The wife's CX-5 was getting up there in years so we started shopping around. Her only criteria were electric or hybrid, only marginally bigger (or smaller) than her CX-5, and blue. NXh is old, RX/MDX/Highlander hybrids were too big, and RAV4 hybrid isn't available yet. Our decision making process was also sped up because Tesla's tax rebate is getting cut in half at the end of this year.

Long story short, we ended up picking up a blue Model 3 with the long range battery (310 miles), premium interior, enhanced autopilot, and AWD. One rainy picture attached below:



Car is currently at the detailer for PPF, but initial impressions are very positive!

The Good: the drive on this car is sublime. It takes some getting used to but it just goes. 0-60 in about 4.5, the suspension isn't firm without being too rough, and it's whisper quiet. The thing that takes the most getting used to is the accelerator. The regenerative braking is quite aggressive, so the pedal requires constant pressure. If you take your foot off to coast like you might in an ICE car and you'll feel a nice jerk forward as the regen kicks in. What's nice is that I can basically drive with just 1 foot now. Regeneration brings the car to a full stop (with crawl off) and a hold turns on automatically when at a full stop on any incline. I'm also a fan of the giant screen. I've got some gripes that I'll get to in the next section, but it's snappy, easy to read, and logically laid out. Lexus could certainly learn a thing or two from Tesla in that regards. Last thing, the panoramic roof is amazing. I wish it opened up, but I'll make due with constant sky instead.

The Bad: the screen giveth, the screen taketh away. Having most things 1+ clicks away is annoying. Having to adjust side view mirrors with the scroll wheel/button combo is annoying because the up and down movement is jerky. Getting used to all of the menus has a steeper than normal learning curve, but we're getting there. The maps use Google Maps info, but I wish Waze alerts were an option. My wife likes the exterior, but I think the front and overall shape are rather frumpy. I also wish LED headlights were an option.

The TBD: the car was a little over $60K OTD. If I were bad at negotiating, my GS could've been $60K OTD. My current GS and previous IS had better interior materials than the 3 does. That said, the base car costs $35K and save for the premium interior, the additional ~$20K were all battery and autopilot upgrades. If I got this interior in a $40K car, I'd be happy with it. The leather quality is decent, the steering wheel feels good in hand, the giant screen is a love it or hate it affair, but overall I'm quite fond of the minimalism. Could it use some more soft touch materials? Definitely. I would've liked to have had ventilated seats as well, but that wasn't an option. We'll have to see how it wears over time, but we're both pretty happy with the overall package.

Overall, happy wife, happy life and she loves the car so we're good there. For battery longevity reasons, we're capping it at 80% charge and that gives us ~240 miles of range which is more than enough. My wife is happy about not having to visit a gas station again as well. Solar panels are going on the house in Q1 and we've already budgeted this car's usage into it. I'm honestly looking at Model S's to replace my GS and we'll see. If I do, it'll be a lease since the car has been out since 2013 (despite the recent refresh) but electric cars are seriously fun.

 

Congratulations. Nice color...no wonder your wife likes the blue.

Did you experience any assembly-line goofs or defects?.....these cars don't have the best reputation for quality control.

You mentioned it was 60K+. Did the Tesla dealer negotiate, or was it a straight-up, firm, no-deal price? With the demand for these cars, there probably isn't much incentive for the dealer to negotiate.

On the issue of having to do everything through the center-screen.....I'm not sure I could ever get used to that. That would probably be a deal-breaker for me, though I admit I did get used to some things on my Lacrosse (like the electronic joystick-shifter) that I had misgivings about at first.

 

Nope, the car is pretty tight. No significant panel gaps throughout which was nice. Paint quality is just okay, but my detailer is doing some light work before putting the film on.

No negotiating at Tesla. Price is what it is, take it or leave it. I did get the full $7,500 tax credit, but no state credits in NJ.

For the center screen, the profiles for myself and my wife are already setup so changing the mirrors and steering wheel position is 2 clicks. After that, climate adjustments can be made from the main screen and the only thing I would go into the menus for would be autopilot. Unless you like fiddling with things, it really isn't that bad!

 

congrats. just got a model 3 as well and so far positive about the as well.

demand? demand on the 35k car might be big, but right now even with the midrange the demand on model 3 is very low. tesla has tons of inventory. when i ordered mine it took a week to arrive, and my friend ordered it last week and got it within a week.

 

Nice! Performance? They've released all inventory so folks can collect before the credit gets cut. I ordered in store on Wednesday and drove off Friday

 

Congratulations, Henry. Might have just missed it, but I don't remember you doing a thread in Car Chart about it.

 

Congrats! I really like the 3, and I think you picked one of the best colors as well! As expected you really did your homework here and it seems like electric cars are the way to go for you and yours! Congrats again! I'll be over to check it out at some point!(Whenever I actually get back to NJ, you know how that goes. Lol).

 

Nice choice. It seems everyone on my street is now buying this car. I heard there are no $35k versions anywhere. $60k seems overpriced to me, but I probably don't get the whole thing due to my own ignorance.
Enjoy!
P.S. Just about every Model 3 driver I've seen drives like a jerk. 20 mph faster than the flow, cutting in and out, cutting people off, etc. Please don't be one of those. Thanks.

 

why, she not into face tattoos and rubbing shoulders with meth addicts?

 

Congrats please keep thread updated on ownership, maintenance, issues etc.... I usually visit Bay Area a lot and see tons of them there but noticing more of them on East Coast now.

 

Congrats! I was seriously considering ordering one a few days ago because of the tax rebate too! Anyway, there is no leather in the car, except for the steering wheel, the seating surface is imitation.

 

Congrats on the new car. Probably not in my future based on my own wants but I hope you guys have a lot of fun with it over the next few years.

Could you elaborate on the range and charge level? I assume that Tesla advises a less-than-full charge in order to maximize longevity. Do they get specific, or just say, "Don't top it off and it'll last longer"? Do they also advise on recharging before reaching a low charge?

Also, and this is a dumb question, but if the regen is aggressive does that mean the brake lights come on when you lift your foot off the gas? (er, accelerator?)

 

Congrats on the 3! Nice color and what I'd likely pick.

The 14K tax credit for the 3 is now gone in Ontario so without it, your same car is a whopping 90K w/taxes. Time will tell how electric car sales are impacted for 2019.

 

I love the model 3.

 

That's how all seating surfaces should be the imitation stuff is really good (and easier to keep clean) plus animal skins are not sustainable.