EZZ

Congrats! It seems Canada has a very different pricing structure than the US as there is only a ~$20k (US) gap between the low and high on models. I was hoping you'd test drive the Performance version just to see what all the hoopla was about .

The car handles like its on rails but I feel the IS350 F-Sport I had felt more playful and nimble. This is probably due to the fact that the Performance model weighs ~400 lbs heavier than the version you have. I'm betting the version you have feels a lot like the IS350 or even better due to the quick steering ratio. Besides handling feel though, the Performance model's performance ceiling is much much higher as the AWD provides limitless grip on turns. I hope your experience with an EV is as positive as the one I am having in mine.

Toys4RJill

This is a very interesting story. You have gone to just a 1/4 gas now with all two vehicles. I will be very interested to know what your day in and day out comparisons are towards using your new Tesla and you current hybrid UX. I am assume you will installing a faster charger at home? It will be also interesting to see what the quality will be like of your new Telsa after you take ownership. The KIA you had did not seem to be very good.

rogerh00

Holy Cow! I wasn't expecting you to pull the trigger. I know you did your homework before so the test drive did the trick! Congrats, I look forward to you sharing your experience into the EV world.

I just watched Doug Demuro's utube video on the model 3 and he ranked it very high on his list. He showed all the hidden tech the 3 has, I love it!

EZZ

One thing of note, I'm noticing the Model 3 has a substantially stronger chassis than my Is350 did. Over my driveway at an angle, I could feel the body flex on the Lexus but the Tesla feels much stiffer. Also, the Premium stereo sounds really good. Maybe a little better than the ML even. There is also no way I'm getting 310 miles of range. With my lead foot, getting around 215 miles (100% charge). Since I don't ever charge to 100% and never go below 20% as that is bad for battery, my effective range with a lead foot is about 150 miles.

patgilm

EZZ - How much was it to install the charger in your house? Also, I assume as a commuter car and not a road trip car it doesn’t really matter how many miles you are getting out of it right? You just plug it in every night and you are good to go. I also didn’t know you shouldn’t charge to 100% or go below 20%.

As for the sound system, all the ML systems I have had outside of the LS weren’t very good so that comparison isn’t saying much. With that said, I have heard the sound system in the Tesla is very good.

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

you can charge to 100% but the downside is regenerative braking has nowhere to put the charging until the battery has been used up some, so the car is less efficient in the first chunk of battery percent.

EZZ

My breaker was on the other side of my house opposite of the garage. The charger was $500 and the install was $1500 because it was worst case scenario. Most installs are between $500-1000. I use it to commute so range isn't an issue. If I wanted to road trip it, it's nice to know I can but the kids highly prefer the minivan for that. I can also slow down to get around 250 miles of range but what's the fun in that.

Battery should be between 90% and 20%. Preferably, even 80% and 20% is the optimum health for the battery. I charge to 90% on the weekends when I know I'll have fun with the car and 80% daily commute. I've never worried about range anxiety because I've had a Supercharger within 15 miles of me at all times.

RXSF

I recently found out that Teslas dont use regen braking when you use the brake pedal so that you get normal pedal feel, but only when the car is coasting.

But the reason why you shouldn't charge to 100% is because its bad for the battery and will reduce your overall range in the long term if you keep doing it. Batteries hate to be full and empty.

tex2670

I agree with this. The Model 3 might be Tesla's cheapest model, but it ain't "cheap". For the kind of money I'd be spending, those kinds of issues would not be acceptable to me.

arentz07

I think it's really easy to overreact to the Model 3, or really, a Tesla in general. It's radically different from many other cars, at least in terms of A) the powertrain and B) the infotainment/tech. Fortunately, I've been able to test drive two different versions of the Model 3, and in neither case was I considering buying a car of any description at the time.

I didn't notice any build quality issues, though I wasn't exactly looking for them. If there were any issues with my car, I'd send it back right away. If the issues couldn't be fixed, I'd have to back out. I don't think it's acceptable for a relatively expensive, brand-new car to have paint defects, loose trim pieces, or damage. I don't care how "cool" it is - it needs to get the important stuff right.

I found the Model 3 to be fun to drive, for sure. Tons of instant torque on demand, especially in the Dual Motor that I drove. That's a whiplash-inducing car, for sure. I'd say it felt equal to the 400-horsepower Macan Turbo I recently drove in terms of acceleration, but with zero lag/delay to accelerator inputs. The steering was also quite nice - overall, natural, pleasingly weighted (on the heavy, but not too heavy side), and quick to respond. I really bemoaned the lack of a head-up display. I dislike having to look over to the side to see what speed I'm traveling, especially in a car with no transmission/engine sound that would normally help me to judge speeds without looking. In addition, I found it utterly ridiculous that I have to click through menus in the screen just to adjust the position of my steering wheel. Can I just manually adjust it? Why even make it powered? I'd rather have it be non-powered than have to feverishly scroll the wheels on the steering wheel while it slowly adjusts. That's my personal preference, and perhaps the fact that it's powered offers other benefits. However, it's one example of why I personally don't plan on getting a Tesla: now this is just my impression, but it seems like adjusting basically anything in the car is going to be distracting. I'll have to look over at the screen - and I already dislike touchscreens - and figure out where the setting is I want to change. There's no tactility to that. It's a flat screen. A simple button arrangement or dial to adjust climate controls, or a physical way to aim the vents, for instance, would have gone a long way in convincing me the Model 3 is worth my attention.

Would I be happy in this car? Perhaps. I'd probably adjust. But something tells me I shouldn't support a car model that messes up in some fundamental ways. Or, I need to stop with my "Get off my lawn!" ways and adapt? I mean, not going to the gas station sounds pretty nice. Either way, I don't think I'm an early adopter type in this case... Having driven a few different new vehicles recently, I am realizing what I like about car interiors is simplicity and ergonomics, which I don't get from the Model 3. Take away the driving experience - would I still want it? Meh, I say.

EZZ

This is a fair assessment. The TM3 interface isn't for everybody but the reason the steering wheel is all controlled through the touchscreen is that every driver has a profile and you can switch drivers more easily this way (it also has easy entry exit so the steering wheel and seat move when you enter/leave the vehicle). What a test drive doesn't confer is the niceties that an all digital car can achieve such as dashcam ability and Sentry mode which shrouds your car with security camera abilities. I love telling my car to cool down to 70 degrees on a hot sunny day, when i know i'll be driving it soon through the Tesla app. The car is also location aware meaning that the mirrors fold when parked at places like malls but don't at home / work...same with Sentry mode as I tend to leave it off when at home.

The best part is that I tend to drive my cars very hard and mechanically, those motors will easily outlast the entire car. Really no penalty for driving fast except for tires i guess. Range isn't an issue...if i drive like i stole the car, i still get a good 150 miles out of the batteries. If i drive like a normal person, it will easily get 250+ miles. Driving hard means that you are literally the fastest car at every stoplight and nothing can keep up...at half throttle, you are far faster than just about everybody. I still charge every night and have a full charge at the start of every day. I average about 2 cents per mile of electricity...thats basically the cheapest form of transportation i've ever had. I honestly have no reason to try and be efficient on range...i never run out of juice on my daily commute so its penalty free fast driving for me.

Once you get used to the functions on the screen, its childsplay to interact with it. I barely have to look and simple things like volume are controlled through steering wheel. The speedometer is eye-level slightly to your right when driving so you get used to it quick. Its just as quick to look at that vs. my IS350 with its speedometer slightly below eye level. As a performance car at the $55k price tag i bought this thing for, its completely unmatched (if you're into that sorta thing )

Lend0

I wouldn't want to be a beta tester for a manufacturer that has issues with the glass, paint, bumpers falling off, panel gaps, etc..

What did they expect building the car outside in a tent? A used Model S makes a lot more sense IMO

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I didn't realize the had feelings

mmarshall

https://www.tesla.com/model3


















There's been lots of interest on the forum lately in both Tesla's Model 3 and in the company's method of doing business, so, I thought I'd at least do a write-up on the 3 and visit the dealership. I'm fortunate enough to live within just a couple miles of one, although it is in a rather congested area with a lot of traffic. And it's not surprising that Tesla would have a retail-outlet there (Tyson's Corner, VA)....that is a business-magnet, home to some of the most expensive business real estate on the East Coast outside of Manhattan Island, and there's a LOT of money in and close to here chasing after new vehicles.


I'd been there once before, a few years ago, to do a static write-up on the Model S (at that time, they had no demos in stock for a test drive, and I had to write up the one in the showroom). I remarked on how the (company-owned) facility there was like a big warehouse, separated into showroom and Parts/Service sections, with almost no creature comforts for customers.....not even a place in the showroom to sit down. The salespeople didn't even have desks.....only the Manager in the showroom had a desk and seat. The outside of the building was painted in the red/white/silver Tesla colors, but also was essentially a converted/painted warehouse. Inside the showroom was a red Model S and a stripped-Testa platform, down to the basic chassis/hardware, which showed you the drivetrain and chassis.


When I visited it again today, it was still the same basic warehouse (little had changed) although a few more things had been added inside on the showroom walls, such as some screen-videos about Tesla products. This time, three new Tesla products were displayed inside...a Model S (which I static-reviewed in the nice cool air...the place was at least air-conditoned), a gull-door Model X, and, of course, a Model 3. But, compared to most nicely-equipped private-franchise dealerships, the place was a joke. When I asked how much a full-recharge would cost for customer-owned Teslas there at that shop (obviously, electricity isn't free), they told me they do not routinely recharge Teslas there for customers on request (even for a fee). I was incredulous, and repeated the question slowly and clearly, to make sure they had heard and understood it correctly...same answer. When I asked why not (as most dealerships that sell EVs or plug-in hybrids DO recharge them for customers), they remarked that they only had a couple of chargers on hand, and that they used them exclusively in the service department for cars in service.


Of course, one does not necessarily go to a dealership to be treated like the Taj Mahal, but to purchase, lease, or sample a vehicle....which is why I was there.....so, time to get down to business. As I mentioned above, I inspected a red Model 3 in the showroom (unbelievable paint job on those Teslas.....just like a mirror), and was generally impressed with its static-build-quality, especially concerning the recent horror stories passed around the media and forums on the sloppy assembly and defect-level of Model 3s at the plant. The trunk-lid shut a little on the light / flimsy side, but the rest of the vehicle seemed reasonably well-screwed together with decent materials. The outside door handles are quirky...push them in on one end to pop the pull-handle out on the other. Instead of a conventional key or electronic fob, outside locking/unlocking is done by swiping an electronic card over a camera-eye built into the drivers' side B-pillar...that feature, if desired, can be programmed into your Smart-Phone with an app.


Inside, this is basically a compact sedan, and even some of that room is compromised by the electric hardware under the floor, especially rear seat height and headroom....the droop-rear roofline, of course, doesn't help. I liked the softly-padded seat cushions (I get turned off by firm-padding), but the shape and contours of the seat and setback itself, though reasonably comfortable, were not the best I've seen. Opening the doors from inside was as almost as quirky as on the outside...you pushed a small, black, difficult-to-see plastic button on the top of the door arm-pulls. The most quirky feature inside, though, was the dash...nothing but a wide strip of wood-tone material (which, I thought, had a nice texture and feel to it). Nothing behind the steering wheel but a piece of that wood. ALL of the dash instruments/controls, except for the plastic gear-shift stalk and turn signal lever on the steering column, and some adjustment-controls on the steering wheel, were located in one large and brilliantly-lit video-screen-casing in the middle of the dash. That alone would be a deal-breaker for me, but some people apparently like the design, and I respect their opinion. Still, to make even simple-adjustments, you had to navigate through dozens of icons on the screen to find what you wanted, then, in some cases, use the controls on the wheel. In back, the cargo area has a small trunk opening, is not terribly roomy inside, but seems to use decently-trimmed materials. There is a small storage compartment under the rear floor.


I requested a test-drive on the AWD version, rather than the RWD (I figured that would make more sense in the area I live in). They picked out a gray AWD model, on the lot, that I (estimated) to be around 40-45K on the list.....none of the new Teslas on that lot had stickers on them. You get in, spend a couple of minutes, with the video-screen and controls, getting the mirrors and seat adjusted through all the control-complexities, and adjust the seat and belt-up conventionally. You check the green battery-charge indicator....a little less than half remaining, or 138 miles to recharge. Press a ready-to-drive button, put your foot on the brake, shift into D (only one forward-speed in the electric-drive transmission, so no manual-shifting), release the brake, and go. And, in some cases, I DO mean GO.


Folks, this is not a car for careless or inattentive drivers. The power and torque level of a Tesla drivetrain has to be experienced to be believed. Say what one will about Elon Musk and his unorthodox business methods, he does know how to put one impressive electric drive-system in his products. You have to be watching the road and traffic ahead of you carefully, or you can get into trouble very quickly....within a matter of a few seconds. Push the electronic throttle-pedal more than a couple of inches, and this thing takes off like a slingshot. Although I'm sure it's not the fastest car on the market today by any means, it's easily the fastest car I have personally sampled since I test-drove a 500+ HP Mercedes E63 AMG several years ago. It will handily dust off all but the very quickest of the American so-called "Muscle" cars I went to high-school with....from what I remember, only the dual-quad 1969-1970 426 Hemi Barracuda/Challenger, triple-deuce-carb 427 Corvette, and, of course, the early-60s 427 AC Shelby Cobra were even close. And those cars, I might add, were not for careless or inattentive drivers either. The Tesla 3, of course, is especially quick, even in this case with the added weight/drag off AWD, because that power and torque is concentrated in a small, light sedan...not in a larger heavier SUV or CUV. Another reason the electric motor is so quick off the line is that this type of motor typically produces most of its power at very low RPMs...theoretically, maximum torque just starting up from rest...and some allowance for that is built into the throttle, so you don't ride up the rear bumper of the car in front of you every time you start up. Because of the quiet nature of the all-electric drivetrain, you could hear some road and wind noise, but both were generally well-muted....driving a Tesla is generally not a noisy experience.


The steering system definitely had a lot of road feel to it.....not only somewhat like older BMWs or Mazda Miatas, but, to an extent, it felt like there was almost no power-assist at all, like the compact cars I learn to drive on in the 1960s. Steering response was fairly quick, and the very low-slung design of the car, together with most of the weight of the electric-hardware being below the seats, led to a very low center of gravity and minimal body roll. I think at least part of the steering-feel on this car is influenced by the light engine up front making a lot of power-assist unnecessary. Some comments have been posted on the Tesla forums about the ride-comfort being harsh, but, on this AWD model, though it certainly is no Lacrosse, I didn't think it was particularly bad, though I was on smooth roads most of the time.


Let off on the Model 3's throttle, and the very effective regenerative-braking from the electric motor slows you in a hurry. You feel a noticeable wave of drag as the braking engages....again, keep that in mind if you have traffic close behind you, on your bumper. You usually don't need to touch the brake pedal much until you are almost at a full stop....one reason why brake pads and rotors last so long in hybrids and full-electric vehicles. That is also the reason why the wheels don't have the big open-cooling slots that conventional vehicles/wheels do...the wheel-brakes simply don't produce much heat, and the face of the wheel is more streamlined and covered for lower air-resistance. The brake pedal is not ideally located for my big size-15 shoe letting off the gas, but that is countered by the fact that in this car, you don't have to use the brakes very often, unless you aggressively use this car's extremely high-power level. The light engine up front, and ideal weight-distribution, also helps with effective braking.


So, say what one will about Musk, his company, his unorthodox personal and business practices (and that's another whole subject)........he delivers what is arguably the most advanced pure-electric mass-produced vehicles available today, in terms of both battery/motor-efficiency, range, charging-capacity, and, of course, enough torque at low RPM to blow the doors off of even some sports cars.

And, as Always, Happy Car-Shopping.
MM

mmarshall

Once again (I don't know why?) I had trouble with type-sizes not uploading evenly. This has happened several times lately.