After much more than three years of waiting I picked up my model 3 from Tesla’s Edinburgh service centre at the end of June and drove it home to northern Ireland through a 5-day route around the Scottish Highlands.
So, after 3 months and over 3,500 miles, here are some thoughts on the car.
Hyvä – parempi – Paras
When I placed my purchase (May 2019) there were 3 different versions available in the UK. The range topping ‘Performance’, the ‘Long range AWD’, and the starter priced ‘Standard range Plus’, which is the one I went for.
Tekniikka ja laitteet
Even in this base model 3 the standard equipment list is excellent…
Kaksoisvyöhyke
12-suuntainen virta säädettävät lämmitetyt etuistuimet
15 ″ kosketusnäyttö
Satelliittinavigaattori
Automaattinen himmennys, virran taittaminen, lämmitetyt sivupeilit
Music and media over Bluetooth
Custom chauffeur profiles
Centre console with storage and 4 USB ports
Premium seat material and trim
Päivitetty ääni – kiehtova ääni
LED -etusumuvalaisimet (ei enää sisälly)
Sovellushallinta
Avaimeton sisäänkäynti
Telakointi 2 älypuhelimelle
There are also numerous other features that don’t fit into the typical car categories such as TeslaCam, a dashcam system that includes ‘Sentry Mode’ to monitor your car when it is parked.
There are 8 cameras, 12 sonar sensors and a radar all feeding the new v3 AI computer. The system is learning continuously as the neural net gets better and better – view this video if you want to learn much more (much more).
Passive keyless entry comes courtesy of Bluetooth and the smartphone app and this works really well. just walk up to the car with your phone in your pocket and pull the door deal with for it to unlock. step in and put your foot on the brake pedal. The car is now on. Loistava.
Photo credit report – reinisbphotography
When you leave, it locks itself once your phone is a few metres away. You can set an option to give a quick beep of the horn to confirm this or you can look back and view for the door mirrors folding in if you choose a silent confirmation.
In addition, the car comes with 2 RFID ‘credit cards’ that can be used to lock / unlock and start it too. An optional £140 essential fob is also available but neither it nor the cards support the passive walk-up lock / unlock the way the phone app does. [Päivitys] Uudella päivitetyllä näppäinfobilla, joka on juuri julkaistu
If you are concerned about the safety and security of any of these devices then you can simply turn on ‘PIN to Drive’ to add the additional requirement to enter a personal identification number to start your car.
The 15.4-inch (39 cm) LCD landscape touchscreen is the single point of control for the car, even opening the glovebox is done from here.
Klikkaa suurentaaksesi
The interface takes a bit of learning, but it rewards. Its chock-full of little touches that you need to discover too. For example, a micro-flick of any of the seat controls is a shortcut to bring up the mirror and steering wheel adjustment options. press and hold the volume or temperature icons on the screen and you can slide your finger left and best to set the level.
The screen can be distracting though and the wiper controls in particular are ripe for improvement. Päivitys kaksoisnapsauttamalla varren päähän pyyhkimien saamiseksi nopeudella 1 auttaisi. The software-controlled car setting is not up to the task currently, not detecting rain early enough or wiping often enough, and in some cases wiping for no reason. This is because Tesla are using their cameras and AI to detect rain, rather than a dedicated sensor like many (all?) other car manufacturers. It ought to get better over time hopefully.
Näyttö siirtyy pimeään yötilaan ajan perusteella.
As for the lack of a binnacle behind the wheel, this is something you forget within about 20 minutes of your first drive. My better half said she was already used to the speedo being in the centre of the car just from being in the passenger seat. It’s a similar change to your iphone losing its home button, something you soon never even think about. some of the advantages are better visibility out the front of the car and fresh air for the chauffeur straight through the steering wheel through the smart slotted fan system.
The HomeLink garage door opener is no longer included in any model 3 but can be added for $300. That price includes the (bumper off) fitting at a Tesla service centre.
Even though it’s a saloon, the model 3 has a hatch back shape and occasionally you do miss having a rear wiper to clear the screen. many times the rear video camera is able to compensate though. even with the rear window clear, its high line doesn’t offer great visibility behind you. canine owners and other hatchback fans might choose the model Y coming in 2021?
Autopilotti
Basic Autopilot features are now standard on all model 3’s and that’s as it ought to be as Tesla are probably known for this tech above all else. So now every car has adaptive cruise control (right down to a standstill), auto-steering and a lane departure cautioning system.
At the time of ordering the option was there to pay another £4,900 for the FSD (Full Self Driving) package which adds Summon, car Lane Change, Autopark and navigate on Autopilot. some of these features are not available yet in the UK due to legislative issues. The hardware for them is fitted to every car so they can be enabled for a fee at any time in the future, although you’ll pay much more than if you paid for it along with the car. I think this is bad value, particularly with the current restrictions here.
The radar cruise control is a step backwards in some instances. I like to hit cruise when I come into a 30mph or 40mph zone and with dumb systems this works well. but with the Tesla ‘intelligent’ radar the car regularly shits itself and jumps on the brakes. in some cases this is due to a parked car (that’s not in your path), in some cases a pedestrian or car safely crossing a long way down the road from you, in some cases for no obvious reason at all. This makes you A) very annoyed, B) look like a tool to anybody following you and C) wish you could have good old vanilla cruise back round town. In fairness this was mostly the same in the last car I owned that had traffic aware cruise control too. Let’s hope it’s another one of those things that “gets better over time”.
On the motorway however, the system is mostly excellent. This is what it was made for and where it performs at its best. I drove the M6 from Manchester to Gretna completely on Autopilot and it was brilliant, bar the odd blip, mostly at off ramps where there’s a break in the white lines on the left-hand side. The car nags you too often (every 15 seconds on the motorway) to keep your hands on the wheel, even when they are already there, and you have to put some torque into the wheel for it to sense you.
The model 3 currently does not read road signs like its older Mobileye equipped siblings, so it’s depending on GPS data for speed limits. I’ve found that on numerous roads these details are wrong and this is particularly annoying when the cruise control matches itself to the speed limit.
Apps, software data & Fun
The Mobile app is excellent, allowing you to control certain aspects of the vehicle, like its temperature, locks, headlights and horn, plus the ability to monitor its location and state of charge. It’s particularly enjoyable to use after coming from the abomination that was the Nissan leaf app. push notifications are helpful too and come through on the Apple view as well.
Obviously the app requires connectivity to the car and several times now my 3 has lost its LTE connection for around a day implying the app is only able to control things when in Bluetooth range.
Tesla -sovellus – Napsauta suurentaaksesi
I also registered for the 3rd party TeslaFi service and I love the amazing range of stats it logs for the car. After each drive I get an email showing the information below and this is all available online too.
Teslafi -matkan yhteenveto – Napsauta suurentaaksesi
I’ve had 5 software updates because I got the car and version 10 is due any day now. These OTA (over the air) updates are particularly impressive, improving the cars features as well as adding new ones. It’s just another area where Tesla are showing the way to the rest of the industry.
Tesla’s sense of humour is well documented (fart mode anyone?). slightly much more helpful are the on-board games and version 10 will bring the ability to view Netflix and YouTube while parked and on Wi-Fi.
Performance, dealing with & Ride
The model 3 feels rapid and its 0-60 time of 5.3 seconds is just half a second shy of the E46 M3 I had a few years back. Not bad for the slowest car Tesla currently sells.
However, the car’s many outstanding acceleration seems to be from around 40 mph on (Auto express magazine reports 30-50mph in 1.9 seconds and 50-70mph in 2.6 seconds). While all electric cars are governed to some extent, the initial acceleration from zero feels like it’s being held back very artificially on the SR+. I guess this is probably so the 0-60 performance of this lightest model 3 (the smallest battery and no front motor) aren’t too close to the times of the much more expensive 3’s, S and X. It certainly feels like it could easily be ‘uncorked’ at a later date.
It’s worth mentioning that performance tails off as the battery level goes down. I’d like to see some of the car mags do 0-60’s for every 10% drop in SoC (state of charge) to quantify this.
In addition to that powerful instant torque, the Tesla’s ultra-low centre of gravity implies it handles extremely well too. I had read about the GoKart like flat cornering and it’s all true. An added benefit of placing the cars heaviest component, the battery, between the wheels implies that the car has a low polar moment of inertia. even the rear motor sits slightly ahead of the rear axle and this all combines to make it simpler to chaNGE-suunta nopeasti, antaen sille paljon enemmän yhteistä keskimoottorisella urheiluautolla kuin 5-paikkaisen perheen salonki.
Vaikka ohjaustunto on melko tunnoton, se on erittäin nopea (vain 2 käännöstä lukitaan lukitaan) ja se lisää ketteryyttä ja tarjoaa lopullisen elementin tässä hymytehdassa. Ajo -valikon alla on kolme asetusta, mukavuus, standardi ja urheilu, jotka vaativat asteittain voimakkaampaa kuljettajalta pyörän kääntämistä.
Chill -tila tylsää kiihdyttimen vastauksen, mutta sinulla ei ole pääsyä täyteen virtaan hätätilanteessa tässä asetuksessa. Lehdessä oli nappi lattialla polkimen alla, jonka avulla voit ohittaa Eco -tilan, mutta ei valitettavasti 3. Joten jätän auton vain vakiotilaan ja suoritan oman chill -tilani kevyellä kosketuksella kovan hiljaisen polkimen kanssa .
Ennen kuin sain auton, ajattelin, että Tesla hyötyisi Regen -melasta. Muut tuottajat ovat tehneet tämän ja kyky lisätä regenia, kun tulet nurkkaan vetämällä meloa muutaman kerran, voisi parantaa ajokokemusta. Mallissa 3 voit kuitenkin tehdä tämän, mutta kaikki parhaalla jalalla. Päinvastoin kuin lehden toiminta, Regen tässä on alun perin kevyt, mutta kun nostat paljon enemmän ja pääset kaasupolkimen matkan viimeiseen osaan, se kasvaa huomattavasti. Sinun ei tarvitse koskettaa jarrupoljinta, ellet aja melko kovasti – ja sitten se, että Regen ei hidasta sinua tarpeeksi yhtäkkiä, näyttää oudolta. Noin 30 minuutin ajaminen näkee lihasmuistin sopeutuvan regeniin. Siitä päivästä lähtien omituisin asia on päästä mäntäautoon ja yrittää selviytyä sen epätavallisesta rannikkokäyttäytymisestä ja KERS: n puutteesta.
Pyörät, renkaat ja modit
Olin ostanut Tesla Aero -pyörän korkkisarjan, jotta sain vähemmän kuin karvaiset aero-pyöräkannet pois ja paljastamaan komeat seokset alla.
Standard Fit Michelin Pilot Sport 4 Renkaat (235/45 ZR18) ovat todella laadukkaita kosketuksia. Huomasin, että joidenkin malli 3: n päivitetyillä Tesla 19 ″ -urheiliseoksilla on sen sijaan paljon enemmän budjetti Hankook -kumia.
Vaikka pidän suunnittelusta, olen aina tuntenut, että tavalliset 18 ″ pyörät näyttävät liian pieniltä mallille 3.
Ostin nämä satiini mustat 20 ″ turbiiniseokset Yhdysvalloista ja ne saapuivat useita viikkoja ennen autoa, mutta se antoi minulle aikaa saada ne keraamisen päällystettynä ennen renkaiden jatkamista.
Ne ovat porrastettu sarja-etuosat 8,5 ″ leveät (renkaat 235/35-20) ja nousevat 10 ″ leveäksi (renkaat 275/30-20) ja sain nämä mustat Tesla T -pyöräkeskukset Amazoniin.
Nämä ovat enimmäkseen kosmeettisia muutoksia, vaikka Michelin Pilot Sport 4S -renkaat ovat tarttuvuus. Ne vähentävät auton tehokkuutta kuitenkin laskelmillani noin 15%: n pudotus.
Rakastan kuitenkin 20 -luvun ulkoasua ja minulla on edelleen osakekanta. Jos menen koskaan eurooppalaiselle tiematkalle, he palaavat takaisin enimmäisalueelle. molempien parhaat puolet.
On mielenkiintoista nähdä, millainen takapyöräveto Tesla on kuin myös lumessa, jotta 18 -vuotiaat voisivat muuttua talvikauden pyöriin.
Autolla on ollut gtechniq-keraaminen pinnoite, se oli purettu ja jarrujen kalliiden maalattu punaiseksi, PMG Autocare Belfastissa. Minulla on vielä pari modia tekemistä tulevina viikkoina ulkonäön loppuun saattamiseksi.
Turvallisuus
Malli 3: n teräs- ja alumiinirakenne on arvioinut Yhdysvalloissa kansallisen moottoritieliikenteen turvallisuushallinnon Yhdysvalloissa, ja niiden havaitsi, että he ovat koskaan arvioineet alhaisimman todennäköisyyden loukkaantumisesta (vaikka viittaamalla siihen sellaisenaan näyttää olevan aiheutti hiukan sytytystä NHTSA: n ja Teslan välillä).
Closer to these parts the car recently gained 5 stars in the Euro NCAP test and they commented…
Tesla -malli 3 teki vahvan debyytin ihanteellisella pistemäärällä Frontaal Expation Deamodrable Barrier Crash -testissä, joka on Euro NCAP: n arvioinnin tukikohta, koska sen perustaminen vuonna 1997. Sen suorituskyky turvallisuusapukokeissa on erityisen vaikuttunut sen upeiden ohjaajien tukijärjestelmien ansiosta, jotka Kuten kaistatuki, nopeusapua ja itsenäistä hätäjarrutusta. The Tesla’s 94 percent score in