good to hear from you. It seems you've cut way back on your posting unless you frequent a Tesla forum somewhere else.

Glad to hear your Tesla experience is going well. I at one time was considering one but I've read some horror stories that have me backing off. My main concern is the lack of Service centers and the poor customer service. What is your experience in the Toronto area?

I won't be able to wait for a Lexus EV either, who knows when that will happen. I'm hoping for the redesigned NX Hybrid to offer a prime version like the RAV4 or else it may the Toyota anyway. The RAV4 prime is just coming out but in very limited production. Only a few will get one. I hear a production of 5000+/-.

 

I have that. Honestly, the Tesla comes with very little stuff. Their rugs are worthless so everyone gets the nicer aftermarket options. Even cup holder liners are needed and things like wireless chargers are much cheaper on Amazon. Everyone wraps their center console day 1 and also puts on a tempered glass screen protector on the giant screen. Very basic car from a design perspective.

 

Thanks! The best part has been the lack of visiting the gas station and not seeing the $50+ hit each time. I've gone just once this year to fill the gas can for my lawn mower
And forgot to mention the convenience of the Tesla mobile service when I had them check the poor fit of the window to the rubber seal around my driver's door (caused some wind noise).


A+ agree. Forgot to mention that. The glass acts like a ski slope for the water to literally jump over the metal channel underneath it. Water all in the trunk


Thanks. My ideal ride - If I could have the melody of the Lexus V8 in the M3...
I miss that sound and smooth V8 acceleration. You have a timeless soon-to-be-sought out classic with the GSF.


Thanks!

Hey Roger. Yeah, been crazy busy this year and my posting has taken a toll. I think some of the Tesla horror stories are legit but still few and far in between in the grand scheme of things. As you know, people will more likely post a problem over something operating as expected. My M3 has not been perfect and keep in mind there is Tesla's Mobile service which I've used a couple times, all scheduled through the one account and app you have on your phone that controls your car and any payment (i.e. Supercharger use) automatically. I've only had to go the the actual Tesla service center once to get the driveshaft noise fixed. Customer service, like many big businesses, depends heavily on the local service site and the people/management there. I've had good service so far.

Agree, too long of a wait for Lexus EV and it saddens me how they once paved the way in technology and innovation, are significantly behind. I like the RAV4 Prime but yes, good luck getting one! Expect the NX 450h+ ("Prime") to be pricey though, USD 50K+ before gov't incentives.


Haha, yes, that's one small negative lacking of some basic features I had to get (mats and wireless charger). However, in Canada the $65K Cdn LR AWD and $75K Cdn M3P does get you the $125 mats!

 

When I leased my i3 I noticed that winter range was literally 40 percent of summer range. That stupid car had a resistive element heating system too, so I would actually shiver while driving the car, trying not to run out of range!