3: The Car

The Other Happy Owner with Blue

I will make two observations about the Model 3 that sum up the initial impression of the car.

The first impression is that the car is simply like no other. Sitting behind the steering wheel that first night,  the view straight ahead was entirely dark. A 15 inch screen in the center of the dashboard provided all of the information - a huge navigation map, the speedometer and everything else that is normally on all of the gauges, buttons and switches of a normal car. Stepping on the accelerator, the car moved ahead silently as if propelled by a hidden hand, like magic (actually magnetism!)  Lifting up from the accelerator, the car slowed equally silently to a stop without applying the brakes.  That first night felt like driving into an unknown future, but doing so in a spaceship.  I had to call our neighbour for advice on how to get some simple things done!

The second observation is that the car quickly becomes utterly normal.   The controls become second nature and the strangeness of the large display is forgotten. It is just a comfortable, high performance and utterly competent vehicle.

I come to Tesla ownership from a history of owning German cars: BMWs, Audis and Mercedes-Benzes.   For fun I bought an older Bentley and a couple of Mazda Miatas.   In other words, I like good cars, cars that perform and handle well and are built to last.

So, with this background, what do I make of the Model 3?  It lacks a few creature comforts that I have become accustomed to, things like a heated steering wheel, a heads up display and ventilated seats.  I am not a fan of black interiors, and the alternative white interior doesn't really appeal to me. The interior as a whole is simplistic in the extreme and is under designed. I would like to see the interior reflect the aesthetic of recent Mercedes and Volvo cars, but that is a matter of personal taste. I understand that Tesla does not have the luxury of offering multiple options as it ramps up to mass production.  So, everyone gets black with the option of white.

It is a superb car in every respect. It is comfortable, fast and practical.  As far as I can tell, it is well-built. On the road it seems solid and entirely rattle free.   The acceleration is addictive. I look forward to the opportunity to pass slower cars just to feel the thrust of the two electric motors silently propel the car forward, with none of the roaring and revving of a normal engine, as if we are propelled by warp drive.

Even though it has two motors it also has two trunks.  If you open the hood of a Nissan Leaf or a Chevrolet Bolt, you see the source of propulsion, not exactly looking like a normal engine, but still a mess of hoses and machinery.  They have been conceived of as regular cars with a different power train.  In a Model 3, this is all packaged away under or behind the trunks, and this packaging adds to the sense that you are driving something radically different, something radically superior.  This packaging also reminds you that you don't need access to the means of propulsion.  No spark plugs, no oil changes, no maintenance essentially.  So the few oily bits can be safely hidden away.

And yet if you are coming to the car from an Audi or BMW it is instantly familiar in its dimensions, performance, handling and solidity.  Other than its much more immediate acceleration it has the same performance as our 2010 Audi S4 did, and that was by far the best car I had ever owned. 

It is going to be interesting when the Model 3 gets to Europe.  The car is selling like hotcakes in the United States, even though the country is turning its back on sedans in general, in favour of SUVs, and where gasoline is plentiful and cheap.  In Europe, gasoline is expensive, cars are still popular and the environmental ethic has taken deeper root.  The Model 3 will fit in perfectly with the European conception of a mid-sized luxury car.

This is an American car that is going to be a huge hit in Europe.  When did that ever happen before?  And then there is China ...