It's been a long time
coming for Tesla fans who've been counting the days since Tesla opened
up pre-orders for the Model 3 in early 2016, but the wait is over. Tesla
has delivered the first Model 3 sedans to consumers and production is
now rapidly accelerating towards full-swing. That's good news for those
who pre-ordered their cars early, but the good news for everyone is that
we finally have the answers we've all been waiting for -- and some
impressions from behind the wheel, too.
Pricing and performance
Tesla's
Model 3 will start at $35,000. That's before federal or state
incentives, which could subtract thousands more from the price of the
car. Its formal range is 220 miles, but those wanting more can step up
to the Long Range edition. That adds $9,000 to the price and 90 miles to
the tank, meaning you're starting at $44,000 if you want to go 310
miles on a charge.
Elon Musk had originally said there would be
few configurations of the Model 3 available initially, and indeed there
are, with only the Long Range car available at launch. Buyers will have a
choice of six colors -- black is standard, but there are two silvers, a
blue, a red and a white if you're willing to spend $1,000 more. You can
then spend an extra $1,500 for 19-inch wheels and pay a further $5,000
for the Premium Upgrades package, which includes power-adjustable and
heated seats, a better sound system, LED lighting and a tinted glass
roof -- which you're probably going to want if you plan to drive
anywhere the sun rises.
But you're not done yet. Tesla's Autopilot, which
allows for advanced driver assistance on the highway and well-marked
back roads, will set you back $5,000. If you want to roll the dice and
add the extra sensors to enable future full autonomy when Tesla finishes
developing it, that'll be another $3,000.
All told, if you tick all the boxes you come in at $59,500. That's about $10,000 cheaper than the most affordable Model S that is currently available, the 249-mile Model S 75. I'd still call that a very good deal for what you get, though not quite the value proposition of that $35,000 starter edition.
The
Model 3 will accelerate to 60 miles per hour in 5.6 seconds by default
and whirr its way up to a top speed of 130 mph. If you opt for the Long
Range edition, however, that drops to 5.1 seconds with the top speed
rising modestly to 140 mph. Compare that to a top-shelf Model S P100D's
2.4-second 0 to 60 time and it may sound slow, but 5.1 seconds is more
than respectable and, since this is an EV, the immediate pedal response
means it feels much quicker. The central dash will take some getting used to, but it's not as bad as many have feared.
Tesla
Initial impressions
Numbers
like range and price are hugely important when it comes to the success
of an EV, but they only tell half the story -- and I'm very happy to
report the other half of the tale is just as good.
The car automatically unlocks based on your proximity, connecting to your phone using Bluetooth LE -- yes, there isn't a physical key
-- and the door handles are manual, unlike the auto-extending ones on
the Model S. Push on the back and they swing out, much like the handles
on a Nissan GT-R.
The
Premium seats I sampled are low-slung and comfortable, and are
power-adjustable using traditional controls down to the left of the
seat. When it comes to adjusting the steering wheel and the mirrors,
that's when tradition goes out the window. There are two thumbwheels
embedded in the spokes of the steering wheel that can be rolled up or
down or pushed from side-to-side, much like many computer mice.
It's
with these that you configure many more things in the car. Dig into the
settings section of the 15-inch central display and you can select
mirror adjustment mode. Here, the left wheel controls the left mirror,
the right one controls the right. The same goes for adjusting the
position of the steering wheel itself.
This is not only a novel
and, eventually, intuitive solution, it reduces the number of physical
controls that have to be added to the car. This means an interior that
is not only visually more pure, but is also easier to manufacture. It's
also cheaper. Even the air vents, which run the full width of the
dashboard, are adjusted by that central touchscreen, not unlike the new Porsche Panamera. Sadly my drive wasn't quite this scenic.
Tesla
Drive impressions
Interior
impressions are nice, but of course I was itching to get going, and
while I didn't have a huge amount of time with the car -- maybe 15
minutes total -- it was enough to get some solid impressions. And solid
is a good way to describe the car. Despite being a fair bit smaller than
the Model S, even more so than the X, it still feels roomy inside and drives with the same poise and composure as the bigger cars.
Acceleration
is indeed less brisk than its bigger siblings, but that
passenger-startling response that's a Tesla trademark is still here. I
was able to zip through some increasingly dense traffic without issue, a
quick flex of my right foot plenty enough to dive into any gap. On the
move the Model 3 feels far more nimble than its 3,814 pounds would
suggest (3,549 if you go for the shorter-range model), and with the
battery pack down low it stays admirably flat in the turns.
The
steering wheel is fat, deep and feels great in the hand, though I must
admit the thumb wheels do feel a bit more like plastic compared to the
other materials, which are quite premium -- in the Premium trim, at
least. Headliner, dash, seats and even the wood insets felt nice to the
touch. It's definitely more than on par with cars available from the low
$40,000 range.
And that single, central display? It does take
some adjustment not having a traditional speedometer or the like behind
the wheel, but I didn't mind it. In fact, I found myself a little less
distracted as I wasn't constantly glancing down at my speed. Some
drivers will surely struggle with it, though, and I still hope that
Tesla offers a heads-up display at some point, but for me at least, it's
not an issue.
Cargo and space concerns
Beyond the
driving dynamics, price and everything else I was curious to know about,
I was probably most concerned about two things: headroom in the rear
seats and space in the trunk. I'm happy to report that both are
non-issues.
I'm 6 feet tall, yet with my short legs I sit tall and
often struggle to get comfortable in the rear seats of even full-size
cars. I had no problem in the Model 3. Instead of a traditional roof
liner, there's nothing but glass over your head in the back. While I do
wonder what this'll mean on a hot, sunny day, it does make for some very
lofty seating.
And then there's the trunk. Here I was concerned because
the rear glass does not swivel upward, this is a sedan not a hatchback,
and from looking at the earlier concepts it sure seemed like you'd be
left with a narrow opening back there. But, the trunk, though shallow,
opens up high and gets well out of the way. There's actually a very
large trunk opening and a plenty-deep trunk.
Two bags of golf clubs should be no problem. I bet you could even manage four. Even full-sized adults fit here. Seriously.
Tesla
Production and delivery details
Tesla
has repeatedly declined to give a formal update number of pre-orders in
the system, but today Musk himself told us that the company has
received "somewhere over a half-million reservations." 500,000 also
happens to be the rate of annual production Musk hopes to be able to
eventually achieve for the Model 3, which will be built at its Fremont
factory along with Tesla's Model S and X.
But, it will take some time to get to that rate, and
Musk says that if you were to place a deposit for the Model 3 today you
should expect delivery at the end of 2018.
By the end of this
year, Musk hopes to be building about 5,000 Model 3 sedans weekly. If
you're a reservation-holder I'll let you do the math on when you can
maybe, hopefully expect yours, but a lot of this assumes that the
production ramp goes smoothly. "It's an amazing car," Musk said, "but
we're going to go through at least six months now of manufacturing
hell."
That hell will include finding problems in the assembly
process, optimizing efficiency and, quite likely, dealing with one or
more suppliers failing to deliver their widgets with promised frequency.
The Model X "hell" was infamous as Tesla struggled to get the SUVs out
the door in any volume, but all those learnings went into the design of
the Model 3. Everything from the simplification of the interior to the
number of connections on the coolant system was minimized, all with the
intent of making the car simple, fast and cheap to build. Yeah, it's good.
Tesla
Achievement unlocked
After
the incessant delays of the Model S and Model X, cynicism around Tesla
has evolved to something of a fever pitch. Tonight, with the delivery of
the first Model 3 sedans, Tesla is also delivering on a promise and
doing so with a car that's not only on time but really good. No, it
isn't nicer or faster than the S or the X, but it isn't supposed to be.
Only
time will tell on reliability of the car, and there will be some
inevitable teething issues, but overall I'm impressed with what I've
seen and felt. This is an EV that drives as good as it looks and is
competitively priced. We've come to expect the first two things from
Tesla cars of the past. It's good to finally add that third part to the
equation.
