You’ll notice that the only gauge here is the speedometer, in the upper left-hand corner. I’d rather use the built-in traffic monitoring system better known as “my swiveling head,” but the system in the Model 3 is well-executed and useful. If you’d like to see this screen in action, click here as you can see, the left-hand display monitors surrounding traffic using cameras built into the Model 3’s B-pillars, and if you change lanes, a video picture of your blind spot appears. On the plus side, the base sound system was excellent, with bright, punchy delivery.Īt some point, you’re going to want to drive this car, versus fiddling around with all these submenus, and when you’re in motion, the screen appears as above. ![]() Given that systems like CarPlay are now standard on an $18,000 Nissan Versa, this is a curious choice, but I’m sure the arrangement makes a few bucks for Tesla. So, if you’re into streaming music, you’ll be using the options provided by Tesla, or an old-fashioned Bluetooth connection if you want to change your playlist, you have to either talk to Siri or pick up the phone and do it manually. ![]() Curiously, the Model 3 does not support Apple CarPlay or Android Auto, and the touchscreen doesn’t support any kind of interface with any music service other than the ones Tesla builds in (which do not include Apple Music or Amazon). The bottom of the screen handles the most-used adjustments - the sound system and HVAC - you can add shortcuts to the center bottom screen as you like. Other menus handle adjustments to the car’s steering, drive modes, and charging data (more on those in a moment). You’ll notice that two of the functions shown in this submenu above are for the mirrors and steering wheel - to adjust either, you hit the switch for the appropriate function, and then use the two rotary “wheels” on the steering wheel to make the adjustments. ![]() Selecting any menu item brings up a submenu. Aside from 19-inch sport wheels - a $1,500 option that I’d pop for simply to avoid the rather ugly base “aero” wheels - my tester was plain-Jane but came quite well equipped with all the power goodies you’d expect at this price.Īs optioned, my tester would go for $43,380 as a 2023 model, before any potential tax credits - about the same money as you’d spend on a moderately equipped Audi A4 or BMW 3-series sedan, both of which are similarly sized and appeal to the same yuppie buyers.īy pressing the car icon on the bottom left-hand part of the screen, you can access the Model 3’s master menu, as you can see from the picture above. Quite a few Model 3s were sold to Hertz, which is how I got my mitts on my test car, a base RWD model without the $6,000 Enhanced Autopilot or $15,000 Full Self Driving options. After an almost legendary “production hell” period early in the Model 3’s existence, Tesla has moved almost a million of these worldwide as this is written. I think it’s hard to understate the Model 3’s impact on the car business - it wasn’t the first EV, but it was the first one to achieve true mass-market acceptance. note – Maybe if the company loaned cars to journalists for review. Neither will this review, which will be in two parts - today’s article will be a review of the Model 3 itself, and a subsequent article will detail my “EV experience” that came with this vehicle. And if you love driving - which I do - you’ll be glad to know that if EVs like the Model 3 are “the future,” then the future might be different, but it won’t be at all dim. It’s complicated.Ĭomplicated things are never boring, and neither is the Model 3. ![]() It’s a lovable car, even if it’s not easy to love. I spent a day with a rented Tesla Model 3 on a recent trip to Los Angeles, and I’m here to tell you that the Model 3, like the company that made it, is equal parts innovation and exasperation. All of this tends to polarize people into “Love Tesla” and “Loathe Tesla” camps, but I think both camps would agree about the brand’s impact - the company has revolutionized the way mass-market cars are designed, powered, and sold.īut something’s been missing from all this Tesla talk on TTAC - an actual test of a Tesla*. And Tesla’s existence is inextricably linked to politics, the ongoing “Full Self Driving” soap opera, and the Almighty’s gift to headline writers himself, Elon Musk. For some, it’s a synonym for disruption and innovation for others, that disruption and innovation aren’t all that welcome. Tesla clearly isn’t just a car manufacturer anymore - it’s a buzzword.
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