More than any car I’ve seen or driven, the Tesla Model 3 is unusually susceptible to curb rash on both passenger side rims. This can be attributed to the fact that the metal rims stick out farther than the rubber and also to the important subtlety that the design of the Model 3 makes it feel like a much smaller, sportier car.
Electric vehicle activist, early adopter, and now Model 3 owner Paul Fosse was kind enough to take his fresh Tesla Model 3 an hour or so south to let me drive it. He also brought along some friends and their Model 3 for double the chocolate, double the fun. (Actually, I think no chocolate was involved — whoops.)
We took delivery of our Tesla Model 3 last week, and even as a long-time Tesla driver, there were a number of things that stood out — some positive, and a few not so much.
The Tesla Model 3 has been shipping for just over a year now in a single powertrain configuration — the Long Range version with the Performance Upgrade Package. Tesla shared that the focus on versions of the car with higher profit margins was key to ramping up production in a financially wise way — leading to what it hopes to be the start of sustainable profitability in Q3 of this year.
As a new Tesla Model 3 owner, I have struggled with the bluetooth phone connection that is supposed to serve as the primary key for the car. I shared about this in a post detailing some of my learnings from the first 24 hours with the car and was met with a flurry of comments about the phone key. This article will dive deeper into my phone key situation and add further context from around the interwebs from other Tesla Model 3 owners.
The Tesla Model 3 is the defining car of this generation. The first car to truly set the bar for what an affordable electric car can be. The only problem is that … well, it isn’t that affordable. Yet. Let’s rewind for a minute to see where this tale started.
I thought the Model 3 would be great, top of its class, similar to the Model S we’ve had for a year. However, it seems I was caught off guard due to Tesla’s incessant improvements and all of the nitpicky, consistent attacks from Tesla critics (paid or otherwise). The Model 3 is better than I expected. I expected to love it, but I didn’t expect to love 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 S 85D.
A keen-eyed reader over at the Tesla Model 3 Owners Club noticed that Tesla has shortened up the delivery window on the three variants of its Long Range Model 3.
With our factory fresh Tesla Model 3 back from the body shop, and Memorial Day weekend upon us, it was time for my family’s first real road trip in our new electric car. As first-time EV owners, how would we handle the trip? Would range anxiety kick in? Would we get stranded by the side of the road, out of juice? Or would things be more or less comparable to driving an ICE car … only better? Read on to find out.
Our first thorough review of the Tesla Model 3, testing the car through the redwoods of Northern California.
