Precision driving at a whole new level

[meep]

while I’ve been offered test drives in friends’ EVs for several years now, I’ve repeatedly declined until Friday. I ended up behind the wheel of dual motor model 3. As a former stick-shift driver, this vehicle awakened several memories for me. I can see them being highly desirable in dense traffic.

first, as so many have said, acceleration is brisk. And it’s instantaneous. One doesn’t really “get” what that means until they’ve experienced it. Closest I can describe it would be a pre-fuel-injected manual, but with 3x the available torque. There’s no waiting for a ramp-up in fuel delivery, no waiting for a turbo to spin up, and no transmission logic and shift to slow things down. the ability to “squirt” out into traffic and merge is well-improved. Additionally, under that kind of power, gear changes interrupt the flow... none of that interrupting your seamless merge. And finally, at least in one-pedal mode, there’s enough “engine braking” off pedal to act like stick set in 3rd as you roll off the gas at 45-50… so at any speed one can back off the pedal and decel with fluid control.

yes, it was also a dual motor; I probably never made it past 50% skinny pedal; didn’t have to, didn’t want to. But, from a performance standpoint for folks who like to drive with a performance mindset, the goods are there and usable.

If/when we go EV, our first foray most likely won’t be a tesla, but my goodness they’ve set a high bar for others to follow. Good job.

 

[JeffKeryk]

When people 1st drive our Mid Range RWD Model 3, they say, "Wow, is this the fast one?" I reply, "No. This is the slow one." I love seeing them grip the wheel, eyes WIDE open and "whoa!" Then they let off the gas and the car shoves you forward in the seats... 1 pedal driving...
If you wanna get somewhere quick, this is the car to do it.

Of course, many people of a certain age can't stand the tablet and the minimalist interior. No buttons... Younger people take to it like nothing.
The 1 pedal driving is simply better than ICE. Once you have experienced it, you are spoiled.

The other thing I find head and shoulders above other cars is the sound system. Clarity and accuracy are amazing. I find it easily better than the Mark Levinson systems in our Lexi.

 

[ecotourist]

while I’ve been offered test drives in friends’ EVs for several years now, I’ve repeatedly declined until Friday. I ended up behind the wheel of dual motor model 3. As a former stick-shift driver, this vehicle awakened several memories for me. I can see them being highly desirable in dense traffic.

first, as so many have said, acceleration is brisk. And it’s instantaneous. One doesn’t really “get” what that means until they’ve experienced it. Closest I can describe it would be a pre-fuel-injected manual, but with 3x the available torque. There’s no waiting for a ramp-up in fuel delivery, no waiting for a turbo to spin up, and no transmission logic and shift to slow things down. the ability to “squirt” out into traffic and merge is well-improved. Additionally, under that kind of power, gear changes interrupt the flow... none of that interrupting your seamless merge. And finally, at least in one-pedal mode, there’s enough “engine braking” off pedal to act like stick set in 3rd as you roll off the gas at 45-50… so at any speed one can back off the pedal and decel with fluid control.

yes, it was also a dual motor; I probably never made it past 50% skinny pedal; didn’t have to, didn’t want to. But, from a performance standpoint for folks who like to drive with a performance mindset, the goods are there and usable.

If/when we go EV, our first foray most likely won’t be a tesla, but my goodness they’ve set a high bar for others to follow. Good job.

That's about what I found when I did a test drive too. Probably a similar experience for all the better EVs.

But I'd suggest you get a Tesla. They seem to have the technology worked out, very good battery life, simple home charging, you have access to the Supercharger network for driving long distances, and regular software updates. And it seems they hold their value pretty well too.

 

[simple_gifts]

let off the gas

In 80 years people will wonder why it is called the gas pedal, much like dialing a phone number it will be an odd remnant of days gone by.

 

[SeaJay]

For instant acceleration they are the best thing going.

 

[JeffKeryk]

For instant acceleration they are the best thing going.

I tell people they more quick than anything else. I even think they feel faster than they are. But if you gotta merge quickly, there is nothing else like the "right now" seamless torque. Puts a smile on your face every time and never gets old.

 

[Ws6]

while I’ve been offered test drives in friends’ EVs for several years now, I’ve repeatedly declined until Friday. I ended up behind the wheel of dual motor model 3. As a former stick-shift driver, this vehicle awakened several memories for me. I can see them being highly desirable in dense traffic.

first, as so many have said, acceleration is brisk. And it’s instantaneous. One doesn’t really “get” what that means until they’ve experienced it. Closest I can describe it would be a pre-fuel-injected manual, but with 3x the available torque. There’s no waiting for a ramp-up in fuel delivery, no waiting for a turbo to spin up, and no transmission logic and shift to slow things down. the ability to “squirt” out into traffic and merge is well-improved. Additionally, under that kind of power, gear changes interrupt the flow... none of that interrupting your seamless merge. And finally, at least in one-pedal mode, there’s enough “engine braking” off pedal to act like stick set in 3rd as you roll off the gas at 45-50… so at any speed one can back off the pedal and decel with fluid control.

yes, it was also a dual motor; I probably never made it past 50% skinny pedal; didn’t have to, didn’t want to. But, from a performance standpoint for folks who like to drive with a performance mindset, the goods are there and usable.

If/when we go EV, our first foray most likely won’t be a tesla, but my goodness they’ve set a high bar for others to follow. Good job.

This is why I drive an EV and won't go back to gas.

 

[Ws6]

In 80 years people will wonder why it is called the gas pedal, much like dialing a phone number it will be an odd remnant of days gone by.

"Balls to the wall" is another. Most people have no clue what it derived from.

 

[pezzy84]

Like OP the instantaneous acceleration was what was the most eye opening thing when I originally test drove my first EV (2016 E-Golf) and had me saying yes within a couple minutes of starting the test drive and that car was a lowly 115 HP and 199 lb/ft torque. Comparatively my ID.4 is crazy with 339 lb/ft torque so the skinny pedal doesn't hit 100% really at all unless I'm demonstrating for a new passenger.

Now I will say the only bad about the instantaneous mountain of torque from 0 RPM does not play well with FWD, they are wheel spin monsters and just can't put the power down from a standstill. Maybe a good thing for enthusiasts as a large chunk of EV specific platforms are now RWD standard.