Sorry, Elon – Tesla Model 3 much better than expected (#CleanTechnica Review)



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Cars

Posted on July 15, 2018 |
by Zachary Shahan

July 15, 2018 by Zachary Shahan


I thought the model 3 would be great, top of its class, similar to the S model we had for about a year . However, it seems that I was caught off guard because of Tesla's incessant improvements and all the constant attacks from Tesla's critics (paid or unpaid) who seem to have influenced my time a bit ( yes, even me ). Model 3 is better than I expected. I expected to like it, but I did not expect to like it so much. In particular, there were a handful of little things that made the car significantly more comfortable as a passenger and more enjoyable to drive than our 2015 Model 85 D. 85

This is not our first comparison of these cars, and he will not be our last. A Tesla Model 3 will join the fleet of CleanTechnica later this week when Kyle Field will receive a black model 3 in California. He had plenty of time with the Model S (which he had used to own), BMW i3, Mercedes B250e (which his wife drove for years), Chevy Bolt, and a dozen others electric cars to write on the model 3 excels and where he could use a little work. My review here is just based on a few short records, sitting in a couple of models 3 for a while (two owners were kind enough to drive their Tampa cars for me to experience them), and how it all compares to years EV driving in 20-30 different electric cars.

Before I go any further, I must say that I suffer from bias – I am enormously biased in favor of high quality products. I like cool stuff. I like stuff that feels good, looks good and looks good. Heck, I even like things that smell good. In addition, I have cash on Tesla [TSLA] because I think it 'sa good company that makes incredible products, innovates like crazy and demonstrates great value. true leadership. I would not invest in the company if I did not consistently find that it creates high quality products unmatched in the market. Did I mention that I am biased towards high quality products?

After having had a Model S 85D in my stable for about a year, and even driving it from Poland to Paris, I thought I could pretty much understand how Model 3 would feel. I was on several topics. Model 3 was better than expected in at least 7 ways. Rather than doing a comprehensive and comprehensive review (of which there are plenty), I focus on the things that surprised me and the things I find particularly interesting compared to the Model S and BMW i3, that I consider the closest electric competitor to Model 3 in a few major ways (and not at all a competitor in other ways).

Opening of the Door : This may have the impression of being a small thing, but I am I found in time that the routine opening and closing experience of the door has a more important and lasting effect on people's feelings about a car that we generally assume. Open the door of a model 3 from the outside is certainly not as difficult as have made several people. It did not take any practice or weird maneuvers. I just pressed the handle on one side and pulled it on the other – easy. It was good and clean. Maybe it might be challenging in some situations, but I would have to test a lot to see if that is the case.

Open the doors from the inside is awesome. There are two ways to do this on the front seats, the seemingly preferred way being the push of a button near where your thumb rests when you hold the door handle. This opens the door automatically – in a way that is so typically Tesla. For a reason I can not explain, I prefer that much more than a normal manual door handle, which feels less and fun.

The doors sound good when closed and the cars checked had a great fit and finish. With our model S of 2015, I could see what people were complaining about the door when it was closed, even though I did not see it as something that justified complaining and I do not think any normal person noticed it. But for those who complain about the sound of a 3 model that closes, I must recommend to put the crack in place.

In net, I'd like to have the self-presented door handles of the S model, inside the button to open the door offsets that. And there is surely less maintenance cost for the Model 3 door handles than for the Model S autoproducer handles.

So, when it comes to opening and closing the door , I would give a slight advantage to Model 3. ( I reserve the right to change my opinion in time .)

Seats : After so much obsession over the years about Tesla not having comfort seats, and after some public disappointment about the seats revealed when the Model 3 hit production, I did not expect to a lot of the seats of the model 3. I thought that they would be bearable, moderate. I was therefore pleasantly surprised when I sat in the car and that the seats were as comfortable as in any car – be it Mercedes, Porsche or BMW.

Seats are strange because different body types can have very different preferences. For my tall and slender body type, the front seats on the Model 3 seem to be as good as it gets. The rear seats were more comfortable than I expected, but depending on who's in front of me, they might be a bit cramped for a very long trip. I measure a little over 6 feet tall and the space was almost narrowed behind the driver 's seat from 6 "to 2", while there was a tremendous amount of noise. space behind the seat of his partner (it was not not 6 "2").

Compared to our model S 2015, the seats of model 3 are much more pleasant, but they are comparable to the seats of a new model S. However, the environment of the front passenger seat seems better designed and I think more comfortable if, for example, you wanted to write or edit items during a long road trip – or just around the city from somewhere else Yes, maybe it's not a normal need, but it's a thing that gives the model 3 a slight advantage for me. ( However, I could use a little more time in a new Model S to make sure I do not forget the design improvements in newer versions of the model. )

Storage : The boot of Model 3 is huge. It's not as expansive as what the Model S has to offer, but my wife and I are doing well with the i3 trunk, so we would definitely have no problem with the much more cavernous storage areas of the Model 3. YMMV

The frown is not as big as the S model, but it is clearly enough for groceries, small luggage, tennis equipment, or d & # 39; other goodies that you will prefer to put in the frown. That's one thing I miss now that we have an i3

Quality of Driving : The acceleration seemed to me extremely similar to the # 39, acceleration of our Model S 85D. It would be difficult for me to distinguish them. Of course, a P100D is in a completely different league – power is power – but I should take the wheel of a Performance Model 3 and a P100D to learn more about these high-end options. (Maybe soon.)

Manipulate, as expected, was a lot nicer in the Model 3. The smaller size, the almost invisible hood, and the cool steering wheel make the Model 3 a special type of Tesla. I was expecting to enjoy the maneuverability of the Model 3, and I had been waiting for a long time for this to be something that would make me prefer Model 3 to Model S, but I liked it more than I thought. It's really great. The turns were also more pleasing as passengers than they did in our 2015 Tesla Model S 85D, which I suppose to be largely due to the seats. (I need a little more time in a new S model to make a comfortable comparison.)

I was worried that model 3 would still look "too big" but this is not the case. The short hood had an effect similar to the short hood of our BMW i3. The clean and minimalist dashboard helps you feel closer to the road and allows you to fully enjoy the driving experience.

The Roof : The glass roof of a Model S is wonderful, but I found that the roof of the Model 3 was pretty cool. It is particularly useful in the rear seat. For a person tall enough (not so tall, but as I have written, more than 6 feet), the glass roof makes the rear seat much more comfortable than the rear seat of a S model. I m sitting at the back of a S model, my head leans against the car. In model 3, this is not the case. It does not feel crowded because of the open and expansive windows on the roof.

One of the owners of the Model 3 who came from Tampa to let me explore the car did not seem bothered by the sun canopy The sun and heat of southwestern Florida, but the couple with the # 39, another model 3 was completely tinted because one of them found that the sun and the heat were flowing too much. In my time in the car that had only a little hue on the back, I could not notice anything unpleasant with the air conditioning, but it was later in the day and shortly after a thunderstorm in which I've annihilated it on a slippery sidewalk and got soaked, so I'll have to evaluate another day. In the end, however, you know the phrase: YMMV

The touch screen : Dude, after so much concern worrying about the location of the Speedometer, I must say that I still trust Tesla's critics and I trust Elon Musk even more. The location of the speedometer makes it extremely easy to see without distraction. The touch screen is also easier to access than expected, more than in the S model. This is due in part to the reduced size of the car and to the horizontal orientation and the way in which the touch screen comes out of the dashboard. [19659008] Center console : I love the Model 3 center console a little more than the Model S. center console. Just love a little more interior design and orientation but do not take this as a dramatic preference. Maybe my opinion will change the next time I sit in the car. Both are more useful than the dinky console we have in the i3, but they also block the beautiful, empty floor space between the front seats of the i3 i actually love and use whenever i go somewhere. I call it a clean wash

Minimalism : As I have already said and written many times, I am a big fan of Tesla's minimalism. The minimalism of the Tesla race is unbeatable. Nothing that I have experienced compares it. I hear that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but it's one of those "little things" of the car that brings me closer to the checkout register

] The hood : Some things you do not notice well enough until you drive the car. I have noted above that the hood is "almost invisible" from the driver's seat. However, there are some sharp "muscular" lines to the sides of the hood that appear. They are subtle, but they also look amazing on the driver's seat. The Model S has something similar, but as I've said too many times, the Model S is too big for my taste, and I think these lines on the Model S hood make the car narrower than it is. She does, creating an invitation for an accident or at least a scraping.

The colors after a rain : The pretty colors of the water fall on the roof after a rain which is one of my little favorite things to about the car. I am surprised that they are not getting more attention. These are the things that just make a Tesla Tesla, IMHO. A Tesla is not just a better BMW. A special Tesla

A special thanks to Paul Fosse (photo below next to the guy with the whimsical eyes and teeth of Bugs Bunny) for taking his model 3 on a road trip to let me test and also bringing a couple of friends into their own model 3 – who could have sold me on white.

Oh yes, so why excuse yourself with Elon? For my part, I have underestimated what he and his team did with the model 3. For two, it seems without realizing that I've bought pitches somehow Tesla's critics had made about the car. expectations. Maybe I did not expect the doors to fall, but I did not expect them to be as beautiful and healthy as they did. Maybe I did not expect the seats to be completely nil, but I did not expect them to be so nice.


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Tags: Tesla, Tesla Model 3, Tesla Model 3 Long-Term Review, Tesla Model 3 reviews


About the Author

Zachary Shahan Zach is trying to help the company to help (and other species). He spent most of his time here CleanTechnica as director and editor. He is also the president of Important Media and the director / founder of EV Obsession and Solar Love . Zach is recognized worldwide as an expert in electric vehicles, solar energy and energy storage. He has presented clean technologies at conferences in India, the United Arab Emirates, Ukraine, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, the United States and Canada.

Zach has long-term investments in TSLA, FSLR, SPWR, SEDG and ABB – after years of covering solar energy and electric vehicles, he simply has confidence in these companies and feels like good companies cleantech to invest. it does not offer any professional investment advice and would prefer not to be responsible for your loss of money, so do not jump to conclusions.



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