The Tesla Model 3: that infamous electric car that everybody’s been talking about nonstop for the past year. Finally, I got the chance to drive one. I was really curious to drive the Model 3 and discover what a relatively affordable Tesla had to offer. Were there any sacrifices made in the driving experience? Does the interior have all the quality issues that people say it has? How’s autopilot? What’s it like driving without a conventional gauge cluster? Find out below in my written review.
First getting into the Model 3, the interior makes a solid impression. It doesn’t look quite as plain or minimalist as it does in pictures. In typical Tesla fashion, there’s smooth leather all around, premium wood grain finishes, plenty of storage bins, and a stunning infotainment system. Do wish that not *everything* relied on the infotainment, as just changing your climate fan speed requires you to page through three different menus. The infotainment is easy to use once you get used to it, but it definitely requires a bit of a learning curve. Basic amenities, like headlight controls, wiper controls, and the glovebox opener, are not necessarily easy to find in the infotainment. You’d think the wiper controls would always be in an easy location, but I discovered that they disappear if you bring up a different menu. If a sudden downpour happened while I was driving, I definitely wouldn’t want to be paging through my infotainment just to activate the wipers.
As for not having a conventional gauge cluster, I ran into a few issues. The speed is displayed on the center screen in a location where it’s easy to look at while you’re driving, so as far as speed and range information, I didn’t really have any problems. I would have liked a typical gauge cluster when I was using autopilot, though. Autopilot tells you when to input steering correction and when the system can’t steer around a corner. However, all that information is placed in the lower left portion of the screen, and I kept having to take my eyes off the road and look down at what autopilot was doing and how it was performing. Having that information displayed in the gauge cluster would have made the experience a bit less dramatic and nerve-wracking.
As for autopilot, I’d say that it works well for an autonomous system. The lane tracing works great, although there was a point where I hit a sharper curve on the interstate and autopilot suddenly couldn’t handle it. There was one point where the car started heading towards the highway barrier and I quickly had to correct the wheel. You always have to be on your toes expecting to take over control at any second, so I didn’t find using autopilot to be very enjoyable in that sense. The warnings to take over steering control or input steering response are not obvious enough, either. All you get is a soft ‘ding’ (the same ding noise that the car always makes), and a tiny message in the bottom of the center screen. It would have been much better if Tesla had put a small screen where the gauge cluster would normally be, or a heads up display, specifically devoted to displaying speed and autopilot functions.
I would probably use autopilot on a deserted interstate in Texas or Montana, but I wouldn’t use it on a Philly-area expressway. The self-steering is great when it works, but the general lack of control combined with the somewhat inconveniently placed notification center is what I don’t really like about it. I also found that it brakes too early and too hard at any minor slow down on the interstate, and it takes about a second or two longer than I would like before it begins to resume speed. The Model 3 resumes speed quickly when it recognizes that it needs to, so I enjoyed that aspect of it. The lane change function works great too, as Autopilot delivers very smooth, timely, and safe lane changes. It even cancels out the turn signal when you’re done.
Okay, so enough about autopilot. What is the Model 3 actually like to drive? Well, it drives much like all the other Teslas. It feels like a smaller Model S. Heavy and responsive steering, on-rails handling, firm but smooth ride, fairly hushed road noise, and instantaneous torque from the electric motor. However, unlike other Teslas, the visibility in the Model 3 is somewhat poor. The windshield is nice and tall, and the front hood slopes down out of your line of sight. However, the A pillars are on the thick side, the side mirrors are a little too small, and the rearview mirror is practically useless because of how limited your view is back there.
Aside from some ergonomic and visibility issues, the Model 3 was a blast to drive. Not only that, but it’s shockingly easy to drive as well. The electric motor gives you this silky smooth, constant wave of torque right when you put your foot down. Off the line, the electric motor can feel a little soft in its power delivery, but it builds up in a very smooth and progressive fashion. Once you hit 10 mph, the power builds up extensively and sends you flying down the road. Throttle response is really well calibrated to give you an exact image of what the electric motor is doing as well. You can easily modulate your speed, and maintaining a constant speed is super easy. I was shocked to read that the 0-60 is 5.2 seconds, because the Model 3 Mid Range feels far quicker than that. It’s refreshing driving a car that just kind of “goes” without a lumpy feeling power band, a jerky or unresponsive transmission, a loud engine, etc. Steering your way around a corner is a blast because the Model 3 just takes off upon exiting the corner without hesitation. There’s just always gobs of power whenever you want it. Overall, the Model 3 is very refined and linear in just about everything it does, including the power delivery.
Steering response in the Model 3 is great. With only two turns to lock, it’s a very quick steering ratio. I will say that the turning radius wasn’t the best, but the actual steering response is great. Surprisingly, you actually get some pavement feedback through the wheel. I was expecting the steering to feel somewhat numb, being that this is an electric car, but it’s actually one of the best executions of electric steering out of any modern car that I’ve driven. I was able to feel some pavement creases and get a sense of the road surface I was driving on through the steering, which is super impressive and not necessarily commonplace for most modern cars with electric steering. It’s got a hefty weight to it, a solid on-center feel, and a great feeling of inertia and pull towards center when you’re rounding corners. The steering really communicates what the car is doing and where the front wheels are very well. It’s precise and quick to respond as well. There is practically no play in the wheel at all. In sport mode, the steering can feel slightly twitchy and a little too “muscular”, but still provides you with a very solid steering feel, and the Model 3 is very easy to control. I left the steering in sport mode for the majority of my drive, because despite feeling a little too quick, I thought it was the most solid and communicative compared to the other steering modes. Comfort mode reduces the steering weight by a very slight amount and tailors back the response a little, but it’s still a hefty, responsive, and communicative steering feel even in its comfort setting. Overall, I have zero complaints with the Model 3’s steering feel.
Handling of the Model 3 is great. This car can compete with German sport sedans in the way that it handles. The body stays very flat and rigid around turns. The Model 3 feels a little heavy, but that translates into a very solid and grounded driving experience. This car would be a blast in autocross or on the track. Cornering feels linear, accurate, and smooth, while maintaining a good level of aggression and muscle in the chassis. Like I mentioned above, the electric motor provides instantaneous torque when exiting a corner, making backroads in the Model 3 all the more enjoyable. You don’t have to wait for a sluggish automatic to downshift or for an unresponsive CVT to start putting the power down. Just snap your fingers and the Model 3 whips around that apex and gets you right back up to speed. Overall, the Model 3 has very flat and nimble handling. It grips the road surprisingly well, and it feels as though nothing can shake it. You do feel a very slight amount of sidewall lean if you’re going really hard around a corner, so I do think more grippy performance tires could do wonders for this thing.
As for the regenerative braking, I actually enjoyed the feel of it. You kind of just rest your foot on the accelerator all the time, gently lifting off or applying more pressure to modulate your speed. It does feel a little strange when you let off the accelerator and feel the car slowing down, but I was able to get used to it pretty quickly. It gives you a better idea on how fast you’re going, and it improves your control over the speed you’re going, if that makes sense. I also like how the diagram of the Model 3 in the center screen shows when your brake lights are illuminated under the regenerative braving. Granted, I left the Model 3 in its lowest regenerative setting, as I thought the standard regenerative braking was too jerky and sudden. I imagine I would only use the standard regenerative braking if I was low on range and wanted to conserve battery power.
Ride quality in the Model 3 is firm but smooth. You do feel some bumps now and then, and sometimes the steering wheel can track ever so slightly with creases and indents, but the dampening and shock absorption is excellent. You feel the road a little more but never feel like you’re getting thrown around or like your coffee is going to spill all over the place. On smooth pavement, the Model 3 rides amazingly well, and the body stays flat and rigid.
Road/wind noise in the Model 3 is pretty quiet. Obviously since there’s no engine, the wind noise is definitely more prominent, but never loud or intrusive. You don’t hear any tire noise or braking noise, or any other types of noises associated with cost cutting. Overall, a nice and refined cabin environment.
The general response of the Model 3 is excellent. Most hybrid/electric vehicles have somewhat of a funky braking characteristic, but the Model 3’s brake pedal feels firm and natural. The brakes do feel just slightly spongy when you’re creeping up in traffic or nearing a complete stop, but overall they feel stable and powerful, with a meaty and solid bite in the brake pedal. Accelerator pedal is also quite firm, and has a very linear and progressive response it it. As I mentioned above, the accelerator pedal feels perfectly tuned with what the electric motor is doing. You never really have to go deep into the throttle to get a nice, linear, quick response from the electric motor. Passing power is super easy, as you just dip into the throttle a tiny bit and the Model 3 takes off. Regenerative braking is very well executed through the throttle as well, at least in it’s “low” setting.
As I mentioned above, the visibility is pretty horrendous in the back. The rear sight lines are very narrow, all you get is a tiny sliver of back window and that’s it. Even though the back window is very small, the rearview mirror is even smaller and doesn’t frame the back window very well. The rear deck is very high up, one of the highest I’ve ever seen, which makes it very hard to see the road behind you. Everything behind you looks much farther away than it actually is, and because the rearview mirror was so far outside of my peripheral vision, I just started relying more on my side mirrors. I also found that the side mirrors were unexpectedly small, and cars would get lost in my blind spot a little too often. You do have a very nice backup camera, so rearward visibility isn’t that big of a deal, but I still think that side and rearward visibility were somewhat overlooked when Tesla designed this car.
As for interior materials and potential quality issues, there are some rattles in the Model 3. I was definitely hearing some rattling coming from the center screen while driving over bumpy road surfaces. It didn’t really bother me, as this is still a great car to drive, but that may bother some people who are spending upwards of $50K on one of these. The seats are very comfortable, with a good amount of bolstering and smooth leather, as well as a nice blend of cushiness and firmness. The actuators for the interior door button openers feel solid and even somewhat fun to use, in my opinion. The turn signal and shifter stalks feel tactile and well-built, and the steering wheel feels great to the touch. Rear seat legroom and headroom is excellent, and the back seat in the Model 3 gives you a nice open and airy environment thanks to the glass roof. Having to get the card out to unlock the doors and hold it over the interior scanner to drive the car was a little annoying, but if I owned this car I would probably just do all of that through my smartphone. Trunk space is enormous, and the front trunk is good for storing small items.
Overall, I enjoyed the Model 3. The handling was flat and rigid, the acceleration and response from the electric motor was amazing, and the ride quality and wind noise were very good. I got plenty of stares in this thing, and even a couple of compliments. People see BMWs and Audis all the time, but the Model 3 is generally a rare and large status car, all for a somewhat inexpensive $35-50K. Everybody knows what a Tesla is, even people who aren’t car fans, but not everybody recognizes or really cares about a Mercedes or a BMW, unless it’s a super expensive $100K+ model. Driving the Model 3 around made me feel like I was in the coolest car on the road, and just “better” than everyone else in their posh Lexuses and Acuras.
I did have some issues with the ergonomics in the center screen, and the interior rattled a bit. Visibility was also somewhat poor, especially rearward visibility, and the Model 3 generally felt bigger on the road compared to how it looked from the outside. I also found that the safety “nannies” were a little intrusive, as the car beeps at you if you get slightly too close to an object and cross over your lane a bit. However, you do get one of the best backup cameras in the business, and I liked the diagram showing you all the cars around you as you drive. Autopilot could be a little better in my opinion, especially when it comes to notifying you to take over control, but it’s still super impressive that this car can steer itself through the lanes, and keep itself perfectly centered while it’s doing it. Very comfortable interior with ample space and storage, and a very practical vehicle as well. I’d definitely recommend the Model 3 to anyone, as long as you’re okay with long charging times, some slight interior quality issues, and trying to be more conservative with your range.