Tesla Got A Lot of Things Right

Tesla Model 3 Early Impressions - it's as good as we hoped it would be

Tesla has finally started shipping Model 3 in significant numbers, and as a Roadster owner, an early reservation holder and a California resident, I've been lucky enough to get one of the first batches of cars sent to non-employees, and have been spending the last two days driving it, giving test rides, and trying to figure out everything I can about the car over the course of this busy holiday weekend.

From article, (Tesla has finally started shipping Model 3 in significant numbers, and as a Roadster owner, an early reservation holder and a California resident, I’ve been lucky enough to get one of the first batches of cars sent to non-employees, and have been spending the last two days driving it, giving test rides, and trying to figure out everything I can about the car over the course of this busy holiday weekend.

Without getting too into the weeds (yet), I want to share some of my early impressions.  

After seeing my car and three other “first batch to the public” cars up close in the last couple days, I can report that the cars by and large do not seem to have significant issues with panel gaps.

On to the driving.  The first thing I noticed is that the handling is superb.  The car feels very “pointy” – it’s extremely responsive on turn-in, and feels much more nimble than a Model S due to its ~1,000lb lower weight.  There is virtually no body roll due to the low center of gravity.  The steering in sport mode feels perfect and responsive, though there are comfort and standard modes as well if you prefer lighter weight on the steering wheel. Keep in mind here my daily driver is a Roadster.

I need to underline that whole paragraph.  This car’s handling is really great.  I love it.  I really really love it.  It’s my favorite thing about the car so far.

Interior room is ample.  Headroom and legroom are not going to be a concern for the vast majority of passengers, the headroom is positively cavernous and the glass roof makes the rear feel very open.  As for width, with three below-average sized passengers in the back, the shoulder room was “okay, about as good as you’d expect from a sedan this size.”  This is a real five-seater.

The car is very quiet inside, even at highway speed.  Bluetooth calls are clear and easy to understand both for the driver and for the person on the other side of the call.

The screen is is smaller and has fewer functions than that of the S/X, but it is much more touch-responsive and has a snappier user interface.  Switching the map view from streets to full satellite view happens almost instantly, dragging and zooming the map is smooth, and there’s no lag when interacting with touch buttons needed while driving.  This is good, because a touchscreen interface can require more attention than physical buttons, and lag just increases the time the driver isn’t paying attention to the road, so minimizing lag is very important and Tesla has done this very well in the Model 3.

EV fans have all spent the last few years with a strange mixture of excitement, hopefulness and nervousness, wanting the Model 3 to be everything we hoped for but fearing that it might miss that mark, or that there might be other problems with Tesla which result in the car being less than promised or expected.  But, from early impressions, Tesla seems to have done it.  The car is great.  You can all take a breath now.)