Tesla Model 3 Long Range - Impressions

[OVERKILL]

So, my wife and I have been watching reviews of the Model Y, as she thinks she would like a Tesla better than the e-tron that she hated so, since a friend of mine has owned a Model 3 for a bit over a year and the 3 and Y and quite similar I thought it an easy way for her to experience it.

My previous impressions, based on a test drive of a Model S remained unchanged. Acceleration is incredible, handling is excellent but the interior really lacks a sense of luxury and refinement. It is spartan, but feels cheap. This didn't phase her in the least, go figure.

Compared to the Audi, the Model 3 was:
- Faster
- More nimble
- Much louder (road noise, which my wife actually liked?! She thought the e-tron was too quiet)
- Noticeably smaller (this isn't a critique, the 3 isn't expected to be the same size-wise as the Audi)
- Far more basic in terms of layout and controls
- Has much more aggressive regen braking (one pedal driving)

They are VERY different cars, despite being VERY similar in price. The Audi feels like they took a Q5 and made it electric, the Tesla feels like what it is: a ground-up EV that doesn't share any underpinnings with a traditional car. This makes it very minimalistic, which my wife liked and I didn't. It feels too decontented for me.

No pictures, as I'm sure everybody knows what a Model 3 Long Range looks like.

I remain intrigued as to how this will play out as the traditional manufacturers produce more EV models.

 

[JeffKeryk]

@OVERKILL Perfect summary. For those looking for (and accustomed to) a conventional car, the Model 3 and Model Y will seem strange, perhaps odd. Come in with a clean slate and open mind or you might be disappointed.
People will also find the overall performance far surpasses their expectations. Acceleration is only part of the equation, but that "fight now" torque sure helps all around. The Model 3 is a blast, even in base configuration.
Traditional? Hardly. Futuristic. Not to mention polarizing...
Elon Musk has no desire to make yesterday's car; quite the opposite. It is fair to say Teslas are not for everyone.

 

[OVERKILL]

@JeffKeryk Yes, we were both blown away by the Model 3's performance, not just acceleration, and this was just the Long Range. The Model Y Performance apparently runs 11's stock, which is ridiculous for an SUV and my wife wants to test drive one, so I guess that's what we'll be doing. She REALLY liked the Model 3, and is continuing to remark on it this evening. It's amazing, as she hated the Audi because it felt non-conventional but seems to love the Tesla and it's even less conventional

We'd probably buy a Y Performance if we end up going this route. I'm blown away that it has a smaller battery (75kWh) than the e-tron but in real world has much better range.

 

[Breanna]

As I drive a 3 regularly, and my job has me driving it a lot, it is barely okay in my view. Sure it accelerates well, but there is a lot more to making a good car, than acceleration, unless making a 1/4 mile car to race. Tesla could have done so much better, and also not exaggerated claims like they did. On a business trip recently, it wouldn't have been able to make anywhere near its claimed range. Thankfully for us, it didn't need to, but for trips of any length, my Boss has me driving one of his gasoline powered vehicles, and had planned to use the Tesla more. My Boss has buyers remorse already, and has talked about selling it, at just 5 months old. After driving it for approximately 100 days, and having put on many kms, I sure wouldn't purchase one, even if they sold for just $1000.

 

[wemay]

Somewhat off-topic but thought you might enjoy...



A little long but very interesting.

 

[Zee09]

I saw a video where Fords new E Stang is better than the Y..

 

[buster]

This looks promising.

https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a34968692/2021-ford-mustang-mach-e-drive/

 

[UncleDave]

"The results show the Ford requires 31 percent more power to maintain 75 mph. We were unable to run our highway range test during our short loan, but based on the coastdown tests, we expect no more than 190 miles."

 

[RooflessVW]

But was the whole car painted?

I bet the Audi was.

 

[Cujet]

"The results show the Ford requires 31 percent more power to maintain 75 mph. We were unable to run our highway range test during our short loan, but based on the coastdown tests, we expect no more than 190 miles."

In other testing, the E-stang bettered the Tesla in real world range. Hmmm.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-range-and-consumption-epa-vs-edmunds.html

 

[OVERKILL]

In other testing, the E-stang bettered the Tesla in real world range. Hmmm.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-range-and-consumption-epa-vs-edmunds.html

That's a bit eye-opening. Also, the e-tron did a bit better in their testing than it did in the cold temp UK testing I posted in the other thread by about 30 miles, which is reasonable I think.

 

[UncleDave]

In other testing, the E-stang bettered the Tesla in real world range. Hmmm.

https://www.edmunds.com/car-news/electric-car-range-and-consumption-epa-vs-edmunds.html

The rig certainly looks better here.

Couple things to Edmunds comparison.
Its missing the new long range /AWD versions for the 3 and the Y
Its Comparing only performance and base version leaving the middle versions out.

It will be interesting to see what the various 3rd parties gauge the ford at.

The extended range version surely has a big a big battery so it could be less efficiency and still go as far or farther.

 

[UncleDave]

Edmunds drives on specific road routes that cover both highway and city driving around the greater Los Angeles area. We aim for a mix of 60% city driving and 40% highway, assuming that most electric vehicle owners will likely spend more time in stop-and-go traffic than they will on the open highway. Since no electric vehicle has exactly the same range, the route length is adapted to suit each vehicle.

As usual the Devil is in the details.

Given the difference in testing it is very likely that BOTH tests are right.

Edmunds 60/40 test is going to be more accurate for city dwellers,

Its going to be much less accurate for steady sustained highway cruising as C&D observed.

 

[JHZR2]

Model Y hardly looks like an SUV. Will be interesting to see the volume and useful space metrics, especially given the different layout compared to a traditional vehicle. Seems like a good option if you’re inclined to spend $70k on something like that... which is a ton of money for a car based tiny Ute... but it is fast.

 

[UncleDave]

Model Y hardly looks like an SUV. Will be interesting to see the volume and useful space metrics, especially given the different layout compared to a traditional vehicle. Seems like a good option if you’re inclined to spend $70k on something like that... which is a ton of money for a car based tiny Ute... but it is fast.

I'm with you.

It sure puts the S in SUV. Even the 50K version gets down pretty hard and goes a few more miles.

The "U", well that depends on what you are used to, and need. If you are thinking tahoe, its gonna come up real short.

My RX400H is bigger than I need now with the empty nest, but something like a Honda CRV is too small.

 

[4WD]

7 seats in that body ? ... there’s likely a couple I could not safely put our dog in ...

 

[OVERKILL]

The extended range version surely has a big a big battery so it could be less efficiency and still go as far or farther.

They do list kWh/100mi later on in the table (best to worst):

Hyundai Ioniq	20.8
Mini Cooper	21.8
Hyundai Kona	22.3
Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus	23.0
Kia Niro EV	25.3
Chevy Bolt	25.7
Nissan Leaf	27.1
Tesla Model Y Performance	29.6
Tesla Model 3 Performance	30.1
Porsche Taycan	32.3
Tesla Model S Performance	32.6
Ford Mustang Mach-E	33.1
Polestar 2 Performance	35.2
Audi e-tron	38.2

Not surprisingly, the tiny econo boxes do the best and the heavy tank does the worst. The Mustang is right there with the Taycan and Tesla Model S and doesn't take much of a hit when compared to the Model 3 or Model Y performance models.

 

[UncleDave]

7 seats in that body ? ... there’s likely a couple I could not safely put our dog in ...

7 - LOL - sure maybe in munchkin land.

Thats like calling a 911 a 4 seat car.

 

[UncleDave]

They do list kWh/100mi later on in the table (best to worst):

Hyundai Ioniq	20.8
Mini Cooper	21.8
Hyundai Kona	22.3
Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus	23.0
Kia Niro EV	25.3
Chevy Bolt	25.7
Nissan Leaf	27.1
Tesla Model Y Performance	29.6
Tesla Model 3 Performance	30.1
Porsche Taycan	32.3
Tesla Model S Performance	32.6
Ford Mustang Mach-E	33.1
Polestar 2 Performance	35.2
Audi e-tron	38.2

Not surprisingly, the tiny econo boxes do the best and the heavy tank does the worst. The Mustang is right there with the Taycan and Tesla Model S and doesn't take much of a hit when compared to the Model 3 or Model Y performance models.

Simply sorting this into segments would also be helpful, but all good info.

A better route planner has excellent data, as well as being a great EV route planning tool.

 

[Jack Watts]

They do list kWh/100mi later on in the table (best to worst):

Hyundai Ioniq	20.8
Mini Cooper	21.8
Hyundai Kona	22.3
Tesla Model 3 Standard Range Plus	23.0
Kia Niro EV	25.3
Chevy Bolt	25.7
Nissan Leaf	27.1
Tesla Model Y Performance	29.6
Tesla Model 3 Performance	30.1
Porsche Taycan	32.3
Tesla Model S Performance	32.6
Ford Mustang Mach-E	33.1
Polestar 2 Performance	35.2
Audi e-tron	38.2

Not surprisingly, the tiny econo boxes do the best and the heavy tank does the worst. The Mustang is right there with the Taycan and Tesla Model S and doesn't take much of a hit when compared to the Model 3 or Model Y performance models.

I think the outlier there is the Niro EV. It's actually quite spacious on the inside, and outperforms a lot of smaller vehicles. It's FWD and a toaster on wheels, but I think it's the current value proposition out there in EV's.