From a few meters away, the Tesla Model 3 looks like a piece. If you stand directly in front of it, you notice the big and quite different gaps. The door sealing rubbers do not make a good impression, sometimes appear as cut by hand and later re-glued.
Opening the door with the handle to unfold and get in works wonderfully. The leather driver’s seat is comfortable and provides a good lateral support. The thigh support area is also sufficient for tall drivers. Front are the space great: shoulder, leg and headroom are designed for large occupants.
The steering wheel of the Model 3 is small, feels pleasant and looks quite unusual for two reasons: firstly, its material looks bad cheap, on the other hand, it carries as a multi-function elements only two rotary-tilt plate, which seem lost on the steering wheel. The function of these control wheels depends on the setting selected in the central infotainment screen. When the radio is called, the buttons for adjusting the transmitters and the volume are there, you can open the steering wheel menu, the steering wheel height can be adjusted with the left button and the depth can be adjusted with the right button. This could work even while driving without compromising safety.Unusually for the driver: About driving data informed in the Model 3 exclusively the built-in center console screen – a separate area of the instrument directly in front of the driver does not exist. Tesla is not the first manufacturer to build such a cockpit, but it takes some getting used to. A head-up display has not announced Tesla boss Elon music for the Model 3 so far. The interior designers have allowed a gag in the make-up mirrors sitting in the sun visors: These are covered by a very thin two-part magnetic flap. If you fold them down, bright strips of light illuminate the mirror to the right and left
Does the door open without electricity?
The entire interior of the Model 3 is bright and clear to the rear. Another unusual feature is the flowing transition from the rear window to the darkened roof area, which is also made of transparent material. To leave the car you have to press a small button in the door handle – this works perfectly – hopefully in case of a power failure.
In the rear, it is closer, especially if the front man plenty of space approved. Otherwise, the passengers sit here just as comfortable as the front – the Model 3 could be fun on the long journey fun, if the battery level allows just this long journey. However, it is just the one sitting in the rear on which cheap materials Tesla partly used in the Model 3: The front seat backs are clad in the back with cheapest plastic and reminiscent of the steering wheel. The door opening from the inside is done at the back as in front by pressing a button. Let’s take a look in the trunk at the front and rear. The luggage compartment in front of the driver can be a bit awkward to open via the central infotainment screen – where you can also lift larger suitcases from above. The trunk rear opens at the push of a button from the outside – but the cargo space neckline is narrow. Here would have helped a tailgate hinged on the rear edge of the roof in the style of hatchback limousines.
Summary seat sample
Comfortable seats, enough space for large passengers and a no-frills dashboard combined Tesla the Model 3 with a partially still windy processing and also some very cheap acting materials. The build quality is likely to get Elon Musk under control – the larger Model S has been getting better and better over the years. The cheap plastic materials have just rarely deterred American customers – and for the European market Tesla could certainly provide in this regard.
Driving Report Tesla Model 3
Snow-white stands the 4.70-meter-long sedan in the sun, ducking flat and athletic over the asphalt. Is standing there well, the car. Front and back there are no chubby overhangs, in between no playful beads and edges. All pretty clean, a tin dress from a piece. The gap dimensions? From exquisite to outrageous, almost fingerbreit.
The feeling of space in the first row is wonderfully airy. Which is also due to the lack of buttons on the dashboard. No switch, no buttons, even the typical ventilation louvers Tesla has pinched. So you look at a (handy) steering wheel, which carries only two small knobs – and the 15-inch color screen, which towers at the outer end of the solid center console. Almost all functions of the Model 3 can be controlled via this large touch display. From the light (there is an automatic) via the windscreen wipers (also automatic), the mirror and steering wheel adjustment, climate, Navi, steering (three modes), sound system up to the adjustability of the flow direction of the blower for driver and front passenger.
Does it sound like a lot? It is. At first you look for, press and marvel for a while – in order to find your way around easily. The only downside: the eyes are too often scanning the big screen, so the distraction is quite big while driving. Is also not different, since even the tempo is displayed only there. Smart would therefore be a head-up display – which does not exist so far. The Model 3 owners complain of big screen failures, others want smarter positioning of the various menus. In contrast, keyless access earns much praise. For that it is sufficient to have plugged in the standard owner’s card or to pair your own phone with the Tesla. And where is the start button of the Model 3? Trick question! The 192-kilowatt electric motor starts without such a button – just push the lever on the right behind the steering wheel down, and the e-heart is activated. There, the forward and reverse gear is engaged and activated the autonomous driving mode.
Sensitive gas foot is required
The little Tesla still teaches us when we are out of the park: Sensitivity in the gas foot is what he likes most, because there are 525 Newton meters on board, which can be grabbed at any time without a commemorative memento. Silently and smoothly, the four-door car then rolls over the large parking lot to stumble comparatively bumpy and awkward over two brake hills. Others can do better in this class.
At the first traffic light we briefly forget the sensitive right foot and see how the white Tesla transforms into an athlete. For the sprint zero to one hundred, the sedan should not waste six seconds – we believe immediately. E-typical model 3 does not make a loud show.
The handling? Wonderful! Since all the cells of the batteries live under the footwell, the center of gravity of the approximately 1.7-ton Model 3 is pretty deep; hence the sporty behavior. The steering system adjusts all commands quickly and without delay. If you want a different sensibility here, you can set this on the large display. In addition to “normal”, “comfort” and “sport” are available. Also selectable: the recuperation of the electric motor, which generates in rolling phases either a moderate or strong braking torque and so the battery feeds
The range?
With the large battery pack Tesla indicates about 500 kilometers – which are also realistic to estimate at mild temperatures. At least Tony Siress, Model 3 driver of the first hour, confirms that. If the batteries are empty, it takes about 40 minutes on a Supercharger until the full range is displayed again. Charging on Tesla columns is not free on the Model 3. What else surprised us? How good the compact sedan feels. Power in abundance, plenty of rest and range, enough space (425 liters of luggage space). However, the suspension comfort disappoints. Anyone who gets involved in the operating concept will enjoy it. The partly negligent processing we are used to from Tesla – the customers does not seem to bother. For them it is more important that the cars of the brand taste like the future.
Because while others are still talking, Tesla has brought after the now discontinued Roadster, the Model S and the Model X already the fourth electric car on the market. However, we are curious when it really comes to us.
The Tesla Model 3 is not perfect, but it’s good enough to keep fans excited about the brand. Reach and punch fell – behind the wheel, feelings of future. The production difficulties may be unpleasant, hurt the brand. But once these are fixed, the Model 3 will hurt the competition, which still has hardly comparable start.
