Wednesday, August 3, 2022

Model 3 - The Amazing, The Not-so-amazing And The Ugly!




I have read countless Model 3 reviews with similar details, so I will try to make this as distinct as possible! I am coming from a Mercedes CLA 250 that I drove for 5.5 years/ 67k miles. My wife drives a 2017 Mazda 3 - which we both like for the incredible value for money it is! We bought a Blue Model 3 LR AWD/ AP-FSD/ Aero wheels (we had ordered sports wheels, but there was an aero available so we picked that up with the Sports wheels currently on order - scheduled to be delivered soon). Overall painless delivery experience! 1k above carmax). We looked really closely for any paint/ panel defects that we can find and found 3 tiny scratches (looked like loading/ off-loading scratches) and promptly given a due bill for it. The paint finish is acceptable, not stellar but I looked at 5 cars ready for delivery and our car was par for the course.





About the panel gaps etc. for which there was furore - after getting my CLA in 2013 November, I noticed the interior panel gaps after a week - they were brutal! They never came up in media, but the forum was filled with many such reports (CLA Interior Door Gap). Similarly, when my friend took delivery of his BMW 3-series back in the day - he noticed 5 scratches on his white car after couple of days. Guess what the dealer said about those? Tesla gets scrutinized way more than these traditional behemoths. In a sense, I am glad it came up coz my car is perfect as far as panel gaps and fit and finish goes! My wife's commute is brutal! 4 day/week - 90 miles RT with the return trip consuming close to 70 mins on average. My commute is 25 miles RT and I use the vanpool 3 days a week. So we decided to split the Tesla for our commutes. 65.5k including taxes but even then - its a lot of car for that money.





I had driven an Audi S5, Porsche Macan S and BMW 435i grancoupe, but nothing comes close to the overall package Tesla delivers! The drive experience is that of a nimble sports car and the composure on corners is amazing. 1.5k compared to Audi and the Beamer. The neat little tricks of having my mirrors fold as I enter my driveway to have the car out of garage through summon to preheating the cabin before I enter - all add subtle value to my experience. I fall in love each time I enter the car! 3.2k to add the high-end B&O system, which I would say is the closest in quality to what Tesla is delivering in Model 3 - all without a markup! 1k for the upgraded music system. The crispness of the sound system in Model 3 is at a different level altogether and I have a hard time appreciating the Bose system that's in our other car.





Autopilot - "I can't think of how we can ever buy another car which doesn't have this" - my wife's words after commuting using autopilot for a week. Autopilot is so in-the-future, you will giggle when you use it the 1st time. We have seen some weirdness at particular places, but if you keep your eyes open - this thing is here to make your life so much easier! People have different takes on this based on their taste - but I love Model 3's interior! The Screen - Glorious! The UI is amazing and so is the UX. The smoothness of the screen rivals iPads and the functions are so well thought out and built. Back to point 1 - The many neat tricks that Model 3 has up its sleeve! From summon to easy entry to home link integration to climate control through app to various other autopilot features to driver profiles to inbuilt dash cams and sentry mode. It all makes the car so much more useful and delightful.

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