Road test: Tesla Model 3

Tesla’s most affordable model has been updated, and we’ve driven it on New Zealand soil. Here’s what we like, and what we don’t.

It was an evening in late March of 2016 and I was setting up camp at the office. Fuelled by some late-day sushi, I was watching the countdown to the unveiling of a new EV – the Tesla Model 3. Elon Musk, in what we now know to be typical Musk fashion, played up the importance of the new plug-in. It was Tesla’s first affordable, mass-produced product with proper global appeal and intent.

Whilst it might have been superseded by its more practical Model Y cousin, the Model 3 remains a key piece of the Tesla puzzle. And now it’s been given its first comprehensive update.

To those not especially well read on Teslas, the updated Model 3 may look like a mild shift. But for the legions of Tesla disciples out there, it represents a pretty big change.

The architecture and motor arrangement mostly carry over, with styling elements like the general proportions and the commitment to minimalism also making an emphatic return. If anything, the new Model 3 is even more minimalist than the last.

The last Model 3 was a pioneer of sorts for motoring, as one of the first cars that quite deliberately shoehorned as many of its functions into the touchscreen as possible, including the previously unthinkable, like the speedometer, all in the pursuit of Marie Kondo-ing the dashboard and steering wheel.

Tesla has now dropped both stalks from the steering column, re-routing the gear selector and windscreen wipers into the touchscreen and the indicators into a pair of left/right haptic feedback buttons on the steering wheel.

Yeah, more on that later.

The Model 3 line-up starts with the pictured Standard Range RWD variant, priced from $67,900 plus on-roads, powered by a 194kW/340Nm motor mounted in the rear paired to a 60.9kWh battery. The Long Range AWD is priced from $76,200, its dual motors producing 340kW/493Nm. The latter accelerates to 100kph 1.7 seconds quicker, taking 4.4 seconds, and, as its name suggests, can travel a longer max distance; 629km to the base model’s 513km.

In our case, the Standard Range’s 60.9kWh CATLsourced unit seemed to struggle to get near its 500-plus range figure. We estimated that, generously, our tester would likely achieve just over

400km of travel to a charge. Admittedly, most of our driving was on motorways, the natural enemy of the

EV. And, we threw in a morning blat through the Hunuas, too. Nevertheless, the figure was disappointing, and perhaps a sound endorsement for spending the extra dollars on a

Long Range.

Taking a Tesla

Model 3 for a backroad blat … it might sound like a recipe for snores to petrolheads, but the Model 3 has always been a fairly capable, enjoyable car on challenging roads.

The steering, decent on direction change, and the low centre of gravity provided by the battery – coupled with the rear-driven bias – make the chassis feel assured. None of this has changed with the new one. It’s still as fun in the bends as it is deceptively quick off the line.

If the Model 3’s drive has had an issue historically it’s with ride comfort. Unlike the Model S and X (rest in peace), the Model 3 has always been coil sprung. Couple that with lower ride height and perhaps a little less investment in refinement, and the nameplate has built a reputation for riding more firmly than most of its peers. Tesla has been keen to underline how much work it’s done to make the new Model 3 more refined. There’s heaps more sound deadening, improved seals and acoustic double-glazed windows – all of which makes a tangible difference in the level of noise for occupants.

What Tesla has also done is given the Model 3 new bushings, new front knuckles and new adaptive dampers with ‘frequency dependent valves’ that change their behaviour depending on how often compression occurs. These changes also make for a proper improvement in how the Model 3 takes corrugations in the road.

A Model Y will inevitably ride better, of course, but this is still welcome news for those who prefer the sedan form factor or want the sharper device.

Last but by no means least, let’s revisit the Model 3’s cabin. Material quality appears to have been improved, with more of the dashboard lined with softtouch surfaces. There’s also a neat screen in the back seat that can stream video, control the rear climate vents, and more.

But none of that is quite as important as Tesla’s decision to rid its cheapest EV of its drive and indicator stalks. I’ll be honest, from the time it was announced I was sceptical of the decision, writing it off as a pretty pure example of cost-cutting. Having driven the car now, my opinion has changed – but only slightly.

Surprisingly, slotting the car into drive and reverse via the touchscreen actually became reasonably intuitive by the end of my loan. Maybe because it’s often only done at the beginning and end of a drive and you need to be stationary to do it.

The indicators, on the other hand, have very few upsides. I got used to them quickly enough for most scenarios, tapping the left arrow to indicate left and the right to do the opposite.

But, problems quickly arise when navigating roundabouts, particularly when triggering the left indicator before exiting. At times, I’d have to ensure one of my hands was free in order to help me hit the indicator button at 3 o’clock or sometimes even 6 o’clock.

Bear in mind that in these positions, the buttons are often upside down – only making things all the more confusing.

I have no doubt that some Model 3 owners will adapt reasonably quickly to these changes. But, I struggle to think of any real benefits to these changes other than how the drop-off of buttons helps Tesla’s bottom line. They are more distracting and more taxing to stay on top of than the tried-and-true stalks still offered in the Model Y.

I suppose that brings us to the inevitable elephant in the room here. This new Model 3, with its big wins (ride quality, refinement, handling) and debatable failings (the stalk delete and, in our case, range), is likely to trickle down to the more popular Model Y by the end of next year.

Will customer feedback see traditional indicators come back from the dead for the next Model Y? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.